The Black Box Model and The Ethics of Permaculture

The Black box model is the most familiar concept for many engineers to understand the basics of input / output for a system. As a chemical engineer, I depend more and more on this model to understand the fundamental of a problem and either I start with it or end with it, to get the complete picture.

For many too, it is a useful tool to understand the state we are in, as this is a simple tool which can be used.

In the above depicted concept, if we see, if the output is equal in quality and quantity to the input, then the system will be in equilibrium, which means, balanced. If not, the balance will move towards right. Slowly, the input quantity comes down and eventually there will not be any input. Also, along with output, if the discharges and emissions are more in polluted form, then the system is intending to do more damage than benefit. Now, if there are byproducts which can be used as inputs to other systems that will help.

So, this kind of systemic thinking when applied to a human being, it gives a wonderful opportunity to understand the society better, in my limited view. Are the acts / deeds of me as an individual causing system to move more towards left or keeping it in equilibrium is something that I need to start assessing. While doing so, we have to understand the totality, or the total benefit sometimes. Here, the exapanded outlook helps.

If I am self centric and working only for myself, the system is going to move much faster to the left and become unsustainable. If we start expanding, and our output is becoming quality input and we have discharges and emissions useful for other systems too, then we are keeping the total system, called universe, in balance.

Now, put a city in the place of System, and start looking at the picture and we see that a city is an unsustainable one and rapidly moving towards destruction unless there is a corrective mechanism. The system called City, takes more input rather than giving little amount of quality output useful, and also gives out more pollution. As humans, we depend more and more on the market, so we are fast consuming our resources, depleting the input.  There is no good optimistic outlook for the future if we continue to do so.

There is another law, which says, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The system, called nature, knows how to correct and keeps nudging itself to the right. But when the nudging is not enough, it shoves it and that’s when larger impacts happen in the form of correction. Anyone who thinks it is illogical, is underestimating the natural forces based on which this so called law was derived.

Before “shove comes to push”, every individual has to assess in the same way to see what can we do to make the output more meaningful and there is minimal pollution. This is possible in only one way. THINK RIGHT. THINK PERMACULTURE.

When someone starts Permaculture reading, it appears more and more focused on agriculture. Ofcourse, that’s where our dependence is, FOOD. But, the more and more we dig deep, we start looking at it much broadly than this particular area. Now, if I apply the Ethics of Permaculture to the system concept, It just fits in like a nice glove on the hand.

Snug Fit.

The ethics say – Earth care, People care and Shared Need. Now, when we apply these three, on the black box and start to imagine ourselves as the black box, the question that pops up without any much logical thinking is: IS OUR INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM MORE AND MORE LEFT LEANING?

Let us start working towards making our own self driven system a balanced one as much as we can. Dig Deep in to our bodily actions and thought processes !

THINK LIFE! THINK PERMACULTURE!!

The Generation “Gap” & Course Correction

I am from India!

This statement evokes different feelings across the world. Some might experience goosebumps, some might look amused. Different people have different perceptions about the Country.

Many say, “Oh! You are from land of snake charmers and tricksters”, or “Oh! The country where buffalos and cows are the speed breakers on the road”! But rarely we meet people who speak of her in high respect with tears in their eyes, “Oh! You are from the land where the Sun of Knowledge never sets”. These are the people who understand the depths of India’s greateness as beacon of light, dispelling darkness of unknown through her vast knowledge due to deep rooted Sanatana Dharma. They know that this is the land where great Sages walked and taught, and where great institutions, like Nalanda or Takshasila, were once thrived spreading the wings of knowledge seeped in Spirituality. This is the land to where many people flock every day, to understand the Indian Philosophy, to learn the arts like dance and music from the Masters. While there are teachers all around the world who can impart the similar knowledge, they know that the real learning happens only in India where the education is pivoted on spirituality.

This is the land where Sri Adi Sankara walked hundreds of years ago, establishing the path of life, and many Mahatmas, from Srila Prabhupada, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa or Bhagavan Ramana, Shirdi Sai Baba to Sri Sai Master, in different parts of the country guided many disciples, and still providing guidance to the seekers. This is the land which gave the world, Swami Vivenkananda, the world teacher, who went across the world to extol the greatness of India and its deep rooted philosophy.

