View Full Version : An Invitation
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to extend an invitation to all of you who read this message board with some regularity to share some of your experiences and perspectives. I noticed that there seems to be a large number of readers and a small number of posters. Maybe you noticed the same thing? Is anybody else checking in here a few times a week and seeing nothing?
Are you feeling uninspired to post? Are you pre-judging a post you have and not going through with it? Has the vibrancy of this board declined or is it me looking outside myself for distraction and everyone is fine with our "community"?
I do find that people who have a different perspective than I do help me grow a bit, especially those of the Christian faith.
I've had the occasion recently to go back and re-read the Sermon On The Mount, as I've done periodically in the past, and it continues to evolve in my mind with each revisit. For me, it is a constant source of inspiration when I can find similarities from different traditions, especially the mystic traditions.
Anyway, I'll be sharing some of that in the future, but I just wanted to see how everyone is doing and how everyone is relating to this board these days.
If you would like to see more activity here, please consider being the change you would like to see and I'll commit to doing the same.
Namaste,
Peace, &
Blessings
Beautiful, Xmac, and I echo your lovely sentiments. Thanks.
Hi Xmac - Invitation accepted.
Why I read more than post right now?
- Right now I stay so busy that I can't properly follow a thread and to me being active on a thread is like participating in a conversation... I feel like I should be polite and hear everyone out, look everyone in the eye as they respond and stick around for the conversation to wind down vs. coming into a room declaring my opinion and then leaving (although I do do that too.... but Sarah Palin seems to be staying in her own lane more lately than trying to drive all over the highway & I most definitely use this platform as a megaphone to shout out my rage on current events)
- My kids are at the tail end of a labor intensive age and I just recently have been able to start finishing sentences :) And we do stay on the go - I like to DO and get a lot of happiness from it. Swimming, biking, hiking, visiting with friends, library, playgrounds, kid's choir/sports/nature activities, church things.
- I have so much conflict going on in my real life right now that I definitely don't want any here. This has been my refuge to escape real life that has a positive effect on me and I just don't want to tangle with people here. And this is one of the few places that I can successfully "Not say anything if I don't have something nice to say" (very much unlike some other areas of my life right now)
- The things that have me down right now are so intense that I just can't put them out there for people to sift through, nor can I really find the keystrokes to adequately communicate them. One time I put some stuff out there and it literally took me a year (I'm not exaggerating) to go back and read it all. I was getting so offended by what I interpreted as flippant responses to something really painful to me. This forum you can't see people's crow's feet as they respond or look into their eyes and see their feelings as they talk/type. My hat is off to all of you that open your stuff up here. I learn so much from everyone's responses to your quandaries.
RedFox, I am eternally grateful to you for getting the concept of Triangulation through my thick head as you responded to others' posts --- that has saved my butt more than once and kept me from a tremendous amount of needless baloney!
Has the vibrancy of this board declined or is it me looking outside myself for distraction and everyone is fine with our "community"?
Yeah, it has felt a little stale lately. Maybe everyone is out enjoying themselves and the traffic will pick up on those cold days when there is a big pot of soup on the stove and we can't get out.
And here I am going to interject that I am still very sad about Mrs.M leaving and I don't know if the lady from LA with the sweet little cottage & terrible neighbors is gone or not, I can't remember her screen name..... but that whole thing just really bummed me out. I wasn't on the threads that got so heated, but I felt bad for the folks that felt attacked by those heated threads as well.
I know I really liked them outside of whatever happened on those discussions. And I felt really close to Mrs.M, she was the only person here that I talked with occasionally on the personal message board - I just miss her deeply.
I do find that people who have a different perspective than I do help me grow a bit, I love this board and one of the things that keeps me coming back is the diversity. I wouldn't last 10 seconds on a purely Minimalist board, but I sure do appreciate the Minimalists that are here and learn from their posts. I'm kinda Frugal, but really not. I'm not the most Eco person by any measuring stick, although I do have Eco aspirations.
