SOIL, SOUL AND SOCIETY

Satish Kumar is the current Editor of Resurgence (an enviromental magazine promoting creativity, ecology, spirituality and frugality). He is the guiding spirit behind a number of ecological, spiritual and educational ventures in Britain. He founded the Small School in Hartland, a pioneering secondary school (aged 11-16), which brings into its curriculum ecological and spiritual values. In 1991 Schumacher College, a residential international centre for the study of ecological and spiritual values, was also founded by Satish who remains a Visiting Fellow.

 

He insists that reverence for nature should be at the heart of every political and social debate. Defending criticism that his goals are unrealistic, he has said: “Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale, and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me ‘unrealistic’ to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept.”

 

Probably his most notable accomplishment is a “peace walk” he undertook, with a companion, from India to America passing through the capitals of four of the nuclear-armed countries – Washington, London, Paris and Moscow, along the way. It was a trip of over 8,000 miles! This was an act of protest against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and a promotion of non-violent values.

 

In 2008, Satish presented a 50-minute documentary on the BBC as part of the Natural World series. In the programme he introduced the Dartmoor scenes and sights that most inspire him and contemplated the lessons they hold for humanity. A highly acclaimed documentary that mixed Eastern philosophy with the Western landscape of Dartmoor, the programme was watched by over 3.6 million people.

 

Satish teaches, lectures and runs workshops internationally on reverential ecology, holistic education and voluntary simplicity. His current message is bound up in three words…. Soil, Soul and Society.  Watch the following extracts and see what you think of this concept. We certainly think it has something to offer…

 

 

 

 

 


Also see: The Future of Food