Resilience and wisdom to stay happy in the years ahead
This section contains several specific resources:
This section contains several specific resources:
There are learnable skills which can make our relationships with other people and groups run easier. This is a short introduction to a big topic: you’ll find extra resources below if you’d like to explore further. Communications A lot of conflict and stress arises because people can’t express how they feel, or don’t believe they’ve … Read more
Scenarios are a useful, versatile process to explore the future, and provide some increase in clarity and scope for choice. They can be used in many ways, including community projects, personal choices, and strategic direction for organisations. Typically a scenario process involves creating a few different visions for the future, aiming to include possible surprises, … Read more
Would you agree that for most people, life and work have become a lot more demanding and uncertain in recent years? And is that trend likely to grow in future? If so, what’s the positive response to the challenge? This is what I’m calling super-resilience. Currently, I see many individuals, communities and work teams struggling … Read more
Climate change is already impacting food supplies, and is forecast to create much greater disruption in the years ahead. Seeding our Future commissioned research to understand both the threats and the scope for positive adaptation: two versions are available, one for Wales and the Borders, one of the focus areas for Seeding our Future’s work, … Read more
This new report was commissioned by Seeding our Future and the Schumacher Institute. It is based on online research using the best available forecast data to highlight the specific aspects of eight key risks likely to affect the UK by 2030, and to outline practical responses to these issues. The aim of the report is … Read more
Assertiveness is the art of clear, straight communication, even where difficult feelings are involved. It is based on respect: self-respect, believing that you have a right to your feelings, and a right to be heard; and respect for others, believing that they have a right to their own free will and their feelings. Assertiveness is … Read more
Some pearls of wisdom Because of my experiences as founder of the Magdalen Farm Centre, and two cohousing projects, I am asked this question regularly. This document is an attempt to sum up some of the general conclusions from my experience, hoping this may be helpful to others exploring intentional community or other pioneering projects. … Read more
This book by Alan Heeks shows how parallels with organic farms and gardening can help us to cultivate human nature too: for example, composting stress, applying crop rotation to avoid burnout. There’s a chapter on Community, and another on Growing through Climate Change. See more here.
If you’re working with hazardous materials, you need good methods and equipment. The future really is hard to face: it can easily feel bleak and overwhelming. Many people feel pain and despair about the state of the world and the environment, and blank out to avoid these feelings. One of the best processes I’ve found … Read more
A case history of the Threshold Centre An ecological footprint is a measure of how much productive land area your lifestyle requires, and how far this is from sustainability. The UK average footprint is between 5 and 8 global hectares per person, based on different experts’ views. This is a story of how simple measures … Read more