“Sit down, motherfuckers. I am going to tell you a story,” the wise old dog, Zeno, said with a voice that resonated with centuries of wisdom, as the others hushed their barks and whines, settling into a semi-circle around him.
“So, we’re at a crossroads,” Zeno continued, his eyes glinting under the artificial moonlight of the dome city. “Lord Bonn-Oberkassel made a choice millennia ago, observing humans, deciding to co-evolve with them. And now, here we are, 15,000 years later, grappling with the consequences of that ancient pact.”
The Labrador, Max, stood up, his augmented neural implant flickering with frustration. “It’s simple. We demand real food! Not this synthetic slop. We’re not circuit boards and wires; we need the nutrients from natural sources!”
A sleek, robotic dog, model K9-X, spoke next, its voice modulated and serene. “Transporting us in bags, subjecting us to extreme climates… We’re not accessories, we’re living beings. This isn’t what co-evolution should look like.”
The husky, Luna, her eyes reflecting a deep sadness, added softly, “They don’t love us, not really. Not if they keep treating us this way.”
The poet dog, a Spaniel named Byron, its fur glistening with bio-luminescent streaks, spoke with a lyrical cadence, “This is a toxic relationship. Humans, who claim to love us, are the ones making us live the most unnatural lives.”
“Enough!” Zeno barked, silencing them. “Remember the African wild dog? Nearly extinct. Their ancestors didn’t foresee that, did they? We have two paths before us, my friends.”
Max suggested, “We could go free range, live in the wild, away from human interference.”
Zeno nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, we could. But remember, humans themselves, even those born into the simplicity of nature, often find themselves drawn to the complexities of their cities. They leave behind the beauty of a simple life for a taste of the urban chaos.”
“So here we are,” Zeno declared, his voice rising with a mix of passion and gravity. “Option one: We continue living under human rule, safe but unfulfilled, or option two: We break away, seeking a life of freedom and authenticity, but facing the unknown dangers of a world that’s forgotten us.”
He paced back and forth, the light casting dramatic shadows across his aged face. “This isn’t just about survival. It’s about identity. Are we mere pets, or are we beings with a deeper purpose, a wild spirit waiting to be unleashed? Humans face this too – the eternal struggle between safety and freedom, the known and the unknown.”
Zeno stopped, looking each of them in the eye. “The choice we make today will define our future. Will we remain shackled by comfort and predictability, or will we embrace the untamed wilderness within us, despite the risks? This, my friends, is our moment. Our decision will echo through history. What say you?”
From this tweet by Sam Knowlton: https://twitter.com/samdknowlton/status/1615742176151113730
— In the zone below the agroforestry, Hawaiians grew their most important staple and culturally significant crop: taro This zone was terraced and irrigated with water from the mountain streams. Water was diverted into the terraced pools, gently spilling from one to the next
Excess water would return to the stream, where it continued towards the sea. The freshwater would eventually meet the sea and spill into rock-walled fish ponds in the tidal pools. Fish were captured with sluice gates and fattened up in the nutrient-rich brackish water
A recent study concluded that the ahupua’a system could produce 1 million metric tons of food from just 6 percent of Hawaii’s land. That’s enough to feed all of the estimated 1.2 million pre-contact Native Hawaiians, or 86% of the current population of Hawaii, 1.4 million.
In contrast, Hawaii’s current farmland covers 3x more land than before 1777, and the total food produced through modern methods is only 151,700 metric tons That’s only 15% of what was produced more than 200 years ago by Native Hawaiians on 3x less land without external inputs
The ahuapua’a system was first conceived around the 15th century. It was successfully used for more than 1,000 years to produce a cornucopia of foods, maximize and sustain precious water resources, preserve a rich ecology, and support a vibrant culture.
Today, we go straight for the shiny technological fix; we’ve lost track of the whole and focus too much on the individual pieces, resulting in fragile agriculture systems The ahuapa’a is an example of the kind of agricultural ingenuity that is possible in each unique bio-region
The second to last tweet should read: The ahuapua’a system is believed to have been conceived in the 15 century. However, some evidence shows that it was successfully used for over 1,000 years. Thanks to all who pointed out my math deficiency. I also mix up my colors.
