'Maytime Marvels --------'
Sitting here just after mid May in the conservatory on the organic eco micro-holding in the UK midlands -blueskies above, sun shining, sound of birdsong, bees being busy, and trees stirring in the breeze - just tickety boo. And just before, walking down the lane with Pipster, (Scots Border Collie mate), highish green blossomed hedges either side, cow parsley five - six feet high festooning the verges both sides, and seven biggish trees, largely Oak, lined up as sentinels all in a row, with an eighth extra big, sturdy Oak in the end position, all looking absolutely resplendent in their new leafgreen covering - awe-inspiring - a good time of year indeed for nature afficionados - lucky to live with so much beauty on the doorstep. The trees particularly seem to have come to more notice this year - something so strong and timeless about them - a 'permanence' in changing times - ? Down the half a mile or so of the well-loved lane there are in fact quite a few trees - on the 'east' side alone -the main treelined side - there are in fact twenty-eight. The whole area is a well tree-ed pleasant country area, without being over-scenic. What an asset the trees are, adding nature's grandeur and timelessness to the surrounds
. Here on the micro-holding (small smallholding) too, there are wonders to behold - myriads of newly minted flowers with bees seemingly everywhere flitting round them, a great bank of upgrown hedge, mainly holly, which services so many birds, and the young fruit trees, many in sparklng blossom, displaying in the mini orchard in the paddock - fair takes the breath away. The veg growing ground too, is part of the bounty - broad beans, four rows, in full flower heading for an early crop by the look of it, the onion bed looking productive, and no sign of the new leek moth pest as yet, potatoes all up and a foot or so high, high hopes that the blight resistant varieties being grown will 'do the biz'. Salads, tomatoes, peas and celery all looking good - great time for natural interest and anticipation. The spring greens/cabbage have come on a bundle after over wintering, picked now as greens but by the look of things not too long before they'll heart up into spring cabbages
Natural' matters -----
One school of thought is that with ongoing urbanisation of life allied to a long-hours working culture and busy, busy lifestyles, people are becoming ever more removed from nature and things natural, missing then on the rythyms, seasons and saliences of natural life. As the latter can supply so much interest , enjoyment and satisfaction in life, might this trend be a potential mini disaster, leading to 'smaller' life in foregoing the 'bigger life' 'Tao' experience nature can give - ? Rural dwellers, farmers and the like, run their businesses and lives in conjunction with nature, giving them a strong awareness of it, and having to endure the vagaries of it, the experience of which can give them 'endurance' qualities and a quality which could be defined as 'inner strength', one much revered by Eastern Taoists. ('Tao', pronounced 'Dow', describes a natural life force that 'naturally' brings 'natural balance', and that according to Taoists, underlies everything, if 'unhindered'). Nature, though, still plays a huge part in the lives of many people, given the level of interest individuals have, for instance, in gardening.
Maybe it's an instinctive, intuitive trust and 'knowing' of the 'Tao' life force, and getting involved with it via growing and gardening, getting 'hands dirty', as it were, that maximises enjoyment and satisfaction from contact with it - ? According to a piece from a psychotherapist in one of today's broadsheet gardening supplements, gardening and horticulture are now recognised therapy activities, a fact which may fit with the 'Tao' approach to life - ?
'Big' watch -----
The reports in the papers of what have been described as 'abuses of power' within the modern 'largist' culture seemingly continue unabated. One report described for instance how Uk National Health Service managers are getting big bonuses on top of big salaries, representing a 35% pay increase, whilst front-line troops - i.e. nurses - are experiencing falling real incomes. A recent annual meeting of a large UK energy firm was reported as being somewhat hectic, with managers being called 'the fattest of fat cats' by shareholders. The widow of a teacher who died suddenly and quite young, reportedly made a stir, saying publicly that the 'system' had caused his death from stress of being over-worked to an unviable level. Her case was seemingly supported by a recently published survey of teachers reporting high stress levels and many (over half) seeking to leave the profession. 'Proof in the pudding' type situation - ? Professional people used to be managed via the self-responsible, self-motivation route, according them trust and self integrity, but such does not seem to be the case in modern UK culture, driven more by, it seems, a 'control culture' ethos.
This type of culture does not appear to recognise self motivation as a modus operandi, with things seemingly now under 'control' conditions, which is not probably particularly good news for naturally self-motivated 'freerangers'. Similarly, older concepts of leadership involving 'looking after the troops' and exercising responsibility for those being lead, do not these days seem to get much of a billing, although they almost certainly are practiced in more unsung workplaces, particularly, maybe, within the smaller ones - ? Leadership these days can appear to be using the power of the position to sort out the job to suit those in power, which may be a predictable result of the 'free market' 'out for self' 'philosophy' behind western cultures. 'The market decides' so any personal responsibility becomes redundant, as do longer-term values, leading to a 'grab' and 'anything goes' 'non-culture' - ?
