Searching For Clarity

This image summarizes this blog nicely.

What is this blog about? Sometimes I don't even know.  Is this a simple living blog? Nature blog? Minimalist blog? Anti-capitalist, or pro-do-your-own-thing blog? How does one tell?

I could look at my label cloud for some ideas, or read and do an analysis of all 1350 post that I have written since 2008. There is another way, and it is quite fun. I am talking about looking at the search words people use.

On the Internet, people are always searching for something.

Using this method, I can see how this blog might differ from the 300 million other blogs out there. This gives me some idea of the focus here, at least from the perspective of search engine algorithms.

Looking at the search words that lead here never fails to surprise me. I am pleased to be associated with the concepts and ideas given in this snapshot of Not Buying Anything.

The following are examples of the most popular searches that landed people at this blog instead of the 299,999,999 other ones on offer these days.


Search Terms That Brought Readers To Not Buying Anything:

• Are you open to the miraculous?
• Alternatives to working.
• Peace.
• Contentedness.
• How is advertising based on illusion?
• A simplified life: tactical tools for intentional living.
• Ascetic lifestyle.
• Austere living.
• Do with less so they'll have enough.
• Extreme frugal living.
• Hoarders.
• Homemade refried beans.
• Consumerism is killing the earth.

When I look at these searches, it gives me an idea of what I am doing over time on my blog, just in case I feel like I am floundering, or have lost focus.

I think I am on the right track, according to my intended purpose, which has been laid out in our Vision Statement, as well as our Simple Living Manifesto.

One thing I can say for sure - we here at Not Buying Anything are definitely open to the miraculous. We have to be, because it is going to take something akin to a miracle for humanity to get through the coming decades successfully.

It is satisfying to see that "peace" is one of the most popular search terms. I also like "homemade refried beans", as if they are the secret ingredient to making the world a better place.

Are you open to the miraculous? How about to refried beans? World peace? You can find it all right here, whatever here is.

Steed And Covered Wagon In One

After a hard, hot day of driving even this cramped and chaotic bed is luxurious. I had
to move 3 guitars each evening before we could make music, snoring.

A good quest is generally aided by a faithful steed. A valiant and reliable workhorse can do wonders when it comes to covering great distances in a short period of time. Our van has been like a faithful steed AND covered wagon all in one.

As we begin to decompress from our continental crossing we are more and more grateful for our van for getting us here safe, sound, and with some gold coins left in our leather pouch.

The green containers contained our kitchen and pantry. They slid out from under the bed for use.

Our bed was made up of 5 large plastic bins. Each one was filled with our stuff, put in place, then all were covered with a plywood base. A 4" custom cut piece of high density foam purchased at an upholstery shop went on top of the platform for a mattress.

Some of the best sleeps we have ever had were in our 'wagon' on this makeshift bed. It had a distinctively gypsy feel to the arrangement. It was simple and it was enough. After a hard day of questing it was divine.

We couldn't have completed our quest without our commode.

Somewhat less conversation-ready is our commode. When it comes to going, the only more basic way to go is to dig a hole in the ground. Since it is often difficult to dig a hole, and since so many washrooms are not accessible (including some with the wheelchair symbol on them), it was crucial for us to have our own facilities.

There is something about using such a simple commode that makes one think of life and waste disposal in a completely different way. Every day we lived in the van we had to find a secure place to dump our waste. It quickly became one of the biggest challenges of our travel routine.

Our modern day self-propelled covered wagon made our quest not only possible, but enjoyable.

Once we got into the groove of living in such a confined space it became more pleasurable than we could imagine. It was spartan, harsh, and void of the everyday comforts most of us take for granted, but we love it.

Or maybe we are whacked out on adrenaline, adventure, freedom and new possibilities. We are also suckers for self-improvement in the vein of 'whatever doesn't kill you…' The trip didn't kill us and we are stronger for it. Or we will be after a week of naps.

Now our faithful steed is having a well-deserved rest after carrying us over 6000 kilometres to our new home. Its next task, after fixing one or two of its well worn shoes, will be when we are ready to forage for furniture.

Simple Living Folks As Modern Day Ascetics

It used to be that if you wanted to be an ascetic you had to wear a hair shirt, or live in a barrel, or stand on top of a column holding your right arm up for years on end. As North America's yearning for decadence and luxury has ramped up over the years it has become easier to at least appear to be some sort of renunciant. To the average American, simple living folk may appear to be modern day ascetics.

I came up with the following list that may identify the modern ascetics among us. Check it out - you may be one.

You could be a modern day ascetic if:

• you don't own a cell phone
• you don't have cable TV (if you don't own a TV or any form of phone you may be hardcore, the equivalent of wearing a cilice - see photo at right)
• you only have one car
• you don't own a stainless steel BBQ (recently a family member looked at me with a puzzled expression, and total disbelief, when she asked, "You don't have a BBQ?")
• you use your feet to get around
• you don't wear the latest fashions
• you haven't been to a movie for years
• you eschew annual trips to Mexico
• you aren't constantly starved for sex
• you deny yourself restaurant and fast food
• you live in less than 3000 square feet
• you are not buying anything that you don't need to live your simple, joyful life

As you can see, there is no need to get naked and smear yourself with mud, dung, and human corpse ash as some Indian ascetics do. Mostly, you just have to drop out of the conspicuous consumer class.

So what do you think? Are you a modern day ascetic, or do you know of any? Hair shirt, anyone?