Applying Sustainocratic values in different camps in Uganda
Interview with Jonathan about his commitment to his community in the refugee camp in Uganda.
Life if tough when you have nothing. But “nothing” is very relative and often a judgment of Western people that “have everything”. When coaching start ups in the Western world they tend to feel “poor” due to the complexity of initiation. For them it is often mind blowing when asked to sum up their direct and indirect assets, their means. The same happens in the Uganda camps. They rapidly come to the conclusion that they have everything to become potentially prosperous and healthy. Instead of “nothing” they have challenging hardships to overcome. These hardships are sometimes very tough, like outbreaks of bad diseases with child death due to bad hygiene and unhealthy water. These hardships repeat themselves unless action is being take. Using the sustainocratic guidelines of the core natural human values as shared responsibility among all the local people, the hardships can be overcome, step by step. Financial means are sometimes needed (mostly through donations) in case of particular purchases but most of the activities are realized through teamwork, creativity, empowerment, local leadership and belief in their meaningful purpose of co-creating their wellness together. A few examples:
Building houses using plastic bottles filed with sand
Growing their own food
Purifying water for health
We all share a set of responsibilities for our sustainable natural human presence on Earth
Every human being is a unique manifestation of living nature. We consist of clustered molecules and a delicate ecosystem of millions of interacting microscopic entities that are our symbiotic life support. When we pollute our environment, we pollute ourselves, with all kinds of nasty consequences. Equally, disconnecting ourselves from our natural core values and corresponding responsibilities, produces all kinds of mental disorders. Mental disorders that produce all the problems in the human world today (competition, aggression, hunger, refugees, narcissism, suicides, negative stress, excessive consumerism, greed, social segregation, discrimination, etc).
To overcome this we need to:
- Acknowledge our shared (inter-human and institutional) responsibility for our core natural human values: integral health (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, environmental), safety (including respect for each other and our natural environment), awareness (learning together), shared responsibility (seeing our sustainable existence as a co-creation, not a cost or financial liability) and fulfillment of our basic needs (water, air, food, warmth).
- Create prioritized local, interdisciplinary communities to address these core natural human values together.
- If none of the local silos takes the initiative, ask STIR for help. We can help set things up.
Peace desires in an aggressive society format
An online encounter about “Non-violence in a violent world” discussed how inherently violent our current societies are. The way we take from nature, not just for our fulfilment of direct needs but to develop imaginary financial economies of greed. The way we compete out of self interest. The way taxes and rules are imposed. The way social differences are exploited. And much more. The session was conducted by journalist Jagdish Rattanani from India, author of the book about “Abundant Love”. Multiple references were made to the views of Mahatma Gandhi and the wisdom of Satish Kumar (peace pelgrim and co-founder of the Schumacher College).
As a person who stepped away from the financial ratrace and doctrines many years ago, developing our societies around core natural human values as shared responsibilities, the encounter was yet another confirmation of my own choices and path developed with sustainocracy.
Sustainocracy, the new democracy 