Freeconomy Blog
Fri
27 Mar
More of the positive, less of the negative...
| 4 comments |
I had a bit of a realisation last weekend. For a while I have been in a little bit of a negative head space, looking at the world around me and seeing the not-so-good stuff – the wars, the sweatshops, the factory farms, and all the other symptoms of a world where we don’t have to see the direct and indirect consequences of what we consume.
Which is terrible on my behalf as a couple of years ago I decided to dedicate my life to solutions and the positives, to not focus on what I perceive to be the problems but to try to offer alternatives instead, however erringly. So a big sorry if I have brought any of you down at any stage in the past. I suppose that decision was a method for me to be able to deal with this world. So from this day forth I am going to vow to do just that; to uplift people by focusing on the people out there offering up solutions, though probably with a bit about why they feel they needed to do it.
Below are some of these people who are inspiring me at the moment through various types of media:
Blogs:
Rob Hopkins, the founder and driving force behind all the Transition Initiatives springing up worldwide, is doing some tremendous work, helping people come up with solutions for a world with less fossil fuels, whenever that may be.
On a completely different level, my good friend Eric is back with a really fascinating experiment. Eric’s main thing in life is uplifting people and making them feel good about themselves and the world they live in. His latest efforts have already inspired me. From today onwards he is going to take only enough money to cover his food, bills and rent from his wages, and give every single remaining penny to a complete stranger. Each week he is going to pick a couple of random addresses – it may be a single mother or a corporate executive, he doesn’t check or care – and send them all his spare money in the post. With it he is going to put a stamped address envelope and his email address, and if the person wants he or she can write back and say what they spent the money on and how the gift affected their lives. Yes I know, it involves money, but I am focusing on the positives remember (!) and there are many in this. On his blog he will post all the responses he gets, which I think will make very interesting reading. It’s about Random Acts of Kindness in the extreme, and I think he may just make a lot of people smile in a world that needs more of them. I’m sure it’ll raise a lot of debate though.
No Impact Man Colin Bevan writes a great blog about his attempt to live with zero impact on the environment, and in a city with a family to boot. In it he relates his experience of attempting to live sustainably, doesn’t say this is how it should be done, but just shares his unique experience and it is one that I think humanity could take a lot from.
Other inspiring blogs include Mother Earth News, another where one guy attempts to do one good turn every day, and Rae Strauss’s blog on her attempts to live with zero waste.
Films:
One of the great documentaries of this year I think is Farm for the future, which is one woman’s investigation into what she needs to do to make her childhood farm sustainable. I think it does fall into the trap of seeing humans as the centre of the universe and all other living beings as potential food, but no, stop it Mark, remember, focus on the positives…
A slightly older film, but essential viewing almost at any stage of a world perpetually at war with someone, is Michael Franti’s I know I am not alone, a documentary he made whilst recording his album ‘Yell Fire’ and which, unlike most documentaries, talks to the people on the streets who are most effected by the violence.
Music:
Some days when I wake up in the morning I need some inspiration so I can give my best for the day. Living without money has meant I haven’t really been able to listen to music from electrical devices, but some days if I can spare the power on my laptop I will.
Songs that really get me motivated are Faithless’s Weapons of Mass Destruction., anything by Michael Franti and Spearhead or Seize the Day, Good World by Martha Tilston or Arrested Development’s Mr Wendall to name just a few off the top of my head. To be honest though, acoustic stuff around the campfire is my favourite, and we had the first of the year last weekend at the farm – a really exciting glimpse of the summer!
One thought to leave you with to ponder for the day is from a Franti song, in which it ends with the lyrics – ‘is your love enough, or can you love some more?’ Go and inspire someone – tell them you love them, commit a random act of kindness to a stranger, or anything you think will uplift someone.
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, founder of The Freeconomy Community. If you know of any inspiring people not mentioned above, please feel free to post links below. If you want to respond, debate or ask questions, please just comment below; you will have to sign in first.
Comment on this Post:
Dago comments ...
Hi, Mark!
I am a Brazilian (currently studying in Germany). I've been a silent reader of your blog. I am part of a group of people in Curitiba, Brazil trying to live out another life style, namely, community life, with sustainability, art and relationship. In reality we are a bunch of urban creatures little by little being made aware of the fact that another world is possible... some of us are more extreme, some starting. Some authors that have made a mark are Ivan Illich and Gustavo Esteva.
Your experience has been an inspiration for me... lots of food for thought. And I have been sharing some of the things you post here.
Just wanted to share this with you.
God bless!
paul brown comments ...
with the air laden with economic doom and gloom, conventional energy sources depleting and viable alternatives seemingly a distant idea, there is an energy source that is being sadly undervalued in today's world. the power of positive thought. positive "vibes" warm peoples' hearts, light up peoples' minds. positive thoughts and attitudes do not leave ecological disasters in their wake. positive thought energy is exponential in it's growth. the more you use it, the more that there is available to share. the depressive mindset that dominates the media (and then people's outlook due to the pervasive and persuasive nature of the media) is so counter-productive. we face challenges. great, bring them on! shared challenges mean shared solutions. people communicating with each other, putting to rest conditioned and historical differences once and for all. utopia might well be impossible but that is no excuse for defeatism. i keep abreast of current affairs but do not let them detract from the simple pleasures that give me joy...
thank you for the links Mark. spring is here, yipee!
AndreaJoyce30 comments ...
Different people in all countries take the loans in various banks, just because this is easy.
LeonGABRIELLE29 comments ...
People deserve very good life time and business loans or college loan will make it better. Just because people's freedom depends on money state.
