‘For a “Christian” text, the Course is about as far from the Bible as you can get. For example, in the Course Jesus says he didn’t condemn Judas for betraying him; the idea that he could condemn someone is a gross misinterpretation of who he was. Nor did he ever take a whip to anybody or think of anyone as swine.

He suggests that the Crucifixion never happened. Fascination with the Crucifixion, the Course implies, grows out of our unconscious desire to be punished, because we see ourselves as sinful instead of as innocents who make mistakes.

The Jesus in the Course can see only the good in everyone. A lot of people misunderstood him, he says, because they saw him through their own dark lens. Any behavior that appears unholy is either a cry of pain or a call for love’

Confessions from a Conversion Van

Jim Ralston

The eleven key prongs of the deglobalisation paradigm according to Walden Bello:

Production for the domestic market must again become the center of gravity of the economy rather than production for export markets.

The principle of subsidiarity should be enshrined in economic life by encouraging production of goods at the level of the community and at the national level if this can be done at reasonable cost in order to preserve community.

Trade policy — that is, quotas and tariffs — should be used to protect the local economy from destruction by corporate-subsidized commodities with artificially low prices.

Industrial policy—including subsidies, tariffs, and trade — should be used to revitalize and strengthen the manufacturing sector.

Long-postponed measures of equitable income redistribution and land redistribution (including urban land reform) can create a vibrant internal market that would serve as the anchor of the economy and produce local financial resources for investment.

De-emphasizing growth, emphasizing upgrading the quality of life, and maximizing equity will reduce environmental disequilibrium.

The development and diffusion of environmentally congenial technology in both agriculture and industry should be encouraged.

Strategic economic decisions cannot be left to the market or to technocrats. Instead, the scope of democratic decision-making in the economy should be expanded so that all vital questions—such as which industries to develop or phase out, what proportion of the government budget to devote to agriculture, etc.—become subject to democratic discussion and choice.

Civil society must constantly monitor and supervise the private sector and the state, a process that should be institutionalized.

The property complex should be transformed into a “mixed economy” that includes community cooperatives, private enterprises, and state enterprises, and excludes transnational corporations.

Centralized global institutions like the IMF and the World Bank should be replaced with regional institutions built not on free trade and capital mobility but on principles of cooperation that, to use the words of Hugo Chavez in describing the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), “transcend the logic of capitalism.”

I had a bit of a jaw dropping moment the other week when I was discussing the legacy of the COTE project with a fellow local. She asked me if the project had managed to have much of an impact in the other villages we’d worked in – what kind of projects had developed there and were they still on the go – that kind of conversation. I think I answered here question fairly well.

She then went on to remark how little long term impact we’d had in Douglas.

I didn’t respond.

Interestingly for me, it’s now that the project is no longer there that I see its outputs and outcomes displaying themselves. Our work was never about delivering projects – it was about helping to grow local capacity and bridging divides, taking those who were keen enough through a process of some sort of self discovery and helping them to open their eyes to the wonders of community control. It was about helping to strengthen community bonds and enabling relationships to occur where they might never have occurred before. It was bloody difficult and hard work!

But I maintain that it’s paid off – that kind of investment activity which isn’t about bricks and mortar, but about human relationships and possibility. It’s not work which is mainstream, or popular, or well known – possibly beacuse it doesn’t deliver big tangible things – but it’s possibly the most worthwhile work anyone might be doing in these times of great uncertainty and change. And there were positive , tangible benefits too – groups of people self organising to undertake a major renovation of our community hall and another establishing itself to create a new village centre with accessible and attractive services. Possibilities to work in collabboration with the local landed estate are now there for those with the enrrgy and enthusaism to take them forward.

However, it appears that our work was unseen – and perhaps that’s how it should be – invisible. And maybe I shouldn’t credit myself with any of it, because at the end of the day it relied solely on the will of people to put themselves out there and get involved.

And all of that is fine – I just wonder how people perceive me now – did I appear to be acheiving little in my role? Does everyone wonder what exactly the COTE project ever achieved?

“I don’t think that new technologies alone will save us. What will get us through the evolutionary bottleneck is a change of heart, which will come about when we begin to see nature not as a resource but as a sentient master”

Janine Benyus

Two down, one to go. It’s like sixty minute makeover this malarkey!

‘There is a new worldwide movement developing, made up of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that movements are not organizations, institutions or systems. Movements have no CEO, central office, or plan. Instead, they happen when thousands and thousands of people discover together new possibilities for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And together they call upon themselves. In many nations local people have been called to come together to pursue a common calling. It would be a mistake to label that calling ABCD, or Community Building. Those are just names. They are inadequate words for groups of local people who have the courage to discover their own way — to create a culture made by their own vision.

