05-19-08

Chasing Utopia

Read this article in the New York Times, via a link from this article on Techno-Urban Survivalism (they are discussing turning all the glass condos on the stagnant market into green houses, really has nothing to do with voluntary simplicity) at TreeHugger.com. And after coming across things like the Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage in my search for…whatever it is I am searching for (at the time, like homemade cleaner…not like “the greater meaning of it all”), I’ve come to a conclusion.

I really admire the ability to pick up everything and head to the woods. <insert bitter sarcasm in case you missed it the first time> It takes a strong person to hide from the problems in society instead of fulfilling your responsibilities as a global citizen and attempt to problem solve and create change. It doesn’t take a strong person to leave behind all their earthly possessions and go hide in a cabin away from it all. You are not impressive.

“But we’re looking for a better way,” you whine. Great, but how many people will walk away from their Miami flats to go frolic in the hills of where ever and grow tomatoes? We are accustom to society the way it is, to the immediacy and the glitz and the craze. Your change will only work for a handful of people, and a handful isn’t enough. I don’t like being in the midst of it any more than you do, but it is our responsibility to our children to live in the society as active participants and seek out better ways to replace what we currently have that is not working and leading to self-destruction. If everyone who was capable of doing it went in hiding, how will we ever change?