A World Where Venus and Mars Come Into Balance.

I envision for my life one of creativity, benefit and service, a life that allows solitude as well as social activity, sharing and reciprocity. Living on the land in cooperation with people, plants, trees and animals, it must be environmentally friendly, sustainable and respectful of all our kin. It will follow Permaculture principles. It will be locally based, globally connected. It will not only recognize the twin phenomena of Peak Oil and Climate Change but actively be preparing to deal with them.
I don’t yet know who my physical/geographical community is, as I am in transit. Perhaps it will be Kenya, perhaps it will be England. In a broader sense, I already have my community in the people I have known around the world, in the UK, the USA, Australia, Germany, Iran, Iraq, India, Vietnam etc who I keep in touch with online; this community continues to grow now through Pulsewire.
My goal is to balance my life and my contribution through the written word, teaching/awareness-raising and practical activity, be that growing food, planting trees, converting to renewable energy systems, conservation. I know little enough about Kenya and would not be so presumptuous as to think I can go in and tell people what to do on their native soil. But I recognize desecration of the Earth, cruelty and inequality when I see it, wherever that may be, whether through greed, poverty or ignorance and I am compelled to speak out.
For humans to continue living on this planet, corporate power with its voracious appetite and rapacious tendencies must be dismantled, to make way for a world based on small communities, living in harmony with the Earth and each other. A world without war, without nuclear energy, without plastic pollution. A world where the energies of Venus and Mars are in balance, where women are empowered, valued and respected, where children are protected, where trees are again revered, where forests abound with wildlife, where the rivers run free, where the ocean is clean and all her creatures can flourish, where the sky is thick with birds and butterflies and bees, where compassion and cooperation reign.

I have been an “environmentalist” for about 25 years (though the term is an odd one. It seems such a natural and obvious thing to care about and take care of your home. Because you care about your home, does that make you a “homist”?) At any rate, I love this planet, this Mother Earth that gives us everything and I must do all in my power to protect her. I am very well-plugged in to what is happening around the world. Sometimes I feel like “the woman who knew too much.” We have reached a critical phase in the planet’s history, mostly caused or precipitated by human activity. Urgent action is needed on numerous levels. I believe it will only be achieved through many small communities and organizations doing many different things for the health of the Earth, connecting and sharing their knowledge. Becoming a Voices of Our Future Correspondent would give me the training and support to be a far more effective citizen journalist, give me the means to reach a much wider community and connect up with other groups to impart, imbibe and disseminate information and inspiration for action.