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Home > Sense-making in a Changing World > Episode 12: Education with Satish Kumar and Morag Gamble
Podcast: Sense-making in a Changing World
Episode:

Episode 12: Education with Satish Kumar and Morag Gamble
Category: Society & Culture
Duration: 00:37:27
Publish Date: 2020-08-26 00:00:00
Description:

It is my great pleasure and honour to welcome Satish Kumar to the show today - world-renowned ecologist, thinker and educational visionary. Satish is the founder of Schumacher College and the Small School in Devon, England. He is Emeritus Editor of  Resurgence & Ecologist and founder of Green Books. The BBC Natural World program, Earth Pilgrim takes us out into Dartmoor walking with Satish exploring his Soil, Soul, Society philosophy.

Walking and simple living is a key thread in Satish's life as a former Jain monk born in Rajasthan, and a member of Vinobe Bhave's 'walking university'. Back in the early 1960s, when he was just 26, he set out on a 13,000km peace pilgrimage with a friend and no money. They visited key nuclear nations and visited leaders with peace tea. In London, they met Lord Bertrand Russell the 90 year old who was jailed for peace activism and inspired them.

It was in 1992 that I first met Satish at Schumacher College, just a year after the college had opened. I spent almost a year there then, and have returned several times - last year as a contribution teacher to the Beyond Development program with Jonathon Dawson.

I recorded this interview with Satish during that program at Schumacher College, Dartington last year just as he was releasing his latest book Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living Well

Elegant Simplicity provides a coherent philosophy of life that weaves together simplicity of material life, thought, and spirit. In it, Satish distills five decades of reflection and wisdom into a guide for everyone.

Back in 1992 as well as the regular conversation sessions with Satish in the Schumacher College library, we cooked up authentic Indian feasts together every Friday and I often joined his meditation class. I also had the wonderful opportunity to study directly with Fritjof Capra, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Stephan Harding, Christopher Day, Arne Naess, Vandana Shiva and many others, as well as learn woodcarving, and have space to garden, ramble in the woods, paint and play music together. It was a transformative experience and type of an education model that shifted the way I saw learning.

Since then, offering educational programs has become my life - in community gardens, permaculture, ecovillages, regenerative design - and the influence of Satish's visionary education thinking is woven through it all.  I am particularly focussed on sharing this way of thinking and learning through the positive and practical permaculture lens. You can find more information about the Permaculture Educators Program here or take a look at my free 4 part permaculture series about becoming a permaculture educator.

Warm regards to you all,

Morag Gamble

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