Let's talk about climate change. Let's talk about the huge potential blockchain technologies have to be instruments of positive change in an increasingly volatile world.
It is my growing belief that the crypto economy could help incentivize practices that regenerate the Earth's life support systems - such as allocating resources to regenerative agricultural activities that draw down CO2, educating women & girls, and truly making a meaningful shift to renewable energy sources worldwide.
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I read a fabulous trending post this past week by @teamsteem called The Real Value of Everything which inspired me to think about notions of:
-- wealth & cryptocurrency;
--expAnsiveness & expEnsiveness;
--freedom, indigeneity & rootedness in place,
-- beneficial reciprocity between human communities and the Earth's life support systems, and...
...well, you know how one thing leads to another!
As I headed out to my garden to work, my mind & heart & spirit started dancing with daydreams of regenerating the planet, enlivened by the crypto economy, and galvanized by a people-powered movement for mitigating the devastating effects of climate change upon our societies and the Earth's ecosystems.
Imagine a financial system which by design has a replenishing effect for the Earth, instead of an inherently extractive imperative.
Imagine what it might look like to shift the hopelessness that so many feel about the human impact on the planet, and catalyze massive planetary hopeFULLness & regeneration.
Imagine beneficial reciprocity -- not in the sense of going back to a time of right-relationship, but in terms of moving forward with the tools and gifts that only this generation has to offer.
When I imagine this, I start to get excited. I start to get chills...
So here I am, attempting to share my curiosity about this subject with the brilliant community here on Steemit.
I'd like to encourage people to add to what I have written here by commenting with your own thoughts on these issues I'm raising in this blog. I am going to tip the top 2 best authors of the most thoughtful, insightful comments with a little Steem in order to reward meaningful contribution to this conversation.
Core Questions Which Emerged Today in the Garden of My Mind:
How do we curate conversation here on Steemit which creates a truly regenerative culture, both on- and offline, and which rewards the creation of quality content that evolves our consciousness as a community?
One of the things I enjoy most about Steemit is that it is nothing like Facebook, Instagram or any other social media platform I am a part of. It is unique. And what makes it unique to me is that it is designed to incentivize the creation of what this community deems to be of high calibre.
It rewards adding value to the information commons by writing blogs and sharing media that illuminate the vast wealth held by its diverse members around the globe, including:
Source -- I have written about this framework before, check out the source for more information.
The value of Steem thrives on the diversity that it's members bring, just like Nature does. All living beings thrives on diversity, it's what makes us resilient.
That is in stark contrast to what the dominant culture of homogeneity thrives on: consistency and a one-size-fits-all creativity-starved, fear-based approach to problem-solving that is literally killing the diversity of language, culture, and ecosystems worldwide.
With skyrocketing quantities of wealth now aggregating around this new crypto-economy and its early adopters, what would be possible if we hold space for regenerative culture in this marketplace?
What will you do to impact positive change in the world if the price of Steem shoots through the roof and suddenly you hold the power to set the tone of the conversation?
How will this community stand up for ecological and social justice, including taking meaningful action on climate change? I want to give a big shout out of respect to @treeplanter for their efforts to reforest Cameroon with incentives and contests held here on Steemit. I want to see more of this, I want to see this occurring everywhere.
As soon as a social media platform can partner with me to answer the above questions, then we are really starting to talking about a revolution, baby...
How will actualizing the potential of the crypto-economy actually lead to the creation of a more beautiful world?
Charles Eisenstein's most recent book The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible addresses how a new and ancient story is emerging for our culture. He is a very articulate and insightful dude. I highly recommend all the content he is creating to evolve consciousness. I think he answers the above question pretty well in this video:
How will we mobilize a crypto movement in such a way that allocates support to activities promoting regeneration of people and planet, worldwide?
Paul Hawken's book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming outlines the 100 most substantive solutions to reverse climate change. This book is based on meticulous research by the leading scientists and policy makers around the world. And despite what certain global leaders sitting at some of the most powerful desks and round tables in the world may think, science matters, folks!
Of the Top 20 Solutions, Twelve of them are related to Food & Land Use; Five of them are related to Energy; Two of them focus on Women and Girls; and the No.1 Solution is the most boring thing ever: Refrigerant Management, in a boring category at the top of the list, all alone. And fuck No.20. I am firmly against Nuclear, for the record. But those other Top 19 solutions, wow!, they get me fired up!
So, when I look at this list I know where my personal priorities lie: Regenerative Agriculture and Educating Women and Girls.
