Ecosystem Regeneration Camps & BEYOND

Stan, I noticed you highlight, in the signature of your emails, Ecosystem Restoration Camps. I gave this day, since I can't talk without pain, to exploring ERC in some depth. Later I will view the TED program devoted to this exciting "endeavor" (a category meta to "project"). I wish them success as they have initiative, leadership, an excellent online presence, and a small, but substantial, global population who will be attracted to their promotion. As my proposed UPLIFT movement grows, I can imagine many members camping for regeneration as one of their early activities.

However, they will encounter many persons, so indoctrinated as to not comprehend the ERC vision, and reject it. Unfortunately, this is the vast majority of humankind.

As I explored ERC I went meta and realized the following > There are TWO highly dysfunctional meta-organisms on Earth: Gaia and Humankind. Humankind, in it own functioning is as damaged, in its own ways, as Gaia. Obviously humankind's dysfunction is the primary cause of Gaia's dysfunction. But, all the many efforts to heal Gaia and stop her destruction posit a humankind competent to do what is needed. Unfortunately, humankind as "structured" is far from having the requisite distribution of attitudes/beliefs/competencies to save Gaia. In addition, I strongly believe it could be demonstrated that: humankind cannot transform itself into a "humanity" competent to save Gaia.

Humankind's systems are too inter-dependent: start fixing one part and the whole will resist. Many claim the Capitalism must go, and the very wealthy. But, most persons have been dumbed down or indoctrinated into cult silos. In their own way, this has happened to the "already educated" and the elites. As collapse progresses, many expect "the people" will "rise up" and create "utopia". Although some populations have "pulled together" during disasters, which is evidence for the deep potentials o humans, these are rare and special.

HUMANKIND IS A MESS, incapable of transforming itself and saving much of Gaia from extinction. No activist even speculates on uplifting humankind. Any"education", beyond learning to perform tasks in their settings, is not an objective in any proposals. Although persons will learn much, and change, by participating in ERC, they are not equipped to participate functionally in processes of global reorganization. Also ERC is directed to land BOTH devastated and inhabited. Large tracks of devastated and uninhabited land would require another process.

Five decades ago I recognized the mess of humankind and proposed an "uplift" (I didn't use the term then) in 25 years from 1975 to 2000, called Mission_2000. I even taught my 80 mimeographed page document to one of my community college courses. No one could "grok" that magnitude and complexity of change. Over the decades I've expanded and improved my model for change, now labeled UPLIFT. Even my analogy with caterpillar/butterfly metamorphosis was not comprehended. Whereas my analogy related detailed processes, everyone slipped into understanding the relationship as metaphor.  As metaphor, is how metamorphosis was introduced in the ERC literature. No one ever asks: "what went on in the cocoon?".

In 1974 I discovered that question and learned of the metamorphic PROCESS in the university library. I, too, had viewed the change in metaphor. Our culture is anti-uplift with its demand that "youth grow up". The natural uplifting (poorly managed) in childhood must end. Find a job, marry, have children. As technology replaces workers, re-educating them for new employment is never a program. Some innovational educational programs for youth enable uplifting. For many reasons, UPLIFTING the global population is deemed ridiculously impossible, to even competent educators.

While I am very excited by the Ecosystem Regeneration Camps, I fear that they will organize only a fraction of the population and regenerate only of a fraction of the land needing regeneration. Our oceans are in dire need of regeneration. ERC, even successful, will not stop pollution and global heating.

I invite all readers to engage me in tutoring you in comprehending my UPLIFT proposal.

Larry/nuet