I come from pretty hearty stock, but I must admit, I am COLD (apologies to my Norwegian ancestors). On the positive side, the cold allowed for a thick flurry of snowflakes yesterday, which made possible four chilled faces tilted toward the sky, letting snow melt on their skin for the first time in their lives. These two Mexicans, the Ugandan and the Australian braved the weather for far longer than the rest of us (more or less) seasoned snow-appreciators dared to try. We watched them from indoors, huddled over our cups of tea.
In the states, I often hear the environment talked about as something to be dealt with once we get through “these other issues”, such as the economy, poverty, politics – but I’ve been finding that all these issues are inextricably linked. I’m beginning to suspect that localization can help us find a lot of what we’re looking for, if we’re willing to make some changes… For example, local garden plots – families or individuals could invest in a certain plot in a community garden and receive a corresponding percentage of the yield. Once the garden is established, it may even be possible to determine how much each “investor” receives through logging hours worked in the garden or tools/resources directly donated, instead of having individual plots – there are a myriad of ways this could be played out. It’s a simple concept (although getting a group of people in any community to agree on anything is never simple, in my experience) but if it could be implemented, it would provide local, seasonal food for families, cutting down or ideally eliminating “drugged up” food flown in from across the world; it could provide some community bonding time – for example, an investor with money but no time could invest in the garden, have a poor student (just trying to generate sympathy for my kind before I return) put in the work, and split the goods, creating a connection that would never have existed otherwise.
I have many many more (mostly half-baked) thoughts on the subjects of priorities, localization, and gardening in general… but homework is calling, and so is my bed. My thoughts are with the U.S. in this final countdown to our next (hopefully great) leader…
In response to my previous post, a dear friend sent the following quote, which I really appreciate as a perspective:
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did this ourselves.’” - Lao-Tzu
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
October 22 - Leadership
We just read a book with the subtitle “The Inner Path to Leadership”. I won’t get into what I thought of the book, but my initial response to the subtitle was “why would this be a mass produced book? We can’t have a whole group of people who are leaders; who would be around to follow?” I thought of leaders as people who “take up the cause”, bear the brunt of the work, know what needs to be done, forge ahead, etc.
However, in the past couple weeks the word leadership has come up a lot, and I’m working on redefining the term and applying my new concept of leadership to my life here at Findhorn.
Being a leader can mean taking initiative, allowing myself to step into a needed position and to step out when appropriate, but never just to sit back and “let things happen”. It does not have to mean taking full responsibility for the direction a group goes – although it would be exercising leadership to point out when the group takes what I perceive to be an unhealthy turn, and maybe even propose a potential solution or redirection. A room full of leaders wouldn’t be a room full of competition, it could be a powerful force as a whole. Each leader would step in when appropriate and bring new issues, solutions and perceptions to light as needed, all working toward the greater good of the group or goal. On the other hand, a room full of people with only one leader means only one set of expressed ideas, one mind for inspiration, one person able to wholeheartedly step into the process, conscience and all. A room full of leaders will almost inevitably mean more conflict, but 1) when working for an agreed-upon goal beyond pleasantness or uniformity, conflict can be the most fertile soil for new beginnings and 2) with only one leader, conflict will arise in the form of resentment and “behind the scenes” or indirect attempts by “followers” to get their way.
I’m only beginning to formulate ideas surrounding leadership and group dynamics, and I’m sure this could be a very long conversation, so I’ll stop there - but if anyone has any thoughts regarding leadership/group dynamics etc., I’d love to hear them!
However, in the past couple weeks the word leadership has come up a lot, and I’m working on redefining the term and applying my new concept of leadership to my life here at Findhorn.
Being a leader can mean taking initiative, allowing myself to step into a needed position and to step out when appropriate, but never just to sit back and “let things happen”. It does not have to mean taking full responsibility for the direction a group goes – although it would be exercising leadership to point out when the group takes what I perceive to be an unhealthy turn, and maybe even propose a potential solution or redirection. A room full of leaders wouldn’t be a room full of competition, it could be a powerful force as a whole. Each leader would step in when appropriate and bring new issues, solutions and perceptions to light as needed, all working toward the greater good of the group or goal. On the other hand, a room full of people with only one leader means only one set of expressed ideas, one mind for inspiration, one person able to wholeheartedly step into the process, conscience and all. A room full of leaders will almost inevitably mean more conflict, but 1) when working for an agreed-upon goal beyond pleasantness or uniformity, conflict can be the most fertile soil for new beginnings and 2) with only one leader, conflict will arise in the form of resentment and “behind the scenes” or indirect attempts by “followers” to get their way.
