Inez Aponte
on this Crazy Beautiful World
"Stories and histories move through the flesh. The body felt from the inside is not the same as the body viewed from the outside. In a culture of selfies, it is easy to become fixated on the external shape of our bodies at the expense of our internal experiences of our bodies as part of the wider world. What if we could reclaim this inner sensing?”
Inez Aponte’s path is carved by helping others bring inner sensing back.
A lover of clear minds, open hearts, and laughing bellies, she believes we are all, at the same time, unique, precious, and a very small part of an “unfathomably large whole”. Nurturing our relationships and navigating this mystery is the journey of a lifetime, that’s why we need “to find human signposts to help guide us on our path.”
Inez is a warm and vibrant performer of Puerto Rican and Surinamese descent with a background in dance, visual art and theatre improvisation. An educator and consultant in the Human Scale Development approach, also known as Barefoot Economics, a framework that assesses the health of economies, she helps us change the narrative around what success is.
At Growing Good Lives, she seeks to reclaim economics as the Art of Living Well. Her audience includes refugees, business leaders, community organizers or students, whom she helps cultivate a “radical collective imagination”.
Imagination is also the light that guides Crazy Beautiful World CIC, an organization she founded with her teenage son after he said something that struck her right in the heart: “Mum, I hate adults. They have made a mess of everything. What does my generation have to look forward to?”
That was when she felt the seriousness of everything had hit home. Her answer was another question: “What if we also start reminding each other of all the beauty in the world? What if there was a way for young people to connect with adults who do have their backs and who are working hard to protect their future?” They embarked on a journey to connect teenagers' hopes and dreams with the older generations' knowledge. They create spaces where we can all become human signposts for the beautiful.
Beauty must stand at the core of regeneration. As Inez says, regeneration requires us to consider how we manage all our relationships in such a way that each party is left better off from our interaction. It means “creating spaces where people can be fully seen, heard and accepted for who they are.” It requires an “awareness of the cyclical nature of life and a rebalancing of power - to regenerate, we must also allow things to die off to feed the next iteration.”
Read Inez Aponte’s answers for #inspirators and discover yourself, “again and again, from the inside, undivided!"
Thank you, Inez, for being a Crazy Beautiful World Believer!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Inez Aponte
Company / Institution: Growing Good Lives; Crazy Beautiful World
Title: Founder, Director
Website: www.growinggoodlives.com; www.crazybeautiful.world
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inezaponte/
Country of origin: USA / The Netherlands (with Surinamese / Puertorican heritage)
Country you currently live in: UK
Your personal definition of Regeneration: Tricky! It's becoming a bit of a buzzword and in danger of losing its value. But, for me, regeneration is a process that requires us to consider how we manage all our relationships - with other species, the earth, other humans, and ourselves - in such a way that each party is left better off from our interaction. This means different things in different contexts.
In human-to-human relationships, this might involve creating spaces where people can be fully seen, heard and accepted for who they are.
In our relationship with the rest of nature, it may mean practices that reintegrate us into the fabric of life, on both a spiritual and material level.
In all cases, it requires an awareness of the cyclical nature of life and a rebalancing of power. To regenerate we must also allow things to die off in order to feed the next iteration.
Main business challenge you face: I do not see my work as business - trying to dismantle capitalism and heal its effects on our psyches has not proven to be such a money spinner! But if I consider the main challenge to my work in general, it would be that our economy does not reward the regenerative, as it is always moving towards further extraction due to the nature of our current financial system.
There is so much good being done in the world, but it is mostly done despite the money system, not because of it. If we want a world that can truly support our best intentions, we need to change the system of financial incentives. Check out the work of Stef Kuypers and his sustainable money system!
Main driver that keeps you going: My love for my son. To bring another human into the world is a huge responsibility. I feel it is my duty to do everything I can to give him and his generation a fighting chance, or at least the resilience to cope with the many challenges we face and to find gratitude for small joys.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: My relentless faith in the human potential for creativity and kindness, despite the media trying to prove me wrong every day.
The trait you most value in others: Can I give you three? Clear minds, open hearts, laughing bellies.
Passions & little things that bring you joy:
Watching things grow: children, plants, ideas, projects, friendships, and doing whatever I can to nurture them.
Learning to play the nyckelharpa, a traditional instrument from Sweden.
Tending to the stories that shape who we become.
The #inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Manfred Max-Neef
Vandana Shiva
David Graeber
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey:
Explore your deepest values and stay close to them. We will not create a regenerative society if we continue to bow to the pressures of our current economic system. That system will only change when we demand that it aligns with our values. This is not something we can do alone, so find your community, both of place and of practice and find ways to share the load and meet your needs in solidarity, so we can become stronger together.
Most used and abused clichés about sustainability that bother you:
Green growth.
