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Author Archives: Jean-Paul Close
Breaking with 10000 years of history
10000 years ago humankind developed the desire to own and control things. This had disastrous effects on our psychology, taking out the worst of our behavior. It may arguably be a phase in our human development, necessary to learn to deal with our impulses. In our current era this mentality has brought us on the verge of societal collapse and sincere doubts about the sustainable perspectives of our species, despite all technologies and science at hand. In a recent publication about Place Based Sustainability, an article was included about the breaking with this history of societal conditioning around financial growth and status. Instead of developing the mainstream attitude, I personally decided to step out and define my own human values based reality. A reality that would become Sustainocracy over time. The article also describes the process of the city of Eindhoven to define its own authenticity and identity as a city.
We see this break away attitude appear more and more, also in regional development, where quality of life gains in importance rather than just financial growth. In this short video I describe the painful human phase of greed, suppression, misuse of people and resources, warfare, etc that we are leaving behind us. Instead we define our authenticity and identity as wellness driven species, integrating ourselves back in a symbiotic way with ourselves and our natural environment.
Struggling with time
This weekend we change our clocks again to summer time. For thousands of years humankind has been struggling with time, the corresponding seasons, the turns of our planet, our relationship with the moon and circling the sun. These struggles can be related to our attempts to understand and plan the seasonal changes in order to develop food productions. These two articles from the BBC provide a unique bit of insight as to the creativity applied and adjustment introduced in order to get where we stand today. And even nowadays, with all the technologies and science available, we still remember the millennium shift struggles with computer networks and services.
How Julius Caesar made the longest year in history https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240227-how-julius-caesar-made-the-longest-year-in-history-and-brought-us-leap-years
The ancient Roman alternative to daylight saving time https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240328-the-ancient-roman-alternative-to-daylight-savings-time
Ex astronaut Ron Garan about his awareness breakthrough looking at Earth from space.
In 1996 I had my own awareness breakthrough in the countryside near Madrid. I did not need to travel to space. It was a the deep sense of unity that exploded in me like a source of light, integrating me with my surrounding nature, the energetic universe. It was a mind blowing experience that change my perspective of life entirely. Out of this the story of Sustainocracy developed. At the time I felt alone, heavily criticized by my surroundings for the choices I was making. But gradually people and institutions started to engage. I have even received awards now and have the joy to have met astronauts and other people that are trying to make the best use of their own awareness breakthroughs and personal turning points It is great to be able to share stories of other people, not just mine, to reenforce my own. It is so important.