These questions aren't about getting it right or giving the correct answer.

They are about

exploring what you've been taught, what your parents, teachers, media, and culture have planted
in your mind. It's more important to write the answer that your gut gives you than the one that
Political Correctness deems appropriate. In other words, the truth is irrelevant here; what
matters is what your unconscious impression is.

Are human beings members of the animal kingdom? Why or why not?

Are humans the pinnacle of evolution?

Assume most humans are acting from a belief that they are the pinnacle of evolution. What are
they doing to prove it?

In most countries today, what is the accepted way of acquiring the means to meeting ones basic
needs, and how much time does the average human devote to meeting those needs?

Are the needs of humans more important than those of other beings, such as rocks, insects,
plants, mammals, birds, etc? Why or why not?

In traditional hunter-gatherer and small scale agrarian societies, how many hours a day would
you imagine the average human spends on sustaining their life? As in, hunting, gathering,
farming, cooking, making clothing and shelters, and so on.

Do animals belong to the world, or does the world belong to animals?

Do humans belong to the world, or does the world belong to humans?

If another predator is encroaching on the territory of a pack of wolves, how do you imagine the
wolves may handle it?

Building on the last question, if you said that the wolves would act aggressively toward that
animal, do you believe they may attempt to attack or kill all members of the competing
predators' species in the area, or simply the individual competitors which encroach on their
game?

Is there one right way for humans to live? Explain.

During the evolution of humans, since the time of our earliest ancestors about 3 million years
ago, why is it that the species with which humans were competing did not attempt to extinguish
our species?

Do you imagine that most indigenous languages have a word for work in the general sense?
(As opposed to names for specific tasks)

Do non-human species have the right to be left alive to evolve?

Relating to modern agriculture, what types of plants, animals, and insects are allowed to live

within agricultural settlements, and which are not? Why?

Imagine a bear, fishing in a waterfall. Her hunger is satiated after eating some salmon. Does she
continue fishing? Would she continue to hunt for the sake of entertainment, or with the intention
of taking of all salmon in the river? Why or why not?

Are humans a member of the community of life on this planet? If so, what would being a leader
in this community look like?

Considering that animal life on planet Earth is about 450 million years old, what might life look
like on another Earth-like planet where animals have existed for 2 billion years?

What structure do you imagine best symbolizes life on this planet, and why? For example: a
pyramid, a web, a circle, a chain, a horizontal line, etc.

Are humans subject to the laws of nature? Should they be? Why or why not?

What are some possible outcomes of the human species being largely protected from natural
selection?

What is the purpose of human life? How do most humans define their purpose, based on their
actions and visible priorities?

What do you imagine is meant by the phrase, the price of progress?

What do you imagine is meant by the phrase, All my relations?

If you are familiar with biblical stories: in Genesis, what do you imagine the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil represents or symbolizes?

Building on the last question: Knowledge of good and evil is characterized as an inappropriate
or sinful thing for humans to possess. So, why do you imagine the culture which was based
on the bible claim to have authority over whether or not indigenous people are living in a good
or evil way?

Who do you imagine wrote Genesis?

Do you imagine that most indigenous cultures have fixed, universal concepts of what is good
and evil, right and wrong, which they would apply to all humans?

What do you imagine the origins of shame and guilt to be? Do you think these emotions are
experienced by all cultures?

What is money?

In Animist traditions (those that experience all of creation as being embodied with spirit) there
is almost always a practice of honouring the ancestors. What purpose(s) might this serve?

In a culture that is based on ongoing technical revolution and infinite growth, what purpose
does technology serve? Or in other words, what might the intention(s) of technology be?

Imagine that you've been given unlimited resources (time, energy, human power, knowledge,
money) to create an entirely new culture. What would be the underlying premise of its cultural
story?

Have you read the Anastasia (Ringing Cedars of Russia) series by Vladimir Megre?

Have you read Ishmael or The Story of B by Daniel Quinn?

