"In the savage state every family owns a shelter as good as the best, and sufficient for its coarser and simpler wants; but I think that I speak within bounds when I say that, though the birds of the air have their nests, and the foxes their holes, and the savages (Native Americans) their wigwams, in modern civilized society not more than half the families own a shelter. In the large towns and cities, where civilization especially prevails, the number of those who own a shelter is a very small fraction of the whole. The rest pay an annual tax or this outside garnment of all, become indispensible summer and winter, which would buy a village of Indian wigwams, but now helps to keep them poor as long as they live"
-Thoreau
How is it that we consider ourselves free and yet live with (what some would call) the insanity that not everyone has somewhere to confidently go? And worse yet, a person is often looked down upon when having nowhere to go... thus separated from one's tribe.
What burning ring of fire must people jump through in order to earn the right to simply be (on the land they were born from, into and onto) and have a place to approach life from?
Most zoning codes, as they are, do not exactly invite simplicity. On another note, we certainly deal with different population sizes and conditions than the hunter gatherer, but If we are unable and unwilling to see outside the crazier aspects of our own system, how can we expect other people from other countries and cultures to see outside of theirs?
It seems we are born into a particular culture, a particular root system and then speak of our history in terms of we.
What burning ring of fire must people jump through in order to earn the right to simply be (on the land they were born from, into and onto) and have a place to approach life from?
Most zoning codes, as they are, do not exactly invite simplicity. On another note, we certainly deal with different population sizes and conditions than the hunter gatherer, but If we are unable and unwilling to see outside the crazier aspects of our own system, how can we expect other people from other countries and cultures to see outside of theirs?
It seems we are born into a particular culture, a particular root system and then speak of our history in terms of we.
We could say then that we fought for freedom at considerable sacrifice. We could say then that we colonized and encroached upon this land, either to kill off or marginalize its people. We can throw a wide net and identify with all of it... or we can stand outside of it and observe.
Even if it is unrealistic to stand outside of our own programs (to observe that which is observing), we can at least bend the edges a bit, at least enough to break a pattern and perhaps catch a glimpse of self.
It is in the same way that we can sometimes break out of certainty to hear a word outside of its meaning. Some people find stepping out of pattern very natural and others are completely resistant to it.
For some, it seems not to matter what evidence is presented, a position will be held fast seemingly till the end. One may contemplate here, the nature of a limited lifespan, and its prevention of collective collapse by way of stubbornness.
Maybe it is a matter of relative education... but perhaps in tribal cultures, the stubborn personality was purposeful... one who upheld what worked... what was passed down from generation to generation... After all, so many tribal and animal cultures pass down what works. Maybe, like so many things, that personality type is out of balance under the quick change of civilization.
This reminds me of how an artist sometimes will reach a wall and face purposeless, but perhaps, that purposeless is partly because the art exists as a side activity. It has to be perpetual in of itself & when it isn't there or when s/he isn't connected to it, there is sometimes this question of self and question of meaning.
Meanwhile many types of work feel especially boxed in and dull, because the art and flow and rhythm has often been sucked from them. There is this forcing, this getting through the day, this synthetic environment with often synthetic goals. These synthetic goals are perhaps echoed in a synthetic education system.
Perhaps these extremes hit walls because we are living in a fragmented way, always bumping up against deficiency and toxicity. All that we thrive on is often being reduced and all that is foreign being increased. This may mean lack of sunlight and increase in synthetic lighting, decrease in nutrients and increase in artificial elements, decrease in security and a sense of home and increase in fight or flight.
The stubborn personality may be just as much evidence of this lack of balance or ongoing adjustment as the homeless person or the addict or the emotionally out of control person (on a diet that lacks the harmony previously built in for the hunter gatherer... as built in as shelter and community and purpose and movement.)
Much like fight or flight... the same program is in motion but is inappropriate for modern conditions, and it may become a secondary source of self harm, drawing us further from certain truths.
Even if it is unrealistic to stand outside of our own programs (to observe that which is observing), we can at least bend the edges a bit, at least enough to break a pattern and perhaps catch a glimpse of self.
It is in the same way that we can sometimes break out of certainty to hear a word outside of its meaning. Some people find stepping out of pattern very natural and others are completely resistant to it.
For some, it seems not to matter what evidence is presented, a position will be held fast seemingly till the end. One may contemplate here, the nature of a limited lifespan, and its prevention of collective collapse by way of stubbornness.
Maybe it is a matter of relative education... but perhaps in tribal cultures, the stubborn personality was purposeful... one who upheld what worked... what was passed down from generation to generation... After all, so many tribal and animal cultures pass down what works. Maybe, like so many things, that personality type is out of balance under the quick change of civilization.
This reminds me of how an artist sometimes will reach a wall and face purposeless, but perhaps, that purposeless is partly because the art exists as a side activity. It has to be perpetual in of itself & when it isn't there or when s/he isn't connected to it, there is sometimes this question of self and question of meaning.
Meanwhile many types of work feel especially boxed in and dull, because the art and flow and rhythm has often been sucked from them. There is this forcing, this getting through the day, this synthetic environment with often synthetic goals. These synthetic goals are perhaps echoed in a synthetic education system.
