I was watching 30 Days tonight. It is a tv series by the guy, Morgan, who did "Super Size Me". He has people (including himself) going into lives that they are opposed to or unfamiliar with, and living in that life for 30 days.
Tonight, I watched an episode where Morgan goes to prison for 30 days. It was really hard to watch it. There are so many things I don't agree with about the current U.S. prison system. He talked about the lack of any real productive options for spending time during the day-to-day. I hope you have more options than just reading and watching tv.
I think the hardest part, for me, is that I want to do something to help - you and others - but what kinds of things could I do? I don't have the finances to send a lot of things, or to make trips to visit. It's very frustrating.
I'm thinking of doing a regular lesson session with the kids to teach them our beliefs, mainly focusing on the Heathen Virtues (Heathenry being the Norse/Viking religion). It's what Stormie mostly follows, and I really like the values that it focuses on.
We would have to start with my favorite Virtue, responsibility. In Heathenry, you are judged by your actions, and your value as a member of society is based on your reputation. Consistent behavior becomes who you are, spiritually (they call it a person's Wyrd - rhymes with bird, or sounds like weird, depending on who's pronouncing it). Also, it is up to the individual to make right any wrong doings. This feeds right in to my teaching the kids that saying sorry is only half of it; you also have to do your best to fix it, and change your behavior.
I may just blog out the lessons, first, to get all my chaotic thoughts in order prior to doing it, but that smacks of procrastination. I've been so swamped with Farmer's Market, work, making brisket for Hay Days, back-to-school, etc., it seems like I'm busting my ass and not getting anything done.
Speaking of Hay Days, it was the 6th and we took the kids on the rides. Logan told Dharma that there was a shark in the ball pit of the fun house. He forgot to specify that it was a picture and she got scared and had to go back. The lady refunded her tickets and we talked Dharma into trying again. She was so afraid of the ball pit (it was pretty deep for her - about 2 ft deep), but she made it through with lots of encouragement. We were very proud of her for facing her fears like that. Parenting win!
Logan is in 3rd grade; he's doing really well this year. His teacher is older and doesn't seem to be as obsessed with the little things, so he's getting along much better this year. He reads at a 4th grade level (prolly higher, but the reading classes only go up to level 4 in 3rd grade) and he's picking up math pretty well. I think he prefers science class overall. His eye surgery (#3!) went well and he's not to wear glasses for the next month.
Dharma is in her 2nd year of preschool. She got a mohawk (just like brother!) and it's so adorable. We call her punk baby. She is doing really well after her oral surgery. Hopefully, the kids are done with their tooth issues for awhile (both had soft enamel, a hereditary thing - I'm blaming Mom lol).
Stormie is waiting on his next raise in QA. He has such adventures at work. Tonight, he got cut by a tooth from one of the cows. I accused him of getting bitten by a zombie. Haha! Once, he reached out and caught a knife that one of the employees was using to try to stab a supervisor. He probably saved the guy's life. Stormie got written up, of course - safety violation and all. At least he was wearing metal mesh gloves, so he only got a little nick on his hand.
I'm still baking like a mad woman, making jams and jellies, and working at the coffee shop. I'll be doing edits on the cookbook this week, between artisan bread, baguettes and (maybe) pretzels. Then, pics for the cookbook. I don't know if you are interested in hearing about the foods I'm making, but I'll go into more detail if you want (with pics). I've been experimenting with a lot of different foods.
The Farmer's Market is going well this year. I've had two weeks of making over $40, which is pretty good for my small selection. We have 5 peach trees fruiting this year. Since we don't use chemical sprays, we can actually go out, pick a peach and take a bite. Some gardeners have asked us if we have pest bugs, but we have so many snakes, spiders and preying mantises that take care of those, we haven't had a problem.
Well, I think you are pretty well caught up. Let me know if I can get you something specific. Love you, and be safe and well.
Books and information for raising children in the Pagan community with Pagan beliefs.
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Sunday, June 9, 2013
A Question of Sustainability
Are we on an unsustainable path?
The short answer is, “Yes.” We cannot continue to do what we are doing throughout the world. Sadly, this seems to be most extreme where I live: the United States.