Also the land of BHAVADGITA, which stands as a guiding light from spiritualists to philosophers to management gurus, where some interpreted for higher cause and some for worldly cause!

The 20^th Century life, in contrast to all that, is moving on a path seeped in materialistic needs and possessions and only interested in maintaining a strong balance sheet. This is the age, which is “competitive”, “focused” and “highly knowledge based”. The focus many a time is on “Specialisation” of a person. We are currently moving very fast on the path of creating compartmentalized view. To give an example, we are either good in making rice, or curry or sambar, but never looking at wholesome healthy food preparation. Looking at life in wholesome manner in tandem with nature is just not possible or it is scary as that could lead to “mental destablisation”. Those who are living in alignment to it, are outliers in the society. Particularly those who say the pivot of life has to be spirituality, such lot are looked upon as stress busters rather than the guiding lights of life.  

Then the question comes, Why this drastic fall from those heights?

In the 19^th century, the nation had strong roots, probably because they lived and fought together, and the outlook of the people was firmly on living happily and with satisfaction within their means. They valued their freedom to achieve their life purpose. This is one of the reasons, I feel, India could fight for its freedom and stood by the words of Mahatma Gandhi, the man with two strong ammunitions, Ahimsa and Truth. Everyone understood and enjoyed the happiness derived out of community-living without any over- exploitation of resources. Their living, aligned with nature, greatly helped their ethical lives. They always knew that spirituality is the core of everyone’s life and seeking for happiness and contentment are the two main objectives of everyone’s life. That is the reason why we had prayers in school daily prior to classes, and mothers taught slokas, skits based on mythological stories were performed, and mothers bedtime stories for their kids were about what Lord Rama did or Lord Krishna did.

In the beginning of 20^th century, when the science exploded with new information, coupled with internet age, which made the universe look smaller, ushered in global village concept. Only the concept in this is village, but focus is more on competitiveness and gaining upperhand, with a slogan, survival of the fittest. But by adopting the culture of a forest, we forgot that we are humans who can think and live harmoniously. It was said that in olden days in the place of Sages, all the animals lived peacefully forgetting their rivalry. Alas! We are not even thinking of such things and are trying to look at the world with narrow outlook and with lot of negative perception. Our nulcleus way of living is smaller than the actual nucleus and thinking which starts from self, and propagates out to include society and the world, is stopping at self and family.

We are constantly living in fear of losing, and hence the insurance business is thriving. The let-go concept, which is being taught all over, including the corporate offices, is becoming a mockery, as we are closing in more and more. The freedom which we got in 1947, remained mostly a date as we have failed to understand and connect that external freedom with inner freedom which always existed thanks to deep rooted spirituality of our forefathers. Many in free India looked at freedom as an opportunity to live the way liked, and take what they like rather than as a golden opportunity to improve and reach much greater heights. The sudden change of environment which opened up many opportunities, made more and more look for options that fetched them materialistic.

All this, in my view can be very well explained using the sloka of Bhagavadgita, (3:21) which says, whatever a great man does, others tend to follow. We identified with wrong idols in following. In places, where the idol was a Mahatma, a Sadguru (not the namesake who is currently going around), those societies are still thriving even in the modern times with appropriate outlook and are inspiring few more to walk in the path. In the rest of the society, this lack of right person to guide, the moral values are fast going down and it is becoming more and more scary to live with openness, and to have a satisfied life.

It is very important that the current generation wakes up, to correct the deviation that happened in previous generation and to take course correction to get back the Golden age of the country that she richly deserves. There are Gurus waiting to guide those who are willing to walk on that path and motivate others. It is up to us to follow the right path, questioning every minute, realising and experiencing ourselves the truth, rather than blindly following. Look deep in to every action and decide, the rest nature will take care to teach and correct. The GURU is everywhere and watching over those who are willing to walk that extra mile.

The GREAT MASTERS are waiting!