I left England in 1972 to travel around the world. Wandering through Asia, surrounded by the exotic, I was happy for the first time in my life. Immersed in strange cultures I gained an appreciation for them and a critical perspective on my own. My colonial assumption that the British way was best was blown away. I became a global citizen grateful to the wide world.
Settling on Canada’s west coast I turned on, tuned in and finally dropped out from civil engineering. I had read The Limits to Growth in 1972 and become concerned for the health of our planet. I could see that it was my own culture that was destructive. I could see how this culture is ingrained in me, a set of unconscious habits; becoming conscious allows me to change.
I switched from the Guardian to the Weekly when I left England to keep in touch with events in places I had travelled. I have always appreciated the quality of writing and the awareness of social justice and have been happy to see my growing awareness of environmental problems reflected in its pages.
I live communally with people under half my age, hike regularly, lead workshops relating personal growth to cultural change, write a blog called The Decline of Tradition, take photographs and paint, host monthly music jam parties, eat and share good food foraged in supermarket bins.
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