tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280576398615172460.post2999458910654384333..comments2020-02-19T00:27:13.196-07:00Comments on Where Simplicity Leads: Why Shorter Showers MatterMelanie Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06034189354730902887noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280576398615172460.post-34277212371053504152010-03-02T09:04:53.609-07:002010-03-02T09:04:53.609-07:00I don't think people who consciously disengage...I don't think people who consciously disengage are in much danger of being enslaved. Those at real risk are those already suffering from the actions of the elite--those who are so impoverished that going without is not a choice but a harsh reality.<br /><br />Those of us fortunate enough to be able to consciously disengage (meaning we are acting from a very privileged position)actually occupy a position of considerable power. We're not the elites who control the world's resources, nor are we so impoverished by them that we can only focus on mere survival, as the world's poorest must do. We occupy a middle ground. If we were truly impoverished we'd be dependent on the elites for our survival and would do whatever they wanted us to in order to eat and to feed our children. The middle ground gives us much more freedom to act.<br /><br />Where I live the ground is fertile, so I can grow my own food. How can the elites challenge that? I could build a house from straw acquired from a neighboring farmer. How could the elites challenge that? If I wanted to go really crazy I could raise fiber for my clothing. What could the elites do? If my house were earth-bermed and superinsulated I could go completely off-grid. My neighbors and friends could lend me their skills and I could do likewise. Again, how could the elites touch that?<br /><br />Those of us in this privileged middle ground can help bring down the system. If we bring it down, we bring it down for all, including for our impoverished brothers and sisters. Not that that would immediately solve hunger or injustice, but it would be a beginnning.Melanie Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06034189354730902887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280576398615172460.post-62119581588438253082010-02-28T07:46:57.038-07:002010-02-28T07:46:57.038-07:00Brilliant! Pure logic, though still hard to grasp ...Brilliant! Pure logic, though still hard to grasp for tiny human brains...<br />The only problem here is human psycho:<br />When lots of people stop to consume, they end up as an easy target for 'elites', aka slave makers, who think they are now allowed to consume all the given up stuff, and use the idle non consumers as a cheap/free/forced labor.Parishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03515659709838380272noreply@blogger.com