More Wood, Less Plastic

Wood, is 100% biodegradable, but with careful use and proper care, there is no reason some wood products would ever need to be tossed in the bin.

A lot of stuff on the internet says you should replace your wooden spoons every 5 years or so. 

That has not been my experience. I could be slowly poisoning myself and not know it, but I don't think so.

Although wood is naturally anti-bacterial, you certainly don't want to be stirring your food with an old woody bacteria trap. 

Just like a wooden cutting board, if the wood spoon is cared for properly, and isn't cracked, split, or smelly, I don't see why it couldn't last for decades. 

There is one in my kitchen that gets regular use that belonged to Linda's mom, who used it for who knows how long before she gave it to us. 

We have had it for 30 years. When I use it I can feel its power, more like a cooking wand than a spoon. 

It crackles with the power of creating thousands of handmade meals over the years. Or maybe that's the bacteria.

Most people would agree that wood products like toys, furniture, boxes, trunks, and kitchenware are much more attractive than plastic or metal alternatives. 

Wood generally ages well and becomes more beautiful and full of character over time. Just like humans! 

Wood products are not only naturally non-toxic and beautiful, they are also completely biodegradable, and if done right are 100% sustainable.

What this old world needs is more wood, and less plastic.

Inflation Fighters

While we are experiencing the worst moment of inflation since the 1980s, there are always options for consumers. 

Amongst those options are:

- switching to cheaper products 

- switching to cheaper brands 

- asking for a pay rise

- getting a second job (we don't recommend this one)

- shopping around for best deals

 

- using discount offers like cards, coupons, and cyclical sale loss leaders 

And finally, my personal favourites,

- using less by cutting the amount of the item consumed, and 

- not buying the product at all

What are your favourite inflation fighters?

Buddha's Last Words

The last words of Buddha were his final advise from which we could all benefit.

“Behold, O monks", he said, "this is my last advice to you." 

"All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting." 

"Work hard to gain your own salvation. Do your best.”

Consummation, skills, and heedfulness is required we are told.

Roughly, it is done through meditation,  and protecting oneself from "outside effluent", desires, and resulting suffering.

And how optimistic is it to be reminded  that all things that arise, will eventually fade away? 

The way we are today is not the way it will always be.

The Buddha tells us that our actions do make a difference, and that they can make a very positive difference.

We can improve, if we work diligently to be our best and become more skilled at this thing called life.

Working on that, we will assuredly bring peace, freedom, and happiness to all beings.

Groupthink

What the heck is going on in the collective human brain? 

Whatever it is, it has accelerated over the past four years, making me think long and hard about societal mental decline.

The psychological phenomenon of groupthink goes a long way to describing current conditions.

"Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs."  

 - Wiki

We are social animals. Fitting in is an important survival instinct. But at what point does going with the group begin to reduce our chances of survival?

What are the symptoms of groupthink?

*Illusions of unanimity lead members to believe that everyone is in agreement and feels the same way. It is often much more difficult to speak out when it seems that everyone else in the group is on the same page.

*Unquestioned beliefs lead members to ignore possible moral problems and not consider the consequences of individual and group actions.

*Rationalizing prevents members from reconsidering their beliefs and causes them to ignore warning signs.

*Stereotyping leads members of the in-group to ignore or even demonize out-group members who may oppose or challenge the group's ideas. This causes members of the group to ignore important ideas or information.

*Self-censorship causes people who might have doubts to hide their fears or misgivings. Rather than sharing what they know, people remain quiet and assume that the group must know best.

*"Mindguards" act as self-appointed censors to hide problematic information from the group. Rather than sharing important information, they keep quiet or actively prevent sharing.

*Illusions of invulnerability lead members of the group to be overly optimistic and engage in risk-taking. When no one speaks out or voices an alternative opinion, it causes people to believe that the group must be right.

*Direct pressure to conform is often placed on members who pose questions, and those who question the group are often seen as disloyal or traitorous.

 

- Kendra Cherry

Doesn't that all sound creepily, accurately, and depressingly familiar?

Groupthink causes us to think, and therefore do, things we wouldn't ordinarily if we were thinking for ourselves.

It blinds us to the truth. It sidelines rational thinking, understanding, compassion and love all at the same time which makes it a powerfully destructive force.

I have always tried to resist groupthink, and be confident enough to stand up for who I am and what I believe in. 

