Challenging the Societal Value System

I love hearing about all the organizing folks are doing! Thank you! The emphasis on making personal connections is lovely. 


The following is in response to Diane Shisk’s questions: “What more can we be doing now, inside and outside of RC? How do you think about that?” [Diane Shisk is the International Commonality Reference Person for Care of the Environment.]


My thoughts turn to contradictions to the core distresses of corporate Western civilization and the inspiration I find in learning about Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous worldview offers an entirely different set of values from what those of us in the corporate-dominated world are used to [accustomed to]. 


The following are some of the unhelpful aspects of the dominant colonialist culture. They are the “water we swim in” and make it hard to imagine new ways of living.


  • The notion of “property”—that one can “own” land, living things, and even people
  • The colonizer principle of divide and conquer
  • The idea that people can be kept powerless by dividing them by race, class, gender, and so on
  • The widespread goal of accumulating personal wealth, which is valued in this culture above closeness, community, and respect

I am playing with some questions to ask people and observing what works well—as contradictions [to distress] or as inspiration for a shift in values:


  • How might you live your life differently if you recognized the Earth (the natural environment) as sacred or valuable beyond words?
  • How would your life be different if women were safe from domination—and, by extension, if the natural environment were safe from domination?
  • What are the things, conditions, and close connections you actually need for your survival and thriving?
  • What if that little bird over there, or that tree, has the same right to be alive as you have? What if your existence depends on theirs? What would this mean for the way you live your life?

I think we have the courage and vision to challenge the entire distressed societal value system—using questions as our tool, along with a good bit of friendly humor. 


Marjorie Smith 


Corvallis, Oregon, USA 


Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion 
list for leaders in care of the environment

(Present Time 209, October 2022)

Last modified: 2022-12-25 02:17:04-08