Many say what’s killing us is capitalism, neoliberalism and colonialism. I regard patriarchy as the roots of all that.
The Patriarchy recipe has ingredients such as:
Money
Winning, hierarchy
Infinite Growth
We are separate, alone
Head, thinking is supreme.
Nature is not sacred, we can exploit her
This is leading to our death, and the death of our planet. It’s causing climate emergency, and will kill us all, if not checked. It regards Mother Nature as dead matter to be exploited. We have ignored Mother Nature, and this has got us in this pickle. We’ve forgotten we’re part of Mother Nature, her creation. She creates all life. Wreck her, and humans die with her.
To survive climate disruption, we must shift to a different worldview: base our life on a different set of values. We need to find a way to live in accord with Mother Nature, that cares for her.
I call this Mother Nature-archy: living in accord with the original patterns and laws of Mother Nature, the values of Mother Nature herself, who is our ultimate mother. This way we’d live according to our human nature, as her children. The recipe for Life is my summary of this.
In my heart, I also call it matriarchy. Matriarchy is also living in accord with Mother Nature’s laws.
Matriarchy is often thought to be the reverse of patriarchy: women putting their foot on the head of men. It isn’t. It’s a completely different social system. All life, including humans, is equally precious. We all rely on each other. It’s egalitarian.
This is very different from patriarchy, whose values are, I’m a separate person, I have to look after myself, get as much money as possible and be top dog, especially if I’m a pale stale male.
Heide Goettner-Abendroth calls it matriarchy, from her studies of indigenous cultures who share a particular structure. Other versions are Eisler’s partnership, ecofeminism, Maternal gift economy, Social permaculture. Many people are working on this, building a social structure on Mother Nature’s patterns.
In the laws of nature, women have a respected place, because women are said to represent Mother Nature, who gives birth and cares for children. Mothering is central and important, looking after Life.
That doesn’t mean men and everyone in between are beneath women. We all are involved in caring, for humans and for nature. We all have that capacity as our natural strength of heart.
Patriarchy values attributes we consider manly, values associated with men, and devalues things associated with women. This has not much to do with men or women. It’s what our society thinks is to do with men, women and others. Patriarchy’s set of values is unhealthy, it’s unbalanced because it takes them to extremes. I go into this more here.