Philosophy in Psalm for the Wild-Built

Psalm for the Wild-Built is a solar punk utopia by Becky Chambers where humans figured out how to live in a sustainable way before they reached the tipping point.

If you haven't read it, stop and go read it!  It's sweet and inspiring and it filled me with hope and the desire to double down on my permaculture efforts.

The core tenet of their philosophy/ethos/worship is that technology and knowledge must work together: knowledge without tools has no teeth, and technology without thinking is a menace. But Chambers adds a third dimension: small comforts to make the effort worthwhile. The main character is a cleric of the Small Comforts goddess, and their order provides warm baths, beautiful gardens, tea and companionship, comfy beds... (the main character is a travelling tea monk, and yes, that gives you the tone for the whole book. )

And this idea really rang with me as a philosophy: that if we want to make permaculture work, we need to think about the joy and the comfort of it. But it's also a balance:  Chambers talks about small comforts, not luxury five stars hotels and endless distraction from reality. You need to take the small comforts and use them to propel the rest of your efforts towards a better world.

But that idea is what convinced me to invest in a sauna for our backyard. No, it's not strictly essential. It's "wasted resources" if you only think about what's essential for survival. But it's really a small comfort for us, and we're hoping to share it with neighbours and friends so it becomes a part of our urban community. Good food, herbal teas shared with friends, late night chats in the yard around home-brewed drinks... this is a future that's worth aspiring to for me, and one that can remain realistic regardless of what's heading our way politically and environmentally.

So... how do you see the role of small comforts in convincing others that a different world is possible? What do small comforts play out for you? What's the frontier between small comforts and unsustainable opulence?

Yes, I think this philosophy is what started the "Simple Pleasures of the Day" thread.

Actually, it seems we have many threads here on permies which support that concept, as I can think of 2 more.

However, warmth can be so healing after a hard day, and can help people relax and get a good night's sleep which seems beyond the reach of many people in our modern society, so I think a sauna is a great choice even though I personally find hot tubs more relaxing. Hot tubs take much more energy than a well designed sauna, so I've resisted. I have heard of people putting their hot tubs in their greenhouses to stack functions!

I hope it works out as well as you hope - please post updates!

PS: the book you recommend reading has 36 reserves on 6 copies in my regional library system. I've added my name to the list. Patience is a virtue!

Yep, what's the point of life if you only think of survival? Life can't be "survived", it needs to be lived. Small (and bigger) pleasures included. We only need to make sure our pleasures don't cause suffering elsewhere. I'm thinking that's what differentiates your sauna from that luxury hotel.

Besides, I'm not convinced a sauna could be considered "wasted resources" even from a survival-only point of view...

There are often different ways of achieving the same desire, but the end result is very different. I'm thinking of good organically grown food. There is something about fruit or vegetables that I have grown myself that the best farmers' market produce cannot replicate. I think there is something about having achieved food that satisfies a primitive instinct.

I'll also have a look out for 'Psalm for the wild built' probably not a story I would have picked out for myself, but it is good to take a different direction sometimes.

Is that your sauna Kena? It looks fab!