I lived for many years on a commune where we strived to grow most of our own vegetables, and I always got a very culty vibe from permaculture folks, too (pot, k

I lived for many years on a commune where we strived to grow most of our own vegetables, and I always got a very culty vibe from permaculture folks, too (pot, kettle, some might say, but I distinguish cults and communes based on how welcome differing ideas are). Mostly because they seemed so didactic about it: oh yes, sure you're growing vegetables for yourself, but you're doing it wrong, not observing principle X or Y. Christopher Alexander adherents were always my favorite visitors, they'd talk about patterns as they understood them and ask questions about whether they applied. Somehow the permaculture folks all gave off a my-way-or-the-highway kind of vibe.