Wellbeing was the word of the day at Dartington Hall.
George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas both gave talks at the Ways With Words Festival at Dartington Hall. George Monbiot was promoting his new campaign Rewilding Britain. Whilst Caroline Lucas talked about the ridiculous antics of parliament described in her new book Honourable Friends?: Parliament and the Fight for Change.
In an interview with Emma Goude from Green Lane Films, George Monbiot talked about the importance of living a life of meaning and purpose. He mentioned the joy of connecting with the natural world and also how seeking enlightenment is necessary for wellbeing.
Caroline Lucas talked about the importance of wellbeing as a lens through which to view public policy. She thinks that it offers an alternative and more meaningful objective than that of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Network of Wellbeing was there to capture these highlights for their website. But the best story of the dat was one told by Green Party member Caroline Lucas. She describe the voting system in parliament. A bell goes giving Members of Parliament twenty minutes to cast their vote. They all have to leave their offices and have to walk down one corridor for yes and another for no. Their party whips are there to push them down the alley they wish them to go down. Grown adults dodge voting against their principles by hiding in the toilets. And this is how a country is run.