The Earth extends her arms to us; revealing through her nature the changing condition of our existence.

She bends and twists, deflecting the swords of our foolishness; our arrogance; our gluttony; our deceit. Unbridled by red alerts or amber warnings, Her ire gives rise to monsoon winds, jarring us from the stu or of our academic im unity; our disjointed convolutions, our em ty romises; our blac! and white dreams. "illed with unruly discontent, we yearn to dominate her mysteries; reducing her to microsco ic dust, we s it u on her sacredness, tem ting the fury of her seas. #e s ill our unholy wars u on her belly$s tender flesh, bla%ing dislocated cor ses, ignite her agony and grief. Still, in love with her creations, she warns of our com lacency to cataclysmic devastation, rooted in the alienation of our disconnection our rejection, our o ression, our scorn. &nd still, we s in ungodly tantrums of injustice against her love, against ourselves, against one another. #hen will we remove blindfolds from our eyes' #hen will we stretch our arms(to her' #hen will the cruelty of our hatred cease; teaching us to abandon the im ositions of atriarchy and greed' )h* that we might together renew our communion with the earth. She, the cradle of humanity. She, the nourishment of our seeds. She, the beauty of our singing. She, the wailing that recedes. (+arder ,-../0

The myth of rogress is a lie The +ar! 1ountain 1anifesto, .2 (The Dark Mountain Project, http://darkmountain.net/about/manifesto/, rm) It is, it seems, our ci i!isation"s turn to e#perience the inrush of the sa a$e and the unseen% our turn to be brou$ht up short b& contact 'ith untamed rea!it&. There is a fall coming. (e !i e in an a$e in 'hich fami!iar restraints are bein$ kicked a'a&, and foundations snatched from under us. )fter a *uarter centur& of comp!acenc&, in 'hich 'e 'ere in ited to be!ie e in bubb!es that 'ou!d ne er burst, prices that 'ou!d ne er fa!!, the end of histor&, the crude repacka$in$ of the triumpha!ism of +onrad"s ,ictorian t'i!i$ht - Hubris has been introduced to 3emesis. .o' a fami!iar human stor& is bein$ p!a&ed out. It is the stor& of an empire corrodin$ from 'ithin. It is the stor& of a peop!e 'ho be!ie ed, for a !on$ time, that their actions did not ha e conse*uences. It is the stor& of ho' that peop!e 'i!! cope 'ith the crumb!in$ of their o'n m&th. It is our stor&. This time, the crumb!in$ empire is the unassai!ab!e $!oba! econom&, and the bra e ne' 'or!d of consumer democrac& bein$ for$ed 'or!d'ide in its name. /pon the indestructibi!it& of this edifice 'e ha e pinned the hopes of this !atest phase of our ci i!isation. .o', its fai!ure and fa!!ibi!it& e#posed, the 'or!d"s e!ites are scrabb!in$ frantica!!& to buo& up an economic machine 'hich, for decades, the& to!d us needed !itt!e restraint, for restraint 'ou!d be its undoin$. /ncountab!e sums of mone& are bein$ funne!!ed up'ards in order to pre ent an uncontro!!ed e#p!osion. The machine is stutterin$ and the en$ineers are in panic. The& are 'onderin$ if perhaps the& do not understand it as 'e!! as the& ima$ined. The& are 'onderin$ 'hether the& are contro!!in$ it at a!! or 'hether, perhaps, it is controlling them. Increasin$!&, peop!e are rest!ess. The en$ineers $roup themse! es into competin$ teams, but neither side seems to kno' 'hat to do, and neither seems much different from the other. )round the 'or!d, discontent can be heard. The e#tremists are $rindin$ their kni es and mo in$ in as the machine"s cou$hin$ and stutterin$ e#poses the inade*uacies of the po!itica! o!i$archies 'ho c!aimed to ha e e er&thin$ in hand. 0!d $ods are rearin$ their heads, and o!d ans'ers: re o!ution, 'ar, ethnic strife. Po!itics as 'e ha e kno'n it totters, !ike the machine it 'as bui!t to sustain. In its p!ace cou!d easi!& arise somethin$ more e!ementa!, 'ith a dark heart. )s the financia! 'i1ards !ose their po'ers of !e itation, as the po!iticians and economists stru$$!e to conjure ne' e#p!anations, it starts to da'n on us that behind the curtain, at the heart of the 2mera!d +it&, sits not the beni$n and omnipotent in isib!e hand 'e had been promised, but somethin$ e!se entire!&. 3omethin$ responsib!e for 'hat Mar#, 'ritin$ not so !on$ before +onrad, cast as the 4e er!astin$ uncertaint& and an$uish" of the 4bour$eois epoch"% a time in 'hich 4a!! that is so!id me!ts into air, a!! that is ho!& is profaned." Dra' back the curtain, fo!!o' the tire!ess motion of co$s and 'hee!s back to its source, and &ou 'i!! find the en$ine dri in$ our ci i!isation: the myth of rogress. The m&th of pro$ress is to us 'hat the m&th of $od-$i en 'arrior pro'ess 'as to the 5omans, or the m&th of eterna! sa! ation 'as to the con*uistadors: 'ithout it, our efforts cannot be sustained. 0nto the root stock of (estern +hristianit&, the 2n!i$htenment at its most optimistic $rafted a ision of an 2arth!& paradise, to'ards 'hich human effort $uided b& ca!cu!ati e reason cou!d take us. 6o!!o'in$ this $uidance, each $eneration 'i!! !i e a better !ife than the !ife of those that 'ent before it. History becomes an escalator, and the only way is u . )n the to floor is human erfection . It is important that this shou!d remain just out of reach in order to sustain the sensation of motion. 5ecent histor&, ho'e er, has $i en this mechanism somethin$ of a batterin$. The past centur& too often threatened a descent into he!!, rather than the promised hea en on 2arth. 2 en 'ithin the prosperous and !ibera! societies of the (est pro$ress has, in man& 'a&s, fai!ed to de!i er the $oods. Toda&"s $eneration are demonstrab!& !ess content, and conse*uent!& !ess optimistic, than those that 'ent before. The& 'ork !on$er hours, 'ith !ess securit&, and !ess

