Driving Towards Nothing

I get inspired by books, by radio programs and podcasts and sometimes I write about them. This time it's a book. I guess you could say I stole this book. I downloaded a pdf file online. It was free. The authour passed away some years ago and after reading a bit of his book I am sure he would not mind. The One Straw Revolution, written by Masanobu Fukuoka is one of those life manuals that are often overlooked by the mainstream. It has had brief surges of popularity over the past 35 years but most people have never heard of it.
Fukuoka was a farmer in Japan. He maintained some of the most productive lands in that country with natural farming practices. He used no fertilizers, no chemicals, no conventional compost methods and, possibly most impressively, never turned the soil. He called his method "do-nothing" farming. This is slightly inaccurate, the true expression has been lost in translation from japanese to english. It was Fukuoa's belief that humans could not fully understand nature, as the complexities of the relationships found in nature are beyond our mental capacity. This is a view that I share. He also came to realize that our beliefs and efforts are meaningless, self centered even if in the best of intentions. This is a hard idea to grasp for alot of people, but it is so true. We are only part of a cycle. Life and death.
Our egos drive us. Everything you do throughout your whole life is the name of self aggrandizement. Your feelings, happiness, embarrassment, anger, frustration, lust, all ego. Perhaps the only one that is not directly tied to ego is true love. True love cannot be explained. It's natures' realm. Like one of the elements. I suppose every living creature feels love, yet only humans have the capacity to be driven by ego.
So are we truly driving towards nothing? I have been asking myself this question alot lately, have written about my frustrations with the system on this blog. Fukuoka has shown that a productive existence can be lived without the means of modern industrial methods. A small group of people are trying to incorporate this knowledge into the mainstream and we are largely being ignored, or pointed out to be radicals, anti establishment and political extremists. We are the permaculturists.
We do not arm ourselves with grenades and rockets. We do not use violence. We do not inflict damage upon the land, nor impose ourselves upon the rights of others. We pledge ourselves to a simple element. Love. Love of nature. That simple element goes far beyond the realm of our understanding but we do not fear. We can only observe nature and try to duplicate her methods to the best of our abilities. Once we have found success in our work and have gathered enough resources for ourselves we must share the surplus. It is in our ethics. This is why we share our knowledge with you. Often free of charge, for only in times of no surplus can we accept payment for our duties. We are born with nothing and so shall we return to the earth free of material belongings. Our legacy is in the systems we create that will sustain life in natures' terms for decades after we are gone.
If any of this makes sense to you, or if you are completely baffled by it but intrigued at the same time, get yourself a copy of One Straw Revolution.

Little Green Lies

Today has been interesting. It was my last 12 hour night shift before a well deserved week off. Today is also my travel day, so after working all night I get to sleep for an hour or two before I have to pack up my belongings and head for the airport. I do not have a vehicle in Fort McMurray so I use transit, taxi or my own two feet. It works and is way less hassle than you might think. Suncor provides our transportation to and from site, this helps alleviate much of the traffic on the highway north of town. Once again I find myself going of track...
To make a long story short the airstrip in Comox was fogged in so my homeward flight was diverted to Victoria.  Now I am riding a bus north to Comox.  I spend alot of time on the bus! What a green way to travel right? Well maybe not so much.
Throughout the last couple years I have been interested in and studying the way we live. Let me tell you, the more I learn the more disgusted I become. Green tech is all the rage right? CFL, low flush toilets, low-e windows, high eff gas furnaces and water heaters, fuel efficient trucks with ecoboost 400hp engines, plant based water bottles, green detergents, green cosmetics, the list goes on. Guess what? All that stuff, all that new, cutting edge tech, it's all bullshit. It's all a consumerist fucking lie and society is buying it hook, line and sinker.
All these innovations are patches on a ship that has already sunk.
What I ask of you now is to go to youtube and search a man named Michael Reynolds.  Alternatively type in earthship. You will find some short videos, Ted talks and most importantly a full length video called "Garbage Warrior". Once you have watched a few of these videos you will begin to form an understanding of what real green tech is. We're talking permaculture living. Biotecture. It's an art of passion. It's almost too easy to believe. Total freedom. What a way to live. My dream. A necessity.