It is a handmade, homemade vision. And, wherever we look, it is a culture that starts the same way: First, we see what we have — individually, as neighbors and in this place of ours.

Second, we know that the power of what we have grows from creating new connections and relationships among and between what we have.

Third, we know that these connections happen when we individually or collectively act to make the connections — they don’t just happen by themselves. We also know that these three steps leading to our way can often be blocked by great corporate, governmental, professional and academic institutions. They often say to us, “You are inadequate, incompetent, problematic, or broken. We will fix you.” It is our calling to ignore these voices that create dependency, for we are called to find our way — not follow their way. We are striving to live in a democracy. A democracy is a politics that gives us the freedom to create our vision and the power to make that vision come true. We strive to be citizens — people with the vision and the power to create our own way, a culture of community capacity, connection and care.

Unfortunately, many leaders and even some neighbors think that the idea of a strong local community is sort of “nice”, a good thing if you have the spare time, but not really important, vital or necessary. However, we know strong communities are vital and productive. But, above all they are necessary because of the inherent limits of all institutions. No matter how hard they try, our very best institutions cannot do many things that only we can do. And what only we can do is vital to a decent, good, democratic life. People in the new movement know what only we have the power to do as local neighbors and citizens.

First, our neighborhoods are the primary source of our health. How long we live, how often we are sick is determined by our personal behaviors, our social relationships, our physical environment, and our income. As neighbors, we are the people who can change these things. Medical systems and doctors cannot. This is why scientists agree that medical care counts for less than 10% of what will allow us to be healthy. Indeed, most informed medical leaders advocate for community health initiatives because they recognize their systems have reached the limits of their health — giving power.

Second, whether we are safe and secure in our neighborhood is largely within our domain. Many studies show that there are two major determinants of our local safety. One is how many neighbors we know by name. The second is how often we are present and associated in public — outside our houses. Police activity is a minor protection compared to these two community actions. This is why most informed police leaders advocate for block watch and community policing. They know their limits and call to our movement.

Third, the future of our earth — the environment — is a major local responsibility. The “energy problem” is our local domain because how we transport ourselves, how we heat and light our homes and how much waste we create is a major force factor in saving our earth. That is why our movement is a major force in calling us and our neighbors to be citizens of the earth and not just consumers of the natural wealth.

Fourth, in our villages and neighborhoods, we have the power to build a esilient economy — les dependent on the mega-systems of finance and production that have proven to be so unreliable. Most enterprise begins locally, in garages, basements, and dining rooms. As neighbors, we have the local power to nurture and support these businesses so that they have a viable market. And we have the local power to capture our own savings so that we are not captives of our notorious large financial institutions. We also are the most reliable sources of jobs, for in many nations word-of-mouth among neighbors is still the most important access to employment. The future of our economic security is now clearly a responsibility, possibility and necessity for local people.

Fifth, we are coming to see that a part of our domain is the production of the food we eat. So we are allied with the local food movement, supporting local producers and markets. In this way, we will be doing our part to solve the energy problem caused by transportation of food from continents away. We will be doing our part to solve our economic problems by circulating our dollars locally. And we will be improving our health by eating food free of poisons and petroleum.

Sixth, we are local people who must raise our children. We all say that it takes a village to raise a child. And yet, in modernized societies, this is rarely true. Instead, we pay systems to raise our children — teachers, counselors, coaches, youth workers, nutritionalists, doctors, McDonalds, and MTC. We are often reduced as families to being responsible for paying others to raise our children and transporting them to their paid child raisers. Our villages have often become useless — our neighbors responsible for neither their children nor ours. As a result, everywhere we talk about the local “youth problem”. There is no “youth problem”. There is a village problem of adults who have forgone their responsibility and capacity to join their neighbors in sharing the wealth of children. It is our greatest challenge and our most hopeful possibility.

Seventh, locally we are the site of care. Our institutions can only offer service — not care. We cannot purchase care. Care is the freely given commitment from the heart of one to another. As neighbors, we care for each other. We care for our children. We care for our elders. And it is this care that is the basic power of a community of citizens. Care cannot be provided, managed or purchased from systems. Our way is made possible by the power to care. Democracy is the way we care for our freedom and responsibility. So it is the new connections and relationships we create locally that build community because in joining each other together, we manifest our care for the children, neighbors and the earth.

