standing room only. 47 people packed in to the karma marketplace in penetanguishene to hear mike nickerson. just a few years ago hardly any one would have showed up. thanks especially to sue, jenn, rona, laura jane, and julie for bringing him here and preparing him a place. the local katimivik contingent showed up. first we he had a potluck, then we put the tables away and listened to mike.
mike, discussing ‘resilience in changing times’, noted that ‘we can break through the barriers of denial and despair and stimulate a self-fulfilling sense of hope and action.’
he spoke first of how our economics came to be based on growth. growth is desirable when you’re growing, but we are no longer kids. now is the time to grow up. and to live, to celebrate, he reminded us. he finished with the story of his grand-daughter: we must think of the future. there’s no reason why we can’t be around for a hundred million years, he contends.
he is a good speaker and storyteller. one story he tells is of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. at first as the caterpillar begins to transform, it detects its future self and fights it–that’s normal. then it accepts the change. finally it liquifies its former self and completes the transformation.
or, from his pocket he withdrew a cord with a simple overhand slipknot, to demonstrate buckminster fuller’s pattern integrity; as he moved the knot down, it was entirely replaced by new cord, yet the knot remained.
similarly, our physical selves are replaced yet our mental self remains the same. physically, we are part of our environment.
joining the two ends, he demonstrated nature’s eternal cycle, whereas humans have introduced unnatural linearity.
he wrapped up at nine, but people lingered, even on a weeknight, a chance to meet and talk. hope and hubbub filled the long, narrow room. standing room only.
reviews by peter 
Sounds like something I would have enjoyed. Thanks for sharing Peter.