I definitely get misty eyed when I hear Lynryrd Skynyrd's Simple Man http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lynyrdskynyrd/simpleman.html
To me Living Simply is something that can unify and cut through differences.
Reading Your Money or Your Life for the first time was a life altering experience for me and I do attempt to be conscious about what I put into my life and the needed Life Energy to have it there.
To me that equation is an Essential Truth.
Re: Sermon on the Mount
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5-7&version=NIV
Wow. Super meaty. It's been a while since I've taken the time to read through it. It's like ESPN's nightly highlights complete with guitar jam in the back.
Here's what struck me tonight reading it....
The Narrow and Wide Gates
[Matthew 7:13] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
I feel like those of us lucky enough to have stumbled upon the Narrow Gate of Living Simply are much better for it.
To me one of the most unifying traits that we share is a general questioning "Do we REALLY have to do everything the way the shiny ads tell us to do things?"
By sloughing most of that hogwash off, we are all in the process of living Great Lives with Meaning.
Thanks for bringing this up Xmac.
When I saw your post, I was like "oh no, not the Lurker conversation again" ... I'd hate for xmac to get in a huff and stomp off!
And what prompted me to Type It Out tonight?.... Insomnia. Something I thankfully don't have very often.
Thank you so much for posting this!! I have felt that the boards have been a bit flat lately--nothing against the posters--as you said, we are the board so we have to do some introspection from time to time.
A couple of positives:
--One of the things that may make us look a little lax is the casual, unfocused nature of the posts.. partly because we have become so friendly with each other we're more like a kaffeklatsch than a board built around a specific theme. I see a lot of trust here--which is a great thing to build on, but ask yourself: If you were new to the site and didn't know the title of the board, would you know what it's about just on the basis of the posts? I'm not sure I would anymore.
--We have some wonderful new faces--"new blood" who have energetically been trying to stir the pot--specifically, I think Sven has read everyone of these posts going back a couple of years and resurrected them as new questions, which is fabulous. We need someone to stir the pot! Thanks, Sven, and all you other new-to-the-board folks who have been contributing. It's truly great to hear from you.
I think your call to dig into what we can each contribute on a more meaningful level is a great one. I really hope you do contribute your thoughts about Spiritual Simplicity (with a focus on the Christian perspective)--that's a HUGE interest of mine, as you probably know. And you bring with it insights from your personal practice, and I always like to read your posts.
Lately I've also been learning so much about some members' backgrounds and childhoods and how that filters how they think, which has been revealing to me and helps me understand the POV of each individual.
I think there are a lot of people here whose skills and interests maybe we have taken from granted because we've been around so long. The permaculture/gardening practices of Gregg, herbgeek, CathyA, etc. The homesteading skills of bae. The "living on less" skills of bayougirl, gimmethesimplelife. The community-building skills of redfox. The pragmatic downshifting skills from SteveinMN. The practical, financial skills of Alan. The general simple living insights and advice from so many, like lhamo, iris lillies, jane.
Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I wish I could mention everyone but I can't--you get the point. (I feel like I'm a high school yearbook editor: hmm, who of us would you make Most Likely to Succeed?)
The point is, when we lost Mrs-M we lost the person who was most likely to actually actively come up with pot-stirring questions for the group. I know some felt her questions were lightweight, but they were fun, and they engaged many of us. We can each do that. While we've lost the lightness of her questions, I think we've maybe filled the void with a LOT more heavy topics revolving around current political issues. They have their place, but I for one would like to see a bit more balance here.
As for me, it's so funny you posted this today, Xmac, because I've just been considering the "fade-away" myself. At this point, I'm looking for a little less kaffeeklatsch and a little more dipping into the vast pond of simple living knowledge and skills that are represented here.
I would love to maybe ask people to think about their area of expertise and post one new thread designed to engage the group.
Personally, I am really becoming more involved in the Spiritual Ecology movement of people like Charles Eisenstein, Matthew Fox, Richard Rohr, Vandana Shiva, Thich Nhat Hanh. I think that the foundation of Your Money or Your Life has served its purpose for me. Of course most of the principles are timeless. But I'm interested in a whole new type of journey that takes us into a more interconnected plane. So that's what I commit to posting more about.
