I’ve had this weird sense of disgust and malaise the last few days. I’m disgusted as I recognize (increasingly more as I grow older) that the systems that run our world are generally fueled by the continual quest for profit, regardless of outcome. That quest has left our global economy in an unsustainable mess, our politics in a shambles, and our environment a mess. Moreover, the systems that we rely upon (education, healthcare, food production) subject to the rules of retail more than the rules of rationality.

My grandmother, with an 8th grade education, spoke 4 languages. My other grandmother, also with an 8th grade education, was an accountant and also happened to be a machinist. Both could cook like nobody’s business.

The basic skills of life—creating food and cooking it, repairing and making things, communication (like writing and language) are giving way to sophisticated math and science that are offered in the service of industry, not in the service of living a high quality of life.

So, I’ve decided to focus less on consumption and more on living. I want to buy significantly less and create significantly more using existing materials and reclaimed materials.

I’ll post the outcome here!