James Samuel

My ears pricked up when I heard that heads of state and the financial elite are acknowledging that we are in …the “age of damage”, where “social media creates a world of radical transparency”. 
The suggestion by the founder of the WEF summit, Prof Klaus Schwab that: “Capitalism in its current form no longer fits the world around us,” shows the depth of change which social media has brought to our world.

After watching this video, I followed the link to the Natural Homes site, and discovered this beautiful gallery of photos (below), which led me in turn to the Facebook gallery with explanations of each photo according to that most inspiring book “A Pattern Language“. I was given this book by my wife when I was [...]

Things are either evolving towards, or devolving into, nothingness and there is only the present moment – so enjoy it, it’s not coming again!

There has been a distinct increase in dialogue around energy in the last year, and I hear a growing acceptance of the idea that we live on a finite planet and will either reduce the amount of energy we demand from this planet, or hit some version of a brick wall when that demand cannot be met. Maybe we’re there already, we’re just not hitting the wall at a speed and therefore we’re not recognising it.

In New Zealand we have so many opportunities for redesigning our world in a positive manner, and embracing the uncertainty of these times we live in. Be gentle with yourself and each other, do your own research and seek out ways you can become part of the solution. The possibilities for the future are endless, and it’s up to each and every one of us to find where we can or feel moved to contribute, and play our part in singing a brighter and healthier future into existence.

Peak oil has been discussed in the mainstream New Zealand media in the past week. What is pleasing and maybe a sign of a sea-change is that unlike previous flirtations with the subject which have been disparaging and condescending, the latest articles take the issue seriously.

There are some quite well developed plans afoot which speak about extracting and utilising large volumes of very low-grade carbon-rich coal from mines in Southland. This carbon, which has been safely locked away in the ground for millions of years, would be unlocked and dispersed into the atmosphere. No matter what we do with coal, the end result is the same – the volume of carbon in the atmosphere will increase.

I first read Rob’s post then this response from John (excerpted below), I couldn’t help but feel a desire to see the two of them in the same room, clarifying their respective points, and coming to a mutual respect for the valuable work each is doing. Dialogue is something I have long felt has such an important part to play in creating a different sort of future than the conflict-ridden recent history we have witnessed.

My heart sang last night, to see members of my community look at the challenges of the future, square in the eye, and then with energy and creativity name some creative, and do-able solutions. Here’s a six minute video I put together summarizing the evenings activities. Read on…

While energy is a factor in the fall of the economic system, it was always going to implode, because it is a giant pyramid scheme that depend on growth to maintain its structure. Once growth stops, the laws inherent in the ‘house of cards’ financial system based on pyramid dynamics will inevitably cause a collapse.