Luddite Glory!
It's funny; we are constantly making fun of the Amish (perhaps a bit less so, given the recent shooting tragedy), as though to live a life with technology that supports your deepest values were ridiculous. In his essay, "Civil Disobedience," Henry David Thoreau insists that it isn't good enough merely to petition the government to make choices that are consonant with our values, but that we should cease to participate in the immoral actions of our government "at once."
If I am to live a life consonant with my values "at once," I cannot wait for government or industry to create a life that recognizes the equality and worth of all persons and heals the bioshere. I am unlikely to live so long! Rather than wait for "zero point" energy, or be bamboozled by hydrogen, why not go with something that works now?
Yes, I have finally gone round the bend. First plain dress, now horsefarming, and next...? Carfreeness still eludes me, though I am currently very car light, with my greasel truck having carried me only about 100 miles in the last four months. Those were key trips, though!
One of the key things for living a sustainable life, is to have community, and, of course, I do. The Sierra Friends Center has many new residents this year, all of them wonderful. One of them is my partner, and her adopted niece. (It is her friend who brought his horse over to help us with the potato patch. We went the next day in work exchange to his place, and hope to have an ongoing reciprocal relationship.)
What could be better than a vivacious, beautiful, spiritual partner with her own delightful child companion?
She's better with horses than I am, and lots of other things as well:
If I am to live a life consonant with my values "at once," I cannot wait for government or industry to create a life that recognizes the equality and worth of all persons and heals the bioshere. I am unlikely to live so long! Rather than wait for "zero point" energy, or be bamboozled by hydrogen, why not go with something that works now?
What the Bleep is the EarthQuaker Doing Now?
Yes, I have finally gone round the bend. First plain dress, now horsefarming, and next...? Carfreeness still eludes me, though I am currently very car light, with my greasel truck having carried me only about 100 miles in the last four months. Those were key trips, though!
One of the key things for living a sustainable life, is to have community, and, of course, I do. The Sierra Friends Center has many new residents this year, all of them wonderful. One of them is my partner, and her adopted niece. (It is her friend who brought his horse over to help us with the potato patch. We went the next day in work exchange to his place, and hope to have an ongoing reciprocal relationship.)
What could be better than a vivacious, beautiful, spiritual partner with her own delightful child companion?
She's better with horses than I am, and lots of other things as well:
posted by Carl Magruder at 5:47 PM
5 Comments:
carl
it is lovely to see that you are update on what the bleep you have been doing. I am glad to see that you have written a little bit about your experience at Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting.
hope all is well out West and the simple everything goes well.
peace
blessings
rebecca
My immediate response was Holy Cow! But maybe holy horse would be more appropriate.
Glad to hear you're not giving up this non-Luddite window on your world. If we are not to travel by fossil fuels so much, we will not see each other in person so often. Pictures are a pale substitute for your self, but better than nothing.
The M. family missed you at Fall Quarterly.
We had the surreal experience of driving in our fossil-fueled car (four occupants, at least) listening to your disembodied voice recorded at OVYM and then burned onto a small disc made mostly of petroleum products.
The most rewarding thing about listening to your plenary address was how many times this weekend people said things that reminded me of something you had said in the talk! This gives me hope that we as a community are indeed drawing together in the truth of the situation, and what Friends have to offer (and it's NOT photovoltaic panels! :).
-- Chris M.
Coastside couple goes for horse power over tractors
San Mateo County Times 11/17/06 -- Made me think of you!
-- Chris M.
Chris- I've considered crazier things. If Amtrak didn't annoy me so much, and the theology not compute in some ways, I think that I could be the first Black Amishman.
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