Hopedance

by Helena Norberg-Hodge

An excerpt from Wild Foresting: Practicing Nature’s Wisdom; see below for info.

From global to local

If globalization is the root of so many problems, localization – a shift away from the global and towards the local – is an obvious part of the solution. Localization would not mean encouraging every community to be entirely self-reliant; it would simply mean shortening the distance between producers and consumers wherever possible and striking a healthier balance between trade and local production. Localization would not mean that everyone must go back to the land, but that the policies now causing rapid urbanization would be changed. Localization would not mean that people in cold climates would be denied oranges or avocados, but transport while encouraging changes to strengthen and diversify economies at the community as well as national level. The degree of diversification, the goods produced and the amount of trade would naturally vary from region to region.

Reversing our headlong rush towards globalization would have benefits on a number of levels. Rural economies in both North and South would be revitalized, helping to stem the unhealthy tide of urbanization. Farmers would be growing primarily for local and regional rather than global markets, allowing them to choose varieties in tune with local conditions and local needs, thus allowing agricultural diversity to rebound. Production processes would be far smaller in scale and therefore less stressful to the environment. Transport would be minimized and so the greenhouse gas and pollution toll would decrease, as would both the financial and ecological costs of energy extraction. People would no longer be forced to conform to the impossible ideals of a global consumer mono- culture, thereby lessening the psychological pressures that often lead to ethnic conflict and violence. Ending the manic pursuit of trade would reduce the economic and hence political power of transnational corporations (TNCs), and eliminate the need to hand power to such supranational institutions as the WTO, thereby helping to reverse the erosion of democracy.

Changing ourselves

The changes discussed above require shifts at the personal level as well. In part, these involve rediscovering the deep psychological benefits – the joy – of living in community. Children, mothers and the aged all know the importance of being able to feel they can depend on others. The values that are the hallmarks of today’s fast-paced global economy, on the other hand, are those of a teenage boy culture. It is a culture that demands mobility, flexibility and independence. It induces a fear of growing old, of being vulnerable and dependent. Another fundamental shift involves reinstilling a sense of connection with the place where we live. The globalization of culture and information has led to a way of life in which the nearby is treated with contempt. We get news from China, the Middle East or Washington, DC but remain ignorant about what is going on in our own backyard; at the touch of a button on a TV remote control we have access to all the wildlife of Africa, and our immediate surroundings consequently seem dull and uninteresting by comparison. A sense of place means helping ourselves and our children to see the living environment around us: reconnecting with the sources of our food, perhaps even growing some of our own and learning to appreciate the cycles of seasons and the characteristics of local flora and fauna and forests. Ultimately, this shift in direction involves a spiritual awakening that comes from making a connection with others and with nature. It requires us to see the world within us – to experience more consciously the great interdependent web of life of which we ourselves are part.

Reprinted with permission from New Society, publishers of Wild Foresting: Practicing Nature’s Wisdom by Alan Drengson & Duncan Taylor (2009, 307pps.)