Thank you for bringing this up!
I love all y'all!
It seems like the board ebbs and flows through these "flat" times on occasion, so think it will probably revitalize once summer is over. I hope so.
I have much of the same feelings as mtnlaurel, plus the fact that I don't feel like I'm an expert in anything. I feel like I have little to offer much of the time. I don't read as much (news) as I used to, but am trying to do more.
Maybe if I knew more what folks here were really looking for, I might have something to offer in that area...but it seems like most of the discussion here is response to threads started by a smaller few. I haven't analyzed this, so I could be wrong about that. What do board folks want to know/share more about that hasn't already been discussed?
Gardenarian
7-11-13, 6:33pm
Yes, I feel there has been a drop off in participation on the board, and echo the sentiments of others above.
Xmac, I look forward to your posts. It was something you posted a couple of years ago that made me return to vegetarianism. I often think of that.
mtnlaurel - thank you for the link to the Sermon on the Mount. As a non-Judeo/Christian, I often neglect the Bible, and forget what a powerful source of inspiration it is.
It is so interesting that in this forum, really in this thread, are many of the people with whom I resonate best on these boards.
Simple living is deeply spiritual for me. It's a way of being that connects me with what matters in life.
I feel as though I post TOO often, needing instead to listen and ponder. I wonder if there are a lot more people like this just stopping in and "taking what they need and leaving the rest."
I also am often disturbed by what one sees if they visit the main URL at http://www.simplelivingforum.net. Potential new community members see the timeline of recent posts, which more often than not is some deeply divisive political argument. If I were a simple liver who came for the first time and found that, I would not stay and would not participate. Who needs more of that when they have Fox News and MSNBC and every other polarizing force? I often wish the main URL simply resolved to the main boards at http://www.simplelivingforum.net/forum.php again, where people could see the whole breadth of our conversations, not just the heated arguments of a few.
And a Rumi of my own, which is relevant here:
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
At this point, I'm looking for a little less kaffeeklatsch and a little more dipping into the vast pond of simple living knowledge and skills that are represented here.
I would love to maybe ask people to think about their area of expertise and post one new thread designed to engage the group.
Personally, I am really becoming more involved in the Spiritual Ecology movement of people like Charles Eisenstein, Matthew Fox, Richard Rohr, Vandana Shiva, Thich Nhat Hanh
- Catherine, I would be really interested to hear about the Spiritual Ecology movement, so I look forward to your posts.
I agree things are becoming stale and would like to read more about some new aspects of simple living... after practicing frugality and simplicity for many years, I would like to expand into new areas. I've got the basics under control: the small, efficient house; saving energy around the house by line-drying and using insulating window coverings, turning things off, etc; choosing activities and work based on values; growing organic foods, making household cleaners; doing things (e.g. family bike rides, playing musical instruments, crafts, gardening...) instead of shopping and/or buying, etc. A few years ago I "released" my copies of YMOYL & Tightwad Gazette from my bookshelf into the world because after reviewing them again I felt that I had absorbed the messages and on another reread did not get any new messages... so I need other sources for inspiration.
I feel that my areas of expertise are also those of other posters here, so I don't create many new threads. Yep, many of us are interested in gardening, cooking good foods, having a green lifestyle, general healthy living, etc. But I will think more about new aspects of simplicity and consider adding new threads when inspiration strikes.
puglogic and Rosemary make interesting points.
I, for one, am more lurker than poster most of the time. I am trying to back off my internet usage, especially my passive internet usage - I'm trying to be more the writer and less the reader. Looking at this forum is not necessarily a useful addiction. I also do prefer to ponder internally. I have tried to post some ponderings here, but they appear to be met more by views than by responses (except for you few people who have been only supportive and helpful - you know who you are - thanks).