It is possible for the group to be wrong, and in many cases, catastrophically wrong. Historically there's no lack of examples, including a few horrific cases that are ongoing right now.

I'm not buying into any of their self-serving manipulations by way of getting us all right where they want us - working for them, buying their stuff and their lies, and bending obsequiously to their will. 

Instead, I am dangerously flirting with an awakening by questioning everything (especially my own beliefs and knowledge), doing my own research, and thinking for myself.

From the system's perspective, people who dare to do this, seek the truth, are a threat. 

As someone trying to be a descent human being, I see it as my responsibility.

What do you think?

All Lives Are Matter

Some people think that it is impossible to have a just and peaceful world without honouring all life by making all life matter.

This is because they feel that no life is free until all life is free.

I try to practice that in my own life by seeing the spark that I have within me, in every other life form. 

We are the same.

We all just want to be free.

Freedom consists of three main principles:

1) The absence of coercion or restraint.

2) The absence of physical constraints in natural conditions.

3) The possession of the means to achieve the objective one chooses of one’s own volition.

Here is my in-home protocol to live and let live.

* If it is a small to medium spider - enjoy observing it going about its day. Thank it for its service.

* If it is a large spider - catch and release in the garage or outside. Thank it for its service.

* If it is a ladybug - get a tiny piece of apple or raisin, give it to the visitor, then observe it going about its cute, little, business. If it is still around in the spring, take it out to the garden.

* If it flies - hustle it out the nearest door or window.

* If it has too many legs to count and moves fast - try not to freak out, catch and release outside. Or miss, and watch it scuttle under the baseboard and disappear. Again, try not to freak out. Try not to think about it.

I feel bad when I kill, or cause killing on my behalf. The life form subjected to death does not matter. 

It is the Jain in me that knows that "the function of our souls is to help one another".

All lives are sacred. (Even ticks and mosquitos... I guess. No one said this would be easy.)

All lives matter. (And as scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, "All lives are matter.")

All lives. 

Until all lives are free, no lives are free.

The Truth is Not A Crime

The truth is coming out, which is why the Establishment will do everything we let them get away with to hide or stop it.

Lies are being exposed as the internet fulfills its ultimate purpose - connecting us, and bringing information to the people. 

That is why they are now in the process of censoring everything they don't like by labelling it mis/mal/disinformation and/or a conspiracy theory.

They are so panicked that Western "democratic" nations are beginning to criminalize the truth. 

Now we are all at risk of getting "Assanged". What they are doing to him will eventually be revisited upon each and every one of us globally unless we do something to stop it.

In France, for example, it is now illegal to say anything negative about covid jabs or any other mandated by the state medical intervention.

Will the post I recently wrote in which I ask questions about electric vehicles some day be a criminal act because it dares to question the official narrative?

Will my writings also be punishable by 3 years in prison AND a $48,500 dollar fine?

Try as they might to hold back the tide, they are only delaying the inevitable. 

The truth always comes out in the end, no matter how hard anyone tries to hide or stop it. And with a free and open internet, this is doubly true. It is the greatest possible threat to their diabolical plans.

Yes, they have the guns, and the money, and the organization, and a bunch of psychopathic minions wiling to do the system's bidding for a price.

But we have the numbers, we have the love, and we have the truth.

A Slow Simple Life

I have often wondered if living a slow, simple life is more desirable to people tending toward introversion. 

It seems to make sense because internals need less to get their kicks than externals. 

Such a way of living is vastly misunderstood, or at least misrepresented.

Having few external desires, and living with just enough, and possibly away from it all, is painted as misanthropic, a deficiency of some sort, or an outright mental illness.

As usual, follow the money. 

Rewarding the pursuit of external stimulation gets people out of their homes and spending. 

Therefore, extroversion is favoured in consumer nations. 

Maybe, in part, that preference is why simplicity has not been a popular choice. 

A quiet, inward-focused life is not business friendly. There is little profit to be made there. 

However, there is nothing wrong with spending time alone, or living a quiet, mindful, simple life, despite what our cultural conditioning tells us.

Maybe if more people tried it, they may find that they like it more than being on the constant treadmill of consumerism.

Make It Last: Cars

I made my very first car last me for 13 years.

My first car, a used 1969 Mustang, was bought for $750 dollars. I fixed it up myself in my parent's garage, then proceeded to drive it for the next 13 years. 

When I decided to try going car-free for a while, I sold it... for $750 dollars.