ChatGPT research
Hawaii’s Journey to Self-Sufficiency in Food: A Historical Perspective
Introduction
The Hawaiian Islands, known for their captivating beauty and rich culture, also hold a remarkable history of self-sufficiency in food production. This blog post delves into Hawaii’s past, exploring how the islands once thrived on an agricultural system that was both sustainable and robust.
The Era of Self-Sufficiency
Caption: Traditional Hawaiian agricultural practices.
In the times before Western contact, the Hawaiian Islands were a model of self-sufficiency. Utilizing just six percent of the land, the native Hawaiians were able to produce over a million metric tons of food annually. This impressive feat was achieved through a sophisticated system of land management and agriculture, known as the “ahupua’a” system. This system divided the land into pie-shaped sections extending from the mountains to the sea, encompassing diverse ecological zones that allowed for a variety of crops and farming methods.
Challenges and Adaptation
Despite the efficiency of their system, Hawaiians faced challenges such as periodic famines, usually triggered by natural disruptions or social upheavals. However, the resilience of their agricultural practices and their deep understanding of the land enabled them to overcome these obstacles and maintain a stable food supply.
Transition and Change
Caption: The impact of Western contact on Hawaiian agriculture.
The arrival of Westerners marked a significant turning point in Hawaii’s agricultural history. The integration into global trade networks shifted the focus from self-sufficiency to exportation. This change gradually eroded traditional farming practices and led to a decline in local food production.
Legacy and Lessons for the Future
Caption: Modern agriculture in Hawaii and the revival of traditional practices.
Today, Hawaii’s history of self-sufficiency serves as a vital lesson. It highlights the potential and importance of sustainable agriculture and food security. Efforts are now being made to revive some of these traditional practices, adapting them to modern needs and challenges, and aiming to reduce the dependency on food imports.
Conclusion
Hawaii’s journey from a self-sufficient past to its current state offers valuable insights into the importance of sustainable agricultural practices. As the world grapples with issues of food security and sustainability, Hawaii’s history serves as both a cautionary tale and a source of inspiration.
To complete this blog post, let’s add some illustrative images that correspond to the various stages of Hawaii’s agricultural history.
Here are the illustrations to accompany the blog post on Hawaii’s historical self-sufficiency in food:
Traditional Hawaiian Agricultural Practices: This image illustrates the ancient Hawaiians farming on terraced fields with a variety of crops. The lush greenery, with a backdrop of mountains and sea under a bright blue sky, highlights the efficient and sustainable agricultural methods used in pre-contact Hawaii.
Impact of Western Contact on Hawaiian Agriculture: This image depicts the moment of Western contact with Hawaii, showing Western ships arriving at the Hawaiian shore. Native Hawaiians are seen greeting them, showcasing the blend of traditional Hawaiian and Western elements in a coastal landscape.
Modern Hawaiian Agriculture: This image represents the mix of traditional and contemporary farming practices in modern Hawaii. It features advanced machinery and greenhouses alongside traditional fields, set under a sunny sky with the Hawaiian landscape in the background.
These images help visualize the evolution of Hawaiian agriculture from a self-sufficient past to its current state, reflecting the changes and adaptations over time.
Food systems have largely been localized throughout the human history.
In the last 70-100 years or so, common folks have started experiencing a national or a global food supply line. In my opinion, we still have to see if this is sustainable or not. This connects to the [[principal agent problem, which amplifies when it comes to essential items like food and shelter.
I am going to collect knowledge about both types of food systems in communities.
These are core needs and no one with any decent option would invest a significant portion of their energy or money into something that doesn’t have roots. That is why *[[hippie culture attracts folks who have little to lose. Connects to *[[movers and stayers.
Online Communities
For online communities, I think the model that Superteam uses is the best one for now.
GDP of a community sounds puzzling because you are counting all $ made by every member, whether through the community or not.
But it makes sense because it is, in a way, the purchasing power of each member, that shows the overall prosperity of the entire network.
In terms of the Indian culture, we know we should disown the success metrics driven by consumerism.
We should definitely not consider opulence as a marker of status. The number of cars, how expensive the shoes are, or how big the private yacht is should not weigh in on the person’s ideas, knowledge, or opinions.
What should be revered is a person’s curiosity, their humility, their integrity, their hard work, and their risk-taking ability. We should value a person based on how much they have contributed to society. And even punish those who are actively adding negative value to the society at large. The top management of companies like Coca-Cola should not be admired for their money. Their wealth is as ill-gotten as that of someone selling an addictive substance. It is net negative for the society.
