I'm so impressed by you PO. Simplicity is not one grand plan but 100 daily decisions and it isn't ever a "destination". Several years ago I began with one simple decision - turning off the television. At that point I probably didn't even know what "voluntary simplicity" was. I just knew I was fed up with the vapidity of popular culture and I made up my mind that I deserved much better. Each step you take will lead to others; and it's just a matter of walking along the path. I do not know where we get that self imposed pressure that we have to be perfect from day one. The more steps you take, the more mistakes you make; and the more you learn. I can truly say that I'm further along the path now than I was last year - and that's all any of us can ever hope for. Are you more content; wise, giving? If so; you haven't failed - you've succeeded beyond all measure.
Peace!

Just ordered "Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World " by Linda Breen Pierce...which features Donna and Kevin.

I had done some googling on either voluntary simplicity in general or specifically on Earthstar..and was taken to books.google.com which had an excerpt of the above book..I really enjoyed reading it..it reminded me also of something I had forgotten, the the first attempt by Kevin and Donna was not so successful...this made me respect them even more...

"Why more? I can see why you don't respect them any less, but why do you say you respect them even more?"

Because it reminded me or told me that they were more like me..that they were not born with carpentry skills etc..I know for sure I would fail my first time (or many times) trying to build a house on my own..I had thought,"wow, I'm happy for them but the lucky folks have such amazing skills they had always had" no I realize/am reminded that they really had to struggle for so many years and their first effort (before the BELL) to build house didn't work out..it makes their ultimate success even more inspiring...anyway, it inspired me to buy the book by Linda Breen Pierce..

When I get sad about how/when will I ever reach some kind of more balanced life...when I similarly ponder whether I really want to stay at my current job for the rest of my life or if not when should I consider or be ready to ponder a move, or ponder my current ill-health, I'll have that book at my bedside to soothe the soul and inspire me and help me keep putting one foot in front of the other ("the journey of 1000 miles starts with one step") Or so I hope...I may post/report here how it goes.

Wellwishes to all,
-PO

Having just spent the better part of an hour on wikipedia, I would like to share some cultural observations I think Kevin and Donna and many on this board might be able to relate to.

There are the warnings about wikipedia which are valid, like don't trust it unless it comes with a footnote reference from a good solid source...And there are the positive like "you can still, often find good information on it"...but there's another thing wikipedia can do for you, I've discovered, besides helping with finding some references on this method, recipe, health issue, etc...namely in analyzing our culture...and looking into some ugly parts of it, without getting the 'ugly' all over you. I speak of...reading the detailed (often very detailed) plot summaries from horror films and other films which encapsulate a lot of what's messed up in our culture.

I've never had the stomach for, nor, for that matter, any interest in, watching 'gore' films...so haven't gone to them..but in the last few years I've read plot summaries from the first 5 or 6 or 7 installments of various horror series...I do this maybe once a year now...this time around, I just read the plot summaries from Saw parts I, II, and III and skimmed IV, V and VI... Obviously doing so lets you do one thing: let those of us who are squeamish, or who object on moral and other grounds, or both, learn much detail about the film...but as it turns out, you can learn much more..you can sort of take a view that's detailed on the one hand while "removed" enough from the gore so as not to have nearly the same emotional gut reaction,so you can really look at it with open eyes; you are protected, to a large extent,not just from the gross-out or from the de-sensitization, but also you don't lose the forest from the trees.

Initially I got lost in the trees: so much detail...but after reading a few plot summaries of the first few Saws (or last year, I think it was Friday the 13ths I read the detailed plot summaries of) you lose track of the details but "the forest" comes into view... for me at least, the underlying illness or illnesses of our culture we live in, is what came into view. On the one hand, one can analyze the sick nature of our culture, what we accept, what we're bombarded with (in less extreme form in other parts of the media,but still there in other parts)..on another level, one can think about corporate capitalism willing to do anything, create movies about anything, no matter how pathological, antisocial, harmful, sociopathic, etc, just to make a buck. On a third level, how instead of enjoying nature, company, music, art, philosophy (or doing good activism like organic agriculture, community groups, etc) we're herded to sit in the dark isolated from the dozens or hundreds of fellow humans sitting right next to us, as we stare at a screen. On a fourth level, even ignoring all the "Analysis" of the other levels, it gives me more compassion and sympathy to the 'typical' American as I realize and sense more about what they are exposed to..things readers of this group are probably, on average, exposed to much less, and much less often.

I was going to try to list some parts of the "forest" that's easy to lose sight of among all the trees of all the twists and turns of the plot, things like, "don't trust other people because anyone, anywhere, could turn on you..not only turn on you,but kill you, not only kill you, but torture or mutilate you..." and "there's no escaping the competing against others for who will survive" (the idea of cooperation is there, but only in small marginal ways) and "use violence to solve (or violence with clever cunning deception etc) and there are others that come to mind but maybe hear what others say before trying to make my list longer or more complete...I do know that if we want real democracy and change in this world though, we have to work together and have solidarity, empathy, but the culture encourages "don't trust the other person" and "each man (or each woman) for themselves!" and the horror movies are, for the most part, no exception...

