Newbies

note-

italics is Naj talking

bold is Naj thinking

regular font is others speaking

“Good morning everyone.”

“Hi Elder Naj. Have some breakfast. You're a little late.”

Breakfast with the cluster. How nice I thought to myself.

There were times in my life when I went for days without seeing anyone. And I enjoyed it. That hand built, aged oak rustic cabin in the Ozarks was quite a project. The hermit days. And that white snowy owl that flew out of the dark and perched next to me, the cliff above in snow, the sweet gum dropping it multi colored leaves without a breeze, the whisper of Beech Creek far below.

There were months and years I went without seeing any one I knew other than friends I made while travelling. Adventures behind the Iron Curtain, Champaign Castle in the 'Berg, out in the line up at Raglan, or the other worldly land scape of the Ruwenzoris. Not speaking English for weeks at a time made for even greater distance from familiarity. Those were years living out of a back pack- 35 countries on five continents.

It all gave me a valued perspective. Partly for appreciating where I now live and partly for appreciating how enjoyable a simple life can be closer to home,

“Thanks for the offer, Fred. You know I love pancakes.”

“Are you joining us for Discussion this evening? We have a few co-op items to cover. There's a request from a new group of people who are looking for sponsorship. We're next in the rotation and from the message, they look very interesting. And a request from a young woman who would like to make a visit here for a few weeks, a possible pre probation for membership. Finally, we need to talk about our obligations for the Border.”

I looked around. Sun streaming in from the glass in the ceiling. It was cool outside but by mid morning, already becoming a positive solar day, even thought this was early March. Plants all around inside. Some kid art projects taped to the walls. Outside the glass walls was one of our gardens. Early spring veggies gaining some size, especially in the cold frames.

Past the near garden, with narrow channels of sight, framed in by flowering fruit trees, leafing out grapes and garden art was another house, part of the co-op. There was no fence in the way. I had lived here for nearly 40 years. If I didn't have the old fotos of what it used to be like, visitors would have a hard time believing this was the same place. But then, this same kind of profound change in the way we lived was hard to miss. Similar changes have happened all over. In fact, leading up to the Transition and afterwards, you either made profound changes from A to Z or you just didn't make it.

So here was our cluster. There were six in the house itself and I was still living in the Bungalow out in the back yard, a structure still serving me well. Our immediate household included Sue and Jim, a couple; Fraeda and Fred along with their adopted 6 year old daughter Aimie, and in the small room was Jody.

We were a pretty solid household, Sue, Jim, Fraeda and Fred and I sharing the place for over ten years and Jody, doing co-op research for nearly three years with us working on her three year project. And Aimie. No one really knew her whole story. Could be she arrived here in Eugene with parents, part of the great Migration before the borders were closed. She may have been abandoned or lost. Anyway, Windmill adopted her with Fraeda and Fred taking primary care of her. She was one of the family.

“Pancakes? Sit yourself down here and tell us what's on your plate for today, Elder Naj.”

“Too good! Just as you say, Fred, take me to your pancakes. Unlike most other times. And don't call me Elder. ”

“I'm leaving most of the day open for orientation of a group of Newbies. Seems like its always me to teach the Newbies but, and don't tell anyone this, it is one of my favorite things to do. When the kids are this age, they are so full of curiosity. Its vital for them to know about our history. You know from an early point as we picked up the pieces during and after the Transition, we all agreed never again. And part of the way to avoid that past was to understand how that dark period came to be.”

2

“Yes, I remember your being our teacher 15 years ago.” Fraeda added. “Until that time I had heard stories from my parents, older friends, done some reading but without flattering our favorite elder, your putting it all into context made it all fit together. After all, you and some of your friends were living much of the Transition and advocating for a very different way of living years before most even thought anything was about to go crazy. Its one reason I wanted to move into Windmill Co-op and look at this, not only am I a member of Windmill Co-op but right here living in the same house with one of my favorite teachers and mentors.”