There are lots of meaningful ways that people could participate in the regenerative economy, even if they don't want to drop their current lifestyle and become farmers. You have the choice to consume regenerative products. You have the choice to support businesses that uphold and uplift your values.
Everything that we consume has an origin, a place it is indigenous to. And the relationship that humans have with plants all over the world is nested in the unique attributes of those places. Some people respect the plants they cultivate, some desecrate and enslave them. I don't know about you, but I am tired of the bitter aftertaste of slavery and chemical warfare tainting the products I consume and feed to my child. We all deserve better.
We can't do it all. Not alone. But we have to do something! Right?!? What are we waiting for?!?
So, this is where crypto fits in...
The following excerpt from the above mentioned trending post by @teamsteem made me stop reading in my tracks:
"Cryptocurrencies' market cap have gone up 908% in the last 365 days, from $11,7B to $117B. At this rate, cryptocurrencies would surpass Apple's market cap of $752B in under a year and become part of the G20, ranking as the 18th biggest economy. In less than 2 years, cryptocurrencies would rank as the third biggest economy, right under China and the USA and 1 year later. They would then represent $120T."
I stopped reading and said "Holy Shit! That's a lot of potential influence...." And off my brain ran with dreaming and scheming for a better world...
He goes on to add:
"If there are people dying of hunger and going insane all around us because of the barbaric ways of our current society, then no amount of food could ever be enough to satiate our universal hunger for justice. Let's try to avoid greedily acquiring bits of digital information of subjective value. Let's instead favor creating meaningful and enjoyable human experiences."
This is where I need to emphasize that it is the creation of a regenerative culture that is needed. We need systemic change that that actually brings us into right-relationship with the Earth and each other again. We need a life-affirming culture. We need culture that connects us with our humanity and our interrelatedness with the other non-human inhabitants of this Earth. Charles Eisenstein calls this concept 'interbeing'.
We are social creatures and so together we must tackle the converging crises of our time -- Climate Change, Systemic Inequality, Biodiversity loss, Ocean Acidification, Pollution, Nuclean Proliferation, Etc. These crises wear many masks and go by many names. They are symptomatic of an underlying crisis of consciousness - humanity's disconnection from the community of Life.
Our efforts must be global. They will need to be able to rise above the limitations of the current discourse, which is stunted by the systemic flaws perpetuated by the Powers-That-Be and by their inability to bring about meaningful change on the most important issues of our time.
From where I am sitting, Steemit has potential to be a significant platform for us to gather in solidarity and co-create the new story of interbeing. The potential for the technologies being built on the blockchain are rapidly evolving but they are still in their relative infancy. The technology is not inherently disruptive or beneficial, the direction they move depend entirely on the thinking and applications developed by their users and those writing the codes. How are we going to use this tool to actualize its full potential for creating a regenerative culture and evolving consciousness?
How can the above mentioned revolutionize the distribution of wealth & help to support people around the world keeping the seeds of a regenerative (agri)culture alive?
I have been really digging the posts by @donkeypong about growing the international community here on Steemit. I especially honed in on Reflections and Tips for International Steemit Members and Growth Communities. The inequality gap that has grown in contemporary societies around the globe is truly unprecedented. And the work that @donkeypong and company are doing to bring Steemit to communities in Nigeria, the Philippines, Korea...all over!...is super inspiring and has tremendous potential to redistribute wealth and resources to people and projects around the globe.
To farmers & seed savers. To artists and musicians. To water protectors. To forest protectors. To healers. To storytellers. To those most in need...........
One of the biggest limiting factors in realizing the above vision will be reliable access to the internet in order to engage with the crypto-economy, and the technological literacy to engage with online platforms. Let us not forget that these things are luxuries for many people around the world.
How can we improve access for those who need it most? How can we support the education of women and girls and support their voices to rise as leaders in the emerging economy, in the new story?
I propose that in addition to the topic WomenOfSteemit we should also be lifting women farmer's voices through SteemitFarmHers. What tags do you want to see emerge in this community to support women and girls, and the regeneration of culture?
The blockchain tech is amazing! There is potential for literally everything to be helped/changed from this tech. I believe the IRS will be obsolete in 5-10 years as we could just pay taxes instantly on every purchase and so on. No more tax season or more importantly, No one person/persons are in control. The future is exciting!! Great post @ladylunasi :)
Love the idea of no taxes, but also want to see redistribution of wealth in an organized way that can have social and ecological benefit. How is this being tracked in the crypto-sphere?
Inspired. I'm going to think long and hard about this. Thank you. <3
Glad this post sparked something in you. Has anything ignited in your thoughts since you read it?