As I write this blog, the newspapers in
At the same time, in the evening, I'm reading an outstanding masterpiece by a Hungarian poet and thinker, Bela Hamvas, who says that apart from one or two occasions, when his own life was concerned, he never read papers at all. I read them every day and I must confess I always feel defeated, for this is about my life, too.
In our family we somehow managed to tame the TV. We covered it with a piece of African cloth, just as if it were a bird cage. We only unveil it, if we see there is something worth watching on the programme. Like in a theatre. Sometimes it remains unnoticed for days, and on a rainy day we lit a fire by its covered presence. Today we've done it again.
If television needs to be watched from afar, the fire attracts us to come closer, as close as possible to the sparkles and flames, the salamanders. And sometimes, for a fraction of moment in perfect presence, and in direct proximity of enchanted children, I get a feeling that I can really see them. Or just feel, that there is no redoubling in their presence. There is none of that something, which Laurie Anderson on her famous first disc articulated as: » This is the Time. And this is the record of the Time.«
Do not be discouraged by these beginnings. The new paradigm of living and our attitude towards ecology, the eco-logical handling of our lives and the environment only gradually comes into being, touching upon every dimension of our being, and requiring numerous intimate decisions. Everything I am talking about is closely linked to the Benefit Living concept. It is a concept that is very difficult to grasp, and perhaps this is the reason why there are so many interpretations of it, and probably understandings as well.
Cultural Creatives is a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has recently developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists versus Traditionalists or Conservatists.
- love of nature and deep caring about its preservation, and its natural balance.
- strong awareness of the planet-wide issues (i.e. global warming, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) and a desire to see more action on them
- being active themselves as well ( e.g. cradle2cradle principal)
- willingness to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment
- heavy emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining relationships
- heavy emphasis on the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts
- volunteer with one or more good causes
- intense interest in spiritual and psychological development
- see spirituality as an important aspect of life, but worry about religious fundamentalism
- desire equity for women/men in business, life and politics
- concern and support of the wellbeing( oa. freedom ) of all women and children
- want politics and government to spend more money on education, community programs and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future
- are unhappy with the left and right in politics
- optimism towards the future
- want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life
- are concerned with big business and the means they use to generate profits, including destroying the environment and exploiting poorer countries
- unlikely to overspend or be in heavy debt
- dislike the emphasis of modern cultures on "making it" and "success", on consuming and making money
- like people, places and things that are different or exotic
If you can provide ten positive answers to the above bullet points, then, according to both researchers, you are already a part of this new, though hidden to the media, global sub-culture. Its critical mass, necessary for any social change in animal and human communities, has long been surpassed. Half a century ago, a handful of modernists in
Ira Zorko, Cornucopia
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