“You're all too kind! I couldn't be happier. I just wonder if anyone will spike my pancakes with something to get the jump on taking over the much coveted Bungalow after I'm gone. So far so good though. My house secret agents have not uncovered any conspiracy at this point!

A good laugh all around.

“So its the beginning of Third Semester, eleventh level. We will be meeting here this afternoon at two. And yes, I will be available for the discussion this evening. Whats with jars?"

"Well, someone did not check the jars for moths. Looks like we lost a couple pounds of dried apples. Its a shame, all the work to dry and we forget to check for moths. We do pretty well with our fruit drying but a bit of forgetting and this is what happens. a couple jars are a bit too far gone but the chickens will enjoy them."

Newbies

“Everyone here? All Newbies present?”

“Can we wait a few more minutes? Ed from 4th Street said he'd be a few minutes late. He had to check on a pump down by the River. Seems its not lifting as much water as it should. We'll be needing that irrigation in less than a month. That pump is due for some attention, shouldn't be long.”

3

I'll just collect my thoughts before we start. Hmmm. Irrigation in a month. Its only mid March. Used to be irrigation wasn't needed until early June. That was then and this is now. Its a new course. How long have we been doing this? These youngsters are all from well after the Transition and then some. This will be my maybe my 25th year as 3rd Semester teacher emeritus? What happened to retirement? Back in the old days, they gave you a watch and turned you out to pasture with a decent pension.

Imagine, working , retiring with a nice bit of security and doing what you wanted. People often traveled all over the place in retirement. Flying was cheap. Even was a time people drove these huge gasoline powered houses on wheels with all the furnishings. Not a care in the world. Those days faded. A bit more recent than that, employers just said thanks, your job is taken by someone else far away at a fraction of your salary, good luck.

“Oh, hi. Thanks for waiting. I'm Ed from 4th Street.”

“Sure Ed, glad you could make it. How's the pump?”

“The pump? Oh, it needed a bit of lube and tighten a gasket. Looks fine for now.”

“OK? We're all here. Welcome. I'm Elder Naj and I will be your primary instructor for this session. First, lets have an overview about this part of your curriculum. And before that, just why we continue to remind ourselves of our history, both leading up to the Transition and since then.”

“Before any of you young folks came along, some of us older ones were present for one of the most dramatic sequences of events in human history. Sounds like a boast doesn't it? Maybe but after you come to a greater understanding of what life was like before, during and after the Transition, you will have a greater awareness and value for what we have accomplished. Part of the reason for these sessions is to cultivate a sense of understanding and appreciation for how we have survived. These sessions are intended to remind and inform just what lead to those changes.

4

“What were the circumstances that lead an entire civilization to race over the edge of an abyss and charge right off , hardly slowing down at all? We feel like its vital to keep in mind what lead to perhaps the most abrupt and wide spread crash of economics and way of life in human history. The monumental dislocation and suffering that persisted for years afterwards on such a wide scale was unprecedented and continues in our memories to this day.”

“None who were there would like to see that again. We learn from the past. It helps for making a happier future. We have so much to be grateful for and what we have achieved needs to be cherished.”

“We seem to have brought about a way to take care of our needs, be healthy, peaceful and elevate our spirit all at the same time. To arrive at this place took a lot of work and a lot of people did not make it. We owe it to the past to make best use of the mistakes and suffering.”

“So, lets go around the circle and become acquainted. I know some of you already know each other. Some of you maybe not. We are mostly from this part of town and will be spending a good deal of time together over the next few months. Ed, can we ask you to start off? Lets hear a bit about you. What part of town are you from, what do you do in the community, where are your interests leading you?”