Also, like Rosemary, I feel I've been doing this for so long - I've been a simple-liver longer than I knew of the phrase - that there isn't much new. I don't need advice in most areas. Primarily because I do live extremely simply and don't have a house, garden, kids, pets, etc. My areas of expertise are money management, learning to not care about societal pressures, opting out of most cultural things, and there aren't many threads upon these things. We haven't had a good "look at my budget" thread in forever. It seems everyone goes to MMM for that now.
But all that being said, if something occurs to me, I will consider posting a thread about it.
I often wish the main URL simply resolved to the main boards at http://www.simplelivingforum.net/forum.php again, where people could see the whole breadth of our conversations, not just the heated arguments of a few.
Agreed. I wonder how we petition TPTB to do that?
As for Xmac's original questions, I think I post a lot. Sometimes I'm surprised at the number of threads that have that icon indicating I've responded. But I'll do so as long as I think I have something to contribute. Being relatively new to simple living, I do have some questions I've not seen in about a year on this board, so I post those, too.
I think this board in general exhibits the dynamics most boards do. Some folks really enjoy the interaction and post frequently; some are here to acquire specific information and they're gone for another while. Many boards also experience a doldrums when posters are busy with kids out of school, on vacations, during work busy seasons, etc. I'll grant I was not around for the previous incarnation of this board, but I think it now covers a wide range of topics and manages to do so in a relatively non-threatening environment (unlike, say, the forums at MMM which in many respects strike me as a bit of a peeing contest).
Regarding this forum particularly, I don't tend to post often. I think part of it is that I consider faith and spirituality intensely personal. Everyone has their own understanding of why we exist in relation to the world around us. Not that spiritual life can't be discussed, but IMHO there are too many religions which insist they have the way. It doesn't take much to determine that they can't all be right. Some practitioners, however, are adamant that their way of thinking is right. So I just avoid the noise and do not promote my values unless prompted to do so.
But since I've been (somewhat) prompted, I will say that, after practicing nominal versions of Judeo-Christian religion, and after my divorce, I stumbled upon Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations With God". It absolutely changed my life. That resonated very deeply with me. I'm still internalizing some of the lessons years after first reading the book. But I credit that book with changing the way I view life. And I'm very much more settled and happier for putting into practice the ideas in that book.
Thanks for that recommendation, Steve....going to look it up.
I was thinking about this thread early this morning. It occurred to me that many of us are in the same boat--having lived simply and frugally for some time (or always) and have little more to discuss that is new info. The new thought I had kind of fits into this (spirituality) category, though. Much of what we discuss about living simple lives centers on ourselves and our own lives and our own little spheres (environmentalism notwithstanding). How does this passion for living extend into our communities in a meaningful, positive way? For instance, something that is getting worse and worse here in my city (and it really grates and rubs me wrong) is grafitti. I know this is a by-product of gang culture, but is there anything "I" can do about it if it bugs me so much? If I am so moved about this--and I suspect it does because I view my community as a beautiful, natural place and it offends me to see it defaced -- how does my philosophy/lifestyle move me to actually DO anything about it?
What about your community? Does your passion for simplicity move you to DO anything to make your community better? Does it move you to reach out to others in any way? Or do you "keep it to yourself?"
Not judging at all---just thinking out loud and trying to articulate what I was thinking about this morning as an exercise to see if there is still potential for growth in my own life in this area.
I rarely post in this forum myself since I am neither a spiritual or religious person nor a philosophical person. But I do like to read others post here and would like to see more interaction.
What about your community? Does your passion for simplicity move you to DO anything to make your community better? Does it move you to reach out to others in any way? Or do you "keep it to yourself?"
Hi Kay,
I have always been an introvert, and haven't always been comfortable getting involved with public efforts. But I did observe recently an example of my simple living ethic bleeding over into my daily actions. I am rather passionate about having access to good, healthy food, and also about being a good caretaker of the soil and land, and so when I noticed that there was a fitful effort locally to start a community garden (our first) I summoned up my courage and took a small volunteer role doing computer stuff to help out. Well, soon I noticed other areas where I felt I could make a difference in whether this thing came to life or not, and I started flexing my extravert muscle more and more, using my writing and speaking skills to convince people of its benefits to our little town. After 3 years of effort by a handful of people, it was finally approved, and now it's this green thriving space where people gather and talk about food, chemicals, land use, health, etc. I feel good about that.
