some other thoughts...

My first trip into town was yesterday. In order to catch a ride, I had to leave with the truck that goes to sell at Saturday market at 6:00am, which was no prob. since I had been up since 3:30 having a manic episode induced by overindulgence in IPA the night before. (The anticipation of putting on a clean pair of pants and some sneakers also being a major contributor. Wow, that sounds like a sad life.)

Being back in the mix of Eugene felt like a visit ‘Home’, and I realized how fond of this place I am becoming. Also, I don’t know if it was because of the nice weather or what, but I saw more attractive people that afternoon than I have seen in four months of being here, combined. So that was a high point in the day. The low point was probably when Erin told me that I smelled a little like a compost pile. (Which really surprised me because I’d showered a day ago, and it had been several days since we’d been in the thick of compost.)

Anyway, I got supplies to make bread, chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies, and kim chee (Korean-style spicy fermented cabbage) – my cooking goals for this week. The yogurt I made with raw milk last week came out amazing - I can’t believe how easy it was- just heat the milk to 115 degrees (if you want to keep it raw. Heat to 185 if you want to pasteurize it, or if the milk is already pasteurized) let it cool to 110 then stir in ¼ cup of starter or you can use a heaping tablespoon of store-bought yogurt that contains live cultures. Then pour it into jars and incubate it for 8 hours (I used a cooler). That’s it!

Whatever I end up doing with the rest of my life, it’s going to involve plenty of time in my day for cooking, walking, and creative projects. Screw my old life of rushing around to and fro work situations where I was forced to operate from an alter-ego that left me miserable and with barely enough time and energy to fit in a morning jog. , but elitism is a product of Civilization, and I am committed to living and operating in ways that not only challenge the accepted norm, but actually work to deconstruct our societal system- for the sake of all living things. (Woa, that was quite a jump – from yogurt-making to activism in less than one paragraph  - I have to continue my thought though-) Our society operates and depends upon the violation and enslavement of a class of people (enslaves us all really – in different ways) to poverty, to inhumane, dangerous, back-breaking work that keeps a privileged minority in power and maintains the status quo. I am reminded of Endgame, a book critiquing Civilization by activist Derrick Jensen. The book begins with twenty premises; all which reflect this imbalance in one way or another.

“PREMISE THREE: Our way of living – industrial civilization – is based on, requires, and would collapse very quickly without persistent and widespread violence.

PREMISE FOUR: Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy. Violence done by those higher on the hierarchy to those lower is nearly always invisible, that is, unnoticed. When it is noticed, it is fully rationalized. Violence down by those lower on the hierarchy to those higher is unthinkable, and when it does occur is regarded with shock, horror, and the fetishization of the victims.

PREMISE FIVE: …It is acceptable for those above to increase the amount of property they control – in everyday language, to make money – by destroying or taking the lives of those below. This is called production. If those below damage the property of those above, those above may kill or otherwise destroy the lives of those below. This is called justice.”

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I realize that in being so open about my current thoughts and beliefs, which probably seem radical to some of you, I make myself vulnerable to those who disagree or are uninterested in peeling back the layers. I want to be clear that I am not trying to separate myself from the ‘evil system’ or sit in judgment of the actions of anyone else. I am just a part of industrial civilization as the next person – I participate in the degradation and violence, no matter how much I try to avoid it, because our way of living is currently founded on these principles. However, I am no longer capable of ignoring certain facts, and feel compelled to speak out and attempt to act in accordance with what I believe to be true and right and authentic for me. (Something that has been cultivating within me for a time now, not just from one week here on the farm. ) I think that we all have gifts to contribute and essentially all want the same things at the end of the day. That is why I feel it is important to reflect upon how we go about getting to the end of our day, and discuss not only the ways in which we feel we fall short but also to generate new ways of thinking and eventually collaborate on creative solutions to benefit our land bases, our communities, and our individual lives.

Thanks for reading – love to you all!

Bobby, Paul, and Lisa washing out the planters