Less is More

Maybe it's a good thing?

Dear friends,

Mainly, I am aghast at the current situation. Like so many of you, my nervous system is on high alert all-the-fucking-time. Every day brings both terrifying and infuriating news. It's kinda impossible to see how this mess will end. But, I'm quite certain that it will end, and it's our job to be ready to replace it with something better. The record-breaking number of good humans who turned out for NO KINGS 3.0 makes me feel pretty hopeful that we are well on the path to building that better world already. Maybe this shit show will ultimately be the catalyst for a long overdue systems change, and that's gotta be good.

While the upper echelons of the Patriarchy are in full-blown "Burn this motherfucker down" mode, those of us who care are busy planting the seeds, lovingly preparing the grounds for the world we want to grow out of the ashes. This is how nature works. This is how we work, because we are nature.

"No waste in oor hoose." - My Scottish mother-in-law

I am obsessive (and probably very obnoxious) about preventing waste whenever and wherever possible. Water, electricity, food, gas, anything that might end up in landfill... I am neurotically conscious of my consumption and how it affects the planet and other humans (fair trade chocolate, eco this or that, necessary vs unnecessary, will it bring me joy, etc). I am the 'Every last drop' lady. Or, as my dear departed Scottish mother in law liked to say, 'No waste in oor hoose!" And though I've tried to stop my policing of others (like I said, probably very obnoxious), for leaving the tap running, idling their vehicles (I actually got a cop to stop idling once), throwing out food, etc, I practically bite holes in my tongue to restrain myself. I mean, doesn't everyone understand that we live on a finite planet with finite resources? Doesn't everyone understand that if you don't like to pay for petrol, you shouldn't leave your vehicle idling? Doesn't everyone understand that every bite of food that ends up in the bin is the product of labour by hardworking, (typically) underpaid fellow humans and the generosity of Mother Earth? By all accounts, everything we spend money on is about to become eye-wateringly more expensive. My hope is that we will see a corresponding reduction in overconsumption and waste, as budgeting becomes our daily obsession.

When I was first starting my business Singing Bowl Granola, before I located a supplier of bulk local honey, I would make a monthly trip to Costco to load up on 3kg bottles of (Canadian) honey. As I'd stand in line behind my ginormous cart (not designed for the 5' tall demographic) with ten or so 3kg bottles of honey, I would inevitably draw attention (mainly in the form of finger pointing and snickering) from other customers. Typically, these fellow shoppers marvelling at my honey haul were older couples standing beside their ginormous carts filled to the brim with bulk everything, most of which, I suspected would end up in landfill (I mean, how much cheese/meat/bread/fruit can a pair of octogenarians eat?). No disrespect to boomers, and I'm of a generation where I totally get the "Stock up on everything, but make sure it's a deal" post-war mindset, but, from my experience, the likes of Costco does not cater to the hyper conscientious "No waste in oor hoose" consumer. The thought of all that food probably going to waste (I know, I'm making assumptions about their purchases just as they made assumptions about mine. To assume is human, or to quote Moira Rose, "Never assume, dear - it makes an ass out of both of us.") drove me insane. Still does.

Enough!

Starting with the post-war generation (I think), through the powers of slick marketing, shitty political policy, rampant capitalism, and insatiable greed, we have been herded into a collective scarcity mindset. And, these combined powers have, indeed, manifested increasing levels of widespread scarcity while loading all the wealth into the pockets of a few unworthies. So saying, there is also evidence that many are still doing okay. Lots of folk still seem to have cash to spare. Whether they are spending it on nice holidays or supporting mutual aid initiatives, I personally know plenty of folk who are not yet hurting financially.

But that scarcity mindset is pervasive as all get out, and even though I've worked hard to shun it, even I get sucked in daily. We have been convinced that it's better to spend triple dollars at Costco to buy quadruple what we actually require because the items are a 'better deal' in bulk (even though we might end up throwing much of it out). We have been led to believe that we need bigger, better, faster, shinier, newer, slicker, fancier, and more of everything, regardless of the cost to our suffering planet and our fellow humans (many of whom are modern day slaves). We have been blinded to the understanding of what 'enough' looks like. We are taught to believe that whatever we have is never enough and we must always strive for more. What a scam!

Making less into more.

But now that Bibi & Bozo have unleashed the hounds of war that will wreak utter havoc on the world as we've known it, and everything is about to become infinitely more expensive and less accessible to all but the billionaires, maybe this is when we as a species start to dial down our mass consumption, creating new habits for our new world. Maybe fewer people will fly hither and yon because airline tickets are about to become astronomical while air safety is in free fall. Maybe we'll start only buying the food we know we're going to eat (and share), and stop throwing out so much. Maybe we'll even start growing some of our own food! Maybe we'll drive less and hop on bikes and busses more (I've just had a delightful day making the most of public transit and am feeling inspired to make this a habit. I particularly enjoyed the shouts of "Thanks!" to the drivers from exiting passengers of all ages.). Maybe we will finally ditch our dependence on oil. Maybe, like the folks at Heretic Coffee and so many other businesses, we will start to measure success by how much care we pour into our communities rather than how much cash we bring in.

This new reality created by the warmongers is going to be hitting so many of our neighbours really hard and they'll need whatever help we can give. Maybe those of us who have enough will redirect the cash we're not spending on planet-killing activities to helping out those who have been forced into scarcity by our unjust systems. Whether we're donating $1.17 or $170.00 or anything in between or beyond, those of us who can will be needed to help out those who can't. We're seeing this in action already as more and more people are committed to supporting their friends and neighbours through mutual aid. As the old white men work harder to "burn this motherfucker down", we will need to work harder to extract ourselves from their systems of oppression and build systems of care. Less cash, more love.

Yeah - we are in terrifying times, but I, for one, am excited by the possibilities of the world we are building for when this horror show ends.

Love to you all - Jessica (she/her)