chance of !ea in$ behind the socia! back- $round into 'hich the& 'ere born. The& fear crime, socia! breakdo'n, o erde e!opment, en ironmenta! co!!apse. The& do not be!ie e that the future 'i!! be better than the past. Indi idua!!&, the& are !ess constrained b& c!ass and con ention than their parents or $randparents, but more constrained b& !a', sur ei!!ance, state proscription and persona! debt. Their ph&sica! hea!th is better, their menta! hea!th more fra$i!e. 3obody !nows what is coming. 3obody wants to loo! . Most si$nificant!& of a!!, there is an under!&in$ darkness at the root of e er&thin$ 'e ha e bui!t. 0utside the cities, be&ond the b!urrin$ ed$es of our ci i!isation, at the merc& of the machine but not under its contro!, !ies somethin$ that neither Mar# nor +onrad, +aesar nor 7ume, Thatcher nor 8enin e er rea!!& understood. 3omethin$ that (estern ci i!isation - 'hich has set the terms for $!oba! ci i!isation-'as ne er capab!e of understandin$, because to understand it 'ou!d be to undermine, fata!!&, the m&th of that ci i!isation. 3omethin$ upon 'hich that thin crust of !a a is ba!anced% 'hich feeds the machine and a!! the peop!e 'ho run it, and 'hich the& ha e a!! trained themse! es not to see. 4ivili%ation is a thing and its gonna fail Sale, 2. (9irkpatrick 3a!e, :) in 7istor& from +orne!!, he is an independent scho!ar and author 'ho has 'ritten pro!ifica!!& about po!itica! decentra!ism, en ironmenta!ism, !uddism and techno!o$&, ;The +o!umbian 8e$ac& and the 2costerian 5esponse<, .e' 2conomics Institute, http://ne'econom&.net/pub!ications/!ectures/sa!e/kirkpatrick/the-co!umbian-!e$ac&-and-theecosterian-response, rm) That, in a!! its $!or& and a!! its terror, is the +o!umbian 8e$ac&. Toda&, after the fi e-hundred&ear trajector& of their 'or!d'ide con*uest, 'e can see it in fu!!est c!arit& and ponder 'hat it has brou$ht us to. I ha e iso!ated four of its essentia! characteristics, those that ma& be said to be the cornerstones of 2uropean ci i!i1ation nascent in the fifteenth centur& and embedded some'here in the sou! of the =reat Disco erer, 'ho spread them across the ocean sea, and that, thanks to him, came to support the edifice 'e ca!! the Modern )$e, indeed modern ci i!i1ation: >. 7umanism-the dec!aration and ce!ebration of the human species as the most important species of a!! (and of men as the most important component of it), 'ith a =od-$i en ri$ht to con*uer and destro& and manipu!ate and contro! in its ser ice, to ha e ?dominion o er? the species, the e!ements, e en the processes of the earth. @. 5ationa!ism-that bipo!ar, strai$ht-!ine, reducti e 'a& of !ookin$ at the 'or!d, accordin$ to 'hich a!! is kno'ab!e, and kno'ab!e b& us, findin$ its ape# in that branch of rationa!ism 'e ca!! science, 'hich is our method of assertin$ contro! o er nature and (in 3chi!!erAs phrase) ?de-$oddin$? its constituent parts. B. Materia!ism-the narro' perception and appreciation of the 'or!d in terms of the corpora! and tan$ib!e, and the a!uation of it in terms of accumu!ation and possession, a be!ief-s&stem that becomes most o ert in the economic arran$ements kno'n as capita!ism, 'hose $enius is to permit irtua!!& no other consideration than the immediate $oa! of profit to interfere 'ith the e#chan$e of $oods. C. .ationa!ism-that bo!d in ention b& 'hich arious se!f-st&!ed ?ro&a!? fami!ies for$ed po!itica! institutions that took on the shape of nation-states, becomin$ o er the centuries the centra! institution in dai!& !ife, deposin$ church, $ui!d, manor, cit&-state, communit&, and indi idua!, and creatin$ that b& 'hich the& 'ere sustained: the standin$ arm& and the phi!osoph& of mi!itarism. Those four, then-humanism and its domination, rationa!ism and its science, materia!ism and its capita!ism, nationa!ism and its mi!itarism-'ere the characteristics that made 2urope successfu!, that made 2urope po'erfu!, that made 2urope 2urope. 6ue!ed b& the treasure e#tracted from the .e' (or!d and 'orkin$ s&ner$istica!!& in a uni*ue and mar e!ous 'a&, the& a!!o'ed one sma!! set of peop!e to e#pand and spread out and u!timate!& dominate not on!& the other peop!es but the other species of the 'or!d as 'e!! and to do so unremittin$!& for fi e centuries-a dominance of 'hite ma!e o er dark, technics o er soda!it&, the mechanica! o er the or$anic, and, abo e a!!, of human over nature. Those characteristics ma& a!! seem natura! and ine itab!e, &et 'e mi$ht remind ourse! es that the& are not eterna! $i ens but rather

constructs, in entions, of a particu!ar time and p!ace and peop!e, and the& ha e had a !ife of bare!& more than ha!f a mi!!ennium. The& a!so ma& seem desirab!e and in a!uab!e-humanism, science, modernit&, ci i!i1ation% ho' cou!d the& be an&thin$ but $oodD :ut it is 'e!! to rea!i1e that this is so on!& because those 'ho be!ie e in them and profit b& them dec!are them to be so, to rea!i1e, too, that there is a $ro'in$ bod& of peop!e be$innin$ to *uestion their merit and 'onderin$ if in fact the& are not perhaps the cause of our modern mu!tip!e crises. 6or there is no !on$er room to doubt that no', fi e hundred &ears !ater, the subcontinent of 2urope-and a!! the continents it has peop!ed and a!! the cu!tures it has touched-represents a societ& in crisis, a crisis, !ike the pre ious one, of spirit as much as of substance. The industria! 'or!d, the 2uropean-cu!ture 'or!d, of 'hich this nation is a preeminent e#amp!e, is sick!&, miserab!e, me!ancho!ic, an$uished, increasin$!& 'ithout a faith to be!ie e in, institutions to trust, or a!ues to re!& on, ictim of the disease I ha e ca!!ed ?aff!uen1a,? the fren1ied amassment of packa$es and products to the point that the& choke our !i es and c!utter our !andscapes 'hi!e at the same time 'e amass s!ums, crimes, dru$s, prisoners, suicides, debts, diseases, and po!!ution on a sca!e 'ithout para!!e! in histor&-and no' stand at the point 'here not on!