Buying a car has become a bit more expensive since then. 

Right now it is more expensive than it has ever been, with the average price of a new car in Canada having risen by 30% just since 2019. 

The best way to beat car manufacturers selling $50,000 average vehicles is to not buy them. That was our choice when our van went to the vehicle cemetery a few years back.

The next vehicle I buy will be a mountain bike.

However, most people have cars, and often need cars to do the things required to get by. Our entire system is designed to encourage the buying and use of cars, because that is where the money's at.

For those that need a car, the best way to beat big vehicle manufacturers is to make your ride last as long as possible, like my Mustang experience.

The British actor known as Mr. Bean agrees with me. He has pointed out that the world would be better off environmentally if we would keep our vehicles longer. 

While cars are built to last about 14 years, the majority of drivers replace their cars before they are 5 years old.

Rowan Atkinson said, and he has degrees in electrical engineering, that keeping our regular vehicles longer is better for the climate than switching to an all electric fleet.

Of course, that was massively controversial, and he was immediately demonized for saying so. 

The media went on to singlehandedly blame him for declining electric vehicle sales, never mind the possibility that consumers are finding they just don't like the heavy, expensive, and somewhat awkward to operate new cars.

Perhaps we should have a debate about the issue.

That is what used to happen before they rolled out the much more convenient cancelling of everyone with a differing opinion, or facts, or data, or evidence, or reality.

So which is really better? 

Keeping our regular cars much longer by taking good care of them, or changing over the entire global fleet to electric alternatives?

Considering the drawbacks of going all electric, which consumers are becoming very familiar with as the rollout begins to flounder, it may be time to look at other solutions.

What if the more effective answer is just making your current car last longer?

What if Mr. Bean is right?

Joy

"You took my joy - I want it back."

- Lucinda Williams

Living more simply is not just about saving money, or reducing your impact on the Earth. For many simple living people, it is about finding more joy.

When we reduce the amount of busyness and stuff in our lives we can focus more on the simple activities of life where love, magic, and mystery can be found. 

Most often, these are activities that can not be bought anywhere for any amount of money. Chasing joy through conspicuous consumption is a dead end.

Where do I find joy?

For me, I am talking about things like watching the sun rise or set, or watching snow fall.

I find joy in cooking every day with wholesome ingredients to make healthy, tasty meals. 

A more recent example was going on 5 snowshoe hikes over 5 days. 

Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy.

There is a lot of stuff going on in the world today that can take your joy. 

But if we don't have the possibility of producing joy in our lives, what have we got? Not much.

That is what a simple life can do for you - increase the amount of joy by eliminating as much of that which is joyless as possible.

A few more joy-inducing experiences for me would be:

- seeing several serious signs of spring (like my garden beginning to grow)

- alliteration (I am easily joyed)

- only putting out one bag of garbage every few weeks

- spotting wildlife while out in nature

- making Linda laugh

- not owning a vehicle (a case where spending less money is yielding more joy)

One might live more simply to save money, or to reduce one's impact on the planet. 

But doing so for those reasons can also bring joy.

Hmm, maybe living simply is all about finding more joy. That is certainly my experience.

What brings you joy?

Adbusters Ad Parodies

Adbusters asks, "Why have mood disorders increased in each
successive generation throughout the 20th century?"

Adbusters is a Canadian outfit that publishes the pro-free-your-mental-space/anti-advertising Adbusters magazine. 

They propose a revolution to overthrow business as usual. Their method is the MLF (Mental Liberation Front), and the goal is to free our minds of the negative effects of corrupted capitalism.

Only $20 dollars for all of this in a Big Mac meal. A bargain for
590 calories and 34 grams of fat, not counting the fries
or drink.

One method they use to highlight the insidious effects of advertising is to create ad parodies. It is a form of subvertising that is very effective.

Battery chickens have a nasty, brutish, and short life thanks to industrial farming methods.

Some of these parodies are funny, or tragi-funny more like. 

They can all give a jolt even to consumers long rendered numb by the constant barrage of corporate brainwashing that has trained us to desire a steady stream of more of their crap.

Most, however, are deadly serious. Take their wristwatch ad parody "100 Seconds to Midnight" for example.

It refers to the doomsday clock, which is set at 90 seconds to midnight as of 2024 according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Read the fine print.

The Pfizer ad parody is also deadly serious considering what has been happening around the world since the global roll out of the experimental medical interventions that have failed dangerously despite making multi-billions in profits.