Of Weal and Wealth

Hello,
Today I would like to discuss a definition. The definition of wealth. I have cited a few online dictionaries and have a slightly different view on the term.
You see most definitions of wealth speak of intrinsic value, they imply a monetary value to the word. They define wealth as the collection of material items or monies. Items that can be used as collateral or trade. In this search I found the root of the word which is weal (pronounced well). Weal is a state of wellness that goes beyond the wallet. In communal terms, the common weal of the people is a measure of the health and prosperity of a community.
To me wealth is an egoic term. Wealth is dangerous. Wealth or the lust for it causes war, destuction of the ecosystem, and the statifacation of society. It is hierarchical. It is non inclusive. It is what our current model is based upon. Capitalist, consumerist, disgusting. You see it is my belief that by chasing wealth you are in fact making yourself and others sick and are directly contributing to the desecration of your home. You must understand that your home is more than just the four walls that surround you. Your home is your neighborhood, your town, your province, your country. Your earth is your home. It is the only place in the universe where you, as a living creature can survive.
The earth is regenerative. It uses its rivers and oceans to cleanse the atmosphere and regulate climate. It uses plants and animals to heal damaged ecosystems and create successive, biodiverse communities that have one thing in common. Weal. Natural ecosytems are interdependent. From the microscopic nematodes to the mycelium to the rhizome all the way up to the bear, the puma and the raptor, each organism contributes to the common health and prosperity of the system. Fungi, prarie grasses, krill, salmon. These are keystone species, organisms that the natural world relies on for survival. Humans are not a keystone species.
If we want to survive we must embrace weal. For our common well being is interdependent on the health of our environment. Weal is stewardship. Weal is forgiveness. Weal is healing. Weal is love. Weal is easy. It is what nature intended for us.

The Night Shift

So, I got myself this fancy new superphone and the Blogger app. So far this is alot easier than using the tablet I was on before. Two reviews in one. Samsung Galaxy S4, amazing technological device, not sure if I will ever use it to its full potential. Blogger app, easy as pie to use. There you are hopefully the check is in the mail.
Alas, the whole reason I decided to write tonight is because I cannot get to sleep. I do not typically suffer from sleep abnormalities, except a lack of good rest. I suppose this is self inflicted as I have chosen a line of work that requires long hours. My current schedule is 7 days, 7 nights, 7 off, 12 hour shifts plus 1.5 hours commute. It is a bit of an arduous schedule. Apparently it's safer than working straight days or nights. Whoever figured that out never tried it for a year or two. I don't really know where this is going so bear with me. I think where I am at right now is just a general dissatisfaction with work in general. Mostly the machine. I am not a fan of feeding this machine. I am sick of being a hamster on the wheel. It's not that I am a slack ass, or completely anti- establishment, an anarchist maybe, but I have a strong sense of community which is actually a value of an anarchist system. I have a want to be part of something epic. Creating something good. For the betterment of mankind. I feel restrained. Shackled to the bars that seperate me from my goals. I can see it but can't seem to break free. This is a resentment that is eating at my soul, it turns me inward, towards the darkness. The night shift.
I look for inspiration and it surrounds me.
I see it in a few of my friends, the ones that are finding happiness in simplicity. The amature athletes competing in the winter olympics in Sochi, Russia. Through pain an adversity they struggle to accomplish their dreams.
Maybe I am not trying hard enough. Maybe I am before my time.
I really don't know. For possibly the first time in my life I feel like that is the right answer. I do not know. That's a step in the right direction I guess, not having the answer and being ok with it. Waiting for guidance, a sign from above that it's time to make a move. A move to break the chains. Simplicity is sustainability, I think there is something to that statement.  How I implement that is another question.  The answer lies in observation. The natural systems that surround us always hold the answer, you just have to go in with eyes wide open. Day or night.

