Freeconomy Blog
Sat
02 Jan
New Year's Revolutions
Most of us woke up yesterday morning deciding to give the intestinal tract of 2009 a complete colonic irrigation, using things such as nicotine patches, diet books, gym subscriptions and sworn oaths as the metaphorical enemas to clean out the faecal waste of all that has ever gone before in our lives.
I personally feel that every moment is a chance to do this, to reevaluate your life, and see if you are living with as little discrepancy between your heart, your head, and your hands as is possible. It isn't really necessary for it to be the 1st of January for us to do so. But the start of a new year is a perfect time to change things we're not comfortable with anymore, as we humans seem to have a psychological penchant for clear lines under which we draw things to a close.
It's a chance to take a look through the wardrobe of time, to chuck out that old polyester blouse, keep the old scarf you've had since you were four and wash that organic t-shirt you bought last year but, for whatever reason, you've only wore once.
And it's also a great chance to look at yourself and figure out what you want to change. And most of us do - almost all of our resolutions, statistically, are about what we are going to change about ourselves. We're either going to give up smoking or drinking, spend more time with loved ones, get fit, spend less money and clear our debts, lose weight, whilst simultaneously resolving to "enjoy life more" (the latter is, apparently, now the fastest growing resolution). Which leads me to believe that smoking, drinking, spending too much time at work, buying loads of meaningless crap and eating junk food wasn't actually doing what the adverts said it they would do for us - help us "enjoy life more".
This year is going to be such a pivotal year for things environmentally and socially. It seems that every year that goes by the stakes are getting higher and higher, with more and more at risk if we don't act to the appropriate level to meet the challenges we are faced with. If the potential problems we face are extreme, can we really expect the solutions to be moderate?
While I think all the New Year's 'Resolutions' that we take would make a really great starting point (if we all stuck to them) - as most involve reducing consumption of something or other - I think at this point in history we also need to be thinking of New Year's 'Revolutions', things that we resolve to do this year that are bigger than our own lives, things that will help other people, the planet or any of the species that dwell on it that we're grossly exploiting at the moment.
So I'd love to know what's your
1. New Year's Resolution this year, and if you have one, your
2. New Year's Revolution (a resolution that is about something bigger than yourself).
I've been having a good hard luck at myself over the last few days and I haven't been enjoying what I've found to be honest. In the madness of the last year I've seemed to have lost things that were very important to me, and I want to get back on track and be someone who I can look at last thing at night in the internal mirror, and still actually recognise and like.
So here is my resolution and revolution -
1. To wake up each morning and start feeling my way through life again, to look after what each moment gifts me and not the 'To do list' that I had written up the night before. I want to stop thinking so far ahead and just flow organically in whatever way life's ocean wants to take me each day. To focus on 'giving', not just 'doing' in a spirit of obligation instead of care. And to stop moaning to myself about not having enough time for anything.
2. To start work right away on making the real life Freeconomy Community a reality.
I finished the book, titled 'The Moneyless Man', at 11.30pm on New Year's eve, as it had a deadline of the following morning to be in with the publisher. To be honest I could have taken until Monday morning with it as no one is back in the office until then anyway, but I just wanted to wake up in 2010 and not have to think about it, for a week anyway. And to start focusing on making the real life community a reality. That is my major goal for this year.
In the book I've given a rough outline of what this real life Freeconomy Community will be about and how it will work, but I am going to spend between January and June this year working out the detail and coming up with a proposal that I will then send out to you guys to see what you all think about it initially.
Yesterday I also starting finalising the weekly 'Freeskilling' evenings in Bristol for January to the end of April, and the programme seems to get better each year, with classes including the following, to name just a few - How to make a Willow Basket, Basic Clothes Making, 'Nappy Free Baby', Kama Sutra and Sexual Alchemy, Raw Chocolate Making, Italian for Beginners (which I hope becomes a weekly meet-up), Homeschooling and Compost Making. If any of you is interested in setting up a Freeskilling programme wherever you live, please either e-mail or leave a comment below with your contact details, and I'll do my best to help you in whatever way I can.
Whatever resolutions or revolutions you've taken, I hope that you find the strength to turn them into reality this year. And I hope you get time to remember what a fantastic experience it all is. Much love, it's a pleasure and a privilege to be sharing this planet with you all!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(p.s. I hope to start writing proper blog posts again the week after next, so please bear with me! It would also be great if you could help and tell your friends about this online community, as I haven't had much time to promote it over the last month, so any help there would be much appreciated.)
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, founder of The Freeconomy Community, who is currently living without money.
Comment on this Post:
Ytrish comments ...
