Something Meaningful to Live By

Life is fully of beauty, happiness, and excitement. We feel these emotions in our relationships and interactions with people, nature, and animals. So why isn't the population happier? (In my small and unprofessional scope of observation and research I have come across many people who are not happy.) One reason I believe is because we have forgotten how to be grateful for these things and who created these things. We have created a world with shortcuts for everything that has separated us so far from the origin of our possessions. We no longer think of how our possessions were made, where they came from, how they got here, or what happens to them when we are done with them. 

For example, picture a delicious chocolate bar wrapped up in pristine packaging. Did you ever think of where this chocolate bar originated? Let's say it is a Hershey's bar; then you could think,"it came from the factory." Where did the factory source its raw materials: the cacao bean, milk, sugar, etc.? I watched a video recently that followed a man to the farms of cacao beans. He wanted to meet the farmers who harvested the beans from their small plots of land along the Ivory Coast. The farmers lived in small homes made of primitive materials with large families and they employed several workers on their farms. The farmer was paid seven euro a day for his harvest and yet he had four employees and fifteen family members to care for. The host of the video introduced the farmer and his workers to the fruits of their labor: the chocolate bar. Because a chocolate bar cost about 2 euro, the farmer can not afford to buy his family chocolate. For the first time, the farmers tasted a chocolate bar. We owe our delicious chocolate bars to farmers like these men, but we rarely ever think of it that way. 

I believe our ingratitude and mindlessness has made us unhappy. Our souls crave meaningful interactions yet we have digitized and separated ourselves from the majority of these interactions between our families, friends, nature, animals, food, and business. I read a blog post recently on Lil Blue Boo (lilblueboo.com) where she shared her interest in living a life with less convenience. Here is a quote she used from a book titled "The Last American Man" that sums up the monotony society has created. 

"Do people live in circles today? No. They live in boxes. They wake up every morning in a box of their bedrooms because a box next to them started making beeping noises to tell them it was time to get up. They eat their breakfast out of a box and then they throw that box away into another box. Then they leave the box where they live and get into another box with wheels and drive to work, which is just another big box broken into little cubicle boxes where a bunch of people spend their days sitting and staring at the computer boxes in front of them. When the day is over, everyone gets into the box with wheels again and goes home to the house boxes and spends the evening staring at the television boxes for entertainment. They get their music from a box, they get their food from a box, they keep their clothing in a box, they live their lives in a box. Break out of the box! This not the way humanity lived for thousands of years.

Clever, ambitious, and always in search of greater efficiency, we Americans have, in two short centuries, created a world of push button, round the clock comfort for ourselves. The basic needs of humanity – food, clothing, shelter, entertainment, transportation, and even [certain desires] – no longer need to be personally laboured for or ritualised or even understood. All these things are available to us now for mere cash. Or credit. Which means that nobody needs to know how to do anything any more, except the one narrow skill that will earn enough money to pay for the conveniences and services of modern living.

But in replacing every challenge with a short cut we seem to have lost something and Eustace isn’t the only person feeling that loss. We are an increasingly depressed and anxious people – and not for nothing. Arguably, all these modern conveniences have been adopted to save us time. But time for what? Having created a system that tends to our every need without causing us undue exertion or labour, we can now fill those hours with…?"

My favorite line from this quote is, "Arguably, all these modern conveniences have been adopted to save us time. But time for what?" I do love some of my modern conveniences like my crock pot, air conditioning, and plumbing, but what else to life is there if we oversimplify and assign task to everything? Because of this epiphany, which I have not been able to accurately describe until now, I created those goals I set back in my Light on the Horizon post. So far, I am doing well enough on all of them. However, I keep in mind, this is about learning, making habits, and overall progress. 

My other something meaningful to live by is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

For a little spiritual dose of advice, read this talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry, "Let Him Do It with Simplicity". 

(While I really like to read Lil Blue Boo's blog, I have not read through it all and therefore do not know what other content is on there. Also, the link to this video is on a website I have not fully read through either. 

The WWOOFing Opportunity

For the sake of accountability, I am going to give a small update on my goals which I will follow up later with a post describing what I am doing to reach each goal. Thus far I have done little towards reaching the goals I set, however, number one and four have seen some improvement. The first goal, of spending more thoughtful time with my husband, was improved by reading scriptures together and having family prayer every night. For my goal of creating a more christ-centered home, I have lowered the amount of ignorant television programs I watch. I hope to do more work to reach the goals this coming week, but I would like to say that some of these goals are about creating better habits and habits aren't formed in a day or even a week. 

At the end of my last post I announced I will be traveling to Wales and England in September. I am overjoyed by this opportunity, but also by the support I have received from my wonderful friends. In addition to the support, though, I have received advice and concern about my trip. I welcome the advice and concern, but I want everyone to know I have not taken this decision lightly. In fact, this one decision to WWOOF has caused me to delve into a sea of information and forethought I would never have otherwise come across. 

For all my readers who do not know about the WWOOF program, it stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. This means farms all across the world host volunteers to help them with daily tasks. In my experience everyone's reaction to this brief information has been, "you're going to work on a farm for free?" "It sounds like they are in it for cheap labor", and "you are going to be miserable." However, what many people are failing to see is the opportunity you have to learn from these people, observe them, and immerse yourself in the local culture. Have you ever wondered what is it like to live in other countries and cities? Did you every travel somewhere and want to have the "local" experience? That is what you can do with WWOOFing! 

When I first found out about this opportunity through a friend, I was a little perplexed too. I did tons of research about the concept and went looking at multiple WWOOF country websites. I also sought out blogs with personal WWOOFing experiences so I can get an understanding of what it is like, what to expect, what to look for, and the personal rewards you receive. Many of the experiences I read about related how much they learned about organic farming and how much they enjoyed their hosts. In my research I also found out about how long you have to work each day and each week and what the host will give to you in return for your work. Hosts are required to provide accommodation and food during your stay, but most go beyond that by involving you in their homes, at their dinner tables, and in their weekend activities. The amount of work you do varies depending on a host's requirements, but you get to choose your host and you correspond with them. 

For example, my hosts will be picking me up at the train stations and will be hosting me in their homes. One of them has told me I will be helping to make homemade apple cider from the apples I pick. The other host has informed me I will be helping alongside two long-time, returning WWOOFers (as we colloquially call ourselves) and dining with them for dinners. Plus I get the weekends to myself to venture out in the surrounding areas. 

The WWOOFing opportunity, as I would like to call it, has introduced me to many possibilities with traveling and also with interesting thoughts about a simpler kind of life, which I mentioned in my last post. However, it has made me rethink my life more than anything (except for the gospel, of course). In another post I will give in detail some of the thought-provoking information and ideas I have come across in my research. Until then, if you want to find out more about WWOOFing opportunities you can visit the individual country's website. In general, even if you don't plan on WWOOFing, it is still pretty interesting.