49 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 35 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
Life Arts    H3'ed 9/21/16

Terry Kok's Permanence Project: A Move Towards Empowerment and Freedom

By       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   4 comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Burl Hall

"Anything worth doing takes a while" -Terry Kok

Our world is in trouble: ecologically, socially, and within our communities, families and ourselves.

Perhaps we need to tap into the wisdom of the ancients, as in the Native cultures?

Freedom in our democracy is a joke. Most of us work at least 40 hours per week, and often more than that. Indeed, many who are in some businesses like retail management will work 50 hours plus per week while receiving low pay.

Nor is our culture ahead of ancient ways of living. As reflected in an article by A. Atia PhD:

After several decades of vilification of indigenous systems, the development agency has finally come to the realization that cultural values have a place in development and that indigenous peoples particular ways of life offers solutions to the woes of the today's world. Yet for over two or more decades, cultural values remain peripheral to development planning and policymaking. Development planning and interventions in Africa continue to pose indigenous cultural values as inimical to progress and as such should be the target for charge rather than lessons and levers of social change.

Not only are such interventions failing to deliver their promises, they are also causing untold hardships to communities who keep faith with their traditions and values. The UN and its agencies and systems have opened the way. CAPTURED and COMPAS are blazing the trail. What can we do as a people vested in sustainable development to enhance benefits without sacrificing progress and wellbeing?

http://www.academia.edu/1067839/Indigenous_Knowledge_Cultural_Values_and_Sustainble_Development_in_Africa

Could it be we are living a lie? Consider this same plight regarding Native Americans. Unfortunately, many tribes tried to fight against us but were not successful. Our European goal was greed while the Christians forced their beliefs on the Natives. Yet, their spirituality, in my research, was powerful and very Nature based. Meanwhile, what did we white Christians really want? We wanted land, gold and other riches. Thus, we decimated native cultures, such as the Native Americans, to satisfy our egotistical desires.

What can we do to empower ourselves while disempowering corporations and cultivating a system that is for the people and the planet?

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Burl Hall Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Burl Hall is a retired counselor who is living in a Senior Citizen Housing apartment. Burl has one book to his credit, titled "Sophia's Web: A Passionate Call to Heal our Wounded Nature." For more information, search the book on Amazon. (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Physicist Tom Campbell's Big TOE or Theory of Everything

Through Music and Story Telling: Makana Speaks

Beyond Monsanto: Rekindling a Healthy Earth in the Face of Corporate Farming

Sex as Natural Process: A Primary Step to Healing Alienation?

Corporate Psychopaths Housing Senior Citizens: A Personal Editorial

Rob Kall's Vision: A Transcript of His Interview With Envision This!

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend