Less is more. Is it? Not always but in a world of overconsumption more is essential. Is the whole world overconsuming? Is it just a few? The 80-20 rule applies to most things. Is 20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of its resources, producing 80% of the pollution? An out-of-control toddler with all the toys and no parental guidance. Is it wise to eat powdered donuts anytime we get a whim?
Whim based culture, is this what we are? There is a type of fun called type 2 fun. Where the path traveled takes more effort. It's a a long journey, not easy and yet rewarding. Saving for a house, cleaning out a house, planting a tree for the next generation. Not fast but deeply satisfying. Deeply satisfying doesn’t gobble and burp. Asparagus beds take 2+ years to establish and produce for 20+ years.
Over consumption is rarely deeply satisfying. Too much is too much. Too much ice cream, too much information, too much to do. Our nervous system is in overdrive. Our brains noisy from the chatter. Rushing, gushing information floods us. Where is the poetry? The afternoons sitting with your dad on the back porch shooting the breeze and watching clouds roll in and out? Moments of quiet wonder.
Are we afraid of the void, the empty moments? Is there a way to slow down the roaring river into a babbling brook, a wandering stream? I read an article yesterday of how AI was consuming more energy. Our energy use had stabilized and now AI was taking it to another level. And money pours in to reverse this machine.
Is that the answer, massive grants? Scrambling to get the money, scrambling to spend it. To gather up as much as we can carry. Is the burden too heavy? Where will we be in 3 years when the grants are done? Will we be better for it? Can we be good stewards of this money? Directing it towards healing, reversing the harm, towards understanding and relationships. A sustainable path.
Houses do need care, they need repairs. Inner cities need trees, less pollution, more care. Rebalance- Nourish-Share. For the organization itself to depend on these funds, to create a bigger munching machine that will continually need to be fed…more, more, more…is this the answer?
Are we wise first? Do we listen? Do we think of the end result? Are we good Stewards? Are we able to slow down, build relationships, learn about each other? What do we care deeply about and for? Ask questions. Check our motivations. Notice our impulses. Begin with the end in mind.
How do we want our lives to be in 20-50-1000 years? AI driven, living in air sealed buildings, laboratory grown food? Is this progress? Pause before we jump. Build a garden, one plant at a time, season by season, with hand, dirt, shovel, and compost.
Some of my favorite memories are of my family with food and garden. My dad leaning on his hoe in the garden, contentment in his eyes. My mom squealing with joy “the peas are up!” My great grandmother Biddle shucking peas with us at the kitchen table. Deeply satisfying- slow-rich moments that last a lifetime.
I write this in the wee hours of the morning. Wondering of our future, my part in this dance. Am I wise? A good steward? Thoughtful of today and beyond- way beyond? I don't know.
