'Mid-winter whites-----'
The crisp semi-white countryside seemed to be at rest, shrouded almost by the heavy, misty cold air, deep quiet pervading everywhere. Pipster (Scots Border Collie ), running on ahead, suddenly out of the mist routed two great flocks of wood pigeons in adjacent fields, feeding on the clover which seemed to have grown on through the winter. A single, lonely-looking flight of geese flew then low overhead, outlined against the pale, wintery sky, their muted honkings emphasising somehow a sensuous feeling of silent isolation. The whole of the landscape with its gaunt bare trees in their whitetish hibernation setting, gave a full-on winter season effect, and even more so now with the arrival of five inches or thereabouts of pristine, undisturbed white stuff on the dormant fields, amplified by the mournful, piercing cries of a big buzzard overhead, barred wings majestically outstretched, seemingly in slow motion.
A couple of weeks or so ago the twenty-five or so strong flock of doves roosting in the big holly trees down before the paddock, seemed to have been usurped by a smallish squadron of starlings, complete with their pre-nightfall flying display. They, though, seemed to have now moved on, and the doves appear to be back in residence - wonder where they went in the meantime - ?
Current times might be said to be slightly less calm, 'fast paced', change orientated and excitement, personal wealth and fame geared. It's still possible, though, to assess for the self - some experienced people may perhaps for instance look longer-term, considering 'consequences':
One old boy was a member at a modest golf club and clearly enjoyed being part of the sociable 'senior section' and the banter and craic that went with it. He seemed to be a pretty regular guy and fitted in well. It transpired, though, that he was somewhat 'out of the ordinary' in that he was a pretty wealthy bloke, a multi-millionaire. One day out playing, he opened up a bit.
' I know i could easily have a flash lifestyle - fancy house, fancy car, expensive holidays, but I got to thinking. I live in a smallish bungalow (he was a widower), which quite suits me and is easy to run and keep cosy, I have great neighbours who are my friends, which to all intents and purposes I'd probably lose if I moved away, and although I could easily afford an up-market golf club, I'd have to give up my friends and the good craic at the one I'm at. So I decided I'd lose more than I'd gain and so made the decision not to go 'up-market''.
Clearly he'd done his (freerange) 'wider' thinking to his own values and not then followed any 'norm trend' of living the more lavish lifestyle. It also transpired that he did use his wealth, but in a different direction. If he saw in the regional paper or on the regional TV news a deserving cause in trouble due to lack of finance, he'd send a sizeable anonymous donation to help them out.
'Gives me quite a buzz, to be honest', he said.
'Extraordinary ordinary-ness-------'
Thinking about it, there must be many, many situations as above in life which could qualify for the above title, and which never see any wider light of day. The 'public eye' stuff that does come to prominence doesn't necessarily then give 'the full picture'----? It's been said, for instance, that the vast public outpouring of grief at Princess Diana's death in the UK, represented a 'public statement' from the 'silent majority' about a perceived lack of sufficient human values in the 'public eye' larger-scale sector.
Exalting the 'new', the 'exciting' and the 'different' can also presumably then, by default, relegate the existing, the known, to lesser status---? Such a strong focus, for instance, on change, could also presumably run the risk of the 'throwing the baby out of the bathwater' syndrome and some may feel that this may have been the case with the loss of 'quality' (eg. deeper human values) from modern life, possibly/probably exacerbated too by a modern super-competitive type of culture----?
Emphasising 'new' automatically could then run the risk of writing off the 'old' as 'old hat', but it also implies that if the 'previous' is ditched, then the 'wheel has to be re-invented', and this seems to have been demonstrated by the seemingly increased number of times that, for instance, public policy in the UK' has 'gone wrong', the decision-makers seemingly dazzled by the new dawn of a 'golden future', with then a corresponding over-low evaluation of possible consequences, particularly if they could show a negative orientation. The sales associated with the UK Millenium Dome, for instance, were reportedly over-estimated by 100% - it wasn't exactly in the ideal location to generate national visitor sales. Maybe good old, common or garden ordinary common sense, built from previous hard won experience, isn't always so bad--?
'The simple life------?'
One religion which bats for 'extraordinary ordinary-ness' is that of 'Zen', which holds that 'everything is special', 'holy', and therefore singling some things out to be 'special' is unnecessary. The ability to get sustenance, pleasure and satisfaction out of so-called 'ordinary life' must presumably be quite common, (and of real value) but 'unsung' maybe in a culture which often seems to focus more on 'razzle dazzle' - ?
