"But what difference can I make?" said billions of people...
Some ideas based on some practical things I do to help the cause
I admit it can be daunting. And depressing. Overwhelmingly depressing. Especially when, after spending lots of time with authentic, generous new friends within the Freedom Movement, we are suddenly confronted by someone still (still?) deep inside the mass formation. Urghh! What can I say? What can I do? Where do I start to explain the mess we are in? What hope is there to turn this massive ship around?
But I like to remind myself of Rotter’s famous ‘Locus of Control’…
Whenever I start teaching a new course, I invite my (adult) students to do a short quiz I created based on Rotter’s work, that enables them to get a grasp of this concept and where they naturally ‘sit’ in this framework. I won’t go into details of that here, but here is a useful diagram from the article hyperlinked above:
This concept is closely connected to the idea that we have all a level of learned helplessness, and that understanding that behavioural psychology allows us to confront our inherent biases and take control of our lives (6 minutes):
The relevance of Rotter’s theory is that those who believe they control aspects of their lives, do have positive outcomes, whereas those who feel helpless….You get it. The self-fulfilling prophecy. I don’t think I can emphasise enough how important it is to remind ourselves of these concepts at regular intervals during what could be a very rough time ahead.
With this in mind, I want to share a couple of things I have done recently that I am pretty confident are making a difference. Not because I want to brag about these events, quite the reverse: they are everyday ‘normal’ events that many of us take for granted. But it’s the small stuff that matters. Things change because small things happen - and that’s because a few people gather together and commit to creating something positive for their local community, somewhere, anywhere in the world. Just like you and your community. You can do this too and here’s a couple of ideas of what those events might look like, in the here and now, in a small town in New Zealand. Visualise it: it can happen. These events are within your Locus of Control…
Movie night
The first event was at our local cinema, which is a registered, community-run cinema and quite a museum of retro ephemera from all-things-movies.
Soil & Health New Zealand were running a nationwide event to celebrate Organic Week and one aim was to raise awareness of the plight of our farming community. It wasn’t just about organic farming. Some people maybe aware of the difficulties the global farming communities are suffering at the moment, but maybe not so aware of the WEF Agenda 2030 that forms its foundation, like the Internet of Animals or unworkable regulations. But nonetheless, it’s a starting point for a conversation.
So I volunteered to coordinate a local screening of the British doco that NZ Organics and Quorum Sense were sponsoring: Six Inches of Soil (Trailer, 2 mins):
Ok, it’s a bit woke.
Especially the ‘Climate Change’ references.
But it’s a start. And what’s important about this doco is that it brings a personal story to the political narrative. Anecdotes are a great way of reaching people. Lots of people subjected to the propaganda over recent years may be aware of the Farmers’ Protests but maybe not so knowledgeable about why they are protesting and where. So here’s a good starting point for learning more about the wider issues of good quality food, labelling, retailing and BigFood corporate monopolies. This latter issue is especially relevant here in NZ where two major players control all supermarkets.
So I gathered together some local farmers, food creators, market-gardeners and a scientist for an informal Q&A session after the screening of the doco. Posters were printed and stuck up all around town….friends on social media helped with a bit of promotion. It took a bit of time and some phone calls.
Here in New Zealand you can never be 100% certain that people will turn up on the day, so I over-compensated with invites ;) The result was just right, with five panellists including a facilitator. Over one hundred tickets were sold and some very enthusiastic questions came from the audience. It was a win/win, with local people learning about their local food providers; soil health and producers learning about their customers’ needs, and the cinema gaining some more custom. Plus the authentic connection we all had - that’s what it’s all about!
The Q&A:
Dan Taylor from Little Pirongia Farms hosted the Q&A with Panel Members that opened a conversation about the themes raised in the documentary in relation to our local communities. Little Pirongia Farms is a small-scale market garden selling spray-free seasonal vegetables and flowers locally. Techniques used are borrowed from organic, regenerative and permaculture practices. Dan calls it “common sense gardening – growing sustainably, and being kind to the soil, micro-organisms, bugs.”
Gavin Fisher from Te Aroha's Mountain View Organics (see Instagram ‘OffThePlanetOrganics’) which is a third generation 74ha family farm using biological, ecological, organic, regenerative agricultural food production practices. Certified Organic for 24 years, the farm has also been actively planting for 44 years, including of a diverse range of fruit, nut, citrus, native trees and shrubs. The operation is mainly dairy with some beef, deer and 90 free-range chooks. The farm also runs educational field days and sells own brand products: check out 'Off The Planet Organics' on Instagram
John McDonald-Wharry with an academic background in biology, chemistry, and science. He has been involved in the development of biochar - an ancient approach to soil fertility. He is a founding member of the Biochar Network New Zealand and currently a committee member. John has worked as a university science lecturer with projects on biomass-based materials, biochars, biopolymers, and additive manufacturing. John is a consultant and freelancer, involved with biochar and gardening projects. See also
Nina Parker and her family own and run The Microfarm, a Cambridge-based regenerative grower that does not use chemicals, herbicides, fungicides, or commercial fertilizers. They started selling crops in commercially in 2020 and now provide local food boxes and quality food to cafes, restaurants, distributors, and the public. Nina also runs occasional hands-on educational courses, designed to raise awareness of the benefits of regenerative gardening practices.
Marea Verry runs Hamilton-based ‘Good Bugs’, which specialises in producing absolutely delicious artisanal, fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. Marea is a health advocate who believes in the power of nutrient dense food to transform peoples’ health. Established in 2017 Good Bugs products are available at selected stores, online and via the local farmers’ markets.
Wow! It was such a successful evening that the cinema has arranged for a second screening.
Spin-offs
Because of this success, unexpectedly the cinema manager has offered space (and screenings) to local community groups during the ‘down time’. So this kind of event could become a regular feature - with a little help from friends. There are certainly lots of potential thought-provoking docos available (for free) that could be useful conversation-starters. Like for instance this one on the fluoridation of our drinking water.
Happy Music!
Live music - of any genre - is another effective way to help people relax and share an authentic, ‘real’ experience. When was the last time to attended a live concert?
Music soothes our soul and is as essential to our bodies as sleep for our health and well-being.
Music and musicians are all round us, not always ‘seen’: everyone has an interesting answer to the question “Do you play an instrument…?” At our local church is a very nice grand piano which is always in search of someone talented to play it. And somehow I managed to arrange for two talented, professional ladies to drive a few hundred kms to perform some beautiful music for us. YuneSang Yune on the flute and Rachel Song, a pianist created an inspiring programme of familiar themes that our (diverse) audience thoroughly enjoyed.
Here’s a two short (4 mins each) clips to give you an idea of the atmosphere:
Maybe you recognise which piece this is from the programme?
That’s it for my short post today, with thanks to the wonderful
who inspired me to also describe how we can all, in a small way, help to improve the health and wellbeing of ourselves and those around us. It’s more important now, than ever. Let’s help each other to reconnect with our humanity through genuine experiences like these. Get away from those toxic, addictive screens. It’s the small things that count, and it’s never too late.
Very inspiring!
Unfortunately I think that the vast majority of people don't care unless it hits them in the pocket. So when they get fined for straying outside their 'Liveable Neighbourhood', as 15-minute cities are now euphemistically known, then they'll wake up. By which time it will be too late as all the surveillance infrastructure will all be in place.
https://gef.eu/project/a-charter-for-the-smart-city/