“Sure. Its great to be here. I'm Ed, from 4th Street Bear Co-op. Its a co-op with about 40 members and 8 households. We have several sizable garden plots in the Jacobs area. Members from our group are also involved with several other projects in making garden tools, tofu, concrete removal and weaving. Our co-op actually predates the Transition. Personally, I am an apprentice in the civil engineering sector, in particular irrigation. I have always had an interest in mechanics. I want to spend some time up at the regional flour mill near Shed at some point. Water power is fascinating and I would like to learn more about the mill there. It dates back to pioneer days. I'd like to see the original because its the model for several newer mills in the Valley”

“Thanks Ed.”

“Next. And will you tell us a bit about yourself?”

5

“Sure. I am Robin, from Central Town and Blue Sky Co-op. We live downtown in what used to be an office building. Great views. Climbing 3 sets of stairs keeps me in shape. I have been in a program that teaches information management at the library. We still have some of the old computers, which are giving out one by one so we need to preserve all kinds of info before its lost. In particular, my focus is preserving info about medicinal herbs.”

“Our downtown co-op is also part of the Babylon Project. We help locate, install and maintain gardens downtown, sometimes roof tops as high as ten stories, south facing balconies, interiors of buildings with banks of south facing walls, former multi story parking lots where there is good solar exposure and just about any where else we can grow veggies, fruit trees and vines downtown.”

“Mm. Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Its beautiful, I expect we will have a look and yes, I know the library well. Even before it was built. It was a wonderful act of civic cohesion that led to the library forty years ago. In its hay day, it was full of computers and electronics. It was also an unlikely site of early resistance to the authorities some time before the Transition. More about that later.”

“Hi. I'm Rita. The Mall has been home for most of my life. I hope I have a chance to describe all the wonderful projects going on there.”

“Certainly, Rita. You will have a chance to talk about the mall. We will all have a chance to share our stories, both our own and our families. Field trips and outings are a major part of the curriculum. Please continue.”

“I can't wait. So I live at the Mall. You know its like a town all to itself. With so much going on, I haven't chosen a particular apprenticeship. We have a more general program I'm enrolled in. It takes in redesign of the inside which is still ongoing. There's a part for looking after the windmills on the roof, another part is the rehabilitation of the soil that has been uncovered by removal of the pavement. I am an assistant in the culture program at the Mall School working with children.”

6

“Very good. Just a quick note. Its hard to imagine the mall was once a collection of dozens of stores surrounded by acres of pavement for automobiles. Few people actually walked or rode a bike to the mall or any where else at that time. During our course we will have a good look at the impact automobiles had on the way people lived in the previous century. But let's continue.”

“Hi. My name is Brendon. I live on Horn Lane at the 306 Co-Op. We are about eleven families on 4 acres in six houses. We are mostly involved in horticulture. We save seeds, have green houses for vegetable starts and winter time cultivation along with a large solar vegetable drying capacity. Keeping up with responsibilities at the Co-op keeps me busy but I am looking at group facilitation work to help co-ops and organizations become more productive in their meetings and to work together more effectively.”

“Yes, I have known Brendon for some years. In fact, one of the founders of the 306 Co-op shared a house with me over 30 years ago. Interesting history there. Thank you Brendon. Good to see you. Tell your grandfather I said hello.”

“I will, Elder Naj. Can we take a break. How about showing us around your place? I've heard stories but have never had an opportunity like this to see and hear about your place. I would like to use today's Elder Credit.”

“Elder Credits. Whose idea was that anyway? OK. If you haven't heard of this obscure procedure, it goes like this. On certain occasions, a Newby, on his own initiative and good judgment, can barge in on an Elder and ask for a special favor. So Brendon is doing that now. Let's take a break here and I will describe what I started doing here over forty years go.”

“I moved into this place close to 40 years ago. Even then, many of us were quite convinced we were on the verge of a most remarkable shift in history. And safe to say, there were others even earlier who voiced warnings. Without going into great detail, time for that later, some of us, like your grandfather, were early pioneers in a young movement towards what we called Eco Logical Culture Change. We had discussions, organized meetings, wrote articles and advocated profound changes in how we organized ourselves and took care of our needs.”

“When I bought this place and moved onto this property in 2000, my plans from the beginning were to make major changes. With a bit of imagination, you might see fences between all these houses. You know about automobiles. They took up an enormous amount of space. Each house had expanses of concrete to park the cars. My own place here could accommodate 5 in what we called a driveway. Most houses had a room called a garage where the cars actually had shelter indoors. Part of my plan was to remove the driveway and turn the garage into living space. I accomplished both of these tasks early on. Amazing as it seems, most houses were surrounded by grass and trees and shrubs that provided no food at all.”

7

“I've seen pictures from that time. Its hard to imagine, huge paved over areas with hundreds of cars.”

“That's right. My first priority was to rid the place of grass. And then I planted fruit trees, berries and vines. This property conversion was quite innovative at the time and the place became a land mark. People came to visit. There were articles in the local paper. I held classes to teach others to make changes where they lived. There were bike tours to visit other similar projects around town. Your grandfather was impressed by this place and helped to found the 306 Co-op based on the same ideas.

"We were all concerned about energy supplies. Even then, we were seeing changes in the climate. We were becoming warmer and drier. At the time, global political instability was on the rise with each passing month, accelerating right up to the Transition. Interestingly, it was food becoming much more expensive around 2008 that caught a lot of people's attention and lead to civil unrest in the poorest countries. That was still early,,,,,, ”

“Those of us reinventing our properties felt certain the middle class way of life was coming to an end. So part of our making ready for this unknown future was to downsize our lives and begin to take care of more of our needs closer to home. We seemed to be living in two separate worlds. While we were growing food, living much more locally and expecting a massive change in our way of life within a matter of years, the great majority went about their lives as they expected the entire flamboyance to continue forever.”

“For many of us, the reasons for change went far beyond resource scarcity and climate change. There were glaring problems with the values of that culture predicated on cheap images and expensive consumption.”

“When the disruptions began to accelerate, those who had made well thought out pre-adaptations were in considerably better shape, especially those who were part of mutual assistance networks. Those neighborhood networks eventually evolved into the co-ops and extended families most of us are part of today.”

8

“Enough! I am getting ahead of myself. Suffice to say, these sessions will serve to provide all of you with an overview of the many parts of how we take care of our needs, some 25 years after the Transition. Most likely, I will share some personal stories. And keep in mind, all you see of our community is a product of what came before, both the buildings and the social and economic fabric.”

For years, showing people this place, in the past referred to as “suburban renewal project,” has been one of my favorite things to do. Questions about the place tripped off a response that often went beyond the scope of the question. There is just so much to say about design, multi use and the aesthetics. Years ago, passive solar heating was not so common. Describing a room heating up on a sunny day to someone not acquainted by this silent accumulating warmth by way of changing wavelengths of energy was a favorite. I couldn't help but reflect that if this simple design and others of similar value had been made use of in the previous century, much of the suffering and hardship our friends and neighbors, our community, what had been a nation and the world beyond could have been much less if it had taken place at all.

“Everyone here? Let's continue.”

“I'll go.” said a pretty young woman. She looked to be very fit with clothes appropriate for manual labor.

“My name is Misty. I live with the South Side Salvage Collective. I asked if I could participate in this curriculum even though its not my part of town. I wanted to see more of what was happening over here. Its a fair bike ride but nice. In the Southside, we are still removing houses from the hillsides. Most have usable wood, hardware and glass even though some have not been occupied for 10 years.

"Its hard to imagine the size of those houses with only a single family living in them. We trade what we salvage to builders. Our collective can take credit for providing the materials for a good many of the upfill and Block Planning projects around town for the past 25 years. But actually, I am interested in finding out more about urban agriculture and would like to find an apprenticeship in this part of town.”

9

So this must be our visitor for the meeting.