The Insanity of Humanity

There is so much bullshit!!!!!! Sometimes I just want to scream. Other times I ask myself why I care, or try to convince myself I actually don't care and hope the whole system just fucking implodes on itself and the only ones left standing are the preppers and the permies. Alas, I do care. I have that constantly active mind that really wants to make things better, and by better I don't mean more profitable. I mean ethically, socially and ecologically better. So my question is how do you sell an idea that makes life better in the long run but may cause a little disruption in the dreams and aspirations of so many disengaged, misinformed, depressed, brainwashed consumption addicts that still believe that SuperWalmart is the best thing since sliced bread, or that sliced bread is even a good thing? Now I am no saint, I get stuck in the bullshit too, it is a hard habit to kick, but I am trying to work my way out. Opting out is harder than it sounds. The system is not set up for people that like to work for something better, it's set up for those that want to throw away what they have and buy new shit. It's an instant gratifacation, pain free, no sweat society that is a self destructive nightmare. We are poisoning the groundwater, leaving chem trails in the sky, desertifying the prarie. We are being forcefed herbicide. We are metabolically deranged to the point that our bodies are attacking themselves, rendering us reliant on pills. The ocean is full of plastic. All of this shit is happening, a new oil spill every day, some that they can't contain, millions of cubic feet of CH4 leaking into the sea, and eventually the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas far more damaging than CO2 which is also released by hydraulic fracturing, an environmental catastrophy in it's own right. You don't here about the good stuff that is going on. The good stuff is not mainstream. The good stuff is silenced because it doesn't jive with the bullshit. They don't think it's good for us because they can't control it. It's not inspected by a suit and tie with a rubber stamp. We don't need to lobby the government to let us do this, we can remediate our land, grow a food forest in our front yard, trade work for goods, capture water, compost our garbage and shit, generate our own electricity, consume less, share more and live life by the earths' terms, by our terms. There is so much I want to do, but most of it is illegal. But I am going to forge ahead, and if a few people get pissed off along the way because they don't have an open mind than so be it. I see a need for change and I am going to facilitate this change somehow, over time, with patients and through trial and error. I know there will be struggles, but hard work and determination always pays off. Start small, and work towards your goal. The bullshit overload is just too much, that could well be the best motivator I have.

My Community, My Home; A Vision Statement

Hello friends, I have recently been enrolled in a mooc (massive open online course) titled "Intro to Sustainability". One of the assignments, the final essay, is a vision statement outlining your goals toward living a sustainable life. I thought I would share this with you and possibly spur some conversation on the subject, I would love to share some of the information I have learned in this course with you.
My Community, My Home;
Building wellness and education, a hands on approach is applied to sustainable living. By growing relationships with like-minded individuals, and sharing our combined knowledge and experience, we will help organize community based activities that promote sustainable practices in the home, garden and beyond. Initially I shall continue to be involved in my community, helping neighbours and upholding an awareness of global issues. The next step is to allow myself the time to maintain and improve my home and land to run both efficiently and productively within a permaculture system, this work is critical and ongoing. In the long term, other community members shall be contacted with the possibility of a business/co-op to help construct sustainable projects within the community.

Back in Black

Hi guys and gals! It's been a while eh? To be honest with you I have been thinking about the blog lately, pondering my future in social media and how I can either (a)stop it all together, (b)keep laying low and pretend it doesn't exist or (c)give it another go and try to make it exciting again. My biggest reason for laying low as of late is simply my work schedule, I have not been working a night shift and therefor do not have that transition shift where I used to find time to write. I am also going through a bit of a lesson in humility, I really need to get away from pushing my ideas, let go of some of my grandious visions and just be a contributing member of my community. I still feel a strong sense of leadership, that is just part of me that will not die. I believe that by leading by example, calmly and quietly, your message will get through to those who are ready and willing to learn and share your common goal. So yes, I admit it, I have been pushy, demanding and biased when it comes to certain changes I have made in my life and if any of you who read my blog have been concerned, offended or otherwise, I sincerely apologize and hope that I can withdraw my urge to be 'popular' for lack of a better term. When it all boils down most of what we do from day to day is rather self serving and we do need to slow down once in a while. That being said, I am back on this crazy schedule of seven days, seven nights, seven off. I should find time once again to write! I am excited because I get to watch myself, I want to se if I can stick to my guns, it is difficult to keep your ego in check. I often find myself caught up in conversations about other people, you know what I am talking about here, the classic office gossip, the rumour mill. These petty little words that you use to make yourself feel better than that guy or girl. It's all self serving bullshit! It drives me crazy because I know it's wrong, yet I still do it. So, I hope in this admission of guilt there is reprive. Possibly, just maybe, by actually printing these words the message will finally get through this thick skull. It may be difficult to avoid these types of conversations, I guess I will have to figure out something to skirt to chatter to a different topic, or just outright say that I would rather not talk about other peoples' problems or shortcomings. I have enough of my own, thankyou very much! I truly wish you all the best in the new year, happy holidays, enjoy your family and friends, and please find time to give a little back to your community in any way that you can, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to you.