I’ll give you an example of mindfulness in action. One of the great weight loss “secrets” is to drink really cold water. In the mindfulness approach to life you would see this as insane. You use energy to chill or even freeze water so you body will burn more energy reheating this water once you drink it and this will burn the excess energy taken in by eating too much food that would otherwise be stored as fat. So the basic idea is to use even more energy to cancel the effects of already wasted excess energy. Crazy.
The justification seems to be that it is not possible for a mere human to have or develop the self discipline to just not be wasteful in the first place. In my opinion this requires a pretty negative self image and that’s the rub. Negative self image is THE money maker in the modern service based economy. If you are a good competent individual it’s a lot harder for me to get your productivity away from you than if you are worthless trash and only I hold your salvation.
Mindfulness isn’t good for the economy. And that mean that while mindfulness might be good for you that means it isn’t good for us. But to believe that you first has to assume that overconsumption is good for us.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Last American Man book review
I just finished reading The Last American Man and I have to say that I consider this an important book. It was originally published in 2002 which was perhaps a bit ahead of the public consciousness but now, in 2011, I think it is a must read.
The book is the story of Eustace Conway but really, despite the laudations on the cover and any of the other reviews you might read, it’s about much more than Mr. Conway. It is as much about North American society told through the filter of a boy who dared to question the assumption that this society is the pinnacle of human endeavour.
The book focuses a lot on the negative aspects of Eustace Conway in an effort to balance the idea of Eustace Conway (I hope that makes sense) but in the end there is a lot to be learned from his philosophy on life – good points and bad points. I would call mindfulness to be a particularly good lesson but obsession not so much. The one thing I felt was missing from the book would have been a bit more about the lives of the DETI’s (disgruntled ex turtle islanders). I think this would have gone a long way to placing Eustace Conway’s philosophies in context of modern America.
Eustace Conway is in some ways presented as a sad contradiction. I see in his story that he is afflicted not so much by his father as the author asserts, he has been more afflicted by his mother’s positivism. Eustace Conway is a man who should be happy and probably would be except for his excessive ambition and dreams of glory. Near the end of the book he laments that sure he could live life the way he thinks it should be lived but then he wouldn’t be changing the world like he thinks he should. If nothing else Eustace Conway is a lesson that goals and dreams are important but also need to be moderate.
At it's conclusion the book finds that the Last American Man, like everyone else, needs to find that precious life/work balance the HR people talk about.
Check it out:
http://www.turtleislandpreserve.com/home
The book is the story of Eustace Conway but really, despite the laudations on the cover and any of the other reviews you might read, it’s about much more than Mr. Conway. It is as much about North American society told through the filter of a boy who dared to question the assumption that this society is the pinnacle of human endeavour.
The book focuses a lot on the negative aspects of Eustace Conway in an effort to balance the idea of Eustace Conway (I hope that makes sense) but in the end there is a lot to be learned from his philosophy on life – good points and bad points. I would call mindfulness to be a particularly good lesson but obsession not so much. The one thing I felt was missing from the book would have been a bit more about the lives of the DETI’s (disgruntled ex turtle islanders). I think this would have gone a long way to placing Eustace Conway’s philosophies in context of modern America.
Eustace Conway is in some ways presented as a sad contradiction. I see in his story that he is afflicted not so much by his father as the author asserts, he has been more afflicted by his mother’s positivism. Eustace Conway is a man who should be happy and probably would be except for his excessive ambition and dreams of glory. Near the end of the book he laments that sure he could live life the way he thinks it should be lived but then he wouldn’t be changing the world like he thinks he should. If nothing else Eustace Conway is a lesson that goals and dreams are important but also need to be moderate.
At it's conclusion the book finds that the Last American Man, like everyone else, needs to find that precious life/work balance the HR people talk about.
Check it out:
http://www.turtleislandpreserve.com/home
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Third Quote
The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money. – Anonymous
I would like to think this is true but in the anonymous society we live in today I think it’s not so much. In my opinion this quote refers to two things as true wealth - knowledge and reputation.