Health, safety, economy, environment, food, children and care are the seven responsibilities of our movement. They are the necessities that only we can fulfill. And when we fail, no institution or government can succeed. Because we are the veritable foundation of the society.

Fortunately, at the heart of our movement are three universal and abundant powers.

 The three basics of our calling are: The giving of gifts — the gifts of the people in our neighborhood are boundless. Our movement calls forth those gifts.

Second, the power of association — In association we join our gifts together and they become amplified, magnified, productive, and celebrated.

Third, hospitality — We welcome strangers because we value their gifts and need to share our own. Our doors are open. There are no strangers here. Just friends we haven’t met. Ours is the movement of abundance. There is no limit to our gifts, our associations, and our hospitality.

We have a calling. We are the people who know what we need. What we need surrounds us. What we need is each other. And when, we act together, we will find Our Way. The citizen’s way. The community way. The democratic way. We care called to nothing less.

And it is not so wild a dream’

John McKnight is Co-Director, of the Asset Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. His talk “Community Capacities and Community Necessities” was delivered as part of the opening remarks at the “From Clients to Citizens Forum”, at the Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia on July 8, 2009.

Anyone who knows me knows I always have to have a wee project on the go. For the past year or so, alongside developing the St. Bride’s Centre project, renovating my own house and starting a new job, my project has been ‘Mountherrick’. Mountherrick is a development of an old barn steading into three luxury holiday cottages. My role in it all has been that of designer. Ably assisted by Nan, we’ve spent weekend after weekend trailing some of the most curious little places across the central belt, sourcing fabric and furniture and carpets and tiles and doors and salt and pepper dishes and the list goes on…

We’ve been purchasing as locally as possible, with bespoke couches and chairs made by a local artisan, curtain fabric sourced from a farm diversification project and soft furnishings stitched by a retired school teacher. To start, it was all very exciting – the anticipation of spending someone elses money! But reality has proved that it’s possibly been the most stressful time EVER!

On Tuesday, we’re being accredited. Currently, the painter still has two coats to put on the lounge wall of the second cottage and the plumber hasn’t cracked the biomass heating system yet (very green we are too!) All of this means that this weekend will be spent chasing ones tail. I’m anticipating a nightshift on Monday too…

The picture above is of the first cottage… I think it might all just have been worth it!

‘The belief in a thing makes it happen’

Frank Lloyd Wright

There are two types of challenges in the world today. The first are those which happen unannounced, which take us by surprise. I’m sure you won’t have missed the fact that there’s a fairly substantial global financial crisis on the go at the moment and I’m confident that you’ll remember the sharp increases in energy costs that we suffered just less than a year ago. You’ll no doubt be aware of the ‘Baby P’ case and some of the other disturbing incidents which have shook the country recently. Five years ago, it would have been difficult, nigh on impossible, to predict such events. In response, we look for the reasons why and for someone to blame. Then there’s the second type – those which present themselves, but have yet to reveal their true enormity – challenges such as climate change and peak oil. What will our reaction be to these? In the future, who will we blame when these challenges present themselves in the most ferocious of ways? Successive governments? Bank Managers? Social Workers?

It’s been just under three months now since my colleagues and I hung up our hats at the end of the ‘Communities on the Edge’ project. Since then, I’ve been pondering what it is that people will remember of our work and what impact it had on me and the rest of the world. Did we, in our own small way, help to mitigate the effects of any of the challenges mentioned above? A lasting memory of the project for me will be our fantastic event for the landowning sector held at Floors Castle, but what will those who attended recall in the weeks and months to come? The answers to those questions will never fully be known, but I’m confident that our impact was significant and that the relationships which formed between people across some of the most inhospitable barriers have the potential, given time and investment, to grow and last well into the future.

Positive and productive relationships – the kind which lead to action – are built around common interest and shared agenda. These kinds of relationships are built between people who want to build them, not people who are paid to build them – people who thrive in spaces which feel safe and where the skills and talents of all are nurtured. Innovative relationships occur when people are able to meet the people they never thought they needed to meet. They occur across sectoral boundaries and those involved work together for the betterment of all in a culture where looking beyond our own needs is the only way to be able to secure them.

Relationships were key to everything in the COTE project. Without building and maintaining and managing relationships, we’d have achieved very little. I’d hazard a guess that if we’re to find solutions to the challenges I mention above, then the development of new relationships and the renewal of existing ones will go a long way to securing success. In that environment of new, creative and exciting relationships, where we’re presented with countless opportunities and where new solutions to age old problems are found, a culture of shared responsibility will ensure that the question ‘Who will we blame?’ will never be answered.