Hey Permies!
Facebook friends!
I'm designing a course for next year, related to permaculture and shamanism, though more specifically
about the way in which we unconsciously perceive the world we live in. The idea behind this, is that
for us to transition to a new paradigm, we must understand the one we're coming from, and understand
the hidden values which have taken us in the direction of infinite-growth induced suicide on a planetary
scale.
What follows is a list of questions to be reflected on. I invite you to comment here with your responses;
you're welcome to answer some, or all of them. Obviously, as a group (my friends) we likely reflect a
perspective which is different than what is most common in the world today. These different
perspectives are like thought-seeds, which need to be planted for a new culture to take root.
These questions aren't about getting it right or giving the correct answer. They are about exploring
what you've been taught, what your parents, teachers, media, and culture have planted in your mind. It's
more important to write the answer that your gut gives you than the one that Political Correctness
deems appropriate. In other words, the truth is irrelevant here; what matters is what your unconscious
impression is. You can, of course, message me you answers if you'd prefer.
Without further ado:
~Are human beings members of the animal kingdom? Why or why not?
~Are humans the pinnacle of evolution?
~Assume most humans are acting from a belief that they are the pinnacle of evolution. What are they
doing to prove it?
~In most countries today, what is the accepted way of acquiring the means to meeting ones basic needs,
and how much time does the average human devote to meeting those needs?

~Are the needs of humans more important than those of other beings, such as rocks, insects, plants,
mammals, birds, etc? Why or why not?
~In traditional hunter-gatherer and small scale agrarian societies, how many hours a day would you
imagine the average human spends on sustaining their life? As in, hunting, gathering, farming, cooking,
making clothing and shelters, and so on.
~Do animals belong to the world, or does the world belong to animals?
~Do humans belong to the world, or does the world belong to humans?
~If another predator is encroaching on the territory of a pack of wolves, how do you imagine the
wolves may handle it?
~Building on the last question, if you said that the wolves would act aggressively toward that animal,
do you believe they may attempt to attack or kill all members of the competing predators' species in the
area, or simply the individual competitors which encroach on their game/territory?
~Is there one right way for humans to live? Explain.
~During the evolution of humans, since the time of our earliest ancestors about 3 million years ago,
why is it that the species with which humans were competing did not attempt to extinguish our species?
~Do you imagine that most indigenous languages have a word for work in the general sense? (As
opposed to names for specific tasks)
~Do non-human species have the right to be left alive to evolve?
~Relating to modern agriculture, what types of plants, animals, and insects are allowed to live within
agricultural settlements, and which are not? Why?
~Imagine a bear, fishing in a waterfall. Her hunger is satiated after eating some salmon. Does she
continue fishing? Would she continue to hunt for the sake of entertainment, or with the intention of
taking all of the salmon in the river? Why or why not?
~Are humans a member of the community of life on this planet? If so, what would being a leader in
this community look like?
~Considering that animal life on planet Earth is about 450 million years old, what might life look like
on another Earth-like planet where animals have existed for 2 billion years?
~What structure do you imagine best symbolizes life on this planet, and why? For example: a pyramid,
a web, a circle, a chain, a horizontal line, etc.
~Are humans subject to the laws of nature? Should they be? Why or why not?
~What are some possible outcomes of the human species being largely protected from natural
selection?

~What is the purpose of human life? How do most humans define their purpose, based on their actions
and visible priorities?
~What do humans value?
~What do you imagine is meant by the phrase, The price of progress?
~What do you imagine is meant by the phrase, All my relations?
~If you are familiar with biblical stories: in Genesis, what do you imagine the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil represents or symbolizes?
~Building on the last question: Knowledge of good and evil is characterized as an inappropriate or
sinful thing for humans to possess. So, why do you imagine the culture which was based on the bible
claims to have authority over whether or not indigenous people are living in a good or evil way?
~Who do you imagine wrote Genesis?
~Do you imagine that most indigenous cultures have fixed, universal concepts of what is good and evil,
right and wrong, which they would apply to all humans?
~What do you imagine the origins of shame and guilt to be? Do you think these emotions are
experienced by all cultures?
~What is money?
~In Animist traditions and cultures (those that experience all of creation as being embodied with spirit)
there is almost always a practice of honouring the ancestors. What purpose(s) might this serve?
~What is the purpose or role of saints, prophets, and celebrities in technologically advancing cultures,
and why are they not present in indigenous cultures?
~In a culture that is based on ongoing technical revolution and infinite growth, what purpose does
technology serve? Or in other words, what might the intention(s) of technology be?
~Imagine that you've been given unlimited resources (time, energy, human power, knowledge, money)
to create an entirely new culture. What would be the underlying premise of its cultural story?
~Have you read the Anastasia (Ringing Cedars of Russia) series by Vladimir Megre?
~Have you read Ishmael or The Story of B by Daniel Quinn?
~Have you read The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff?
<3 Thank you for your reflections! <3