“Interesting, Misty. Its not so usual people relocate. Extended families based on longer term mutual assistance have become entrenched in our way of life. Finding not only an apprenticeship but also a new family can be a challenge. Let's talk about this later.”

“Thank you Elder Naj. I appreciate your interest. I'd like to talk later.”

“I'll go. My name is Rabble and I come from a several blocks away at Phoenix Co-op. We are a bit further away. Our co-op is mostly agricultural. We were a church well before the turn of the century. As all the changes started to happen after 2000 and even more so around 2010, some of our members moved to the church and started cultivating the five acres we have. More and more moved to the church. I'd love to invite you all over and tell the story of how the church became a commune.

“Yes, I remember that happening. Friends of mine lived down the street from the church and when I rode by, I always thought those several grassy acres would make a great garden. And finally, one day I was biking by I saw a tractor plowing new garden space. Over time, many other changes became visible. Yes, Rabble, we will want to visit and hear the story.”

“Me next? I am Gracie and live in town. My focus has been land use planning. Ever since I can remember, I've had an interest in what best uses could be with the in town landscape. I love the stories I hear from Civic Planning. Taking what existed at the Transition and making best use of it can't be over emphasized in its importance.”

Wow, I thought to myself. Is this me reincarnated before I'm totally dead?

“So I have had a bit of experience in Block Planning, golf course conversion and redeveloping all those parking lots into much better use. I know Misty and Rita from before. We have done some collaborating.”

10

“Hold it Gracie. You're speaking my language. Just tell us briefly what you mean with these terms. Not too lengthy, we will follow up at length about land use but just tell us a bit more.”

“Glad to. This is some of the most exciting work I know of. Block Planning goes way back. Its a redevelopment model, mostly for lower density residential towards much improved land use. The idea is to take a block, inform the residents about the multiple benefits of making a cooperative land use plan for the block and make it happen. Fences can come down, various assets of the block; people, infrastructure and landscape, can be made use of in ways not possible on single, individual properties.
Its remarkable how much interest developed for block planning as the cost of gasoline went up sharply after 2005.

“Before the Transition, Block Planning laid mostly dormant but there were several places around town that had elements of Block Planning. In fact, Ed lives in one of those early examples of Block Planning. Today, BP is a high priority community program. It fits perfectly with creating co-ops and mutual assistance. When we do our field trips, we'll take a closer look.”

“Golf courses. Its hard to imagine so much space taken up by such a pastime but then, I didn't live before the Transition. Of course, nearly all the courses have been turned into neighborhood farms. Few have been actually built on because the land is so valuable for agriculture and we have an oversupply of houses anyway. At the time of conversion, we started off by bio remediation with mushrooms for several years so the chemicals could degrade. Then we did soil analysis, consulted with agricultural specialists and discussed with the neighborhood what would be the best use of the space. It almost always became agricultural. Imagine, 15 to 20 acres right in town turned into food production!

“And then the parking lots. Again, who can imagine the conditions that led to hundreds of acres of parking lots all over town? Much of it in prime locations. I am always fascinated to hear about those times. Even before the Transition, some of these parking areas were being redeveloped. After gasoline started to become really expensive by 2010, some serious thought was given to how to make better use of those areas. So now, some of the most desirable places to live and work are former parking lots. Some parking areas, as Rita mentions at the Mall, have had the concrete removed and turned into food production if the soil is good enough. There are still acres to go.”

11

“So that's it briefly.”

“Very good. Let's continue.”

“I'll go. Call me Bridgette. I also live close in and live in a public health co-op. We occupy the entire third floor of what used to be a bank. Its a great view but the walk up is a chore with a load. The better the view, the longer the walk up. Such places had elevators. Now in some buildings, those upper floors are devoted to agriculture, reconfigured to allow in sunlight with raised beds and large cisterns on floors above. We work on the Babylon Project with Robin and some other co-ops. A remarkable amount of food is grown downtown, especially on the roof tops and the old parking garages. With all the people downtown, we create nearly all the compost we need.”