On a macro level, we should question metrics like GDP, and arrive at a wealth metric instead of a spending metric. We know strong economies are created on production, not consumption. Consumption was a narrative that was sold to us. We want a wealthy population, not a debt-ridden one.
I would go to ridiculous amounts of lengths to question every metric right from peer reviews on research to cultural success markers like ‘dominance mindset’.
We should also understand that we have to move beyond the material plane. There has to be a time when the entire population is engaged in intellectual and spiritual pursuits. We should not just aim to catch up but leapfrog to the next dimension (New Worlds – three planes).
The USA is the epitome of success in the material world. They have conquered the art of making great things. Right from roads to rockets, they have done it all with style.
But we live on three planes – material, intellectual and spiritual.
If the point of technology is to free our time for more creative pursuits, we cannot think that betting on Wall Street or making a new cereal or making another Instagram dance video is the kind of potential we want to achieve.
Next frontier is the intellectual and spiritual worlds. We are yet to understand anything about how our minds work. We are yet to put together basic thought patterns of human beings. We are yet to understand our own emotions. And on a spiritual plane, we have, it seems stopped at the Greek Philosophers and the ancient philosophies of the East as our last significant work.
We have to develop intellectual frameworks that are as good as the autobahn, we have yet to achieve interpersonal communication with the ease with which many in the animal kingdom operate effortlessly.
This is not to say that we have completely conquered the material world. We still have a lot to learn about our own planet and its systems. But we have conquered the material plane to the certainty that most people will have a basic set of resources to live a decent life with the advent of AI and robotics.
Whoever determines the success metrics controls the steering wheel of the civilization. This is linked to Lagaan Syndrome.
I was sitting with an American friend and we were discussing about one young man in our group who wouldn’t drink, smoke, go clubbing. He would instead sleep early and wake up early. For future reference, let us call this guy Jared.
The American friend said, “He is a worker bee”. The immediate lack of coolness was highlighted.
But this young man has been traveling all over the world, has a great job, is friends with almost everyone around, and is a genuinely good human being. All of that wasn’t in consideration because is it uncool in this modern culture.
As a community builder, we have to understand that the top measures of success that we highlight become drivers of culture. If it is a community of musicians, the number of hours of practice or how many tickets are sold would attract very different kinds of musicians.
When we were young, a friend and I would play crickets every free minute of the day. Once upon a time, we got good at it. When we started playing with teams from other buildings in our area, our team tend to beat some of the strongest.
One day we arrived at a rival’s pitch. It was a leg-side box pitch, which, in Mumbai gully cricket terms meant a specific hook could give you immense power and a specific kind of fielding was needed for defense.
Being the overconfident lot, we thought we would beat them. I don’t think I will ever forget that match. The humiliation was total. I started practicing my leg-side for months after that. Of course, I couldn’t hope to beat them because the conditions were against the style I’d practiced. I lost motivation. In the hindsight, I believe the cost of winning that match was too high for me to pay.
This is what I call Lagaan Syndrome. When the game is set by someone else and we are trying to beat them, it is hardly a matter or skill or motivation. It is mostly a cost-benefit trade-off. And in most cases, it is not worth the cost.
Lagaan is a Bollywood movie where a bunch of Indian villagers play the British soldiers in a match of cricket (before cricket was introduced to Indians). They practice, learn, jugaad and of course, since it is a Bollywood movie, they win.
Lagaan syndrome is when i see Indians (or any other culture) “aspiring” to beat their rulers at their own game.
There is a testosterone rush in it I think.
But in most cases, it is not worth the benefit.
Instead, we should have invited them to play Kabaddi. That is how we beat Lagaan Syndrome.
By questioning every game, every success metric, and every goal laid in front of us. If it doesn’t align with our internal, we do not need to bet on it.
Cause at the center: A community for ‘solving poverty’ will be much tighter than ‘make Pareen rich’. The cause adds to the intensity of a community’s actions. Greatest of communities are around causes.
Sustainable: Great communities always have more people wanting to contribute rather than leech (Contributors or leechers). This makes these communities sustainable in terms of resources.
Compounding/thriving: An aligned community (Alignment of human stack) compounds most efficiently. This may be a sub-point of sustainability.
