Cheap, Non-Chemically, DIY Body Care (aka, Baking Soda is Magic)

There are many reasons I don't like store-bought shampoos, deodorants, soaps, creams, and other bodycare products.  Even the "natural" ones, though mostly better than your average pharmacy brands, have chemicals I'd really rather not use, and also tend to be really pricey!  I decided a while ago that there must be better options, and I'm slowly but surely going DIY for all of the products I used to buy from the store.

Recently, I've been discovering more and more things that baking soda (only about $1 a box) can be used for.  And used very effectively, no less!  So I wanted to share a few of them that I've tried so far:

Shampoo (or, Going No 'Poo, as people often say)

I used to use Kiss My Face shampoos, which worked just like your general shampoos, minus *most* of the more harmful chemicals.  The downside?  High cost (about $10 a bottle), and it left my hair dry, so I needed to use their conditioner regularly as well.  So when I started hearing (reading, really) about this no 'poo thing online, I became interested.  Could this be the answer I was looking for?  So I decided to try it out.  I mean really, what was there to lose?  If it worked, great, and if it didn't, I could just go back to regular shampoo!  Usising various online place as guides, I stopped using shampoo late last September (2009), and have been no 'poo since then! 

After a bit of trial-and-error, I discovered that around 2-3 teaspoons of baking soda dissolved in a spritzy bottle with 1 cup of water works perfectly.  Most people talk about how there's a "transitioning period" when you first make the switch, but I didn't even find that the case with me!  The baking soda method, right from the start, worked just as well as conventional shampoo.  I pour small quantities of this mixture on to each part of my scalp, massaging my scalp with fingertips and nails as I go, let it sit for about a minute, then rinse it out.  I know that many people like to use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse afterward as a conditioner, but I've personally found that it just makes my hair get greasy faster.

As for how frequently I wash my hair: when I first switched to baking soda I used the same schedule as I had with shampoo, which means I was washing every other day.  But I quickly started stretching the time between washes, knowing that it was healthier for my hair, and have been washing my hair about every five days for a while now.

Toothpaste

Now traditional toothpaste has a LOT of not-so-pleasant ingredients!  I always feel uncomfortable using it.  So I've tried making my own toothpaste using baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract (for flavoring.  I feel like peppermint would be better, but I didn't have that extract in the house!).  My feelings on it have been mixed.  It works reasonably well, but my mouth just doesn't feel as clean as when I use regular toothpaste.  Maybe I just need to make a homemade mouthwash as well?  My experimentation with healthier tooth care is definitely not over, but lately I'm afraid to say that I have been using normal toothpaste most of the time...

Deodorant

My most recent experiment: homemade deodorant!  I used chemically deodorant for years, then for the past several years I've used mainly the health food store alternatives.  But I've never found any of them to work particularly well (not that it's usually much of a problem, since I don't tend to be a very stinky gal at all [note that I'm not even going to go into the whole why-is-it-a-bad-thing-that-people-smell-like-people thing, though I definitely have a lot of feelings on that]), especially the natural brands, which sort of work for a couple of weeks before they stop working entirely.  So when I found this recipe, I decidely immediately to try it!  I've only used it a couple of times, but I can happily say that so far it works better than any "natural" OR chemically deodorant I've ever used!  And I've seriously put it to test with lots of exercise and long hours of wear.  Seriously impressive!  Just rub a little bit of oil (I use olive oil with a drop of tea trea oil) on armpits after showering, then dab on a bit of baking soda.  Couldn't be simpler!

I know that baking soda is healthy for your body.  However, I haven't been able to find out whether its production is harmful to the environment or not, so if you know anything about that, I'd love to hear it! 

I'd also love to hear what you use for body care.  Do you buy regular stuff?  Maybe get your products from the local health food store?  Do you make your own?  Don't use any?  It always seems that in the comment sections on posts about homemade stuff people have plenty of interesting tips, tricks, and experiences to share, so I'd love to hear yours!

Musings on the "normal" raising of babies

It says something about the hippie upbringing I've had that every time I see someone walk past with their baby balanced on their hip, struggling to juggle their shopping bags or open a door, I think "why aren't they wearing a sling? It would be so much easier!".  And every time I see a baby being bottle fed, I shudder, thinking how much better/healthier/cheaper/more convenient breastfeeding is (before someone feels a need to tell me that some people are unable to breastfeed, I realize that.  But the fact remains that the great majority simply choose not to!).

I grew up surrounded by lots of granola/hippie homeschooling moms. ;-) Babywearing and breastfeeding (and co-sleeping) have always been what's *normal* to me, and I find myself surprised at how *abnormal* those things are to much of the population!  So many people think breastfeeding is "gross", co-sleeping "dangerous", and so many people don't seem to even know about the existence of babywearing.

Instead, what's "normal" to most people is formula in plastic bottles; strollers and carry-able seats; disposable diapers and cribs.  All so artificial, and so *removed*!  The world is a strange and sad place when that's what's considered *normal*.

