If and Only If

 

Almost forgot: Amy posted an interview with me and is running another book giveaway! 

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Marie sent me a link to this wonderful piece on unschooling. There’s much I like about it, such  as this passage:

Education and upbringing is a hallmark example of the extent to which the system of control has saturated our lives, bodies and minds. We do not realize is how extensively our way of seeing the world and more importantly; how we see ourselves in it, is a direct result of our upbringing and education. As Ivan Illich, the author of “Deschooling Society” puts it: “School is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need the society as it is.”

And in particular, this one:

Each area of our lives that we dare to look upon with brutal self-honesty and see for what it truly is, through the veil of conformity, and thus take responsibility for changing, will be a significant and imperative key to rewrite the codes that govern our lives. It will not happen overnight and it will not be a global revolution where the whole world will joyously join together in some grand awakening. Instead it will happen one individual at a time, on a one-on-one level, from within the very depths of the system, in the miniscule seemingly insignificant everyday moments of our lives.

There is much to consider and comment on here, and I suspect I will have more to say once my thoughts have ripened a bit. You know, like one of those bananas that’s going all brown and mushy on your counter right now.

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In other news, we have decided not to embark on a formal crowd-funding campaign for the Lazy Mill Living Arts workshop space. There are numerous reasons for this decision, but in the end, it really just comes down to our sense that it’s not quite right for us. It may take us longer to do it without a campaign, and it will likely require us to be resourceful in ways we can’t yet imagine, but we are ok with this. Indeed, we welcome the challenge. Already, we have amassed a significant pile of lumber fresh off the sawmill, along with a collection of used-but-still-high-quality windows.

Of course, all this does not absolve us of the need for funds. To that end, we are expanding our offerings in the Shameless Commerce Division and will be updating that space more frequently, so be prepared for some low key reminders, ok? We have even created a collection of note cards for your note-writing enjoyment. I am of the mind that the world becomes just a teensy bit better with every hand-written note that goes in the mail. Check them out here; ordering particulars over at the SCD.

Despite deciding not to launch a formal funding campaign, we would like to make it possible for people to contribute financially to the construction of our workshop space if (and only if) they feel drawn to do so. This can be done via the generosity enabler, although we’d much prefer the old-fashioned way (small, unmarked bills stuffed into shoebox and deposited behind the pile of round bales at the end of our driveway. Either that, or via a check sent through the US mail), since Paypal takes a pretty sizable cut. If you are interested, but would first like to know a bit more about the project, please don’t hesitate to touch base.

Thank you.