The idea of the radix (meaning roots) is that of depth, connection, giving, and support.  Through the overlapping lenses of social justice, sustainability, and holistic wellbeing, the roots become visible.  In connecting these perspectives we deepen each of them and they become radical practices.

Sustainability is a perspective rooted in environmental systems that heeds the wisdom of nature and strives to regenerate balance.  This perspective values ecological knowledge and consciousness, consciousness of life and death and balance.

Holistic wellbeing focuses on health, healing, and growth.  This perspective values interconnectedness, self-knowledge, self-esteem, and looking inward.

Social justice is the idea that the social world is unequal.  This stance brings with it values of solidarity, struggle, pre-figurative living, and social and political knowledge.

Actually, studying one of these perspectives in an open way leads to the other two.  For example, the balance of ecosystems allows one to reflect on the balance of social and political systems, not to mention the balance of one’s body and psyche.  Yet far too often these perspectives are treated as fully distinct, and it can sometimes be hard to appreciate or see the connected roots.

Reflecting on radical social justice, radical sustainability, and radical holistic wellbeing together brings forth multiple principles and practices of action and living.  Some of these include interconnectedness, wholeness, building power for growth, restoration, love and spirit, education, community, resilience, abundance, urgency, healing, and culture.  Promoting a principle in one domain can ideally flow to all other domains (e.g. a strong, supportive, active community adds to political cohesiveness, personal wellbeing and possibilities for sustainability).

At an education center that draws from this model, educational projects would strive to incorporate all 3 pillars to build radical consciousness.  Without one pillar, fragmentation, imbalance and hierarchies can develop.  That said, not everything starts with a balance (e.g. a “typical” massage workshop), but that doesn’t mean it should not happen.  As even such an event can quickly foster connections and depth.

Such an education center might have “experts” in one domain.  Yet the radix focus would encourage growth in other domains.