Jenna Ferchoff wrote:Thank you Mick! I agree with a lot of what you are sharing with me. Grass is always greener, hey? Life is really a game of patience and persistence. I think I do expect a lot out of life immediately and I become impatient but more and more I am willing to sacrifice comforts for a more real and connected lifestyle. We already eat lots of dried good like grains and beans and always cook at home.
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I am so very glad you found meaning in family life. That's another part we are struggling with as a couple who does not want to raise children right now or in the foreseeable future. We both had pretty toxic families growing up and we don't have a nice idea of what family can mean and we certainly don't want to pass our trauma's onto our children. So we don't really see a future where we are passing anything on to or raising another generation. I think where we will find meaning is just going to be so different from most people on this planet. I don't want to pretend that I'm ok with just fitting myself into a cookie cutter life when I am not. But there is still much for me to learn about myself and I what I want and need out of life and I may change my opinion on raising a family in many years to come. I am open to multi-generational living or even adopting children once I am mature enough for the task.
Thanks for the link Steve. Its always great to learn about eco villages in Canada. Sounds like a good model. Northern Ontario seems like a great place to go off-grid but we just don't know anyone up there so we are hesitant to make the jump. Our whole life and identity and remaining friend groups are based in Winnipeg so we worry about loneliness being up in a place in the north. Manitoulin Island sure sounds interesting. I've been curious about visiting there.
Jenna Ferchoff wrote:
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1. I feel, think, and see things very differently from my family and most people I meet in daily life. I feel like an outsider always. I like to think about and discuss big concepts like consciousness, life purpose, nature, the universe, etc. often. I don't bother with sports, celebrities, and trends for the most part.
2. I have always felt I needed to do something important with my time and my life force. I feel deeply called to help others, to do meaningful work, and to enjoy my time on this earth bringing happiness and joy to others. Its been extremely difficult to understand how to do this and have confidence in myself to do meaningful work when it isn't supported or encouraged by the current economic and ideological underpinnings of this modern society. This then leads to a further feeling of outsiderness.
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“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.”
― Voltaire
Jenna Ferchoff wrote:
Thanks for the reply Michael. I wonder what it is for people like us? Do we have trouble compromising our values too much to share life with others? Are we just incredibly unique and are just one permutation away from fitting in to most cultures? I could definitely see why one would not want to leave the land once you started. One thing I might suggest if you want to try meeting others with similar mindsets is workaway.org. My partner and I did this and helped people out on their farms and homesteads and we have met some very good people and made friends, even though most of our hosts are older than us. If you have the space to host this can be a very interesting and unique way to meet new folks and exchange ideas. That is really sad to hear how trapped people are in living in that dominant mode. I don't want to feel like its too late for me. I hope that no matter how trapped I am in this system, I can still follow my values and strive to spend time with healthy and happy people. I do hope you find your people someday. May I ask where you have set up your homestead and what the community is like around there?
“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.”
― Voltaire
Jenna Ferchoff wrote:Also, would you ever be open to hosting people come stay and work on your land? That is something my partner and I talked about doing some workstays like that in Japan to get a feel for the permaculture community. I feel like if anything it is a great climate to grow food in!
Jenna Ferchoff wrote: While I loved to travel to Japan I do have a few long term concerns about fitting into the culture there. Mainly, I do hear that they can take a long time, if ever, to warm up to foreigners. I've always felt the Japanese are extremely kind and friendly despite that. The work culture there is just insane to me. I wouldn't fit in at all with it. I already hate that everyone in Canada thinks working 40-50 hours is normal.
Also, I found when I visited there that people were kind of stifled in the sense that they are so polite and proper, that there isn't a lot of room to be different or eccentric there. They seem to support a homogenous society there.
Think of how dumb the average person is. Mathematically, half of them are EVEN DUMBER. Smart tiny ad:
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