& is the sur i a! of the human anima! in rea! *uestion but the sur i a! of a!! o#&$en-dependent species and indeed the living earth itself. (e ha e as a cu!ture subscribed to the theor& of pro$ress-it is time to cance! that subscription. The +o!umbian 8e$ac& stands before us toda& as ne er before-that !e$ac& 'hich 'e kno' b& the name of 2uropean ci i!i1ation, brou$ht from the 0!d (or!d to the .e' b& the man 'ho, as +o!umbia, is the er& personification of the /nited 3tates, the hero and champion of pro$ress-stands before us, I mi$ht sa&,in the dock, affordin$ us a chance, before it is too !ate, to e#amine its record and assess its crimes and pass jud$ment and 'ei$h its future. That abo e a!! shou!d be the project of this nation in the ne#t t'o &ears as 'e approach the much-ba!!&hooed +o!umbian Euincentennia!-a project that I trust &ou ha e a!read& be$un upon and 'i!!, 'ith me, intensif& in the months to come. 6or 'e rea!!& ha e no choice. )ur lanet, we now !now, is on the endangered s ecies list. 1odernity is a reci e for extinction 5 we should ho shi +avis .2 ((ade Da is, (ade Da is is the best-se!!in$ author of se era! books, inc!udin$ The 3erpent and the 5ainbo', 8i$ht at the 2d$e of the (or!d, 0ne 5i er, and The +!ouded 8eopard. 7e is an a'ard-'innin$ anthropo!o$ist, ethnobotanist, fi!mmaker, and photo$rapher, and his 'ritin$ and photo$raphs ha e appeared in numerous pub!ications, inc!udin$ the =!obe and Mai!, Mac!ean"s, .e's'eek, .ationa! =eo$raphic, the (a!! 3treet Fourna!, and the (ashin$ton Post. 7e current!& ho!ds the post of 2#p!orer in 5esidence at the .ationa! =eo$raphic 3ociet&, .o ember @GGH, The Massey Lecture Series, The (a&finders: (h& )ncient (isdom Matters in the Modern (or!d, pp. >H@->HI, #shoutouttomrscott) :efore she died, anthropo!o$ist Mar$aret Mead spoke of her sin$u!ar fear that, as 'e drift to'ard a more homo$enous 'or!d, 'e are !a&in$ the foundations of a blandly amor hous and singularly generic modern culture that 'i!! ha e no ri a!s. The entire ima$ination of humanit&, she feared, mi$ht be contained 'ithin the !imits of a single intellectual and s iritual modality. 7er ni$htmare 'as the possibi!it& that we might wa!e u one day and not even remember what had been lost . 0urs species has been around for some @GG,GGG &ears. The .eo!ithic 5e o!ution, 'hich $a e us a$ricu!ture, and 'ith it surp!us, hierarch&, specia!i1ation, and sedentar& !ife, occurred on!& ten to t'e! e thousand &ears a$o. Modern industria! societ& as 'e kno' it is scarce!& BGG &ears o!d. This shallow history should not suggest to any of us that we have all the answers for all of the challenges that will confront us as a s ecies in the coming millennia . The $oa! is not to free1e peop!e in time. 0ne cannot make a rainforest park of the mind. +u!tures are not museum pieces% the& are communities of rea! peop!e 'ith rea! needs. The *uestion, as 7u$h :rod& has 'ritten, is not the traditiona! ersus the modern, but the right of free eo les to choose the

com onents of their lives. The point is not to den& access, but rather to ensure that a!! peop!es are ab!e to benefit from the $enius of modernit& on their o'n terms, and 'ithout that en$a$ement demandin$ the death of their ethnicit&. It is perhaps usefu! to ref!ect on 'hat 'e mean 'hen 'e use the term modernit&, or the modern 'or!d. )!! cu!tures are ethnocentric, fierce!& !o&a! to their o'n interpretations of rea!it&. Indeed, the names of man& indi$enous societies trans!ate as ;the peop!e,< the imp!ication bein$ that e er& other human is a nonperson, a sa a$e from be&ond the rea!m of the ci i!i1ed. The 'ord barbarian deri es from the =reek barbarus, meanin$ one 'ho babb!es. In the ancient 'or!d, if &ou did not speak =reek, &ou 'ere a barbarian. The )1tec had the same notion. )n&one 'ho cou!d not speak .ahuat! 'as a non-human. #e too are culturally myo ic and often forget that we re resent not the absolute wave of history but merely a world view, and that modernity - whether you identify it by the moni!ers westerni%ation, globali%ation, ca italism, democracy, or free trade - is but an ex ression of our cultural values. It is not some objecti e force remo ed from the constraints of cu!ture. )nd it is certainly not the true and only ulse of history. It is mere!& a conste!!ation of be!iefs, con ictions, economic paradi$ms that represent one 'a& of doin$ thin$s, of $oin$ about the comp!e# process of or$ani1in$ human acti ities. 0ur achie ements to be sure ha e been stunnin$, our techno!o$ica! inno ations da11!in$. The de e!opment 'ithin the !ast centur& of a modern, scientific s&stem of medicine a!one represents one of the $reatest episodes in human endea our. 3e er a !imb in a car accident and &ou 'on"t 'ant to be taken to an herba!ist. :ut these accomp!ishments do not make the (estern paradi$m e#ceptiona! or su$$est in an& 'a& that it has or ou$ht to ha e a monopo!& on the path to the future. )n anthropo!o$ist from a distant p!anet !andin$ in the /nited 3tates 'ou!d see man& 'ondrous thin$s. :ut he or she or it 'ou!d a!so encounter a cu!ture that re eres marria$e, &et a!!o's ha!f of its marria$es to end in di orce% that admires its e!der!&, &et has $randparents !i in$ 'ith $randchi!dren in on!& J percent of its househo!ds% that !o es its chi!dren, &et embraces a s!o$an - ;t'ent&-four/se en< - that imp!ies tota! de otion to the 'orkp!ace at the e#pense of fami!&. :& the a$e of ei$hteen, the a era$e )merican &outh has spent t'o &ears 'atchin$ te!e ision. 0ne in fi e )mericans is c!inica!!