The knowledge part is true even today. Like a tattoo even if it fades a bit with time you carry your knowledge with you for the rest of your life. And like a tattoo it might become outdated (see barbed wire bicep and awesome Pit-Fall II skills) but at least unlike a pile of stuff it doesn’t weight you down.
Reputation is almost meaningless today. Sure in some circles and in some cases your past will follow you but for most of us urbanites reputation doesn’t get us very far. It’s far more important to buy a certificate or diploma that claims you can do something than to actually be able to do it.
I would like to think this is true but in the anonymous society we live in today I think it’s not so much. In my opinion this quote refers to two things as true wealth - knowledge and reputation.
The knowledge part is true even today. Like a tattoo even if it fades a bit with time you carry your knowledge with you for the rest of your life. And like a tattoo it might become outdated (see barbed wire bicep and awesome Pit-Fall II skills) but at least unlike a pile of stuff it doesn’t weight you down.
Reputation is almost meaningless today. Sure in some circles and in some cases your past will follow you but for most of us urbanites reputation doesn’t get us very far. It’s far more important to buy a certificate or diploma that claims you can do something than to actually be able to do it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Boss and I went to the land yesterday to improve the temporary garage repairs. Not Sure if I mentioned that we stopped in on our way home from Christmas to find the roof of the temporary garage had collapsed? Well the roof had collapsed and I didn't have the materials with me to do a decent fix so yesterday we went back up after visiting our friend Tom in Peterborough the night before. Here is a photo of the new patch job:
Once that was done we had a cup of tea and went for a walk which turned into some wintertime exploring of the land. In the winter it's a lot easier to see things as the photos below will attest but what we found was good and bad. I'll start with the bad. The deer ate the new fruit trees we planted this fall (except the plum trees). So much for giving the trees a head start. Who says deer aren't evil?
The Good? We found what appears to be an old discer in the woods by a couple of big rocks. What is a discer you ask? this is a discer:
Hopefully I'll be able to get it out and in working order in the spring but right now it's well frozen into the mossy ground.
Here is the Boss hugging the biggest tree on the land. It's an Oak.
And here she is tackling the bane of our forest - choker vines. I expect to spend some time reducing this threat this winter and these things are pulling down some some good sized trees.
Once that was done we had a cup of tea and went for a walk which turned into some wintertime exploring of the land. In the winter it's a lot easier to see things as the photos below will attest but what we found was good and bad. I'll start with the bad. The deer ate the new fruit trees we planted this fall (except the plum trees). So much for giving the trees a head start. Who says deer aren't evil?
The Good? We found what appears to be an old discer in the woods by a couple of big rocks. What is a discer you ask? this is a discer:
Hopefully I'll be able to get it out and in working order in the spring but right now it's well frozen into the mossy ground.
Here is the Boss hugging the biggest tree on the land. It's an Oak.
And here she is tackling the bane of our forest - choker vines. I expect to spend some time reducing this threat this winter and these things are pulling down some some good sized trees.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The second quote
"What is money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." – Bob Dylan
The Cynic in me suspect that Bob was probably evading a question about a fortune amassed from a string of highly successful albums when he said said it but it's still my dream.
I accept that some money will be needed as long as we have a society to maintain (vote Libertarian!) but I would like to get to a place where I don't need to buy anything. Or at least not much. Most of the people around me seem to have disdain for this idea on the basis that it's a harder life to do for yourself rather than continue to exploit the third world serfs that make our lives so easy. To them (not the serfs, the people around me) the quote might mean when you're rich enough you can do what you want. I used to think like that too but now I see it differently. Now I equate freedom with independence like the old pioneers of the western movies I so enjoy. As long as I am dependent on those third world serfs and the oil and bureaucracy that is used to allow me to profit at a distance I can never truly be free. The more dependent on "the system" I am the more I have to suffer the whims of decision makers who know (and presumably care) nothing of me. So in a nutshell, the land, is all about the Boss and I gaining more freedom through more independence through hard work. and the satisfaction that come with it. Maybe It'll get old fast but I want to find out.