Just more of the same in the corrupted consumer environment that is highlighted by all of Adbusters work.

Free us of the festering freak show that is corporate advertising, they say, and we will free our minds. Free our minds, and we will free our lives.

Take a closer look here at more Adbusters ad parodies.

Protests Work

Headline: 

"Under intense pressure from protesting farmers, the European Commission has dropped key passages in a proposal for a new 2040 goal for cutting greenhouse gas pollution."

The message: Protests work.

If protests didn't work, governments around the world wouldn't be trying to outlaw them.

If the government of Canada was not threatened by mass protests, why would they have declared a national emergency for the first time ever to end the Freedom Convoy?

That declaration, mind you, was recently ruled by a federal judge as an illegal use of that legislation.

The frightened, threatened, and panicked Canadian government used a sledge hammer to swat a fly... and missed.

Collective action is a life-changing, society-changing experience. 

It works, and that is what they are afraid of.

We must protest now like our lives depend on it, because they do.

See you on the front lines.

Winter Storm

Monster drift up north in Cape Breton.

The past few blustery days have seen the first big snow storm of the winter across Nova Scotia. It is a hassle for some, but I welcome it.

We didn't get as much snow as north of our location where they got a record breaking dump (as seen in the picture above), but it was still the biggest of the season for us. 

Not one to miss a wintery opportunity despite 80 km winds, I got out for my first snowshoe today. And it was great.

Drift at my back door.

One of my favourite things while snowshoeing about in the snowy woods is seeing what other creatures are also out and about.

Today I saw the tracks of: mouse, squirrel, coyote, and deer. 

I also passed through an area that had evidence of several deer laying down to ride out the storm. In those spots there were deer sized divots in the deep snow, with leaves showing at the bottom.

Coyotes often take advantage of the deer's inability to move freely in deep snow. Indeed, the coyote tracks I saw today were in areas where there were also deer tracks.

The woods are incredibly beautiful draped in a snowy mantle.

Last year there were only two days that were good for snowshoeing. That is why I am planning on getting out into the woods every day until the snow either melts or gets rained upon.

According to the forecast, that means I could have another 4 or 5 days of excellent conditions.

Extra fun exercise here we come. And I will see what other wildlife tracks and signs I can find.

Living Simply is a Good Start

“The point is, there is no feasible excuse for what are, for what we have made of ourselves. We have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality, dividends before decency, fanaticism before fairness, and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others” 

― Iain M. Banks

Whatever we let the forces of evil do to other people, they will eventually do to us.

We can see what they have in store for us by taking a look at what they are doing around the world now.

The NATO vs Russia war hosted by Ukraine.

The horrific and ongoing genocide in Gaza supported by all the western nations including my own, Canada.

The EU going after their farmers in order to divert money to corruption and war.

The seizing of Russian foreign assets.

The ignoring and coverup of the out of control deaths and injuries in post-pandemic times not attributable to covid.

What are the populations of the countries responsible for these horrors doing about this mess?

Our silence and inaction is interpreted as our support for more death and destruction.

I want to go on record to say that I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS, and will do anything within my sphere of influence to make it stop.

What many don't see coming, is that what we are allowing to happen with our tax dollars by our "democratic representatives" will eventually come home to roost. 

We should be fighting against the death and destruction being wrought upon the world because it is the right thing to do.

But we should also fight it as an act of self-preservation because we are next.

If we do nothing, we are doomed to the same fate as our brothers and sisters in Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Libya, and Iraq. Eventually the war machine will turn on Iran. 

And then us? 

Our farmers will be the ones to be attacked and rendered unable to feed themselves and the rest of us.

We will find our bank accounts seized for making the wrong kind of post to social media, or for joining a protest, or for not taking a questionable experimental treatment of the establishment's choosing.

We will be dehumanized and disposed of, for the convenience and benefit of a small, psychopathic, greedy minority, just so that they may have more.

Our greatest threat is not climate change, contrary to what we are told. That is being used to divert our attention from larger threats.

As I see it, our greatest threat is the insane wealth and power of a tiny portion of humanity, and their psychopathic need to control and own everything. 

Our greatest threat is our own inaction in the face of their evil plots for global domination.

What started out as an experiment in consumerism and democracy will end with our collapse and eventual extinction if we don't take massive action starting today.

We can see where this is headed, and it doesn't look good. 

Living simply is a good start, but it won't be enough.