The world’s unravelling—and it won’t be the suits who carry us. Every time we overlook the skilled alchemists among us—the quiet masters and hands that sustain us—we risk loosing them, right when we need them most.
Thankyou for mentioning the Doulas Margi. The 'women in the village' who care for the sick and dying for very little pay. Because it matters. And the small scale food growers and processors? I can only say that tasting the love in that food is soul nourishing in a way that nothing from a supermarket shelf matches. Because it matters. The wealthy lawyers, doctors, dentists and accountants are welcome to keep their money. But they can't eat it.
It is my honour, Heidi. You've opened my eyes to a whole world. I would LOVE to write more about the work of End of Life Doulas, but actually all the 'women in the village'. 🧡
These truths most people "know", in their minds, yet....will not understand until experienced. All those tasks judged distasteful, difficult, physical, dirty, simple........what indigenous people and enlightened peasants call 'life' is the foundation of all other pursuits. The fact that so few people in industrialized countries truly understand where they precariously stand in this moment is a type of subtle snobbery and judgement we see and feel so often as full time homesteaders and farmers. We have had the unique opportunity to meet hundreds of mostly 'successful professionals' in our small community and from around the world through many years of farm tours and the most common comment is 'WOW!, this must be really hard work!' I've asked myself why. Do they not work hard at something? Is our life one to be avoided because it makes demands on our bodies. Is work to be avoided? I hear an underlying tone of sadness that we work too hard and yet, they rave about the quality of the food, the great meals, the beauty of the farm. The veiled pity seems tinged with a wistfulness and undefined longing. Perhaps they see our pleasure in the results of the work, the beauty we have created working with nature in this place, a calmer outlook on life in the moment and perhaps, just perhaps they hear the call of a better life and a hint that that better life is possible.
I recall a poignant cover of an earlier progressive magazine; the Utne Reader which was a photo of what was then refereed to as a Uppie (upwardly mobile) couple in jogging attire out for a run. The byline was: Americans, fit for what? It's a good question.
Thank you for keeping this site free, Margi. I strive to live on very little.
And this is the crux of the matter of food prices.
Those who lack financial resources still need to eat. They can probably get by without a lawyer. In a certain country, they must get by without a doctor. They certainly don't need an accountant.
In a perfect world, it would be, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." — a phrase that 75% of US high school students identified as being in the US Constitution, according to the Harpers Index.
But practically, it means the poor must shop in the "centre aisles" of the grocery store, where the cheap, nutritionally-poor, industrial food is.
Made from just a few commodity ingredients that are stripped of nutrients to increase their shelf-life, these industrial pseudo-foods cause obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that contribute to poor health and early death among the poor.
Poor people cannot afford locally-produced food as prices are now. They surely could not afford it if small producers were paid fairly!
Perhaps large corporate farms should be required to give land to poor people, who could keep it as long as they were producing food on it. In Russia, so-called "dacha gardens" reportedly produce some 40% of the food.
100% with you, Jan, on the gross inequities built into the current system. Nutritional poverty is profound and almost always overlooked.
I might do an essay on the Dacha gardens. There is also a beautiful eastern European movement of community market gardens giving refuge to Ukrainan refugees that could tell us something about food and humanity.
On the free content angle, thank you for the acknowledgement. 🙏 I personally find is galling how much content is paywalled here. They don't seem to recognise they are recasting the egalitarian relationship between writer and reader back to the dark ages of written communication being the pursuit of privilege and wealth.
I actually got a note from Substack, asking me to enable paid subscriptions, as someone had made a monthly pledge!
I sent that generous person a list of my favourite non-profits (Wayback Machine, Wikipedia, Signal, Green Party, etc.), suggesting they send their contribution there, instead.
Thankyou for mentioning the Doulas Margi. The 'women in the village' who care for the sick and dying for very little pay. Because it matters. And the small scale food growers and processors? I can only say that tasting the love in that food is soul nourishing in a way that nothing from a supermarket shelf matches. Because it matters. The wealthy lawyers, doctors, dentists and accountants are welcome to keep their money. But they can't eat it.
It is my honour, Heidi. You've opened my eyes to a whole world. I would LOVE to write more about the work of End of Life Doulas, but actually all the 'women in the village'. 🧡
Facts right here! Thank you.
Damn right Margi!
These truths most people "know", in their minds, yet....will not understand until experienced. All those tasks judged distasteful, difficult, physical, dirty, simple........what indigenous people and enlightened peasants call 'life' is the foundation of all other pursuits. The fact that so few people in industrialized countries truly understand where they precariously stand in this moment is a type of subtle snobbery and judgement we see and feel so often as full time homesteaders and farmers. We have had the unique opportunity to meet hundreds of mostly 'successful professionals' in our small community and from around the world through many years of farm tours and the most common comment is 'WOW!, this must be really hard work!' I've asked myself why. Do they not work hard at something? Is our life one to be avoided because it makes demands on our bodies. Is work to be avoided? I hear an underlying tone of sadness that we work too hard and yet, they rave about the quality of the food, the great meals, the beauty of the farm. The veiled pity seems tinged with a wistfulness and undefined longing. Perhaps they see our pleasure in the results of the work, the beauty we have created working with nature in this place, a calmer outlook on life in the moment and perhaps, just perhaps they hear the call of a better life and a hint that that better life is possible.
I recall a poignant cover of an earlier progressive magazine; the Utne Reader which was a photo of what was then refereed to as a Uppie (upwardly mobile) couple in jogging attire out for a run. The byline was: Americans, fit for what? It's a good question.
So glad it hit the mark, Wayne. Have sent you a DM about another essay I am pulling together. Would be stoked if you came on board.
Thank you for keeping this site free, Margi. I strive to live on very little.
And this is the crux of the matter of food prices.
Those who lack financial resources still need to eat. They can probably get by without a lawyer. In a certain country, they must get by without a doctor. They certainly don't need an accountant.
In a perfect world, it would be, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." — a phrase that 75% of US high school students identified as being in the US Constitution, according to the Harpers Index.
But practically, it means the poor must shop in the "centre aisles" of the grocery store, where the cheap, nutritionally-poor, industrial food is.
Made from just a few commodity ingredients that are stripped of nutrients to increase their shelf-life, these industrial pseudo-foods cause obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that contribute to poor health and early death among the poor.
Poor people cannot afford locally-produced food as prices are now. They surely could not afford it if small producers were paid fairly!
Perhaps large corporate farms should be required to give land to poor people, who could keep it as long as they were producing food on it. In Russia, so-called "dacha gardens" reportedly produce some 40% of the food.
100% with you, Jan, on the gross inequities built into the current system. Nutritional poverty is profound and almost always overlooked.
I might do an essay on the Dacha gardens. There is also a beautiful eastern European movement of community market gardens giving refuge to Ukrainan refugees that could tell us something about food and humanity.
On the free content angle, thank you for the acknowledgement. 🙏 I personally find is galling how much content is paywalled here. They don't seem to recognise they are recasting the egalitarian relationship between writer and reader back to the dark ages of written communication being the pursuit of privilege and wealth.
I have not enabled a charge for my Substack.
I actually got a note from Substack, asking me to enable paid subscriptions, as someone had made a monthly pledge!
I sent that generous person a list of my favourite non-profits (Wayback Machine, Wikipedia, Signal, Green Party, etc.), suggesting they send their contribution there, instead.
Excellent article Margi, thank you! The work and people who truly sustain us are criminally undervalued in our modern world.
Poignant.
Thank you 🙏