A few Happy, simply-type links and resources for you from the past couple of weeks…
It is always good to hear about simplicity while in Africa where simplicity still happens naturally and easily (of course mainly forced which does make it different).
Simple (typical) home in Uganda
It is interesting to see ideas of simplicity from the west while in Africa because here in Uganda everyone is aspiring to materialism, monetary wealth and under the ideology that everything is great in the west. While in the west we are trying to think of ways to simplify having seen that more wealth does not always make life simpler or happier.
Often here I have to explain that not everything is perfect in my homeland of Australia. The Ugandans can’t comprehend debt or that it takes 30 years to buy a house – because in general here no one buys a house they can’t afford.
Getting back to a few resources that I have come across in the past couple of weeks of how the west is trying to find ways of simplicity and living more with less.
- http://www.buynothingnew.com.au/ Buy Nothing New Month #BNNM from Australia that is pretty self explanatory – for the month of October people commit to not buying anything new – not a bad idea and good for forming habits in those who are drawn to constant consumerism – even myself here in Uganda it has been good because things are very affordable for me here but my broken sunnies will need to be fixed or I have to do without…
http://projectwildthing.com/ It’s actually scary / a worry this documentary had to be made. The doco is about how enriching and important it is to play outside for our children. This is where on my daily walk around Kampala I can see kids playing as kids – making their own fun, not needing artificial stimulus, being rough, dirty and sometimes dangerous but unbelievably enriching for them. When was the last time an Australian street was filled with kids each evening just before dark and being called for dinner…?
http://simplicitycollective.com/the-hour-is-darkest-just-before-dawn-crisis-as-opportunity this one from one of my favourite blogs and a great mentor / role-model for me in simplicity, Samuel Alexander. This is his look at Australia in 2033 post economic collapse and forced simplicity lifestyle. The secret to this kind of life and this piece of writing is that we, and our environment, are better off after the probable economic collapse – socially, personally, spiritually and environmentally
While I have loved reading these from Africa being surrounded in these realities here and fantasies of the west, it just makes me laugh at it all how both worlds are trying to go in opposite directions of one another. I feel privileged to live in both worlds, appreciate and learn from them and it is a very advantageous position to be in.
Hope you get a chance to look up these resources, learn, share and most importantly do what they set out as opportunities…
Happy Simply – a sustainable lifestyle model & education project 