No.834: Last Week at the Farmhouse // We Don’t Have to be Enemies

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Lately, I’ve been thinking about the concept of enemies.  I’ve been reading the current news stories about skirmishes and wars around the world.  I’ve also been reading about past conflicts in history and the lasting repercussions of war on a person’s psyche.  I’ve touched on the “culture wars” and the many factions that seem to keep society separated from each other.

I’m still wrestling with all of this information, but the overarching theme seems to be that we are encouraged to dehumanize people who disagree with us.  Social media and the news and even politicians push us to pick one side – you’re either Team A or Team B!  We’re pitted against each other, we look at people with hatred and disgust, we hold people to a standard higher than we do ourselves.  And sadly, the less you see the humanity of a person, the easier it is to devalue them or even wish their death.  What is happening to us as a society?  As a culture?

I believe that we are more than a sound bite, more than a 280-character tweet, more than one photo with a tiny caption. We are all people struggling to make sense of a complex world. Our backgrounds and experiences are vast and varied and we often come to different conclusions. That is okay! That is the human experience. You are not an automaton, you are not a machine, you don’t have to agree with everyone else!  We don’t have to be enemies. I’m fighting that societal pressure and I hope you will too.

Hoping to document the abundance around me all year long!

Around here, abundance looks like…

+ air-drying laundry (still!) as we continue to figure out the dryer issue.  I did purchase a second drying rack because the laundry piles were getting huge.

+ securing a dog boarder for our vacation!  We found her through Rover and had a meet-and-greet with her and the dogs.  She was so warm and welcoming and the dogs were right at home at her house – even Samson, who hates all strangers!  This is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders; I know they’ll be in great hands while we’re gone.

+ big, healthy hydrangea bushes!  Two years ago, I envisioned a line of hydrangeas around our front porch but could only afford the tiny, potted bareroots.  With patience comes great reward!  They are growing so well and are just gorgeous.

+ a young buck who seems to like hanging out in our backyard near the chicken run.  My youngest has named him Ezra.

+ selling ten unneeded items for the Farm Sitter Vacation Fund: eight books, a DVD and a sweater.  After shipping and fees, I made $25.40.  I’m hitting a bit of a reselling wall (I’ve been listing steadily since late February!) so I took a bit of a break.  Even so, this was an exciting week because I’m getting so, so close to my financial goal.  Really hoping to cross that threshold soon!

Reading //

• this quote from Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by Bianca Marais:

It is not my place to speak in this setting.  Even if it was, there is no point in telling these men that I do not condone violence.  I have always believed, and still do, that violence begets more violence.  We are relics of a bygone era, those of us who support passive resistance.  The younger ones do not believe that the meek shall inherit the earth.  They insist the struggle must be an armed one because the only way to overthrow the white minority who keep the black majority in chains is with force.

But what quality of freedom will it be if it is won with blood?  And after that?  Once our rage has boiled and we have taken the life force of our enemies, have we not become the very people we have fought against, the ones who use violence against us?  If we ever taste victory, will our fighters lower their fists and live in peace or will they always be looking for the next conflict?  I despair that we are all becoming murderers, white and black alike, and that we will never be able to wipe this blood from our hands.  I pray that I am wrong. (p.96)

• Cocktails, Commitments, and Crafting Conversation from Ben Christenson at Hearth and Field // “Sherry Turkle describes the ‘rule of three’ in modern group socializing: so long as at least three people have their heads up, people feel license to check their phone and temporarily drop out. The resulting conversation is disjointed and shallow, limping along but unable to achieve any complexity or depth. It’s a ‘tragedy of the conversations,’ if you will. No one feels responsible, so everyone seeks their own pleasure while the shared conversation suffers.”  His ideas to encourage conversation without phones is great.
• The Contemplative Reader from Leigh Lowe at Memoria Press // “Contemplation is a bridge that leads from knowledge (comprehension) to wisdom and helps us use what we have learned to pursue virtue and avoid vice.”

New Additions to The List // 

• Stalin’s Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva by Rosemary Sullivan
• The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia by Orlando Figes

Watching/Listening //

• 8 Books You Should Read To Save Society – Before It’s Too Late… from Rob Pirie – The Cause //  I definitely want to participate in the close reading of this series.

Loving //

• this indoor plug-in fly trap // Started as a Home Depot impulse buy, but now I’m in love!  So helpful to combat the flies and other bugs that manage to get into this farmhouse.
• Sudoku // Trying to keep this brain of mine sharp.  You can even play online.
• “Learn all you can about various subjects because it can make for a very interesting life. It is like being on an everyday adventure that makes us want to know more.” // Wise advice from Grandma Donna.