Paul as you contemplate why Americans have a completely unique take on Permaculture and you wonder whats up with this metaphysics? I believe I know the answer. My awaking to this world of shadows came when I heard a speech by Judi Bari of Earth First. Seems the FBI said she was bad so she spoke. I believed her and that she was not bad. Heavy heavy stuff that you would not believe from me. Ever after that I wondered why younger "hippies" had a kind of fashion and music mentality and not the poverty fighting, equal rights environmentalist ideal that my now bald head used to grow. Then I found this guy Jan Irvin of Gnostic Media who has done an enormous amount of research on the psychedelic revolution. One article "Manufacturing the Deadhead a product of social engineering" is important history to consider because while Permaculture may just be a design science it may unfold as a social movement. The peace movement was a very serious threat to the establishment and while I almost totally agree with him about what happened to it you do not need to. I think his work on debunking Positive thinking, the New Age Movement including such figures as Carlos Castenada and Terrance McKenna and Centers like the Esalen Institute is also germane to Hippies and impractical political thinking. After all how did we all get so brainwashed?
The problems of modern oil based industrial society were so awful with child cancer clusters, air and water pollution, poverty and inequality and a huge military industrial intelligence complex that people were fighting for power. How many movements can you list? Can we think of any movement or problem that hasn't been disappeared with the magic of public relations? With no solutions by the powers that be people eat up any hopeful words that will distract them from the menacing disasters.
So I really appreciate that you don't fall for any cosmic debris and embrace practical "problems are solutions thinking". I am especially relieved that there are actual solutions to the mess that has been made and I don't want to waste my time singing Kumbaya either. Your focus on wealth production is what really resonates and is what is going to vindicate permaculture to any American political opposition.