Perhaps these extremes hit walls because we are living in a fragmented way, always bumping up against deficiency and toxicity. All that we thrive on is often being reduced and all that is foreign being increased. This may mean lack of sunlight and increase in synthetic lighting, decrease in nutrients and increase in artificial elements, decrease in security and a sense of home and increase in fight or flight.
The stubborn personality may be just as much evidence of this lack of balance or ongoing adjustment as the homeless person or the addict or the emotionally out of control person (on a diet that lacks the harmony previously built in for the hunter gatherer... as built in as shelter and community and purpose and movement.)
Much like fight or flight... the same program is in motion but is inappropriate for modern conditions, and it may become a secondary source of self harm, drawing us further from certain truths.
Anyhow, back to the original thought... if we were to observe, would we consider ourselves free? We have been indoctrinated into a belief system that we are free. Certainly the wind blows, and state of mind is a large factor no matter how the wind blows... perhaps the largest... but speaking of this tangible daily life that we are interwoven with... what are we really doing?
Will civilization push itself to other worlds.... while civilizations at the other end of the galaxy push themselves toward ours, while both lay waste to one another's great find?
I do feel the increasing popularity of simple living and 'green' living... but I have also spent a lot of time in conventional society, and it saddens me to see people drowning in excess and losing their lives to clutter... and what imaginary strings of commerce and production that clutter is tied to. It saddens also to see myself sometimes lose ground by my very involvement with it.
So we each have our lives and sometimes struggles to be self-disciplined and healthy and in harmony. However, the hope is that enough people will stop and wonder what is going on and hopefully through this, we will impact collective consciousness... and also collective spending of both resources and time. We may integrate whatever sensible principles we can from full-functioning humans in the world.
Funny that people all around the country are removing exotic (invasive) plants in effort to prevent rapid alteration of habitat. However, if those plants were observed in their natural setting, their role and usefulness would be clear... In the same way, we may observe our own role and usefulness... at least to an extent by observing remaining indigenous peoples (the less marginalized, the better) and by being reminded of what it is to be human.
It may become more clear what is useful vs. what is merely a function of addiction. This is not to discount the popular idea of evolving societies... because certainly we can evolve... but this information seems vital.
Evolution of technology does not necessarily have to be tossed out the window, nor should it be considering our current situation... but it would be wise to be mindful of natural principles.
Unless our goal is to evolve into robots or something completely different, we must consider ourselves interwoven with our ecosystem. And while we don't have the right to toss that ecosystem away, without the consent of dolphins and other life no less, we do perhaps have the right to live on it thoughtfully and simply without breaking the law.
Perhaps that freedom alone would allow people to step out of fight and flight and take a good look around. Perhaps a helpful compromise would be for every city to have a segment of town in which anyone can legally camp or build a simple shelter.
Portland, Oregon has a place called dignity village... it may not be ideally located, but it is a step in the right direction. Of course, there would be complications, but complication is all around. We swim in it.
Where are we going? Who has the power? We all have the power, but a place to be is a good starting point.
Will civilization push itself to other worlds.... while civilizations at the other end of the galaxy push themselves toward ours, while both lay waste to one another's great find?
I do feel the increasing popularity of simple living and 'green' living... but I have also spent a lot of time in conventional society, and it saddens me to see people drowning in excess and losing their lives to clutter... and what imaginary strings of commerce and production that clutter is tied to. It saddens also to see myself sometimes lose ground by my very involvement with it.
So we each have our lives and sometimes struggles to be self-disciplined and healthy and in harmony. However, the hope is that enough people will stop and wonder what is going on and hopefully through this, we will impact collective consciousness... and also collective spending of both resources and time. We may integrate whatever sensible principles we can from full-functioning humans in the world.
Funny that people all around the country are removing exotic (invasive) plants in effort to prevent rapid alteration of habitat. However, if those plants were observed in their natural setting, their role and usefulness would be clear... In the same way, we may observe our own role and usefulness... at least to an extent by observing remaining indigenous peoples (the less marginalized, the better) and by being reminded of what it is to be human.
It may become more clear what is useful vs. what is merely a function of addiction. This is not to discount the popular idea of evolving societies... because certainly we can evolve... but this information seems vital.
Evolution of technology does not necessarily have to be tossed out the window, nor should it be considering our current situation... but it would be wise to be mindful of natural principles.
Unless our goal is to evolve into robots or something completely different, we must consider ourselves interwoven with our ecosystem. And while we don't have the right to toss that ecosystem away, without the consent of dolphins and other life no less, we do perhaps have the right to live on it thoughtfully and simply without breaking the law.
Perhaps that freedom alone would allow people to step out of fight and flight and take a good look around. Perhaps a helpful compromise would be for every city to have a segment of town in which anyone can legally camp or build a simple shelter.
Portland, Oregon has a place called dignity village... it may not be ideally located, but it is a step in the right direction. Of course, there would be complications, but complication is all around. We swim in it.
Where are we going? Who has the power? We all have the power, but a place to be is a good starting point.
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