Powering Down
When we moved to our new house we left behind our dryer, dishwasher, microwave and TV. We are reducing, simplifying and powering down. I never really enjoyed living in the twenty-first century, and I have realised recently that actually, I don't have to if I don't want to. When I was a child I read Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables and the Billabong books and thought, "That's how I want to live," but then I grew up and it felt like rather an impractical fantasy. But now I am forty-five and life is uncertain and I have decided I can and will live exactly however I want to.
And what I want to do is to live in a way that won't make other people miserable. That so many people half a world away are living miserable lives so that I can have convenience and stuff seems very wrong. And the fact the habitats all over the world are being destroyed and our planet's climate is changing for the same reason is outrageous.
So my question to myself and my girls is this: How can we live a rich and fulfilling life using as few resources as possible?
It shouldn't actually be that hard. As I look around I see a natural world just full to overflowing with bounty, if only we could see it and use it and share it. And there is a world of 'stuff' out there that nobody wants because it is not new and shiny, but is perfect for wombles like me. There are artists and crafters making marvellous things that are not the product of making anyone miserable. Also, there are so many resources that are not 'things'. Like friends and sharing and the knowledge in people's heads, and making music and how snuggling on the couch with a small black dog can make such a difference at the end of a hard day.
Of course, I don't live in the nineteenth century on a prairie or on Prince Edward Island or on a large Australian cattle property. I live in a small cottage with a small garden in the middle of a small city. It's all about small with me. I can't be self-sufficient, and don't want to be. I want to live as most of us humans do, as part of a non-intentional community of the neighbours that happen to be around at the time, plus a network of friends and family, in whatever town or suburb we find ourselves in. Many of us want to live the 'good life' in some distant dreamy future in some perfect setting, but I am pretty sure the good life is available right where we live with whoever we live with. I want to find out if that is the case anyway. I think often we get on a treadmill of living mindlessly according to the culture we are part of and can't imagine that it is possible to live any other way. But it is. It must be, because we can't keep on living the way we are.
I have come some way along the path to thinking about living differently and ethically but I want to see how far I can go down that road. Still, convenience is convenience, and I often need a nudge away from the easy and towards adventure.That's where you-all are so important to me. You, my blog people, are one of my best resources for change, due to your wisdom, experience, great ideas and general loveliness and I am looking forward to some excellent conversations with you on creating a happy, ethical life.
Tell me about the life you want to live and how you would like to get there...
Comments
What to do when you stand alone in a family of extreme consumers? My vision of an alternative lifestyle seems impossible.
Dar, again, that word 'enough'. I love it. It implies a dignified restraint. My Grandma Hazel used to ask us after a meal if we had had an 'elegant sufficiency'. I think I will be aiming for an elegant sufficiency in life. And like you, yes, an efficient house. Yesterday I had underfloor heating put in under the only raised part of the house, and today I have a handy person putting some timber around a very draughty door to make it more weather tight.
And, ha, yes, I was referring to PEI circa Anne of Green Gables, likewise prairies and Australian cattle stations which no doubt also have electricity and mobile phone coverage these days..
Fran, I can't wait to see your new growing system. I love your bravery in trying new things; you are one of the new pioneers:) Speaking of wallabies, I nearly tripped over one when delivering Rosy to hockey training last night, and there are possums up the street, so impossible to escape them (although truthfully I have never had either eating my vegie seedlings in my suburban back yard, thankfully)..
Lynda, I speak as someone who caved into extreme pressure this morning and bought her youngest daughter both a mango smoothie in a plastic cup AND clothes from an actual shop that were made under who-knows-what conditions. However we recycled the cup and brought our purchases home in a reusable bag. We do what we can.
We live in families who aren't us and don't think like us. I talk to the children all the time about what I think about life and how I feel about what is happening in the world, but I don't expect them to go along with all my ideas because I am me and they are them.
I know you have done all sorts of great things at your place - grown vegies on the lawn and recycled and rebuilt things that you have found. Your family may have strong opinions, but you owe it to yourself to be the person you want to be. You control what you wear, what you buy for yourself, what you eat, and you never know, maybe as you consistently exercise your choices in life, your family will be a tiny bit influenced. But even if not, you will feel like you yourself are heading in the direction you want to go, and this is very important, because it will make you feel powerful and happy.
The alternative is to let them influence you by their choices and go along with them because frankly, it's easier to go with the flow. But where's the fun in that? I say, love your family, accept them as they are, but move forward and be the person you want to be. They may not like that, but you are strong enough to insist that they accept you as you are as well.. and you never know, they may surprise you by developing an interest in cheese-making or building furniture out of kerbside finds:)
We do need to simplify! And we can. And what excites me about that is that lower expectations and cultivating contentment will make all of our lives easier and happier..
That was beautifully expressed and written. Your blog is a true delight and I wish you well on your journey. Incidentally, the weatherboards on the side of the house in the photo look about spot on to me and the paint looks very solid.
I've heard about that self sufficiency thingee, and I must say that it does not appear to be a very pleasant concept. Anyway, it takes a village, to sort of raise, well, a village. The old Russian's used to say: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And I reckon that is some excellent advice.
Mark Twain, who was a pretty smart dude who wrote: “I do not wish any reward but to know I have done the right thing.” What more could you ask for than that? Well, maybe a warm fire. Warm fires are good! Actually, they are pretty nice really on a cold and damp winters night. Not to make you jealous, however I am cooking a week’s worth of toasted muesli in the wood oven this as this is penned. Yum! The slowly cooking honey smells beautiful. And it is so easy to make.
Cheers
Chris
You are brave - to travel your own path and to do without those electrical conveniences. Your job is worthwhile and makes a difference to others. I often wonder about what a more glamorous job would be. Certainly I earn more money and my job may be necessary and there are bits that are fun, or exciting or affirming but it does gobble my life.
What I want is a life with more time. Mr S and I have been talking about how quickly the last 20 years have gone. We are going to do more travel before the next 20 disappears. I want time to read, learn a language, garden, fix up our home. I will continue to consume but continue to do so in a conscious manner, aware of what I being into the house and why I have obtained it.
I almost always let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I am trying to learn to calm down somewhat. Wish me luck.
Lucinda, I find it extraordinary that people come here and leave their very honest, very considered responses to the words that tumble out of my brain. I am very, very grateful because you all spur me on to action and new ideas.
I like your word 'aware'. You have clearly thought long and hard about how you want to spend the rest of your life, and I think maybe that using our hopes for our future as a guide, and staying aware of how what we do today always impacts the future, we will get a lot closer to the place we want to be. I hear you on the years disappearing. We must be getting old!!
I think to lead an ethical life one needs to decide what their ethics and values are and that becomes their own personal north star to lead them forward on their unique journey.
I am in the process of doing that very thing - nutting out exactly how it is that I want to live for the rest of my life, and using that guide as a 'personal north star' going forward. Thank you for that beautiful image:)
I read somewhere recently that the question so many of us need to ask ourselves is not, "How can I get more happiness?" But, rather, "How can I make more happiness?" Since I read it, it has stayed with me and I find myself pondering it and asking myself that question now everyday. What can I do that could make more happiness not just for myself or my immediate family but for friends, complete strangers or people who live a world away with lives totally different to my own.
Meg