Pandemics and Bike Repair

By Wade Wiebe

The South Eastman Transition Initiative may not be as well understood as some other community organizations. Some readers, for example, may have trouble understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic relates directly to SETI’s reason for existence. How can a health crisis have anything to do with an “environmentalist” organization?

First of all, you should know that “saving the environment” is not an end in itself for SETI. Rather, it is a means to a much more important goal. That goal is the fulfillment of our role as people, and the faithful stewardship of that privilege for future generations. What SETI is trying to make clear is that humanity is not acting as a healthy contributing member of the systems that support us. The damaged environment is a tragic consequence of our own illness, which afflicts us in four main ways:

• Complexity that exposes us.

• Consumption that consumes us.

• Dependency that enfeebles us.

• Individualism that divides us.

These are the problems that the South Eastman Transition Initiative is trying to address by advocating: Simplicity to stabilize us, Sufficiency to satisfy us, Self-reliance to empower us, and Community to unite us.

But how does COVID-19 relate to this effort? This temporary crisis brings to light the many vulnerabilities that SETI has written and talked about for over ten years. Economic, political, and social systems will likely recover from this blip, but their shallow foundations are exposed to daylight at the moment. This is an opportunity to look at them. Do you know where your food comes from, or how to cook or preserve it without a well-staffed hydroelectric dam? Do you see other community members as competition, rather than a source of security? Does everything you own rely on foreign suppliers, because local industries have been abandoned for cheaper options? In short, can you take care of yourself and others when systems begin to break down? Because other changes like this one will inevitably come along: severe weather events, fires, unexpected wars, cyber-attacks, volcanoes/earthquakes, resource collapse, crop & livestock disease… the list is unending. And when they do, the same and new fractures will appear. These are not risks, mind you – they are certainties. Certainties that our current lifestyles fail entirely to take into account.

If you’re beginning to feel that you would like to know how to actually do things yourself, and live in a country that can rely on its own skills and resources when needed, then you are beginning a long and exciting journey. The good news is that the alternative to the status quo is not drudgery and deprivation – far from it. It is a return home.

For our part, SETI advocates transitioning away from dependency of fossil fuels, teaches about sustainable farming and promotes community-based economics. Its activities in the Steinbach area have ranged from renewable energy seminars to soap-making classes. We’re in the process of bringing a community bike repair shop to Steinbach. Over the years we’ve toured farms, gardens and waste management sites to name only a few. It may not change the world all at once, but it’s a move in the right direction. We hope that COVID-19 gives you the time to reflect on what you value, and a new appreciation for the systems we take for granted. Please tell us about your transition away from vulnerability and towards stability, and let us know how we can help. Join the movement.