5.4 Lesson-4: Regenerative Culture

The term “sustainability” begs the issue of what we are truly attempting to sustain: an outmoded cultural mindset, an unhealthy view of how humans and nature interact, or just life as usual in a gravely unequal society? Our investigation must go further than merely maintaining a structurally flawed system and worldview. In order to facilitate the transition to diverse cultures that regenerate not only essential resources and community resilience, but also improve the condition and vitality of nature’s life support systems, we must look for new ways to rebuild ecosystems, celebrate cultural diversity, start a worldview shift, and promote these changes. Such civilizations won’t just survive a humanity cut off from its source and removed from the foundation of its own being, but will ensure the future of life as a whole.

What inquiries might help uncover possible routes to a regenerative human contact on Earth? Could we formulate a collection of inquiries that would serve as a useful cultural compass to guide us as we navigate an uncharted and unpredictable future? We can use questions to guide us through complex situations with humility and a full understanding of our knowledge’s limitations. People are becoming more and more aware of the reality that all of our individual and societal actions—both positive and negative—are interventions that affect the course of the future for all of us. This realization can inspire individuals to take conscious responsibility for their function as change agents in the shift to a variety of regenerative cultures. Who else, if not us? If not right away, when?