A lot of depressing thoughts but at least for me the positives are identifying more clearly, what it is that needs changing in our culture..that and the positive feeling (I was not joking) of empathy and even feeling sorry for the 'typical American' who gets exposed to this kind of thing (or other versions that are less extreme, but still bad enough, in the violent TV programs) much more often than some of us, and I can only imagine how much more stress it adds to their life...as if economic uncertainty, downsizing, deceptive advertising and "gotcha!" clauses in your health insurance, in your purchased goods and services, in so much else, aren't enough stress, this kind of cultural dimension in so much on TV and films adds yet more stress to the mix...not a good thing if we want to encourage more fellow Americans and other world citizens (who are also our brothers and sisters even if citizens of other countries) to join us in making the world a better place..

Maybe I'm over-sensitive not having owned a TV for almost all of my adult life..but I know I've heard others more 'mainstream' than me express dismay at these kinds of parts of our films and TV and culture...Your thoughts Kevin and Donna? Others?

http://www.willthomasonline.net/willthomas...ell_Phones_FAQ.html

I've been holding out on getting a cell phone for so long. But you get tired of people telling you that your being paranoid about the microwave radiation, or that you are stubborn or behind the times, that is until... you finally get to see some real scientific evidence about how incredibly dangerous and sinister this technology is. I've heard people express the same thing over and over during the last 10 years, that the world doesn't feel right, that people seem like zombies, that more and more people are uptight, depressed, stressed... If an adult wants to continue to use a cell phone because it is convienent, that's their choice, but please, don't let children or teens have them....

Yes, thanks for the link re the cave dweller. I like that guy - he's got a lot of good ideas. Plus he's living in a drop dead gorgeous place in this country.

Thanks for the links! Loved the article about the cave dweller. Great reminder for me.

KandD, I look forward to seeing it when I go to the store; thanks for the heads up. Thanks for the reminder Silver, the trailer looks intriguing.

COULD YOU SURVIVE WITHOUT MONEY?
MEET THE GUY WHO DOES (this guy lives in a cave; oh, and another cool article/video: look up 'moleman' who made his home in the ground)
http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_9817

The Food Inc. made me think of a clip I saw the other day about the 'bionic burger' (McDonalds burgers that haven't decayed even though they're 10 years old, and they list a long list of all the toxic chemical residues that are allowed in the burgers)(all started when a guy supposedly forgot about a burger he left in his jacket pocket which he found a year later and it looked the same)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic

Kevin and Donna,

Congrats on the Mother Earth Article!! May there be many more!!!

Has anyone watched the new movie, "Food, Inc"? I haven't seen it yet, however my son who is an executive in foodservice, has seen it and it's got him thinking, thinking, thinking......

This would make an interesting topic for discussion.

Hi all,
Be sure to check out the latest Mother Earth News (Aug/Sept 2009). There is an article about our wood-fired clay oven and a nice photo.
Kevin & Donna

Just wanted to post a couple articles I found shocking, for awareness:

For the first link, I actually did the experiment with Total cereal, and found metal filings in it!!! "Metal Filings In Your Freaking Cereal" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ahlawrQHeA

Second, a video interview by Amy Goodman : "MERCURY Found in Thousands of Foods & Soda's Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGb6F-ZOUIc

Probably many of you have cut out HF Corn Syrup and really processed cereals like Total long ago from your consumption, but wanted to let you know, and for your friends/family/etc.

Humanure composting being used in places where it's most needed. Quick video. Although the buildings are wayy!! over-built, at least the people are using it and empowering themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/opinion/...stof.html?th&emc=th

For those without video, the article mentions a bit, it tells the story of a couple women helping communities build composting toilets where people used to go in the streets or down by the river/streams. One of my favorite books is by Joe Jenkins: Humanure Handbook, free online or in paperback; very funny and packed with information. Has capability to end sewage getting in contact with drinking water forever, and much more benefits.

a,

I have read about using sand to clean water and it looked to me to be very viable. I was researching ways to clean up 'gray water' and the water from roof collection to use in the garden and possibly get the water to the point of drinking. Cleaner than municiple water *for sure*!!! I know someone north of me who tested his rain colletion water against the city and the stuff off the roof was cleaner for drinking!!

Been doing some more reading and thinking about terra preta, will post it here when I finish.

Thanks, I didn't know about 814 and 759 yet; oh jeesh.

****

Regarding seeing this article:
"Baghdad's water still undrinkable 6 years after invasion"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090318/wl_mcclatchy/3191674
I was thinking how obvious to me, and should be to everyone else worldwide at what is going on, considering I've been cleaning my water to drink for over a year and a half with just sand.
Yes, just sand (available to basically everybody all over the world).



-biosand filter

a,

Good for you I hadn't thought to post this here good idea!

This was the meat of the message that I received ...

"The bills (Stop HR 875, HR 814, SR 425, and soon, HR 759 ) would require such a burdensome complexity of rules, inspections, licensing, fees, and penalties for each farmer who wishes to sell locally - a fruit stand, at a farmers market - no one could manage it. And THAT is the point. The whole dirty tricks point. The whole "be in tight control of everything needed for survival because it'll be worth a fortune" at some point."

I then went here to verify ...

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/legislation.xpd

Also let my local Co-op know too as they have their own farm and also support all the local small (and larger) growers here too.

Carla