& obese and JG percent are o er'ei$ht, in part because @G percent of a!! mea!s are consumed in automobi!es and a third of chi!dren eat fast food e er& da&. The countr& manufactures @GG mi!!ion tons of industria! chemica!s each &ear, 'hi!e its peop!e consume t'o thirds of the 'or!d"s production of antidepressant dru$s. The four hundred most prosperous )mericans contro! more 'ea!th than @.K bi!!ion peop!e in the poorest ei$ht& one nations 'ith 'hom the& share the p!anet. The nation spends more mone& on armaments and 'ar than the co!!ecti e mi!itar& bud$ets of its se enteen c!osest ri a!s. The state of +a!ifornia spends more mone& on prisons than on uni ersities. Technological wi%ardry is balanced by the embrace of an economic model of roduction and consum tion that com romises the life su orts of the lanet . 2#treme 'ou!d be one 'ord for a ci i!i1ation that contaminates 'ith its 'aste the air, 'ater, and soi!% that dri es p!ants and anima!s to e#tinction on a sca!e not seen on earth since the disappearance of the dinosaurs% that dams the ri ers, tears do'n the ancient forests, empties the seas of fish, and does !itt!e to curtai! industria! processes that threaten to transform the chemistr& and ph&sics of the atmosphere. 0ur 'a& of !ife, inspired in so man& 'a&s, is not the aragon of humanity$s otential. 0nce 'e !ook throu$h the anthropo!o$ica! !ens and see, perhaps for the first time, that a!! cu!tures ha e uni*ue attributes that ref!ect choices made o er $enerations, it becomes absolutely clear that there is no universal rogression in the lives and destiny of human beings. (ere societies to be ranked on the basis of techno!o$ica! pro'ess, the (estern scientific e#periment, radiant and bri!!iant, 'ou!d no doubt come out on top. :ut if the criteria of e#ce!!ence shifted, for e#amp!e to the capacit& to thri e in a tru!& sustainab!e manner, 'ith a true re erence and appreciation for the earth, the (estern paradi$m 'ou!d fai!. If the imperati es dri in$ the hi$hest aspirations of our species 'ere to be the po'er of faith, the reach of spiritua! intuition, the phi!osophica! $enerosit& to reco$ni1e the

arieties of re!i$ious !on$in$, then our do$matic conc!usions 'ou!d a$ain be found 'antin$. (hen 'e project modernit&, as 'e define it, as the ine itab!e destin& of a!! human societies, 'e are bein$ disin$enuous in the e#treme. Indeed, the #estern model of develo ment has failed in so many laces in good measure because it has been based on the false romise that eo le who follow its rescri tive dictates will in time achieve the material ros erity enjoyed by a handful of nations of the #est . 2 en 'ere this possib!e, it is not at a!! c!ear that it 'ou!d be desirab!e. To raise consumption of ener$& and materia!s throu$hout the 'or!d to (estern !e e!s, $i en current popu!ation projections, 'ou!d re*uire the resources of four lanet Earths b& the &ear @>GG. To do so 'ith the one 'or!d 'e ha e 'ou!d imp!& so se ere!& compromisin$ the biosphere that the earth 'ou!d be unreco$ni1ab!e. =i en the a!ues that dri e most decisions in the internationa! communit&, this is not about to happen. In rea!it&, develo ment for the vast majority of the eo les of the world has been a rocess in which the individual is torn from 6their7 his ast, ro elled into an uncertain future, only to secure a lace on the bottom rung of an economic ladder that goes nowhere. Ecostery is the best o tion Sale, 2. (9irkpatrick 3a!e, :) in 7istor& from +orne!!, he is an independent scho!ar and author 'ho has 'ritten pro!ifica!!& about po!itica! decentra!ism, en ironmenta!ism, !uddism and techno!o$&, ;The +o!umbian 8e$ac& and the 2costerian 5esponse<, .e' 2conomics Institute, http://ne'econom&.net/pub!ications/!ectures/sa!e/kirkpatrick/the-co!umbian-!e$ac&-and-theecosterian-response, rm) It is a somber and soberin$ prospect, and it poses an especia!!& comp!e# prob!em for a!! of us 'ho rea!i1e the peri! 'e are in but rea!i1e a!so the immense po'er and per asi eness of that (estern ci i!i1ation 'hich is, in effect, the sea 'e s'im in. (hat can 'e possib!& doD (hat must 'e doD )nd ho'D Those are the crucia! *uestions of our time, and I am asked them often. I am afraid I must te!! &ou, e en after more than t'o decades of ponderin$ this, that I ha e no sure, no eas& ans'ers. :ut I 'ou!d !ike brief!& to !ook at our options, our choices as a societ&. (e can, of course, i$nore the si$ns of the apoca!&pse and bur& our heads in the sands of materia!ism and mind!essness, dru$$in$ ourse! es insensate on the pa!!iati es offered b& press and pu!pit and po!itics. This, the easiest, is the 'a& of our !eaders so far, 'ho see no specia! reason to chan$e a s&stem that has $i en them so much 'ea!th and po'er, no reason despite the fact that it assures the irtua! doom of their $randchi!dren. 0r 'e can ackno'!ed$e the crisis and $i e it o er to the ?e#perts,? the !a'&ers and en ironmenta! !obb&ists and professiona!s, to so! e. This is a fami!iar so!ution as 'e approach the t'ent&-first centur&. (e ha e e en created, as Fohn Mc9ni$ht pointed out in this forum some &ears a$o, professiona! ?berea ement counse!ors? to rep!ace fami!& and friends in time of $rief o er the death of a !o ed one-but the record of the en ironmenta! e#perts o er the past fe' decades as the 'or!d has $one to he!! does not $i e much cause for comfort. 0r 'e can decide the crisis is rea! and turn it o er to the scientists to *uantif& and ca!cu!ate, trustin$ them to come up 'ith the ma$ica! technofi#es that 'i!! !et us $o ri$ht on 'ith 'hat 'e are doin$ and &et be miracu!ous!& c!ean and $reen. )s if 'e ha enAt !earned b& no' that e er& technofi# creates a 'ho!e arra& of ne' prob!ems, a!! unforeseen b& these same scientific $eniuses, and as if it 'asnAt that er& technofi# menta!it& and the b!ind 'orship of science that $ot us into the eco-mess in the first p!ace. 0r 'e can $i e the crisis o er to the $o ernment and the po!iticians and the responsib!e a$encies of the bureaucrac&-the ones 'ho ha e been so successfu!, for e#amp!e, in cuttin$ the deficit, so! in$ the sa in$s-and-!oan crisis, creatin$ a responsib!e bud$et, and e!iminatin$ campai$n improprieties, defense-contract corruption, and junk-bond scanda!s. The ones 'hose dedication to s'ift and meanin$fu! en ironmenta! action is attested to, in a s&mbo!ic 'a&, b& the a$reement of the so!ons of +on$ress definite!& to end b& the &ear @GBG the production of h&droch!orof!uorocarbons, amon$