I’m only beginning to formulate ideas surrounding leadership and group dynamics, and I’m sure this could be a very long conversation, so I’ll stop there - but if anyone has any thoughts regarding leadership/group dynamics etc., I’d love to hear them!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
October 19 - A Slew of Overdue Pictures
I apologize for not writing sooner. After the clarity and stillness of Erraid, I've had a difficult time readjusting to the relative chaos at the Findhorn Foundation Park. It's admittedly humorous that the Park initially seemed like a peaceful place to me (compared to much of America I suppose), but I think whenever a place begins to feel like home, I start looking for a refuge from that place, no matter how miraculously suited to me the place may be. Erraid was most certainly that refuge – but don’t think I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed the Park, and suspect I'll continue to do so until my term is up.
The small island of Erraid was one of those rare places I know I'll want to see again - it was like a fantasy for me. There was an expansiveness about the whole place, which was held in stark contrast to the eight cozy houses we stayed in (8 out of 9 on the island). They were positioned just in front of the sea, bordered by abundant vegetable gardens and fences for milk cows. We spent our days working alongside the community of 23 people (15 of which were in my group visiting the island). I spent hours chopping wood and clearing out a garden area for winter, and others worked in the kitchen or candle studio. Evenings were spent in good company, knitting, reading, playing board games, or taking long, cold walks by the ocean… an ocean we repeatedly dived into after a hard day’s work. Everything we did during the day affected the community, because it was so small and more or less self-sufficient. Our milk was from our cows, the veggies from our garden, extra clothing layers from a dresser full of second-hand clothing, bread and meals from our kitchen… it was simple and fulfilling.
The set-up isn’t perfect – the electricity, for example, is still on the grid, because they can’t afford to put up windmills yet. But it was as close to my version of perfect I’ve ever seen, wind and rain notwithstanding.
The infamous outhouses and the illustrious Emma Dines
The view from within
The stove Leaf is standing beside was made out of an oceanic mine. It’s now used to melt the wax for candles. Talk about recycling
Samantha with Cow Droppings. These ‘little’ beauties were littered across the landscape, including our backyards...
Each of these roofs contained two houses – check out the view I got every morning…
At the top of a giant hill… Scotland has nothing compared to Oregon’s mountains, but I don't usually try to climb Oregonian mts. in only Wellies and a windbreaker… it was quite a walk.
We had to make it through several small bogs on the way. I only got stuck once, but it wasn’t pretty.
The Wishing Stone at the peak of the hill. The water around it has gathered naturally, and locals and guests either lean or stand on it and send their wishes to the sky.
Somehow we got everyone up there (I’m on the top right hand side)
Just down the hill... paradise
I had to go swimming. The water was so clear I could see my feet even where they couldn’t reach the sand
The group often gathered in the community room at the end of the day to play guitar, games, or just hang about. This room contained the only TV on the island, so naturally we watched all of Gandhi one evening. Not exactly light fare, but well worth the viewing.
Callie "cozies up" in our room
Early morning view from my front door
Fresh apples soon after sunrise
The wind could get pretty intense up there
On the last day - preparing to climb down the dock to float back to civilization
The small island of Erraid was one of those rare places I know I'll want to see again - it was like a fantasy for me. There was an expansiveness about the whole place, which was held in stark contrast to the eight cozy houses we stayed in (8 out of 9 on the island). They were positioned just in front of the sea, bordered by abundant vegetable gardens and fences for milk cows. We spent our days working alongside the community of 23 people (15 of which were in my group visiting the island). I spent hours chopping wood and clearing out a garden area for winter, and others worked in the kitchen or candle studio. Evenings were spent in good company, knitting, reading, playing board games, or taking long, cold walks by the ocean… an ocean we repeatedly dived into after a hard day’s work. Everything we did during the day affected the community, because it was so small and more or less self-sufficient. Our milk was from our cows, the veggies from our garden, extra clothing layers from a dresser full of second-hand clothing, bread and meals from our kitchen… it was simple and fulfilling.