Last night we took blatant advantage of the luxuries of Canadian society and descended into the Big Smoke once again this time to meet up with friends at the Sultan's Tent. a bit more than I usually spend on a restaurant (bear in mind I'm a real cheapskate) but the 4 course meal was good - every course - and the belly dancing was pretty cool too. I recommend it if you ever find yourself in the downtown with money to burn looking for something different. It's only about a 5 minute walk from Union station, maybe less?
www.thesultanstent.com/
The Cynic in me suspect that Bob was probably evading a question about a fortune amassed from a string of highly successful albums when he said said it but it's still my dream.
I accept that some money will be needed as long as we have a society to maintain (vote Libertarian!) but I would like to get to a place where I don't need to buy anything. Or at least not much. Most of the people around me seem to have disdain for this idea on the basis that it's a harder life to do for yourself rather than continue to exploit the third world serfs that make our lives so easy. To them (not the serfs, the people around me) the quote might mean when you're rich enough you can do what you want. I used to think like that too but now I see it differently. Now I equate freedom with independence like the old pioneers of the western movies I so enjoy. As long as I am dependent on those third world serfs and the oil and bureaucracy that is used to allow me to profit at a distance I can never truly be free. The more dependent on "the system" I am the more I have to suffer the whims of decision makers who know (and presumably care) nothing of me. So in a nutshell, the land, is all about the Boss and I gaining more freedom through more independence through hard work. and the satisfaction that come with it. Maybe It'll get old fast but I want to find out.
Last night we took blatant advantage of the luxuries of Canadian society and descended into the Big Smoke once again this time to meet up with friends at the Sultan's Tent. a bit more than I usually spend on a restaurant (bear in mind I'm a real cheapskate) but the 4 course meal was good - every course - and the belly dancing was pretty cool too. I recommend it if you ever find yourself in the downtown with money to burn looking for something different. It's only about a 5 minute walk from Union station, maybe less?
www.thesultanstent.com/
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The new year
I went to the Lions-Vikings game to start off the New Year. It was lots of fun. My first time in Detroit and that was also an eye opener. As a kid we got the Detroit TV stations on cable in my isolated northern hometown so I was aware that in the 1980’s in was the murder capital of the USA so I was surprised by how small the downtown seemed. Small and quiet (allowing for it being an NFL game day). In the back of my mind I know that Detroit is a city in decline and has been for some time now but if even most of the news I saw happened in that downtown it must have been a crazy place after dark.
In other news my holiday plans to do a series of posts about money quotes was a dismal failure with exactly one post being made but that’s the holidays – time just gets away from you (me). I’ll try to get a few more up while we’re all paying off the Christmas credit card bills. How’s that for a lame way to grant myself an extension?
In other news the Boss and I are going to go back to the Paleo diet (again) for the new year. The Boss is going to jump right in but I’m going to ease in this time on the idea that being less strict about it will make it easier for me to stick with it longer. It’s not that the diet is really hard. It’s actually easy to stick to at home, the problem is that it’s hard to eat out or make fast meals when life gets busy and eating in a social context is difficult (and a bigger component of life than you think).
We're also going to start doing yoga again - a new yoga place has opened up a couple of minutes walk from our place - www.birthyogastudio.com - no we're not trying to have a baby it just happens that this place is conveniently located.
Tomorrow I'll weigh in to see how I start my year but don't worry, I won;t bore you with another excruciating account of my weight loss. If I have any.
In other news my holiday plans to do a series of posts about money quotes was a dismal failure with exactly one post being made but that’s the holidays – time just gets away from you (me). I’ll try to get a few more up while we’re all paying off the Christmas credit card bills. How’s that for a lame way to grant myself an extension?
In other news the Boss and I are going to go back to the Paleo diet (again) for the new year. The Boss is going to jump right in but I’m going to ease in this time on the idea that being less strict about it will make it easier for me to stick with it longer. It’s not that the diet is really hard. It’s actually easy to stick to at home, the problem is that it’s hard to eat out or make fast meals when life gets busy and eating in a social context is difficult (and a bigger component of life than you think).
We're also going to start doing yoga again - a new yoga place has opened up a couple of minutes walk from our place - www.birthyogastudio.com - no we're not trying to have a baby it just happens that this place is conveniently located.
Tomorrow I'll weigh in to see how I start my year but don't worry, I won;t bore you with another excruciating account of my weight loss. If I have any.
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