“Where was I? My study,, yes, my area of study and interest is the realm of counseling. When the unraveling gained momentum early in the century, there were people who coped comparatively well, some people actually embraced the changes, found ways to survive and even thrive.

"My work is to help rehabilitate people who could not adjust. The stories I have heard about life before, during and after are just fascinating. Its part of therapy for people to tell their stories. With patients' permission, we record their stories also for the historical record. A visit to the place will show you what I mean. I love it but it is a challenge to work there.”

“Thanks Brigette. As an Elder, I've seen much of what you describe. My first nearly 60 years were before the Transition. I went through those changes with my neighbors, friends, the community. For a time, well into the Transition, communications with the rest of the country were still good enough to keep up with others, friends, families elsewhere. You young people have basically only known this geographic area and period of time. Still you have heard stories and have had studies that included a look at what happened elsewhere. You may have older friends and mentors, such as yours truly, who spoke about those times.”

“Life elsewhere in the former United States did not go so well as here. The same or worse for other places in the world.”

12

I can look at these Newbies. This is one of the most gratifying parts of Elder Work. The level of interest they have in learning about the world around them is what sustains me. Before the Transition, there were always rather critical remarks about the younger generation. Pre Transition or PT, so many kids were the product of advertising, trendy behavior, popular culture, manufactured images. Just who were these kids? And who or what was responsible for damaging so many of our kids?

And actually, it was not a condition of just the young. It was just easiest to see in younger people but adults were targets and victims, too. The preoccupation with gadgets and images, an entire culture focused on hand held devices proved to be one of the most challenging barriers to adjusting to the post Transition world. Few realized just how fragile that synthetic and fabricated way of life actually was.

Cool appearance, what they had, if they were current with the latest. It was very saddening to see active minds and human potential replaced with manufactured images of what the advertisers promoted as desirable and what fit into the economic need. At the time, even pre teens were targets of very slick advertising and product pitching. It was all thought to be just fine. Its just the market doing what it needs to do. Right. It sure did. It took real people and turned them into consumers with little room for them to express their own selves. They were even referred to that- consumers- and few seemed to notice the insult or even care. Many who survived their personal detour came to appreciate becoming reconnected with who they really were. And truth be known, their survival depended on it. “Born to shop” offered little help when it turned into born to scrounge.

These kids with me today just don't seem to be afflicted by that. Clear eyes, alert, good natured. They expect to be respected, to have a place at the table, to know they are valued and to know they are a vital part of how we live. Certainly one of the benefits of all this change is to see people develop their potentials. A big part of this course work is to impress upon them that it hasn't always been this way and that what we have created deserves to be cherished and protected.

“Your turn. Yes, you.”

13

“Well, uh, hello everyone. I'm Ralph and have been at work all day and probably look like it. I have been apprenticing in the reconfigure sector. This is apart from Misty and building recycling. We are about reusing whatever mechanical devices and items of metal we can find left over from the Transition. We still are finding ways to take things apart and build something new and useful.

“The Recombining Sector is also responsible for the community smelter. We smelt down all kinds of metals and create feed stock for a wide variety of tools and implements. Many of the old machine and metal shops around town from Pre Transition have been brought into the Reconfigure Sector. Its remarkable what we can fabricate with metal. We have used machine tools to build tools that did not even exist locally PT. As the old ones wear out, they are recycled into replacements.”

And, I commented to myself, Recom is the source of nearly 80% of the cases brought before the Technology Review Commission. I need to comment on this.

“Here's an item of ongoing debate. We can touch on this later in our studies but suffice to say at the moment, labor saving innovation and mechanical advantage played an absolutely primary role in the pre Transition Culture. Indeed, it is a central theme throughout human history.