There are so many things that people do, particularly in the States, that contribute to this wrong path. This includes the extreme resistance people have here towards anything that smacks of socialism. Unfortunately, socialism is often about combined effort for greater good. The U.S. has acted poorly on the Monsanto issue, the Gulf oil spill and all that goes with it, the Keystone XL pipeline, and so much more.
Additionally, the U.S. missed the opportunity some 25 years ago to push forward the relatively new technologies for solar energy collection (I’m mostly referring to President Carter’s installation of solar panels on the White House, which I believe could have set the stage for a different governmental attitude towards energy, had Reagan not been elected).
The U.S. cemented it’s stance of denial with the Kyoto Protocol. This constant elevation of capitalism (making money) over the future of humanity on this planet has turned the U.S. into something that I believe will lead to the U.S. becoming irrelevant to the world stage as anything other than a military force (if we aren’t already). We are seeing the start of this irrelevance as other countries take steps that the U.S. should have taken a long time ago. As Germany takes a lead in environmental policy, as Amsterdam initiates a public bike sharing program in the 1960s, as India takes a stand against Monsanto's lies.
This leads me to the long answer, which is “Yes, but that isn’t something that we can’t change.” As the Turkish proverb goes “No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road, turn back.”
It is never too late. The point of no return is the destruction of the planet (in regards to human life). Anything else can be fixed, or at least mitigated. We can change, and we can change now. The only thing we need to decide is, how much worse will we make it before we make it better? And when will you (the individual) begin to participate?
Each one of us can do even a small part, because those small parts, those tiny changes are magnified by the sheer numbers of the human population. If the populations of industrialized nations alone work towards sustainable living, participating in creating and supporting renewable energy resources, recycling programs, and personal resource conservation, we would see a huge change worldwide. Each of us has the power. The power to choose:
The short answer is, “Yes.” We cannot continue to do what we are doing throughout the world. Sadly, this seems to be most extreme where I live: the United States.
There are so many things that people do, particularly in the States, that contribute to this wrong path. This includes the extreme resistance people have here towards anything that smacks of socialism. Unfortunately, socialism is often about combined effort for greater good. The U.S. has acted poorly on the Monsanto issue, the Gulf oil spill and all that goes with it, the Keystone XL pipeline, and so much more.
Additionally, the U.S. missed the opportunity some 25 years ago to push forward the relatively new technologies for solar energy collection (I’m mostly referring to President Carter’s installation of solar panels on the White House, which I believe could have set the stage for a different governmental attitude towards energy, had Reagan not been elected).
The U.S. cemented it’s stance of denial with the Kyoto Protocol. This constant elevation of capitalism (making money) over the future of humanity on this planet has turned the U.S. into something that I believe will lead to the U.S. becoming irrelevant to the world stage as anything other than a military force (if we aren’t already). We are seeing the start of this irrelevance as other countries take steps that the U.S. should have taken a long time ago. As Germany takes a lead in environmental policy, as Amsterdam initiates a public bike sharing program in the 1960s, as India takes a stand against Monsanto's lies.
This leads me to the long answer, which is “Yes, but that isn’t something that we can’t change.” As the Turkish proverb goes “No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road, turn back.”
It is never too late. The point of no return is the destruction of the planet (in regards to human life). Anything else can be fixed, or at least mitigated. We can change, and we can change now. The only thing we need to decide is, how much worse will we make it before we make it better? And when will you (the individual) begin to participate?
Each one of us can do even a small part, because those small parts, those tiny changes are magnified by the sheer numbers of the human population. If the populations of industrialized nations alone work towards sustainable living, participating in creating and supporting renewable energy resources, recycling programs, and personal resource conservation, we would see a huge change worldwide. Each of us has the power. The power to choose:
- to use cloth bags for shopping
- to use non-chemical cleaners
- to foster native plant systems on our properties
- to grow a garden
- to bike when possible
- to protest and educate people on chemicals and GMO foods
- to support those politicians and activists who take up these causes
- to raise our children with this knowledge and the mindset that we can make the difference
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