It was way outside my comfort zone, but I felt that by supporting IT, it would help me learn a few new things that would benefit my simple life too, as well as making good local friends, not to mention the big basket of lettuce and spinach in my fridge....
I'm open to other things that might come up where I can make a small difference while sharing what I've learned about living simply and well. It feels good.....and gets me out of the house :D
ApatheticNoMore
7-12-13, 1:47pm
The new thought I had kind of fits into this (spirituality) category, though. Much of what we discuss about living simple lives centers on ourselves and our own lives and our own little spheres (environmentalism notwithstanding). How does this passion for living extend into our communities in a meaningful, positive way?
I think I'm plenty involved in that, in presisely those sorts of issues. I'm better at that than I am at say remembering reusable bags and recyling (maybe get a B in those things :)). I always want to be even more involved (not out of guilt - it's more the more I am involved the more it feels right and I want to be - it's like yes! this is it!). But just surviving, takes much of my time and energy (far more than I ever wish it did - really spending time doing rather than shopping was mentioned and I just thought: there are many times I feel I don't even have time to shop! - must less do). So I am fairly happy with my involvement considering ... but you never know.
Agreed. I wonder how we petition TPTB to do that?
As for Xmac's original questions, I think I post a lot. Sometimes I'm surprised at the number of threads that have that icon indicating I've responded. But I'll do so as long as I think I have something to contribute. Being relatively new to simple living, I do have some questions I've not seen in about a year on this board, so I post those, too.
I think this board in general exhibits the dynamics most boards do. Some folks really enjoy the interaction and post frequently; some are here to acquire specific information and they're gone for another while. Many boards also experience a doldrums when posters are busy with kids out of school, on vacations, during work busy seasons, etc. I'll grant I was not around for the previous incarnation of this board, but I think it now covers a wide range of topics and manages to do so in a relatively non-threatening environment (unlike, say, the forums at MMM which in many respects strike me as a bit of a peeing contest).
Regarding this forum particularly, I don't tend to post often. I think part of it is that I consider faith and spirituality intensely personal. Everyone has their own understanding of why we exist in relation to the world around us. Not that spiritual life can't be discussed, but IMHO there are too many religions which insist they have the way. It doesn't take much to determine that they can't all be right. Some practitioners, however, are adamant that their way of thinking is right. So I just avoid the noise and do not promote my values unless prompted to do so.
But since I've been (somewhat) prompted, I will say that, after practicing nominal versions of Judeo-Christian religion, and after my divorce, I stumbled upon Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations With God". It absolutely changed my life. That resonated very deeply with me. I'm still internalizing some of the lessons years after first reading the book. But I credit that book with changing the way I view life. And I'm very much more settled and happier for putting into practice the ideas in that book.
How wonderful! You stepped outside of your comfort zone for the good of a community...how cool!:cool:
Way to go, Pug!! Admirable!!
Way to go, Pug!! Admirable!!
It feels like a blessing in my life now. Maybe that's the line that I have to cross when shifting from simplicity-for-me to simplicity-for-others-too: it has to feel like it will be a blessing, an addition, some kind of deep growth in my strength of character and my courage. Something that will potentially make my life feel bigger and wider. Then it is easier (though I still sweat bullets when I have to speak in public.....sigh)
I often wish the main URL simply resolved to the main boards at http://www.simplelivingforum.net/forum.php again, where people could see the whole breadth of our conversations, not just the heated arguments of a few.
Agreed. I wonder how we petition TPTB to do that?
By asking. Consider it done! :cool:
Alan rocks!!
He sure does! I didn't know he was one of TPTB. Thanks, Alan!
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