So, Tim and David have posts this week that strike a chord in me, I think even the same one.
How do we fail to let ourselves be led because of our rootedness in the "real world" - what would it be to simply offer ourselves up to spirit? (and quaker process, and radical back-to-the land localism???) What if we didn't say "cool, but I have to make dinner/pay the mortgage/be realistic"
Would we all just starve within the week? Would it be too hard? I don't know too much about Marshall's upcoming trek, but I am seriously inspired that he's doing a seemingly crazy, risky thing, at the call of spirit.
And, even if we're truly called, it's no guarantee that we won't starve within the week. I still lack the faith, but I feel the call, not to do any particular outlandish thing, but to be fully open, my spiritual bags packed and ears open for whatever road calls to me.
Eek.
peace
Pam
3 comments:
Hi Pam, I have question (most likely silly), can you explain or unpack what you mean by "radical back-to-the land localism?" I assume this is something unprogrammed Quakers talk about, but I have no idea what you mean -- it does sound tasty though...
Wess,
I don't think anyone else, programmed or unprogrammed, uses that phrase much. I have a tendency to make up compound phrases like that and throw them around like they're in common usage (isnt' everyone tapped into my brain??)
I was mostly referring to some of what David is talking about in his post. And perhaps what Zach and Carl have touched on, as well as others.
Basically in my brain a bunch of things all go together.
organic food
sustainable land practices
local economy
simple living (not just the new trendy yuppie simple, but horse and buggy simple, or suchlike)
growing your own food
knowing the folks who produce (near?) everything you use
and I could probably go on, if I took longer
so, sort of throw all that together in a big mix, and you get something that is (at least something like) radical back-to-the-land localism"
I read an article about local/sustainable farming in mother jones this morning, and the author begins it by talking about how he heard this farmer raised really tasty chickens, and called and asked him to send him one, and he said "I can't" - so of course, the author of course thought he lacked the technology, and offered to arrange to have FedEx pick it up and deal with it all, but the farmer said, no, you don't understand, I can't - It basically wasn't compatible with his farming ethic to FedEx food. You have to see his farm, look him in the eye, if you want one of his chickens.
That's part of it too.
peace
Pam
Pam, this is a great explanation. I don't think I've ever heard someone use this exact phrase, but I knew just what you meant.
I just read about a new phrase, to be a "locavore" which basically means to eat only food grown within 100 miles of home. The woman featured in the article ordinarily gets about 75% of her food within that radius, and during their annual locavore challenge month, it tops out at about 95%. The hardest parts: soy sauce, coffee, chocolate, vanilla do not grow even in our abundant area.
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