The Pluriverse is Always Talking
Are you listening?
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Growing up in and around Vancouver, Canada (unceded Coast Salish Territory), Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller has always been a part of my consciousness. Science World (pictured above) is one of the most iconic landmarks in the city and is one of the many geodesic domes around the world inspired by Bucky. One of the past century’s most visionary thinkers, beyond designing and championing geodesic domes, Buckminster Fuller was a futurist, a philosopher, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor… and mystic.
For several years now, Bucky’s worldview has been my guiding light. (Which, in this modern day and age, means that I quote him at the bottom of my email signature.) So when I heard that The Philosophical Research Society was hosting a talk by Benjamin Lowder on “Myth, Math & Magic: Buckminster Fuller’s Legacy & Hall’s Hermetic Wisdom,” I bought a ticket immediately.
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
Buckminister Fuller
I learned of this Bucky quote and guiding philosophy while spending time organizing for climate action with Extinction Rebellion at Metabolic Studio in Los Angeles. It was fall 2019 and I was bereft, overcome with climate grief and hopelessness for the current state and predicated future of the world.
I turned to Extinction Rebellion because their Theory of Change stated that if enough of us took to the streets and demanded action, we could affect the change necessary to prevent catastrophic disaster and societal collapse. They assured me that we could turn this ship around. That we could save the world. And I wanted to believe them. I really, really did.
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t see enough people leaving their comfortable homes and “safe” worldviews. I couldn’t see the government being bold enough to enforce real radical change. I couldn’t see any of it unfolding and I also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about the messaging, Change or Die! Act now! Tell the Truth!