The set-up isn’t perfect – the electricity, for example, is still on the grid, because they can’t afford to put up windmills yet. But it was as close to my version of perfect I’ve ever seen, wind and rain notwithstanding.
The infamous outhouses and the illustrious Emma Dines
The view from within
The stove Leaf is standing beside was made out of an oceanic mine. It’s now used to melt the wax for candles. Talk about recycling
Samantha with Cow Droppings. These ‘little’ beauties were littered across the landscape, including our backyards...
Each of these roofs contained two houses – check out the view I got every morning…
At the top of a giant hill… Scotland has nothing compared to Oregon’s mountains, but I don't usually try to climb Oregonian mts. in only Wellies and a windbreaker… it was quite a walk.
We had to make it through several small bogs on the way. I only got stuck once, but it wasn’t pretty.
The Wishing Stone at the peak of the hill. The water around it has gathered naturally, and locals and guests either lean or stand on it and send their wishes to the sky.
Somehow we got everyone up there (I’m on the top right hand side)
Just down the hill... paradise
I had to go swimming. The water was so clear I could see my feet even where they couldn’t reach the sand
The group often gathered in the community room at the end of the day to play guitar, games, or just hang about. This room contained the only TV on the island, so naturally we watched all of Gandhi one evening. Not exactly light fare, but well worth the viewing.
Callie "cozies up" in our room
Early morning view from my front door
Fresh apples soon after sunrise
The wind could get pretty intense up there
On the last day - preparing to climb down the dock to float back to civilization
Friday, October 3, 2008
October 3 – Escape from civilization
The whole gang will be heading to the Isle of Erraid starting tomorrow (Saturday the 4th) and we won’t be back until the 11th. Our focalizers aren’t telling us much, just to bring really warm clothes, no computers, and be prepared to use outhouses which are used to make compost for the gardens. “Humanure” is the term for it. There have been books written on the whole process… anyway, toilets aside, the whole thing is supposed to be quite simple, a break from our busy daily lives, a time to reflect and work in a new community.
This is great; one month of intensity tempered by one week of simplicity. Of course, knowing me, I’ll make the simplicity as intense as I can... my way of enjoying life :) I’ll be rebelliously bringing at least one electronic device: my camera comes with me! Updates in a week or so (I won’t be able to check email or blog on the island).
Some Pictures to Ponder while you Pine for my e-Presence:
Oooh...
Study time - the picture speaks for itself :)
Cuddle Puddles help relieve stress at the end of the day
Cooking pond scum at Aussie buddy Craig's handbuilt house after exploring his wild edible garden. Samantha collected some on a whim and brought it in. Craig's response was "well, I've never tried it, but what the 'ell, cook some up."
I am intrigued by the interesting cuisine, but I must admit I preferred the toasted oat cakes to the pond scum.
Craig and Callie pose American Gothic. As usual, Callie can not keep a straight face. She may be more American, but he’s way more Gothic.
This is great; one month of intensity tempered by one week of simplicity. Of course, knowing me, I’ll make the simplicity as intense as I can... my way of enjoying life :) I’ll be rebelliously bringing at least one electronic device: my camera comes with me! Updates in a week or so (I won’t be able to check email or blog on the island).
Some Pictures to Ponder while you Pine for my e-Presence:
Oooh...
Study time - the picture speaks for itself :)
Cuddle Puddles help relieve stress at the end of the day
Cooking pond scum at Aussie buddy Craig's handbuilt house after exploring his wild edible garden. Samantha collected some on a whim and brought it in. Craig's response was "well, I've never tried it, but what the 'ell, cook some up."
I am intrigued by the interesting cuisine, but I must admit I preferred the toasted oat cakes to the pond scum.
Craig and Callie pose American Gothic. As usual, Callie can not keep a straight face. She may be more American, but he’s way more Gothic.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
In regards to the $700bn bailout plan failing (at least this time around), there’s this lovely little ecovillage in Northern Scotland – maybe it’s a good time to take a nice long vacation?
For those of you who don’t regularly wake up with a coffee and a dose of doom, check out news.bbc.co.uk – they have pretty darn thorough coverage in general (and of course further removed, physically and politically). If the address doesn’t work, just google BBC news, America’s in the headlines this week.
