Organizing in Nested Systems: Re-regionalisation, Landscape and Global Solidarity — with Daniel Wahl

Podcast Notes

In our conversation with Daniel, we talk about the interplays between technology and landscape, between the virtual and the analogue world, and we explore what kind of new experiments and institutions that may emerge — and what new constituencies will likely gain a key role in organising at scale — for the re-regionalisation of the economy, which is such an important step of society’s regeneration.

How to find and support Daniel’s work:

• Medium Blog: https://medium.com/@designforsustainability
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DanielChristianWahl?fan_landing=true
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDCWahl
• LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-christian-wahl-phd-51a54616/
• Regeneration rising Youtube conversations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zBxHnVsuus
• Facebook groups: https://www.facebook.com/regenerativecultures/, https://www.facebook.com/Ecological-Consciousness-567337650286414/ , https://www.facebook.com/groups/920150431523616/about/

Mentions and references:

• Daniel Wahl, Midwives of the Regeneration: On the fertile edges of the more beautiful world, https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/midwives-of-the-regeneration-on-the-fertile-edges-of-the-more-beautiful-world-4a28a9c6496f
• Daniel Wahl, Salutogenic Cities & Bioregional Regeneration (Part I of II), https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/salutogenic-cities-bioregional-regeneration-part-i-of-ii-2772a13bad9a
• Jung’s cognitive functions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_cognitive_functions
• Joanna Macy, https://www.joannamacy.net/main
• Janine Benyus: “life creates conditions conducive to life”, https://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_s_surprising_lessons_from_nature_s_engineers/transcript?language=en
• Ecolise: https://www.ecolise.eu/
• Planetary Health Alliance, https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/mission
• Wendell Berry, the Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, https://www.amazon.com/Unsettling-America-Culture-Agriculture/dp/0871568772
• Regenesis Group: https://regenesisgroup.com/
• Bayo Akomolafe: “times are urgent so let’s slow down” http://bayoakomolafe.net/project/the-times-are-urgent-lets-slow-down/
• Rebel Wisdom, Sense-Making the Corona virus outbreak, with Jamie Wheal, Diane Musho Hamilton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKDWmKL7xCk
• Yuk Hui, Cosmotechnics as Cosmopolistics, https://www.e-flux.com/journal/86/161887/cosmotechnics-as-cosmopolitics/
• Thích Nhất Hạnh (interbeing): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Nh%E1%BA%A5t_H%E1%BA%A1nh

Key insights

1. We are seeing a constant interplay — a dance — between the global and the local, between virtual and analogue worlds, between technology as a tool and technology as an inseparable part of humanity. We don’t know yet how being rewired by technology and embedded in local cosmos will play out, but what we may foresee is that organisations — in order to cope — must have the ability to “stay in the trouble”.

2. There is no universality in the re-regionalisation of production and consumption: organising at a bio-regional scale means marrying “old” and “new” cultures and customs, bringing ancient and indigenous wisdom into the mix. Subsidiarity is a key concept for building regenerative cultures, including the ability to produce energy, food, clean water and provide education. Yet, as we build the conditions for bioregional resilience, we must be careful not to create “island bioregions” — projects that are very inward focused and that neglect global solidarity.

3. Health is a central expression of nested systems and will likely be one of the most important measures of success in a world that will emerge from a global pandemic crisis. The concept of health itself, is an emergent property of complex systems.

4. It’s time to redesign systems, not try to reboot. For this, Daniel suggests we need to slow down in order to make the right decision, which will be more effective than making any hasty moves.

? Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is about exploring the future of large scale organising by leveraging on technology, network effects and shaping narratives. We explore how platforms can help us play with a world in turmoil, change, and transformation: a world that is at the same time more interconnected and interdependent than ever but also more conflictual and rivalrous.