Hello fellow humans,
It was in June that I first said my thoughts out loud, and I admittedly thought the words would sprout and immediately die.
"I want to live off grid."
I grew up in a small town, but my family didn't garden, or do much of anything that some may consider 'rural'. Like most from my neck of the woods, once I reached maturity I moved to the
city (Toronto). And I'm now a 31 year old woman...I have a career, rent a house, have a solid partner, an old dog, and a few cats. I do not have any children, nor do I plan on having any (environmental and socio-economic reasons), but as a 31 year old, I think my life is pretty on-par with my peers. I am comfortable in life.
So what changed (besides extra time for thinking due to a pandemic)? I think three fundamental aspects of my person combined:
One of the things I'm really interested in is socialism. Not particularly Socialism in action, but certainly the theory and mindset. The idea that there is worth in things beyond consuming and making capital.
I'm an environmentalist. I have to say, I'm honestly not sure if humans have gone too far and messed up the planet for every other species, let alone our own.
The third thing is somewhat more vague but tied everything together. I don't want to be known for anything, but I do want to work towards what I feel is most important.
What do I feel is most important? It it isn't wealth, or consumerism, so why am I so enmeshed in that system? What I feel is most important is trying my best to help life survive.
Not human specific life.
So the goal then becomes:
how can I live my life in a way that both bring me pleasure and joy, as well as doing the least harm (maybe even good?) to our ecosystem.
Absolutely, I know that not everyone shares my thoughts or values about
politics or environmental issues, but we can all come together and learn, which is really nice. I really yearn for community and I hope I can make personal connections, learn, and even share.
I'm frankly so new to all this that this site still sometimes feels overwhelming, and I feel panicked that I'm so behind and have so much to learn. But, we all have to start somewhere, so here I am.
Hello. I'm Tonya. It's nice to meet you all.