Seminar Leader: Frosso Moureli

Psychiatrist, Group analyst, Systemic Therapist, Trainer, and Political Activist,

The epoch of Denial
The seminar will have three parts, denial, growth, and joint action. 

The climate crisis is part of a bigger crisis that concerns the biosphere:
loss of biodiversity, acidification of the oceans, pollution of air, soil and water. The official name is Anthropocene. The term Anthropocene conceals that what happening is man-made. Capitalocene is a more apt term, an age dominated by capitalism that treats nature as the object for use, blind to the interconnected living entity that nature
is. I question the wisdom in delegating such a matter to governments?

Governments and their prompters, the multinationals, have "growth" as
their project, growth/expansion which is necessary for capitalism. However, at this current moment in history,de-growth is necessary. The growth that our civilisation has had so far is due to (cheap) energy out of fossil fuel, but fossil fuel produces carbon
emissions that create overheating. This is a double bind that humanity has not yet solved.

I suggest that instead of looking at the government, to look at each
other,overcoming our xenosis (to be xenos, stranger to each other ) to
make the basic political action , which is for people to meet and
develop arguments, dialogues and joint action starting from our
neibhorhood for example, a river, an industry, the subject of reducing
energy consumption . Or the issue of how to de-couple ourselves from the
incorporated values and significations of capitalism. In what degree our
lifes are under the principle of growth (more money, diplomas, bigger
car ,bigger house, more sceintific capital etc).

I believe in the great capacity of groups and collectives to be creative
when they decide to be self-organized (with equality, non-hierarchy,
direct democracy). I have a long experience with solidarity at the social medical center of Thessaloniki, Greece, as well as in the movement against a gold-mine, local to me. Also with an initiative between Greeks,Turks, Cypriots against excavations in Mediteranean sea and in opposing wars. With my participation in these, I have found all sorts of opportunities to use my experience and knowledge as a professional therapist , and this brings me some satisfaction.

My inspiration also  comes from ancient Greece and the contemporary movement
of the Zapatistas, Mexico.