Love to all (and I’m serious about that vacation…)
For those of you who don’t regularly wake up with a coffee and a dose of doom, check out news.bbc.co.uk – they have pretty darn thorough coverage in general (and of course further removed, physically and politically). If the address doesn’t work, just google BBC news, America’s in the headlines this week.
Love to all (and I’m serious about that vacation…)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sept. 29 - This One’s for the Tree Huggers
People Huggers are welcome too.
It’s mind-blowing the impact that education can have. In the past few weeks the concept of sustainable living for me has gone from a healthy and wise option to what I perceive to be a necessity. I came into the program largely ignorant of the dire state our world is in – for example, the fact that we have used up all the natural resources needed to sustain the world’s population and are now digging into resources so deeply that the earth won’t be able regenerate them in order to keep us at the living standards we currently enjoy, let alone keep all of us humans alive and the swollen population growing at the same rate. An analogy I liked was the idea of the earth as an apple tree. For a long time, we picked the apples when they were available, and the tree grew more apples – it was more or less mutually beneficial, and certainly not devastating to the tree. Now we’ve begun digging into the trunk, and the tree’s capacity to grow apples is being diminished.
We are using oil faster than it can possibly be found, so unless we “change our ways” we will ultimately hit a huge oil crash; when our stores of oil run out and the oil we’re finding doesn’t even begin to support the life-styles we’ve grown accustomed to. You’ve probably heard this before, but if everyone on the planet consumed at the current rate the U.S. is consuming (food, products, electricity, etc, most of which is greatly affected by oil through transportation or otherwise) we would need 5 and a half earths to keep everyone alive. And that’s just the average. On average, an American citizen is using five and a half the amount of resources that would be allotted to him/her if we were to parcel out everything evenly. That’s pretty impressive.
And that’s just looking at the earth as a bundle of resources for human use. The truth is, humans are just one species on the planet. Our ability to self-reflect and our subsequent position at the top of the food chain (through agricultural, industry, technology, etc) may separate us from other species, but it doesn’t make us indispensable. We could literally wipe ourselves out by over-using what keeps us alive, but the earth will still be around. We don’t need to save the trees. We need to save ourselves (and keeping plenty of trees for the journey wouldn’t hurt…)
I heard that the earth goes through cycles of warmth and cold over massive periods of time (the age of dinosaurs and the ice age, for example). I wondered for a long time (admittedly without really searching for a solution) whether the warming that most scientists agree that we’re experiencing was just another natural cycle, or whether human emissions were significantly affecting our climate. I figured our emissions must have some effect, because it’s undeniable that we’ve been pumping more chemicals into the water and air in the last several decades than we have collectively in human history prior to 1900. Finally I was introduced to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which has issued assessment reports in 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, and the latest, “Climate Change 2007”. The reports indicate that human activity has indeed altered the climate beyond the natural cycles of climate, particularly in the last 50 years or less. (If you want to check out the IPCC, you can go to www.IPCC.ch. It was set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program.) So I’m looking into tracking down actual excerpts from this report and into what the implications of human-induced climate change are – I know it goes beyond a few degrees a year – it affects the way crops behave (did you know that agriculture as a business in North America boasts the greatest use of fossil fuel, far outreaching even the total use of fuel in the U.S. military?), the way oceans and weather behaves (lots of prayers/thoughts going out to Texas!) etc. etc… I’m a baby in the world of science, agriculture, environmentalism, fossil fuels, human sustainability… the old adage about learning more and knowing less seems to be holding true… I feel more naïve and uncultured than I did before I ventured out again… I suppose that’s appropriate. May we never cease to encounter people/places/ideas that bring that familiar (albeit uncomfortable) flush of not-knowing-‘enough’.
It’s mind-blowing the impact that education can have. In the past few weeks the concept of sustainable living for me has gone from a healthy and wise option to what I perceive to be a necessity. I came into the program largely ignorant of the dire state our world is in – for example, the fact that we have used up all the natural resources needed to sustain the world’s population and are now digging into resources so deeply that the earth won’t be able regenerate them in order to keep us at the living standards we currently enjoy, let alone keep all of us humans alive and the swollen population growing at the same rate. An analogy I liked was the idea of the earth as an apple tree. For a long time, we picked the apples when they were available, and the tree grew more apples – it was more or less mutually beneficial, and certainly not devastating to the tree. Now we’ve begun digging into the trunk, and the tree’s capacity to grow apples is being diminished.
