Self-sufficiency is under attack! Big-business and Governments
(the 'Thing' as John Seymour, and William Cobbett before him, called it)
are trying to take over control of self-sufficiency. The Thing has been
trying to stop people doing self-sufficiency since John Seymour
promoted it. They have seen it as a threat to the status quo of the rich
and their industries and enterprises - now they are trying to
manipulate people to think that they have been on the side of
self-sufficiency, even to the point of saying they are for it and trying
to promote it. Do not be misled.
Now Permaculture has been trying to associate itself with
self-sufficiency. Bill Mollison, one of the founders of permaculture,
didn't even like self-sufficiency! Permaculture works with and is funded
by governments - the same governments who have been trying to stop
people doing self-sufficiency. For instance, the Australian government
is in business partnership with Monsanto while funding permaculture
enterprises. Permaculture is definitely not self-sufficiency and we will
not take people in the guild who practice permaculture. We have found
personally, that permaculturists' ethics are questionable – our
experience has been that they do not care for the Earth or care for
people.
With the current world economic situation more people are seeking to
escape the rat race and provide more for themselves; to become more
self-sufficient and self-reliant. The marketers from the big multi's and
the worlds governments know this - self-sufficiency has become another
market. There is nothing wrong with making an honest income but we
should be aware of peoples motives when teaching and promoting
self-sufficiency. In the past self-sufficiency has not been a
particularly lucrative profession since it has been more focussed on
saving money than making it and on the rewards of the heart that come
from living closer to nature rather than living in the city. Those who
have lived in this way have endured the many hardships that doing
self-sufficiency entails and those are the people you want to learn
from, not someone who has just completed a two week PDC and had their
rich parents buy them land.
The truth of it is that there are some very greedy and power hungry
people out there who think nothing of ripping people off and ruining the
planet for their own gain. These people are evil incarnate and must be
stopped. You can help stop them: by the way you choose to live, by the
actions you take.
By the good you do.
Gavin Edwards,
Master of Self-Sufficiency.
Good Heart Farm,
Lapoinya, Tasmania.