the most !etha! of the chemica!s destro&in$ the o1one !a&er. 0r 'e can tr& to do the job ourse! es, to create a home-$ro'n ersion of the process b& 'hich much of 2astern 2urope 'as ab!e, in the space pro ided b& =orbache , to o erthro' its mu!tip!e t&rannies and embark on those e#citin$ e#periments that, 'e ma& hope, do not partake of so much of the free-market cure that the& 'i!! ki!! the patient. This process, !itt!e noticed o er here, 'as one in 'hich first a fe' inte!!ectua!s and then increasin$ numbers of ordinar& peop!e came to the understandin$ that meaningful changes occur only through organi%ing structures outside those of the state and olitical a aratus, in multifarious tas!8oriented social grou ings designed not to reform the system but to redefine and reconstitute civil society itself. 7ence 'hat the Po!es ca!!ed ?socia! se!f-defense? and the +1echs ca!!ed ?the para!!e! po!is,? the bui!din$ of sma!!-sca!e structures that a oid the traps of reformism and co-optation because the& !ook e!se'here, bui!d a!ternati e sources of po'er, and de ote themse! es to rea! needs as e#pressed b& rea! peop!e, unmediated b& the she!! $ame of po!itics. This !ast does seem !ike the most promisin$ strate$& for us toda&, and it is perfect!& in keepin$ 'ith the er& a!ues of decentra!ism, democrac&, and sma!!-sca!e empo'erment that 2. 6. 3chumacher e#pressed so 'e!!-a!thou$h 'e ha e to ackno'!ed$e that the task here in )merica is far different and far harder, on a far !ar$er sca!e a$ainst far more potent forces, and 'ithout the b!ack ho!e of 5ussian po'er!essness to he!p us out. 3ti!!, it does seem our on!& choice, certain!& the on!& hopefu! one. The future is not eas& to contemp!ate, but it is, ob ious!&, 'here 'e are $oin$ to spend the rest of our !i es, and if those !i es are to be an&thin$ more than the nast&, brutish, and short passa$es 'e e#perience at the c!ose of the t'entieth centur&, it has to be an eco!o$ica! future. .o', it seems to me that there are on!& t'o possib!e paths to achie in$ such a future: either b& desi$n or b& catastrophe. :& desi$n if durin$ the ne#t decade the hope!ess!& !ar$e institutions of our industria! 'or!d pro e themse! es utter!& inept and bankrupt and the citi1ens be$in !ookin$ around for a!ternati e, responsi e, eco-centered institutions to put in their p!ace% or b& catastrophe, some de astatin$ $!oba! eco-catastrophe, 'hich a!ters or e!iminates a!! e#istin$ s&stems and structures and ast!& reduces man& species, inc!udin$ the human, assumin$ the& sur i e at a!!. In either case I 'ou!d ar$ue that the cha!!en$e for us is the same: to start no' to estab!ish sma!!, !oca!, biore$iona!!& $uided a!ternati e institutions that can pro ide the information b& 'hich human communities can !i e in harmon& 'ith nature, the strate$ies b& 'hich such communities 'ou!d $o about doin$ this, and the mode! of ho' it is actua!!& to be carried out. 3pecifica!!&, I mean institutions $uided b& three essentia! tasks: (>) to $ather the scho!arship and !ore that teaches us the characteristics of the species and habitats of our specific !oca! area, from eco-niche to biore$ion% (@) to inau$urate projects of rehabi!itation, chief!& b& eco!o$ica! restoration that returns specific areas of the !and and its species to their natura!, !ar$e!& 'i!d state, 'ithin 'hich humans fit their socia! and cu!tura! constructs% and (B) to de e!op human communities, sma!!-sca!e and eco-centered, that 'i!! carr& out these tasks and $uide us to'ard !i in$ 'ithin our restored eco-niches on the species !e e!. I ha e in mind somethin$ that mi$ht be compared, 'ithin 2uropean histor&, to the time after the fa!! of 5ome 'hen there emer$ed a sma!!-sca!e, communit&-based, a$ricu!tura!!& rooted societ& and a!on$ 'ith it the in ention of the monaster&, the institution more than an& other that kept a!i e the 'isdom of the past, that pro ided mode!s of a ne' 'a& of !i in$, that became the source of creation and in ention, not to mention inspiration and dedication, for the ne#t thousand &ears. I am su$$estin$ that the most important institution 'e can be$in to create ri$ht no' is somethin$ 'e mi$ht think of as an ?ecoster&?-a sma!! communit& of men and 'omen !i in$ and 'orkin$ to$ether to !earn about and restore important, sacred, and fructi e portions of the earth to their fu!!est comp!e#it& and producti it&, !i in$ 'ithin and keepin$ ho!& and !earnin$ from those ecos&stems, s&stems that are 'i!d and free and kno' us as one more !ar$e mamma!ian species marked especia!!& b& a capacit& to carr& on kno'!ed$e throu$h m&th and ritua! and b& the abi!it&, uni*ue in humans, to b!ush. 2costeries that, ho'e er odd the& ma& !ook no', come to be understood as the on!& eco!o$ica!!& based 'a& of human e#istence in the future, 'here there is