We are using oil faster than it can possibly be found, so unless we “change our ways” we will ultimately hit a huge oil crash; when our stores of oil run out and the oil we’re finding doesn’t even begin to support the life-styles we’ve grown accustomed to. You’ve probably heard this before, but if everyone on the planet consumed at the current rate the U.S. is consuming (food, products, electricity, etc, most of which is greatly affected by oil through transportation or otherwise) we would need 5 and a half earths to keep everyone alive. And that’s just the average. On average, an American citizen is using five and a half the amount of resources that would be allotted to him/her if we were to parcel out everything evenly. That’s pretty impressive.
And that’s just looking at the earth as a bundle of resources for human use. The truth is, humans are just one species on the planet. Our ability to self-reflect and our subsequent position at the top of the food chain (through agricultural, industry, technology, etc) may separate us from other species, but it doesn’t make us indispensable. We could literally wipe ourselves out by over-using what keeps us alive, but the earth will still be around. We don’t need to save the trees. We need to save ourselves (and keeping plenty of trees for the journey wouldn’t hurt…)
I heard that the earth goes through cycles of warmth and cold over massive periods of time (the age of dinosaurs and the ice age, for example). I wondered for a long time (admittedly without really searching for a solution) whether the warming that most scientists agree that we’re experiencing was just another natural cycle, or whether human emissions were significantly affecting our climate. I figured our emissions must have some effect, because it’s undeniable that we’ve been pumping more chemicals into the water and air in the last several decades than we have collectively in human history prior to 1900. Finally I was introduced to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which has issued assessment reports in 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, and the latest, “Climate Change 2007”. The reports indicate that human activity has indeed altered the climate beyond the natural cycles of climate, particularly in the last 50 years or less. (If you want to check out the IPCC, you can go to www.IPCC.ch. It was set up by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program.) So I’m looking into tracking down actual excerpts from this report and into what the implications of human-induced climate change are – I know it goes beyond a few degrees a year – it affects the way crops behave (did you know that agriculture as a business in North America boasts the greatest use of fossil fuel, far outreaching even the total use of fuel in the U.S. military?), the way oceans and weather behaves (lots of prayers/thoughts going out to Texas!) etc. etc… I’m a baby in the world of science, agriculture, environmentalism, fossil fuels, human sustainability… the old adage about learning more and knowing less seems to be holding true… I feel more naïve and uncultured than I did before I ventured out again… I suppose that’s appropriate. May we never cease to encounter people/places/ideas that bring that familiar (albeit uncomfortable) flush of not-knowing-‘enough’.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
One of the contradictions I see in this program is amount of work we’re doing in order to learn about the Human Challenge of Sustainability (the subtitle for our program). I acknowledge that a lot of work needs to be done (and quickly) to get the earth survivable for humans and that we as students have a crap-load to learn in a short period of time. What’s frustrating for me is my belief that part of living a sustainable life means slowing down, not burning out at age 35, taking enough time to actually see what needs to be done before moving on to the next task, taking enough time to appreciate the land we want to protect for our own good.
Through the lens of a college student, I do not feel that we’ve had an inordinate amount of work. But through the lens of a human being, I hope the “school work” we’re doing doesn’t interfere with a deeper sense of what it means to live a sustainable lifestyle on a very personal level.
I started writing thinking that the contrast between our work load and the idea of sustainable living was a problem inherent and possibly unavoidable in the program, but I think I’ll switch my paradigm to a more personally responsible one. If I want a balance between trying out a new lifestyle and soaking in some really good head knowledge, that’s what I should pursue.
I have really been attempting to bring a sense of self into everything I do. I’m trying to find a balance between my role and presence in the group and my own ambitions and desires; they do not always go hand-in-hand. Every farm we visit, every paper I write, is there for my own development, and I can take as much or as little as I want from each experience. I don’t have to do anything because the group is doing it, but doing something for the sake of being and learning with the group is as good an excuse as any.
This may sound obvious, but it’s something I can forget when I’m constantly identified as part of a group. I’ll only be taking myself home with me, and while this short-term family will always be a resource for me and I for them, it’s what I personally internalize that will last far longer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER!!! (20? really?!?)
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