'Market free -----?'
The 'free market' notion, with its attractive-to-some 'do whatever you want' connotation, may well have originated from the economist's model of supply and demand, in which a key condition is that of 'many buyers and sellers in the market', then resulting in a 'true' price level reflecting 'true' demand levels and 'true' supply levels, then giving desirable 'perfect balance' in the 'perfect market'. A key condition, though, would seem to be that there are 'many buyers and sellers', so that none is then big enough to influence and affect what happens in the market place.
'Perfection, though', they say, 'is a far-off goal' - in other words reality does not necessarily tie in with the conditions required for a 'free' ( i.e. perfect) market, which can then become an 'un-free' or 'free-for-all' market, with large, powerful players then using their 'large power' to manipulate the marketplace to their own advantage. The 'free market' does appear to have gone this way, to now become more 'unfree', representing then also an increasing potential threat to individual rights and democracy itself - ? Maybe government's role should be less intervening and controlling in peoples' 'normal' affairs, and more to do with maintaining the conditions required for the 'free' market to operate as it should (i.e. supporting the 'many buyers and sellers' condition rather than the 'big is beautiful' route) - ? ( as well, of course, as ensuring national interests such as defence, public utilities, food supplies, the health and inherent productivity of the culture's constituents etc. etc.)
'Free --- for all ---?'
If it's right that the 'free market' has transmuted into a 'free-for-all' 'jungle' culture, seemingly inhabited by big predatory beasts, the micro small, powerless unit that is the individual would seem to be at risk. Mis-selling of personal insurances, oligopolistic (few powerful players) manipulation of the energy market, price collusion between large-scale oligopolistic food suppliers and financial manipulations of personal finances (eg. pensions), with emphases away from 'social' matters, have all been used as examples of what some believe to be, high risk to individuals within the culture, and undoubtedly many who are struggling on a day to day basis feel this. Some employees in the US, for instance were recently reported to be protesting outside their fast-food company's coprporate HQ about their low wages, not enough, apparently to exist on, whilst the executives enjoy the biggest disparity rating (over the lower paid workers) in the US. The 'free market' psyche seems to have resulted in the denial of things 'social', yet plainly social factors and situations in reality exist , and psychcologists maintain that people do have social needs, so maybe deniers are in fact also denying part of themselves, then suffering self-deprivation - ?
'Freerange survival -----'
To whatever extent, it may then be desirable/necessary for the individual within the 'big beast free-for-all 'jungle'' to employ 'counter culture' measures as then a means of 'individual self protection', which could and do range from :
becoming a hermit (apparently there's a small but growing 'hermiting' trend), switching the 'mute' button on when the plethora of TV ads are on (i.e. limiting the degree of commercialisation), to living economically, frugally even, to finding less pressurised employment situations, to taking strategic, early retirement, to 'downsizing', to working from home ( a growing UK trend, for instance), to creating 'space, 'time out' by, say, trekking, sailing, mountaineering - whatever, to setting up own community based, say, on a farm, to 'offsetting' potential cultural effects by, for instance, undertaking individual-based creative activity -egs. painting, crafts, making things, writing etc. to aim to be able to retain a right and proper strong sense of self, to creating own living space and conditions, as one couple did growing organic veg for selling on a market stall - a low money-high satisfaction lifestyle - and so on and so on - in a bio-diverse world with bio-diverse people - freerangers even - any 'solution' list could be endless ----------
'Solar relief ------'
Here on the eco micro-holding, the sense of self is also supported by aiming to take a sort of 'internal responsibility for living' approach, rather than responding purely to 'external' prompts such as 'free market' impulses and practices, trying thereby to avoid abandoning values, self-responsibility, and so on. Self-sufficient living at whatever level can be useful activity to bolster the 'supporting self' approach, as can the feeling that even in a small way, the planet's needs are being cared for - a small connection to the 'bigger picture'- ?
In practical terms, the latest 'counter' move here has been to add a device to the domestic solar energy system (this planet is bombarded by energy every day (- ?)) which cunningly diverts 'spare' solar electricity production to the hot water tank, giving daily copious provisions of 'free' hot water, and resulting hopefully in considerable electricity cost savings, as with the woodstove unlit in summer, the water had then to be heated via an electric immersion heater in the tank running off main grid electricity. Can't be bad - of course, though, the heating system has to be 'behind the times' with an actual tank included - modern combi boiler systems don't have hot water tanks, for instance. Quite nice, though, when 'being behind the times' can pay off, to give that particular Bank's beer 'Unspoilt by Progress' feeling - ?
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