kept a!i e for at !east the ne#t thousand &ears the minorit& sensibi!it& that has e#isted for centuries, e en as the Modern )$e 'as formin$ and mar$ina!i1in$ it, from 3t. 6rancis to )!do 8eopo!d, from the +e!tic 'itches to 5ache! +arson, the sensibi!it& that has a!'a&s reminded us of the ri$ht method of !i in$ on the earth% 'here there is de e!oped and spread the s&stem of a!ues that reminds us of the inherent tra$ed& of the modern industria! 'a& and teaches us that thou$h 'e ma& ha e-I suppose 'e 'i!! ha e-the kno'!ed$e of ho' to cross the oceans, to make 'ar, to bui!d sk&scrapers, to construct atomic bombs, to sp!ice $enes, none 'i!! choose to do those thin$s, because the& trans$ress the 'i!! of =aea, they bes ea! an alien, violent, disregardful, and nature8hating culture. I am su$$estin$, in sum, that 'e understand our tasks ri$ht no' to be the ursuit of scholarshi , restoration, and community -not as separate tasks, &ou see, but as interre!ated-and that 'e understand our $oa! as the bui!din$ of these mode! ecosteries, in urban settin$s as 'e!! as rura!, 'orkin$ to reinhabit the !and 'ith the 'isdom that the ori$ina! peop!es had 'ho inhabited there first. I kno', of course, e en as I sa& a!! this that it seems dauntin$ and s!i$ht!& mad. I kno' these are not eas& tasks, especia!!& in our current 'or!d-I m&se!f ha e been stru$$!in$ for a &ear and more just to $i e birth to a restoration project in .e' Lork +it&-and the forces that resist them are $reat. :ut I a!so kno' that there are e en no' some su$$esti e mode!s, $!impses of ho' this a!! mi$ht 'ork-eco!o$ica! restoration is bein$ done across the countr&, peop!e in communit& are understandin$ ecos&stems in a biore$iona! 'a&, *uasi think tanks !ike 3ister Miriam Mc=i!!isAs farm and the permacu!ture centers and the 2coster& 6oundation and the 2. 6. 3chumacher 8ibrar& are assemb!in$ the 'isdom and the !ore. )nd I kno' these tasks are the ones that must be done, one 'a& or another, startin$ no', startin$ 'here er the ision can !ocate. 9o its time to loo! down The +ar! 1ountain 1anifesto, .2 (The Dark Mountain Project, http://darkmountain.net/about/manifesto/, rm) (e ima$ined ourse! es iso!ated from the source of our e#istence. The fa!!out from this ima$inati e error is a!! around us: a *uarter of the 'or!d"s mamma!s are threatened 'ith imminent e#tinction% an acre and a ha!f of rainforest is fe!!ed e er& second% IKM of the 'or!d"s fish stocks are on the er$e of co!!apse% humanit& consumes @KM more of the 'or!d"s natura! 4products" than the 2arth can rep!ace - a fi$ure predicted to rise to NGM b& mid-centur&. 2 en throu$h the deadenin$ !ens of statistics, 'e can $!impse the io!ence to 'hich our m&ths ha e dri en us. )nd o er it a!! !ooms runa'a& c!imate chan$e. +!imate chan$e, 'hich threatens to render a!! human projects irre!e ant% 'hich presents us 'ith detai!ed e idence of our !ack of understandin$ of the 'or!d 'e inhabit 'hi!e, at the same time, demonstratin$ that 'e are sti!! entire!& re!iant upon it. +!imate chan$e, 'hich hi$h!i$hts in painfu! co!our the head-on crash bet'een ci i!isation and 4nature"% 'hich makes p!ain, more effecti e!& than an& carefu!!& constructed ar$ument or optimistica!!& defiant protest, ho' the machine"s need for permanent $ro'th 'i!! re*uire us to destro& ourse! es in its name. +!imate chan$e, 'hich brin$s home at !ast our ultimate owerlessness. These are the facts, or some of them. Let facts ne er te!! the 'ho!e stor&. (46acts", +onrad 'rote, in 8ord Fim, 4as if facts cou!d pro e an&thin$.") The facts of en ironmenta! crisis 'e hear so much about often concea! as much as the& e#pose. (e hear dai!& about the impacts of our acti ities on 4the en ironment" (!ike 4nature", this is an e#pression 'hich distances us from the rea!it& of our situation). Dai!& 'e hear, too, of the man& 4so!utions" to these prob!ems: so!utions 'hich usua!!& in o! e the necessit& of ur$ent po!itica! a$reement and a judicious a lication of human technological genius . Thin$s ma& be chan$in$, runs the narrati e, but there is nothin$ 'e cannot dea! 'ith here, fo!ks. (e perhaps need to mo e faster, more ur$ent!&. +ertain!& 'e need to acce!erate the pace of research and de e!opment. (e accept that 'e must become more 4sustainab!e". :ut e er&thin$ 'i!! be fine. There 'i!! sti!! be $ro'th, there 'i!! sti!! be pro$ress: these things will continue, because

they have to continue, so they cannot do anything but continue . There is nothin$ to see here. 2 er&thin$ 'i!! be fine. O #e do not believe that everything will be fine. (e are not e en sure, based on current definitions of pro$ress and impro ement, that 'e 'ant it to be. 0f a!! humanit&"s de!usions of difference, of its separation from and superiorit& to the !i in$ 'or!d 'hich surrounds it, one distinction ho!ds up better than most: 'e ma& 'e!! be the first species capab!e of effectively eliminating life on Earth. This is a h&pothesis 'e seem intent on puttin$ to the test. (e are a!read& responsib!e for denudin$ the 'or!d of much of its richness, ma$nificence, beaut&, co!our and ma$ic, and 'e sho' no si$n of s!o'in$ do'n. 6or a er& !on$ time, 'e ima$ined that 4nature" 'as somethin$ that happened e!se'here. The dama$e 'e did to it mi$ht be re$rettab!e, but needed to be 'ei$hed a$ainst the benefits here and no'. )nd in the 'orst case scenario, there 'ou!d a!'a&s be some kind of P!an :. Perhaps 'e 'ou!d make for the moon, 'here 'e cou!d sur i e in !unar co!onies under $iant bubb!es as 'e p!anned our e#pansion across the $a!a#&. :ut there is no P!an : and the bubb!e, it turns out, is 'here 'e ha e been !i in$ a!! the 'hi!e. The bubb!e is that de!usion of iso!ation under 'hich 'e ha e !aboured for so !on$. The bubb!e has cut us off from !ife on the on!& p!anet 'e ha e, or are e er !ike!& to ha e. The bubble is civilisation. +onsider the structures on 'hich that bubb!e has been bui!t. Its foundations are $eo!o$ica!: coa!, oi!, $as - mi!!ions upon mi!!ions of &ears of ancient sun!i$ht, dra$$ed from the depths of the p!anet and burned 'ith abandon. 0n this base, the structure stands. Mo e up'ards, and &ou pass throu$h a jumb!e of supportin$ horrors: batter& chicken sheds% industria! abattoirs% burnin$ forests% beam-tra'!ed ocean f!oors% d&namited reefs% ho!!o'ed-out mountains% 'asted soi!. 6ina!!