One farming family that revelled in 'non-flash' ordinary-ness, lived and farmed in a remotish part of West Dorset (UK), at the end of a narrow lane seemingly leading to nowhere. Their records showed a lowish level of profitability and yet due to effective 'cutting their cloth', at which they were pretty skilled, and low cash spending, they had a viable business. The truth was that they didn't have a high 'making money' priority - they wouldn't in fact have given tuppence for such a lifestyle. As long as they had enough, and a little bit more for the rainy day, that was fine. True, no flash holidays or possessions- their transport was the farm's pick-up - and such were irrelevant to them, so much they enjoyed their little farm in its tranquil, scenic location and their rural lifestyle. Their farm, small though it was, was unfashionably 'mixed', with cows, heifers, beef cattle, sheep. pigs and poultry.'
'We know the experts would tell us to plaster the place with milking cows', they'd say, 'but crikey, we'd be bored stiff, and we wouldn't be able to have all our other animals'.
One of theses, a big old boar called 'Soddy', living there as a 'pensioner', had been too good a friend to have 'sent down the road'. This huge animal was free to roam the farmyard which he aimably did, disconcerting though it could be to farm visitors. The needn't have worried though - all the animals- dogs, cats, pigeons, ducks, cows, sheep, ponies, cattle - seemed to be exceptionally friendly, all living seemingly in a beautific, benevolent melange- a real tribute to the care qualities of their 'keepers'.
This farming family 'did their own ('freerange') thing', not going with any modern fashion flow, and which also included being relatively self-sustaining, producing their own milk, meat, vegetables, bread and fuel (wood), which along with their work caring for the animals seemed to engender a pretty independent lifestye. Even though their material returns were relatively meagre, their life was rich in meaning, life/job satisfaction and independent, self-organising content. They may well have merited the 'extraordinary ordinariness' title.
One Uk politician in the paper today, for instance, is trying to remind his colleagues that although great modern stress appears to be being put on the need for individuals to be striving, to be 'aspirational', many don't actually want to operate along this particular path, preferring rather to play to solid, traditional values such as 'quiet responsibility, mutual reliance and family loyalties'. Interesting, too, that fashions can change and even reverse - the eco micro holding lifestyle wasn't too much in fashion at times in the not-so-long-ago past, wood being fairly easy to accumulate, for instance, as virtually no-one else was after it, all on oil. Not so now, though, there's apparently been quite a surge in woodburner installations hereabouts in recent times.
'Yer pays yer money-----'
Maybe the element of a degree of 'self-sustaining' could be a useful ingredient to the development of 'independent freerange spirit', and even to gaining meaning to life - ? Participating in life processes could, it's said, act as a 'connector' to 'natural life forces', known as 'Tao' in some eastern traditions, which hold that the 'freedom' state is a natural willingness of the individual to be part of, and subject to, 'Tao', rather than, say, the individual just 'doing whatever they want'. 'Connectedness' is also said to be important in such eastern traditions, emphasising the healing properties of 'wholeness' and being part of 'the one' (eg. 'universal energy'). Kunihiro Yamate, a Japanese sage writing in his challengingly-titled book ' The Way of No-Mind', states that 'separateness' (as in , say, Western man's 'competitive lone individual' culture), will not lead to ultimate contentment, and that 'addiction' to material gain is an attempt to assuage insecurity caused by 'separateness'. The title of his book relates to another concept, that modern man living in scientific, rational times, lives too much in the mind, and by default therefore, not enough 'in the body', or in wider senses.
Nevertheless, a certain amount of 'material activity' is necessary in modern life, to sustain it if nothing else. Maybe Yamate's comments also relate to what's been called 'energy levels/wavelengths'. The idea here is that the base level is materialistic, in that it relates to survival/sustaining needs - food, shelter, security etc. The second 'higher' level then relates to social need areas - the need to 'socially contribute', the need for 'social recognition' etc, and then the third yet higher energy level relates to the wider area, the 'universal', in which the individual relates to and becomes part of, a 'bigger picture' (the so-called 'self-realisation' process). The implication, then, could be that an over-attachment to say , the material level, may restrict access to 'higher' energy wavelenghts - ? The latter might also relate to 'spiritual need' which presumably many feel, and has been said to be the need to connect in some way to a 'greater reality' beyond the the normal five human senses, beyond logic and beyond intellect.
'Ah well----'
Back down to life connecting sustaining activity ---- need to unwrap the sawbench and saw up some more wood - the woodstove's a good tool in terms of banging out heat, but in this cold, snowy frosty weather it can chew up quite a bit of wood - lucky to have the two or three good piles of it collected up over the last few years - all helps with the ever-rising energy costs - and the ol' 'spirit of independence'.
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