This week I present some examples of people who have chosen to live a simpler lifestyle for their own betterment, and the betterment of the world around them. Some of these examples might seem a bit extreme. I will readily admit that there are one or two here that I'm not willing to practice at this point in my life, if ever. However, as I have reflected upon these examples, I have learned something about myself, the culture I live within, and in some strange way been inspired by all of them. All of these examples also show a certain creative bent to look at the problems facing themselves as individuals and coming up with their own solutions to meet their own needs. These are also just people, like you and me. They are but some of many who are trying to create a lifestyle in which their beliefs match their actions. All of these examples having me examining my own life, and my own lifestyle choices.
That is my hope for you as well. Where are your cutting edges? Where and how are you putting your faith and beliefs into practice?
Blessed Be,
Joel
Dr. Jackie Benton* is a doctor who is also a long time civil rights and peace activist. Due to her belief in healing, compassion, and peace, she does what she can to avoid paying war taxes. This has led her to living on a few acres in North Carolina. Here she practices permaculture on about 5 percent of her land. She lives in a 12 x 12 foot house with no electricity, running water, etc. According to North Carolina laws, anything larger than a 12 x 12 is taxed (the majority of which go towards war efforts). In the meantime, she works as a doctor at a nearby hospital, insisting that they only pay her $11,000 rather than the six figure income her experience would dictate. In this way she also avoids paying the "war taxes". Her goal is to live with the carbon footprint of a Bangladeshi.
Erik Andrus is a Vermont farmer who is concerned about the sustainability of the food/agricultural system, in particular the resiliency of such systems. How to connect his farm with the lower Hudson River Valley? How did our ancestors do so? Will it still work for us? The Vermont Sail Freight Project is the result. Andrus writes:
Daniel Suelo is the man who eventually quit money in 2000 by depositing his life-savings (all $30 of it) in a phone both walking away. His journey has been one of radical trust. Damien Nash, a good friend of Daniel's, writes a review for Amazon. I'll let you read Mark Sundeen's account to find out more about this remarkable man and how his life changed over time.
Anke Wagner and Dave Zeiger have lived aboard at least three flat bottomed boats in the Pacific Northwest (USA/Canada) and Alaska (where they now reside). The advantage flat bottomed boats is that they can dry out on tide flats. Here is how they answered a FAQ about financing their lifestyle:
That is my hope for you as well. Where are your cutting edges? Where and how are you putting your faith and beliefs into practice?
Blessed Be,
Joel
Examples:
These are in no particular order, although I have moved from a land based lifestyle to an ocean/sea based lifestyle (interspersed with one that is both).Dr. Jackie Benton* is a doctor who is also a long time civil rights and peace activist. Due to her belief in healing, compassion, and peace, she does what she can to avoid paying war taxes. This has led her to living on a few acres in North Carolina. Here she practices permaculture on about 5 percent of her land. She lives in a 12 x 12 foot house with no electricity, running water, etc. According to North Carolina laws, anything larger than a 12 x 12 is taxed (the majority of which go towards war efforts). In the meantime, she works as a doctor at a nearby hospital, insisting that they only pay her $11,000 rather than the six figure income her experience would dictate. In this way she also avoids paying the "war taxes". Her goal is to live with the carbon footprint of a Bangladeshi.
- See William Powers. Twelve-by-Twelve: a One-Room Cabin Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream. New World Library. 2010. This is mainly the story about the author's own journey. *Dr. J Benton asked Powers to change her name to help protect her privacy, which he did.
Erik Andrus is a Vermont farmer who is concerned about the sustainability of the food/agricultural system, in particular the resiliency of such systems. How to connect his farm with the lower Hudson River Valley? How did our ancestors do so? Will it still work for us? The Vermont Sail Freight Project is the result. Andrus writes:
The Vermont Sail Freight Project originated out of our farm’s commitment to resilient food systems. Producing food sustainably is not enough. The other half is sustainable transport of goods to market and equitable exchange. A good portion of the damage conventional agriculture does to society and the environment is through our overblown, corporation-dominated distribution systems. The idea of a small, producer-owned craft sailing goods to market, perhaps even a distant market, is an alternative to this system, and one which has served our region well in the past.They are currently still in process, but have linked up with the Willowell Foundation.
- Visit their blog to stay tuned with this project: http://vermontsailfreightproject.wordpress.com/
- You can find out more about Teresa's journey at her Blog: Sailing, Simplicity and the Pursuit of Happiness and their movie at One Simple Question.
Daniel Suelo is the man who eventually quit money in 2000 by depositing his life-savings (all $30 of it) in a phone both walking away. His journey has been one of radical trust. Damien Nash, a good friend of Daniel's, writes a review for Amazon. I'll let you read Mark Sundeen's account to find out more about this remarkable man and how his life changed over time.
- Sundeen, Mark. The Man Who Quit Money. Riverhead Trade, 2012.
Anke Wagner and Dave Zeiger have lived aboard at least three flat bottomed boats in the Pacific Northwest (USA/Canada) and Alaska (where they now reside). The advantage flat bottomed boats is that they can dry out on tide flats. Here is how they answered a FAQ about financing their lifestyle:
Cheap seems to be a theme, with you — how do you finance your lifestyle?
At present, the general theme is to invest the money we don’t earn in free time. Thousands of dollars not earned equals hundreds of hours free to do whatever we please.On the demand side, we try to keep our overheads low. Enginelessness, wood fuel, bulk food buys and wild foods, minimal rent (occasionally at the dock in towns), dryout (vs. haulout), inherent exercise and "social distancing" (we’re seldom ill) all help. But, dost think because thou art virtuous, there shall be no cakes and ale (or wine, chocolate, DVD rental, pizza, etc.)? We travel once every three or four years to Europe (visiting Anke’s family and friends), which swallows a year’s budget with ease. Altogether, we’ve been averaging about $6,000 per year over twenty years (includes intermittent boat building). We keep thinking that’ll drop when the "last boat" is built and equipped.Supply side, we are fortunate to have the AK Permanent Fund Dividend, which puts a variable, but always hefty wad into our pocket ($1000 to $1700 per person per year, depending on market conditions). The rest we make up with occasional odd-jobs (and/or a major one every ten years or so).I’m working on designing boats for sale (www.triloboats.com) and writing a novel, along with several other hopeful generators of micro-streams of income. Our goals are to afford catastrophic health insurance and move toward establishing a cash/cache/capital financial basis.
Dave and Anke are concerned about sustainability, and try live a sustainable lifestyle. "In the long run, we hope to achieve about 90% subsistant lifestyle. We're trying to solve the starchy carb challenge (not much local bulk). The remaining 10% is composed of exotics, such as chocolate, coffee, eggs and cheeses, wine and spices."
- You can find a website about their previous two boats here: Zoon and Loon. The above quoted link brings you to their own website with their latest boat, or their blog.
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