Living in the Garden of Eden

What does it mean to be wealthy? To be wealthy is to have abundance.

The irony of it all is that we live in an economic system that values scarcity.  Our economic system is governed by the law of supply and demand. How does the law of supply and demand operate? This basic law of economics states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop. When supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise. In other words, more scarcity = more profit. In contrast, nature is abundant. Mother nature has nourished and nurtured all living things. Humans have used agriculture to grow mass amounts of food, but the world hunger problem persists. Furthermore, agriculture has damaged our natural environments, depleted and damaged our soil, and polluted our rivers, oceans, and air. People, animals and plants have also been contaminated causing disease and suffering. To sum it up, our solutions for meeting the basic needs of people on this planet is damaging to both the planet and the people. The time has come for us to be humble and follow nature's design.

Permaculture imitates nature's ingenious design for planetary abundance. Permaculture works with nature instead of against it. Biodiversity and poly-culture is valued.

Permaculture is also an alternative to the back-breaking work of agriculture. Permaculture produces more yield with less work.
Permaculture is Permanent agriculture...

"The more you understand, the more you can put nature to work for you, the less you need."

Permaculture is an alternative way of living...

sustainable living, less consumption and waste, healthier, in harmony with our natural surroundings. 

The choice is yours: Be a part of the solution or be a part of the problem.

Aung San Suu Kyi Finally Free

A symbol of hope in the struggle for democracy and human rights. Being her father's daughter, she says she cannot help but get involved. Her father, Aung San fought for Burma's independence from colonial rule, but the struggle continues for what Suu Kyi calls Burma's second independence. Burma's hope to be a truly democratic country and have basic human rights such as freedom of information and freedom of speech - to live a dignified life. However, this struggle is not Burma's alone. The struggle for democracy and human rights is very real in many parts of the world. Even as I write this, the people of Egypt are fighting for their rights, fighting for democracy.

Suu Kyi stands for compassion and self-sacrifice. It is very rare today to find a leader that is willing to sacrifice personal gain, much less loss. Suu Kyi's leadership is very much service orientated much like the servant leadership of Mahatma Gandhi whom she cites as one of her main inspirations. Her non-violent approach and her deep concern for Burma to achieve its freedom peacefully is very much rooted in Gandhian philosophy. Suu Kyi also falls to Buddhist teachings and values as many Burmese do as a guide and yardstick for responsible behaviour. In fact, many Burmese rely on Buddhist teachings and values as an educational background to back-up their moral convictions.The people of Burma strongly identify with Buddhism. Taking this into consideration, Suu Kyi has proposed the Buddhist view of leadership or kingship as a model for future leaders of Burma. According to Buddhist teachings, a leader must always stand by his or her duties to liberality, morality, self-sacrifice, integrity, kindness, austerity, non-violence, and non-opposition (to the will of the people).

An issue that concerns me however is Suu Kyi's stance on the minorities of Burma. Apparently, she has said that issues pertaining to minorities will be dealt with after Burma's "independence". This suggests that the minorities will not be treated as equal citizens of future Burma. I hope this is not true, and if it is, then I pray for a change of heart.

People say power corrupts, but Suu Kyi says in her essay 'Freedom from Fear' that it is indeed fear that corrupts. Burma's military Junta's fear of losing power makes them act in corrupt ways. Their idea of peace seems to be when all opposition is silent. The people of Burma also need to achieve freedom from fear. The people have remained fearful and silent oppressed by military rule for too long. Forced to live in such an oppressive environment isolated from the outside world, and fed with brainwash propaganda. Freedom from fear encourages us to let go of our fears and stand for what is right. According to Suu Kyi, the revolution that has to occur now is one of the spirit.

Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma in our hearts and fists forever.

A really good book by Suu Kyi and the struggle of the Burmese people is :

And a gripping documentary on Burma, a documentary people risked their lives to make to tell their story to the outside world...