[ChatAction] Community Gardens

Sat Dec 26 17:05:01 MST 2020

Ok, thanks Shannon.

Taking a break from programming data displays for the “Skillset” poll/inquiry that I sent to you a couple of days ago, let me see if I can move this along.

Just speaking for myself – I actually don’t have time to be confused about things I am not confused about.  Your project is elegant and spiritual and profound – but it’s not bewildering different from at least a thousand somewhat similar projects.

If “Our Heart Gardens” is not exactly the same thing as a “community garden” – of which there are thousands – what is the difference between them?  The answer is probably something like “An Our Heart Garden is a type of community garden”, and it is distinguished by these characteristics: (you list some characteristics here – and I’d say do that right now – make the longest list you can think of))

Putting this simply – there has to be an answer to this question.

On “the volatile capacity for outreach that you have not encompassed yet” – I think the answer is – you have to settle down and work on it.

I am saying this with a little bit of push because I have been building visionary projects led by or with women for at least ten years, and more like twenty.

I have a beautiful anthropologist friend named Jeanie who could spend three hours gazing lovingly at her design, without being able to move forward on it by taking action steps.

She was waiting for a miracle.  “The world is going to change.  It will be like water changing into steam.  It will all be transformed.  We just have to be patient and let it happen by itself.  It’s evolution!”

She is beautiful and good, and a university-grade scholar – but she was walking in her sleep.

Sometimes I think a huge issue is this primitive distinction – women are from Venus, men are from Mars – women want to “be” – men want to “do” – and the proper answer in the real world, based on dynamic yin/yang – as I am sure many of you have heard – is “do-be-do-be-do-be-do-be-do-be…..”

The world is on fire – and actually, so am I – so I need to push for concrete action steps.

So – you don’t want to talk about “one garden at a time”

Ok.  But the people who built Notre Dame Cathedral just built one cathedral at a time – and the people who built YouTube and Facebook and the Democratic Party just built those things one item or person at a time – just in a highly organized way.

I learned long (long) ago – that action is linear.  It is linearly sequential – or maybe “massively parallel”.  There’s a famous foundational book in psychology called “Plans and the Structure of Behaviour”

We build a plan on the basis of what we want to do.  If we don’t “behave” – we got no action.

Beautiful ambitious abstractions have to be made concrete.  You want a Golden Gate Bridge?  You gotta get some stuff and get organized and do stuff.  

Ok, all of that is obvious.  

Back to linearly sequencing all this stuff I think you guys – you ChatAction people – actually want to organize and do.

dobedobedobedobedobedobedobedobe….

Bruce Schuman

Santa Barbara CA USA

bruceschuman at cox.net <mailto:bruceschuman at cox.net>  / 805-705-9174

www.origin.org <http://www.origin.org> 

From: Shannon McArthur <sparklingwithall at gmail.com> 
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2020 1:23 PM
To: Bruce Schuman <bruceschuman at cox.net>
Cc: Nirmalan Dhas <mentor at slt.lk>; ChatAction List <chataction at communitymagic.org>
Subject: Re: Community Gardens

Bruce, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Yes, I am aware... while not a researcher (more a surfer and appreciator) I have considered how all these lovely projects could be integrated and what would be needed when that opportunity arises. I have felt insufficient to the challenge and am becoming more confident and able with my new associations (UU, HR & you, All).  

The concept of Oh-Gs' network extends to, and perhaps starts in places already in existence - and I imagine the philosophy of The One we are and sharing knowledge and wisdom and management methods and funding /economics weaving the jewels of our communities/gardens closer. The outreach I imagine best undertaken has a volatile capacity that I haven't encompassed yet. I imagine the plan will unfold as we get closer to being able to fulfill the required actions.  We are practicing and gathering acumen... imho, and if you can see farther than I, please share. While each of us is enough for our own lifeline, no one of us is enough to ground the multi-faceted future we are destined to share... nor to speak to all of the wonderful gardeners, tech & finance people, hands-on builders, artists, educators, philosophers, entertainers and healers, etc., I imagine will be associated with the flowering of Gaia's gift. 

If I spent my time cooking, gardening or talking to people in one garden at a time (though I have done some of that) I could not do what I am called to. I follow my heart, and trust you do too. We will feel our way forward, learning how as we go... I imagine...

I love you... thank you!

Shannon

On Sat, Dec 26, 2020 at 11:54 AM <bruceschuman at cox.net <mailto:bruceschuman at cox.net> > wrote:

Dear Shannon, dear All

I wonder, Shannon – if you have had the time to do some thorough research on the concept of “community gardens” – and considered how you could relate to the considerable work and activity that is already going on?

You might start with the Wikipedia article – which does list a lot of resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_gardening

This article reviews community gardens in the USA and mentions that in Los Angles country, there are 125 community gardens and in the Denver area there are over 100:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_gardening_in_the_United_States

This website is the official website of the American Community Garden Association:

https://www.communitygarden.org/

So I am just wondering – is this a wheel that needs to be (re-)invented and financed, or a well-established party-in-progress where you would probably fit in beautifully?

Bruce Schuman

Santa Barbara CA USA

bruceschuman at cox.net <mailto:bruceschuman at cox.net>  / 805-705-9174

www.origin.org <http://www.origin.org> 

From: ChatAction <chataction-bounces at communitymagic.org> On Behalf Of Shannon McArthur via ChatAction
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2020 10:04 AM
To: Nirmalan Dhas <mentor at slt.lk <mailto:mentor at slt.lk> >; ChatAction List <chataction at communitymagic.org <mailto:chataction at communitymagic.org> >
Subject: Re: [ChatAction] [ChatPeople] FDR Knew How to Solve Today's Unemployment Crisis

Nirmalan, the article offers the answer to your question: "China built 12,000 miles of high-speed rail in a decade: credit created on the books of  <https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/chinese-financial-system-elliott-yan.pdf> government-owned banks was advanced to pay for workers and materials, and the loans were  <https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704025304575283953879199386> repaid with profits from passenger fees. "

This is interesting - I wonder if/how this form of banking could accommodate the financing of establishment of Our Heart Gardens. Holding the intention of participation in Oh-Gs being free, who would pay? Personally, I like the idea of tapping the government agencies who provide services to the participants, and businesses that use the facility to serve their mandate. I invite all imaginations to play in that field with me... Perhaps artists who sell the work they create with/in an Oh-G would pay (a tax or a fee?)... cooks who sell prepared meals (as opposed to those who serve participants freely) would pay - based on their income from sales - perhaps... 

This is an interesting avenue of inquiry. There are many avenues down which I have never ventured and I value your input... This is the fun part!!

Love

Shannon

On Sat, Dec 26, 2020 at 6:18 AM Nirmalan Dhas via ChatAction <chataction at communitymagic.org <mailto:chataction at communitymagic.org> > wrote:

…"the country still needs trillions of dollars in infrastructure. Putting the unemployed to work on those infrastructure projects seems an obvious solution”

Who pays back and how…

Anyone worked it too a spread sheet….?

> On Dec 22, 2020, at 02:02, stan at othernetworks.org <mailto:stan at othernetworks.org>  wrote:
> 
> Oops... 
> 
> Here's the link:
> https://scheerpost.com/2020/12/17/fdr-knew-exactly-how-to-solve-todays-unemployment-crisis/
> 
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://communitymagic.org/pipermail/chataction_communitymagic.org/attachments/20201226/643e7384/attachment-0002.html>