I've returned from my two-week training in Permaculture and Superadobe with tangible, hands-on skills I had been aching for. I learned things like:
It's tempting for land-less, apartment-dwelling permaculturists to feel unable to move forward with the brilliant techniques we've been shown. But there is plenty we can do. Here's four suggestions:
9th Permaculture Principle: Use small + slow solutions.Implementing #4, I started the sequel to my first e-book which was published two years ago. I'm calling it: "IT'S BEAUTIFUL INSIDE: An Introvert's Right To Be." There is wide-spread confusion about extroverts and introverts. People often mistake passion for extroversion, and shyness or introversion. Neither of those are accurate indicators. The way to know the difference between the two is simple -- note the way you recharge yourself. Extroverts recharge through social interaction with others. Introverts recharge through solitary time with themselves. That's the litmus test. In a recent conversation, I shared my strong feelings about my right and need to live more simply and calmly, with time to reflect and create. "Yeah, but it takes all kinds," my extroverted girlfriend said. "If we were all the same, how boring would that be?" Well, that's my point exactly. The modern world highly favors extroverts. They are the cultural ideal, and the demonstrated bias starts early in childhood classrooms (if not sooner), carries into workplaces, and persists in most other aspects of our shared, public life. Even before social media snuck its way into every crack and crevice of our human experiences, we were already well indoctrinated with the idea that it's rude to decline invitations (even if we'd really rather not go), and it's smart to kiss the butts of those with power + influence (even if we don't like or respect the powerful person). Fakery and pretense was anchored in at an early age, and called socialization. And in too many circles, sincerity is considered naive. I think it's funny that parents and penal systems both use "solitary confinement" as a form of punishment. I consider solitude splendid. Social charades is what I find punishing. Don't get me wrong. I know that our species is a social one. But it is destructive that on a very regular basis, introverts, empaths, sensitives, and anyone who cherishes interiority is shamed and cajoled into acting in ways that are simply untrue for us. We should have the academic, professional and social freedom to be who and how we are, minus the burden of feeling inadequate just because we require time-outs from others, and time-ins with ourselves. There are a lot of helpful articles + books on the matter. I have a Big Idea of my own to add to the conversation (hence the started sequel), but I raise this praise of inwardness now because... ...rather than whine about how the world doesn't feel like a place in which I belong, I needed a more pro-active solution, and I found it. QUESTION: How do I create a world in which I can genuinely flourish, rather than miserably "fake it"? ANSWER: Permaculture and Superadobe are two technologies that actually and literally empower you to take matters into your own generative hands, and build a home, a food system, and a life that you find sane and satisfying. These two weird words help me not only protest the absurd stuff I find objectionable (like hyper-consumption + ecocide), but they also show me how to protect the precious stuff I find valuable (like living lightly + mindfully). An example of this principle in action is seen in "Baby Steps," above. And an older version of this statement -- still floating around in my memory banks -- is from Zechariah 4:10 of the Old Testament, which says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." YOUR TURN. QUESTION FOR YOU. What's a small or slow solution you can implement, to begin your work, whatever that may be? Let me know in the comments below. It's Beautiful Inside: An Introvert's Right To Be.Free-range thinking on the land between your ears.
Hi Erika! 11/12/2014 11:15:21 am
Jill, I checked out your post and am inspired by Kady's ingenuity. NYC. Chicago. Urban permaculturists unite! :-) 12/3/2014 02:08:34 am
Hi Erika 12/7/2014 05:54:59 am
Shelley! You + your visit here have brightened my day :-) I miss you, too, and the wonderful learning + connecting rhythms we established at Cal-Earth. Thank goodness technology is helping us to keep them going. Hooray for your purging! It's such a great feeling to release the purposeless, and make space for the vital. Mmmmm-good.... How awesome that something useful can come from all our paper waste. Comments are closed.
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The question "How are you?" is PROFOUND. But it has been watered-down to a synonym for "Hello." Forced or fake auto-responses of obligated okay-ness are expected. (And if you are going through something tragic, it really doesn't matter! Every social encounter OPENS with this well-established Ritual of Insincerity.) The question "How are you?" prompts an answer that begins with "I AM _____________." This means many times each day, you are invited to SPEAK THE MOST POWERFUL STATEMENT that can be spoken of yourself. And the socially-expected thing to do, is be QUICK + SLICK with your answer. For a change... TAKE YOUR TIME, and tell your truth. ✍🏾 |