I had a rich conversation with Helena Norberg-Hodge, reflecting on her 50+ years advocating for localization—a return to village life, to the indigenous ways of our current and ancestral families.
Helena says:
“As I saw the encroachment of the modern economy and consumer culture into Ladakh, my eyes were opened to the devastation caused by conventional ‘development’ and ‘progress’. I saw the advent of unemployment, abject poverty, environmental decline, and epidemics of depression and social divisiveness – issues that I, like most Westerners, had assumed to be inevitable facts of life.”
We reflected on how to return, how to remember ourselves back into rich, communal life. We agree on gift or sharing ‘economies’ or what Helena calls the ‘economics of happiness.’
We disagree slightly on humility. Helena spoke of remaining humble. Meanwhile, I changed my hourly rate to $1,000,000 last night :). If you’re not my friend, it’s 1M to get me on the phone; that means I think my friends should be paid 1M to get them on the phone.
The wealth transfer happens now. No collapse; transformation. No humility; remembering our worth.
Check out Helena’s connections. We’ve got a major contributor to our directory!
cover image by Eugene