The pervasive lie that we can somehow maintain Western lifestyles and still have a living planet for future generations to live on. This is exemplified by the electric vehicle debate but underpins the greenwashing we see everywhere, as companies try to lull us into complacency. This clinging to our perceived comforts is the biggest obstacle to the meaningful change we need.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
You are at the same time unique and precious, AND a very small part of an unfathomably large whole. Navigating this mystery is the journey of a lifetime. Despite what advertisers tell you, you cannot buy anything in the shops that will ease the emotional and psychological challenges of being a vulnerable living being. But you can make sense of your life by forging deep and meaningful connections.
Nurture your relationships. Don’t try to do everything on your own.
Spend time in nature and learn from her wisdom. Find human signposts to help guide you on your path. You will become one yourself in due course.
Never stop playing!
Books that had a major impact on you:
Fiction:
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
Bel Canto - Ann Patchett
Non-fiction:
Awareness - Anthony de Mello
What we leave behind - Derrick Jensen and Aric McBay
Debt, the first 5000 years - David Graeber
The Spell of the Sensuous - David Abrams
The Listening Book - W A Mathieu
Must-reads for any Regenerative professional:
The Dawn of Everything - David Graeber and David Wengrow
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again:
The Last Igloo - is one of the saddest and most beautiful short documentaries I have ever seen. The clue is in the title. My heart aches for what we are losing.
The Accidental Anarchist - Carne Ross’ journey from the corridors of high power to the people power that is driving real change.
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts etc. you visit frequently:
The Great Simplification - Nate Hagens
The Red Hand Files - Nick Cave
On Being - Krista Tippett
Heartenings - Craig Chalquist
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing:
My son and I share a love for musicals, so there is often much singing and dancing happening in our home. I also love folk music from any part of the world, as, like folktales and mythology, it gives you a real flavor of the diversity of the world’s cultures before globalization.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Puerto Rico. My Dad’s from there, so the first time I visited felt like coming home.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Nate Hagens
Stef Kuypers
Brett Scott
Will Ruddick
Vandana Shiva
Rachel Musson
Ben Rawlence
Charlotte Ducann
Dougald Hine
Jon Alexander
Madelanne Rust D’Eye
Riane Eisler
Carne Ross
Craig Chalquist
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on:
Beware the corporate world using the term. That’s when you know it has lost its meaning.
Go beyond the words to examine the practice.
What are people doing to restore both the material and spiritual foundation of society? Is what they are doing challenging the status quo and including the excluded? Are they listening to the people who are most affected by their interventions? Are they actively engaging in a paradigm shift or just wallpapering the prison walls?
Best places for business networking (online or offline): I use a lovely co-working space in the centre of Totnes. Low-key, friendly and full of amazing people doing their bit for the world.
Events we should attend:
Beyond the Border storytelling festival in Wales. This is a festival of storytelling in the truest sense of the word - the telling of oral tales from all around the world. The word storytelling has become a catch-all for all narrative arts, but this is where you get to hear the old tales and get reminded that the challenges humans face are timeless and universal.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why:
I lurk on the edges of Transition Towns, Deep Adaptation, Circular Economy, The Art of Hosting, Degrowth and try to see the connections between them all.
I am currently most excited about the work of Craig Chalquist on Enchantivism. It is where I feel most at home, as it uses an understanding of myth and storytelling to enter deeply into the drivers of human behaviour.
Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses, trainings, or certifications that really teach us how to have an impact:
I love what they are up to at Black Mountains College and Schumacher College and would recommend their courses if you have the time and budget.
If not, you could always try the following:
*talk to the older generation or people from the majority world about how they manage(d) and learn how to live with less by doing more practical stuff yourself and with your community.
*talk to young people about their dreams and fears. Allow this to remind you of the dreams you let go of to ‘make a living’ rather than a life.
*find a place in nature to visit at least once a week and watch what happens throughout the seasons.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030:
I believe we have reached ‘peak individualism’ and people are craving connection. This connection could form the basis of a strong network of communities that work together to meet genuine human needs in harmony with each other and the rest of nature.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030:
Things are getting bad very quickly and this is likely to accelerate as various feedback loops start to kick in. We are in a terrible trance that is continually reinforced by advertising and the media. The flip side of our craving for connection is that we can be lured in by 'extremists' on both sides of the political spectrum unless we are offered truly regenerative alternatives.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: The ability to deeply understand the interconnectedness of all life, and also convey this in a way that truly inspires and activates.
The #inspirators you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter are:
Wakanyi Hoffman
Stef Kuypers
Craig Chalquist
Will Ruddick
Quote that inspires you:
“The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer.”
(Paul Hawken)
"If you don't know the trees, you may be lost in the forest, but if you don't know the stories, you may be lost in life."
(Siberian Elder)
"Governments crack and systems fall 'cause unity is powerful."
(Paul Weller / The Style Council, Walls Come Tumbling Down)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