“We are a gadget oriented species and that seeming compulsion, left to its own devices, so to speak, will just go forever with inventions of mechanical advantage, especially when economic profit and business competition are factor in. The pace of innovation and labor saving gadgets was just unprecedented leading up to the Transition. It was one of the leading causes of the collapse of the previous civilization.”

“Humans become too impressed with their cleverness. Invention becomes the mother of necessity. This phenomena manifested to such a degree, imprinted itself so thoroughly on the Pre Transition Culture and was such a core reason for that great unraveling that we now have a civic mechanism to review new technologies, gadgets and practices that might evolve into something disruptive. Its actually an office with the city called the Technology Review Commission, or TRC. The Commission is in contact with other TRCs all over Cascadia.”

14

“I mention all this because Reconditioning is charged with both reworking old machinery but also innovation that does not go beyond a certain point. And sometimes that hard to gauge point is crossed. We can touch on this another time.”

“Thanks Ralph. Ok, and we now have,,,,”

“That's me. I am Zora. I'm staying with the Nutria Cluster for a time. I live out near the Edge with Full Square Co-op. We started out ten years PT, way before my time, as a farm at the edge of town. It evolved into a farm co-op. The founders still live there. Besides working on the farm, I help co-ordinate Town and Farm Alliance, or TFA. Most of you are probably familiar with this. Its one of the choices for Community Service. At certain times of the year, there is a great need for help out on the farms. We are the ones who organize people in town to go out to nearby farms for several days at critical planting and harvesting seasons.”

“Again, this work brigade system has its origin before the Transition and is an invaluable part of growing enough food to feed us all. It goes without saying, many many projects and ideas that serve us well in the present had their beginnings years before most people even noticed many of the early signs of major change. There were people in town who wanted to grow more of their own food but didn't have the space in town for bulk crops like dried beans and grains.

"So they contracted with nearby farmers and leased space from them to grow larger scale. Typically, this was done in a coop way with groups commonly numbering 20 to 30 people for a couple acres. Our function is much as it was then. So I help coordinate farmers with people to help out at certain times of the year.”

"Thanks Zora. Please all of you reflect on what you've heard today. Your fellow Newbies will likely be important friends and colleagues your entire lives. You may come to call on these friendships in ways you can't even imagine at this time."

"Before we leave today, a few words. One of the most important parts of your coming of age is to learn about how we organize ourselves to take care of our needs. You have all heard stories of the past. Knowing our history is vital to an understanding of the present and gives us much information for designing the kind of future that fits our community's values and goals. Our lives seem to work best when we have an understanding and appreciation of the context we live in."

15

"Much of our culture is based on gratitude and cooperation. The not so distant past, a period of time we Elders lived through, is rich with lessons we should embrace and make use of. One of our Guiding Principles is to avoid the mistakes of the past and that period we Elders lived through is one to avoid. The economic and cultural conditions that lead up to the Transition must be remembered and never again duplicated.

"Our meetings will integrate learning about the past and gaining an understanding of the present. My goal as your teacher and Elder is to explain the connections between the past and present. How is the way we live now a consequence of our history. And how can we make wise decisions in the present knowing we are now composing history for the future."

"You Newbies are a part of this. Some of you may become part of making important decisions and policy in the Public Sector, others will do your important work with modest or little recognition. There is no better or more important. Our survival and evolving as a community and as individuals is all part of our identity and what we pass on to the future. It is our responsibility to learn and be accountable for the benefit of our own selves and our entire community and to accomplish this with the greatest respect for the Natural Environment and our fellow community members. And to leave our community a better place."

“So we will meet as we can make arrangements at different locations. Already today, we have heard a bit about what you all do. We will visit many of your places of work to find out more. In the process, we will become more bonded as friends and community members, learn how we have arrived to where we are now and also we will become much more conscious of our past , present and future.

“We will begin in the Land Us Sector and meet next week downtown at City Hall. Enough for now. See you all next week.”