Author: Alistair Nicholas Rodrigues
ECOmmune is a community that believes in sharing, learning & engaging in sustainability practices for our EARTH.
Every 15th August since 1948 we have celebrated our freedom. At schools, institutions, public & other spaces we hoist flags, recite the national anthem, watch a parade, give/listen to speeches made by leaders and influential individuals and lastly end it on a sweet note with distribution of sweets.
We then pretty much go about spending the day with friends, family and loved ones.
This time let us take it one step further by introducing a new idea that could lead to a world of endless possibilities.
Let us start with the idea of freedom and begin to understand what it could actually mean.
Freedom described by the merriam webster dictionary is, "the quality or state of being free"
This could be applied to a variety of things like freedom of speech, political views, health etc.
Today let us look at freedom in a new way, that being free from holding onto our own ideas, thoughts, knowledge and skills. Let us be free from the monetary enslavement and see what it feels like to simply share without a price tag attached to our knowledge. While we are at it, let us celebrate our freedom from things that hold us down.
There are increasing recent studies and ancient texts which state that our ideas, beliefs, skills and intellectual knowledge of various subjects are extra baggage that we carry around and this limits our understanding and potential for growth by creating a mentality of clinging/raaga.
Inter-disciplinary study is very important to learn about life in a holistic manner. Our ancestors possessed holistic knowledge of life skills. Example: My grand dad was an electrician, carpenter, farmer, householder, doctor, caregiver etc.
Today while I have acquired many new skills such as writing, reading, designing, marketing, management etc. I see that I have acquired close to no life skills (if you know what I mean).
You might think "Oh well I don't need those life skills because now I can afford to buy the necessary products and services"!
PAUSE!
Lets just think of this for one moment...
Isn't this belief or thought process limiting of what we can learn and do?
What if society lost its faith in the modern monetary system?
Would you be okay without having these essential life skills?
Would you not want to pass on these amazing life skills to your children?
Would you not want to explore the power of sharing?
Would you still hold onto your knowledge and put a price tag over it?
"Well, I the writer would want to learn these life skills.
I would love to learn across the spectrum.
I would want to be able to let go of my million dollar ideas of products and services.
I would want to be able to celebrate true freedom.
I would want to SHARE this with my community."
This is what makes sharing so special. This is why the quote 'sharing is caring' is so close to my heart.
This 15th of August let us come together and be free from the cages of our thoughts, ideologies & belief systems...Let us listen to what others have to offer while we share our knowledge and skills with them.
Let us take this opportunity for 1 day to reflect on what we are taught as survival skills in the real world.
Let us create a space that is meaningful, insightful and full of love and richness of knowledge.
Let us free ourselves from the chain of monetary enslavement.
Let us free ourselves from the baggage and barriers to ultimate freedom and growth.
Let us create a community of people who continue to share, care and support one another.
This is a new way to celebrate our freedom and independence.
We look forward for ECOmmune as a platform to be a space for continuous engagement amongst its members; a space where we can grow this into a large sharing community across the country; a community that is free from the chain of its own mind.
For: Invite-Only 30 Sustainability Practitioners
Location: Justbe Resto Cafe,Bengaluru
Timing: 10 am - 5 pm
Date: 15th August, 2021
Start | End | Activity |
10 AM | 11 AM | Arrival & Introduction |
11 AM | 12 PM | Indigenous Music & Hoop Workshop by Siddharth Venkat & Yamini Gowda |
12 PM | 1 PM | Facilitated Sharing Circle |
1 PM | 1:30 PM | Plant-Based Lunch |
1:30 PM | 2:30 PM | Workshop on the Art of working with Fungi by Prithvi Kini & Jashid Hameed |
2:30 PM | 3:30 PM | Facilitated Sharing Circle |
3:30 PM | 4:00 PM | Fermentation & Gut Health Workshop by Karuna Jenkins |
4:00 PM | 4:30 PM | Theatre Games & Musical Meditation by Sudhanva |
4:30 PM | 5:00 PM | Hi-Tea & Post-Event Interaction |
Meet our collaborators for ECOmmune 2021