&, on top of a!! these unseen !a&ers, &ou reach the 'e!!-tended surface 'here &ou and I stand: una'are, or uninterested, in 'hat $oes on beneath us% demandin$ that the authorities keep us in the manner to 'hich 'e ha e been accustomed% occasion- a!!& fee!in$ t'in$es of $ui!t that !ead us to bu& or$anic chickens or !oca!!&-produced !ettuces% &et for the most part $!utted, but not sated, on the fruits of the horrors on 'hich our !ifest&!es depend. (e are the first $enerations born into a ne' and unprecedented a$e - the age of ecocide. To name it thus is not to presume the outcome, but simp!& to describe a rocess which is underway. The $round, the sea, the air, the e!ementa! backdrops to our e#istence - a!! these our economics has taken for $ranted, to be used as a bottom!ess tip, end!ess!& ab!e to di!ute and disperse the tai!in$s of our e#traction, production, consumption. The sheer sca!e of the sk& or the 'ei$ht of a s'o!!en ri er makes it hard to ima$ine that creatures as f!ims& as &ou and I cou!d do that much dama$e. Phi!ip 8arkin $a e oice to this attitude, and the creepin$, 'orr&in$ end of it in his poem =oin$, =oin$: Thin$s are tou$her than 'e are, just )s earth 'i!! a!'a&s respond 7o'e er 'e mess it about% +huck fi!th in the sea, if &ou must: The tides 'i!! be c!ean be&ond. P :ut 'hat do I fee! no'D DoubtD .ear!& fort& &ears on from 8arkin"s 'ords, doubt is 'hat a!! of us seem to fee!, a!! of the time. Too much fi!th has been chucked in the sea and into the soi! and into the atmosphere to make an& other fee!in$ sensib!e. The doubt, and the facts, ha e pa ed the 'a& for a 'or!d'ide mo ement of en ironmenta! po!itics, 'hich aimed, at !east in its ear!&, ra' form, to cha!!en$e the m&ths of de e!opment and pro$ress head-on. :ut time has not been kind to the $reens. Toda&"s en ironmenta!ists are more !ike!& to be found at corporate conferences h&mnin$ the irtues of 4sustainabi!it&" and 4ethica! consumption" than doin$ an&thin$ as nai e as *uestionin$ the intrinsic a!ues of ci i!isation. +apita!ism has absorbed the $reens, as it absorbs so man& cha!!en$es to its ascendanc&. ) radica! cha!!en$e to the human machine has been transformed into yet another o ortunity for sho ing. 4Denia!" is a hot 'ord, hea & 'ith connotations. (hen it is used to brand the remainin$ rump of c!imate chan$e sceptics, the& object noisi!& to the association 'ith those 'ho 'ou!d re'rite the histor& of the 7o!ocaust. Let the focus on this d'ind!in$ $roup ma& ser e as a distraction from a far !ar$er form of denia!, in its ps&choana!&tic sense. 6reud 'rote of the inabi!it& of peop!e to hear thin$s 'hich did not fit 'ith the 'a& the& sa' themse! es and the 'or!d. (e put ourse! es throu$h a!! kinds of inner contortions, rather than !ook p!ain!& at those thin$s 'hich cha!!en$e our fundamenta! understandin$ of the 'or!d. Toda&, humanit& is up to

its neck in denia! about 'hat it has bui!t, 'hat it has become - and 'hat it is in for. 2co!o$ica! and economic co!!apse unfo!d before us and, if 'e ackno'!ed$e them at a!!, 'e act as if this 'ere a temporar& prob!em, a technical glitch. +enturies of hubris b!ock our ears !ike 'a# p!u$s% 'e cannot hear the messa$e 'hich rea!it& is screamin$ at us. 6or a!! our doubts and discontents, 'e are sti!! 'ired to an idea of his- tor& in 'hich the future 'i!! be an up$raded ersion of the present. The assumption remains that thin$s must continue in their current direction: the sense of crisis on!& smud$es the meanin$ of that 4must". .o !on$er a natura! ine itabi!it&, it becomes an ur$ent necessit&: 'e must find a 'a& to $o on ha in$ supermarkets and superhi$h'a&s. (e cannot contemp!ate the a!ternati e. )nd so 'e find ourse! es, a!! of us to$ether, poised tremb!in$ on the edge of a change so massive that we have no way of gauging it . .one of us kno's 'here to !ook, but a!! of us kno' not to !ook do'n. 3ecret!&, 'e a!! think 'e are doomed: e en the po!iticians think this% e en the en ironmenta!ists. 3ome of us dea! 'ith it b& $oin$ shoppin$. 3ome dea! 'ith it b& hopin$ it is true. 3ome $i e up in despair. 3ome 'ork frantica!!& to tr& and fend off the comin$ storm. 0ur *uestion is: 'hat 'ou!d happen if 'e !ooked do'nD (ou!d it be as bad as 'e ima$ineD (hat mi$ht 'e seeD +ou!d it e en be $ood for usD #e believe it is time to loo! down. :oetry is cool ; guess The +ar! 1ountain 1anifesto, .2 (The Dark Mountain Project, http://darkmountain.net/about/manifesto/, rm) It mi$ht perhaps be just as usefu! to e#p!ain 'hat /nci i!ised 'ritin$ is not. It is not en ironmenta! 'ritin$, for there is much of that about a!read&, and most of it fai!s to jump the barrier 'hich marks the !imit of our co!!ecti e human e$o% much of it, indeed, ends up shorin$up that e$o, and he!pin$ us to persist in our ci i!isationa! de!usions. It is not nature 'ritin$, for there is no such thin$ as nature as distinct from peop!e, and to su$$est other'ise is to perpetuate the attitude 'hich has brou$ht us here. )nd it is not po!itica! 'ritin$, 'ith 'hich the 'or!d is a!read& f!ooded, for po!itics is a human confection, comp!icit in ecocide and deca&in$ from 'ithin. /nci i!ised 'ritin$ is more rooted than an& of these. )bo e a!!, it is determined to shift our 'or!d ie', not to feed into it. It is 'ritin$ for outsiders. If &ou 'ant to be !o ed, it mi$ht be best not to $et in o! ed, for the 'or!d, at !east for a time, 'i!! reso!ute!& refuse to !isten. ) sa!utar& e#amp!e of this !ast point can be found in the fate of one of the t'entieth centur&"s most si$nificant &et most ne$!ected poets. 5obinson Feffers 'as 'ritin$ /nci i!ised erse se ent& &ears before this manifesto 'as thou$ht of, thou$h he did not ca!! it that. In his ear!