Asking good questions

I've lately developed an interest in something called permaculture and have begun taking a 6-month class on the topic. Today I was reading the textbook by Bill Mollison where he was talking about the ethical basis of permaculture and I ran across a passage that I really liked and wanted to share.

A basic question that can be asked in two ways is:

"What can I get from this land, or person?" or

"What does this person, or land, have to give if I cooperate with them?"

Of these two approaches, the former leads to war and waste, the later to peace and plenty.

Most conflicts, I find, lay in how such questions are asked, and not in the answers to any question. Or, to put it another way, we are clearly looking for the right questions rather than for answers.

These dinners are largely about community and community is about cooperation. I hope that these dinners allow us a chance to learn more fully what we have to give by sharing in community. Hope to see you soon.