I think the baby communication video (Nappy Free Baby) is wonderful ... showing that it is possible to realise the needs of, in this case tiny humans, without those needs being spoken in words.
Just by becoming more sensitive , caring, listening and stiller. Stilling our preconceptions, looking at what is !
Great stuff !
recyclable comments ...
hi mark,
congrats on completing your book. i'm waiting to have a read of it. wishing you a grand 2010, where all your dreams come to pass. i too am really excited about the community you plan to set up, wishing your project all success. i really liked your resolution for this year, it really made sense to me. and of course, your revolution is really inspiring. take care, and may the light be with you.
ash comments ...
Yes,happy new year and well done on getting that book done, I too am interested in having a read! And also please do try to write more blog entries now you have a bit more time. best regards from Tokyo!
Shena Cooper comments ...
Happy New Year Mark...and all the best for publishing the book! Is there a justfortheloveofit logo and code which could be dropped on to Facebook and/or web-site pages? I am struggling a bit here in the midlands with very few members but hope to work on it during the year.
One scheme I hope to increase is Swap Crop. This is where growers can swap seeds, seedlings and crops......well actually swapping is not quite right anyone can have anything that is going. I think there is another similar scheme in another part of the country......if anyone knows it can they let me know so that we can get together (strength in numbers).
And another plea.....Secret Seed Society need 10 gardening clubs to prove to funders the value of their project. We have 5 already and the idea is to monitor the children's (3-8years old) reaction to eating vegetables and their activity level and see if there is an improvement in their health and well-being. The packs contain a fantasy story book set in Seed City designed to sustain children's motivation throughout the season. Each group will need a couple of enthusiastic adults and somewhere to grow the seeds. Anyone who can help?
Lastly is there a way of contacting members from other parts of the country or is it your aim to keep communities local?
Mandy Griiftihs comments ...
Dear Mark
Your Freeskilling events sound fantastic.
My friend and I are running 3 skill-sharing days in Frome in the Spring and wondered if you would be able to share an hour of your time at one of them with your ideas on living without money/the Freeconomy?
Because of the cost of hall hire we will be making a small charge for the event.
I can send you more details if you let me have an email address.
We would love for you to be involved.
Love Mandy
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Ytrish - yes, it is truly revolutionary, but in the most peaceful sense you could imagine!
@ recyclable - thanks!
@ ash - I will try, but also quite fancy a couple of days of and bit more time with good friends when it calms, so bear with me please!
@ Sheena - thanks for your continued work up there - yes you can copy and paste the above banner in, and feel free to use all the resources in the 'spread the word' section. Love your projects btw! Members are limited to 25 miles max, which should reach your nearest city, you can change your radius if you go into your profile. You're right, it is to keep it local! Hope that helps!
@ Mandy - would be happy to, just send me some potential dates. I actually live pretty close to Frome, it cycleable. My email is mark@justfortheloveofit.org Thanks!
Ytrish comments ...
Sheena here is a link to a seed swapping event in Brighton and there are other seed swaps and events on there too:
http://www.seedysunday.org/
Hope this is of some help !
comments ...
I woke new yrs day thinking the only way to change is if I change the whole of me, then thought if I wasn't me who would and would this new person be as likeable as the old. this is when the penny dropped in the past I have thought if I engage with life in this 3way or that it will be complete therefore making me complete and less of a burden to people. I was the burden to myself. So I looked at what skills I have and what I can do to make my life simpler for me to a certain degree a bit of life laundering was what was necessary so I am unpeeling the house and anything that is considered exstrainious is going. the same in the kitchen cooking is something that I can do but have made it a chore. cooking from scratch is something the women in this family have done always and I have fallen into a rut. as a move is imminent this year decided to plant myself a verdant herb garden in pots and take the love with me. as Anne if green gables said...Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it. Happy new year all. Rachel
lovit comments ...
greetings all!!! happy holidays and for the lovers of the fixed moments of time, happy new year...
i myself dont make new years resolutions (perhaps because i quit smoking 13 years ago) because i, too, believe all our moments are precious and i disdain the compulsive neurotic(they're so ineffective) gestures...sort of like a monkey swinging from a tree desperately hoping to catch that next vine and swing him/her out of her helpless ness.. better to get off the vine, go to the forest floor and take it from there..
aside from all that...thank you Mark, for your guardian video, we wish you well and meditate and send your way strength to accomplish all your plans...Curiosity, where will your book be promoted?...by us, i mean your blog' word of mouth?
also ...is all your work only on your computer,no pen, paper , ink etc? just curious , your "caravan" looked so tidy.. i'd like to mail you some pencils i had found..
okay, enough ...peace and blessings