& poetic career, Feffers 'as a star: he appeared on the co er of Time ma$a1ine, read his poems in the /3 8ibrar& of +on$ress and 'as respected for the a!ternati e he offered to the Modernist ju$$ernaut. Toda& his 'ork is !eft out of antho!o$ies, his name is bare!& kno'n and his po!itics are re$arded 'ith suspicion. 5ead Feffers" !ater 'ork and &ou 'i!! see 'h&. 7is crime 'as to de!iberate!& puncture humanit&"s sense of se!f-importance. 7is punishment 'as to be sent into a !one!& !iterar& e#i!e from 'hich, fort& &ears after his death, he has sti!! not been a!!o'ed to return. :ut Feffers kne' 'hat he 'as in for. 7e kne' that nobod&, in an a$e of 4consumer choice", 'anted to be to!d b& this stone-faced prophet of the +a!ifornia c!iffs that 4it is $ood for man Q To kno' that his needs and nature are no more chan$ed in fact in ten thousand &ears than the beaks of ea$!es." 7e kne' that no comfortab!e !ibera! 'anted to hear his an$r& 'arnin$, issued at the hei$ht of the 3econd (or!d (ar: 49eep c!ear of the dupes that ta!k democrac& / )nd the do$s that ta!k re o!ution / Drunk 'ith ta!k, !iars and be!ie ers Q / 8on$ !i e freedom, and damn the ideo!o$ies." 7is ision of a 'or!d in 'hich humanit& 'as doomed to destro& its surroundin$s and e entua!!& itse!f (4I 'ou!d burn m& ri$ht hand in a R>CS s!o' fire / To chan$e the future Q I shou!d do foo!ish!&") 'as furious!& rejected in the risin$ a$e of consumer democrac& 'hich he a!so predicted (4:e happ&, adjust &our economics to the ne' abundanceQ") Feffers, as his poetr& de e!oped, de e!oped a phi!osoph& too. 7e ca!!ed it 4inhumanism." It 'as,

he 'rote: a shiftin$ of emphasis and si$nificance from man to notman% the rejection of human so!ipsism and reco$nition of the transhuman ma$nificenceQThis manner of thou$ht and fee!in$ is neither misanthropic nor pessimist Q It offers a reasonab!e detachment as ru!e of conduct, instead of !o e, hate and en &Q it pro ides ma$nificence for the re!i$ious instinct, and satisfies our need to admire $reatness and rejoice in beaut&. The shiftin$ of emphasis from man to notman: this is the aim of /nci i!ised 'ritin$. To 4unhumanise our ie's a !itt!e, and become confident / )s the rock and ocean that 'e 'ere made from." This is not a rejection of our humanit& - it is an affirmation of the 'onder of 'hat it means to be tru!& human. It is to accept the 'or!d for 'hat it is and to make our home here, rather than dreamin$ of re!ocatin$ to the stars, or e#istin$ in a Man-for$ed bubb!e and pretendin$ to ourse! es that there is nothin$ outside it to 'hich 'e ha e an& connection at a!!. This, then, is the !iterar& cha!!en$e of our a$e. 3o far, fe' ha e taken it up. The si$ns of the times f!ash out in ur$ent neon, but our !iterar& !ions ha e better thin$s to read. Their art remains stuck in its o'n ci i!ised bubb!e. The idea of ci i!isation is entan$!ed, ri$ht do'n to its semantic roots, 'ith cit&-d'e!!in$, and this pro okes a thou$ht: if our 'riters seem unab!e to find ne' stories 'hich mi$ht !ead us throu$h the times ahead, is this not a function of their metropo!itan menta!it&D The bi$ names of contemporar& !iterature are e*ua!!& at home in the fashionab!e *uarters of 8ondon or .e' Lork, and their 'ritin$ ref!ects the prejudices of the p!ace!ess, transnationa! e!ite to 'hich the& be!on$. The con erse a!so app!ies. Those oices 'hich te!! other stories tend to be rooted in a sense of p!ace. Think of Fohn :er$er"s no e!s and essa&s from the 7aute 3a oie, or the depths e#p!ored b& )!an =arner 'ithin a da&"s 'a!k of his birthp!ace in +heshire. Think of (ende!! :err& or (3 Mer'in, Mar& 0!i er or +ormac Mc+arth&. Those 'hose 'ritin$s R>KS approach the shores of the /nci i!ised are those 'ho kno' their p!ace, in the ph&sica! sense, and 'ho remain 'ar& of the siren cries of metro incia! fashion and ci i!ised e#citement. If 'e name particu!ar 'riters 'hose 'ork embodies 'hat 'e are ar$uin$ for, the aim is not to p!ace them more prominent!& on the e#istin$ map of !iterar& reputations. 5ather, as =eoff D&er has said of :er$er, to take their 'ork serious!& is to redra' the maps a!to$ether - not on!& the map of !iterar& reputations, but those b& 'hich 'e na i$ate a!! areas of !ife. 2 en here, 'e $o carefu!!&, for carto$raph& itse!f is not a neutra! acti it&. The dra'in$ of maps is fu!! of co!onia! echoes. The ci i!ised e&e seeks to ie' the 'or!d from abo e, as somethin$ 'e can stand o er and sur e&. The Uncivilised writer !nows the world is, rather, something we are enmeshed in - a patch'ork and a frame'ork of p!aces, e#periences, si$hts, sme!!s, sounds. Maps can !ead, but can a!so mis!ead. 0ur maps must be the kind sketched in the dust 'ith a stick, 'ashed a'a& b& the ne#t rain. The& can be read on!& b& those 'ho ask to see them, and the& cannot be bou$ht. This, then, is /nci i!ised 'ritin$. 7uman, inhuman, stoic and entire!& natura!. 7umb!e, *uestionin$, suspicious of the bi$ idea and the eas& ans'er. (a!kin$ the boundaries and reopenin$ o!d con ersations. )part but en$a$ed, its practitioners a!'a&s 'i!!in$ to $et their hands dirt&% a'are, in fact, that dirt is essentia!% that ke&boards shou!d be tapped b& those 'ith soi! under their fin$ernai!s and 'i!derness in their heads. #e tried ruling the world; we tried acting as <od$s steward, then we tried ushering in the human revolution, the age of reason and isolation. (e fai!ed in a!! of it, and our fai!ure destro&ed more than 'e 'ere e en a'are of. The time for ci i!isation is past. /nci i!isation, 'hich kno's its f!a's because it has participated in them% 'hich sees unf!inchin$!& and bites do'n hard as it records - this is the project 'e must embark on no'. This is the cha!!en$e for 'ritin$ - for art - to meet. This is 'hat 'e are here for.