Continuing in the same vein, I found this video recently, of art from all over the world depicting the baby Jesus nursing.  I'm not Christian in the slightest, but that didn't make me find this art, or what it says about the cultures that created it, any less lovely.  From the blog, Peaceful Parenting, that created this video:

"Images of Mary breastfeeding Jesus were once ubiquitous in churches around the world. But eventually in North America, as the artificial feeding of babies became more popular, and the plastic bottle replaced the breast, our nipplephobia got the best of us and these sacred images all but disappeared from churches and art galleries in North America."

Enjoy!



Peace,
Idzie

Making a Zine, and looking for submissions!!

Guess what? I’m putting together a zine!! Zines are just so cool, I decided that I’d love to put one together myself, with the help of all of you, of course! The theme of the zine is:

DIY Life: Doing things independently of experts, professionals, institutions, corporations, or similar things.

I’m looking for submissions of articles, opinions, artwork, poetry, quotes, and anything else you want to send me. I finally decided on this theme because I feel it gives a ton of freedom in what you submit (anything from physical DIY projects, to articles on radical political philosophy, to education, parenting, crafting, and beyond!) while still retaining a more radical feeling and outlook, which makes me, personally, happy! As a note, your submission can also be ANTI or AGAINST something you see as being opposed to a DIY lifestyle (i.e schools).

The theme is pretty flexible, but I do reserve the right to not accept submissions that really do not fit with the theme (i.e. why public schooling is absolutely necessary), though I don’t really expect to turn down anything, and am really looking forward to seeing what you guys have to share!!

Once I’ve received enough submissions, and with enough prior warning to everyone who’s interested in submitting, of course, I will then put everything together in a proper zine, which I will then send by email (most likely in PDF format) to anyone who wants it (if someone can point me towards a good, safe, file hosting website, then I may also have it there for easy downloading), or if someone wants a hard copy, you can send me a few dollars to cover printing and shipping and I can send it straight to you (sorry guys, but I’m broke, so that’s the only way I can do it!). I will also distribute some hard copies locally, and I’d love it if you guys also chose to do so, but really, share it as much or as little as you want to, and in whatever ways you want to!

If you have something already written that you’d like to submit, send it straight to me. If you simply know that you want to submit something, but don’t have it done yet and/or haven’t decided what you’re going to do, please send me an email letting me know that, so that I know you will be submitting something at some point!  Oh, and I will happily help with editing if you want me to, just ask. Otherwise, I will fix spelling mistakes and obvious grammatical mistakes (the same word repeated twice, for instance), but will touch nothing else without your permission. Send all submissions to: open.eyed.slave@gmail.com

IMPORTANT: If you want people to be able to find more of your work if they’re interested, let me know when you send in your submission if you have a website, blog, Twitter account, or any site that you want to be included in the zine (example: Urban Foraging by Cindy Jones (www.foragingwithcindy.com).

Suggestions, just that I can think of off the top of my head, and please know that you’re entirely not limited just to the items in this list:

Articles on:
• Education (unschooling, homeschooling, skill sharing, community classes, educational co-ops)
• Parenting (attachment/natural parenting, radical unschooling, non-conditional parenting)
• Personal health care (herbal medicine, wild medicinals, nutrition, first aid)
• Sustainable living (gardening, food preservation, foraging, non-toxic and homemade household products, re-purposing projects, cooking and recipes)
• Community building/living/good for community/people stuff (community organizing, collectives, cooperatives, non-violent communication, peer counseling, autonomous living, intentional communities, any by the people for the people type stuff)
• Independent travel
• DIY projects or crafting projects of any sort (building a kiln, soap making, jewelry making, bow and arrow making, whatever you enjoy doing!)

Art such as:
• Any artwork, in B&W (photos aren’t great though, since they don’t photocopy well)
• Any poetry
• Any copyleft (not copyrighted), or licensed under creative commons, artwork other than your own that you think would fit with the zine

NOTE: Because of its nature, your own artwork and poetry does not need to conform to the theme, though it certainly can.

Miscellaneous stuff such as:
• Quotes, verses, or similar things, yours or copyleft stuff
• Anything else you can think of!!!!!


NOTE: by submitting anything, you agree that it is “copyleft” (not copyrighted), and can be copied and distributed by anyone. That’s just the way zines work: people often appropriate content in them for other uses (usually with proper attribution, although there are no guarantees).

For this to work, of course, I need submissions (sent to open.eyed.slave@gmail.com!)!! I’m really hoping I’ll get enough, really looking forward to seeing everything I do get, and just generally really excited about this project. :-D Also, if you have any questions or suggestions, please drop me a line as well! (Same address as above: open.eyed.slave@gmail.com)

Oh, and please feel free to pass this on to anyone whom you think may be interested!

Peace,
Idzie

Earth Day

Oh, in my last post I said I didn't have anything of my own to say, but that was because I forgot that today was Earth Day. Now, I am most certainly not a fan of Earth Day. One day, out of all the year, to think about conservation, and to honor the Earth, our one and only home, which just happens to be dying. One day? Really? Yeah, that's going to do a lot of good. The only plus I see is that shows, articles, and similar things on environmentalism have been all over the place lately. They're all from a very mainstream perspective, of course, but even mainstream scientists are realizing just how dire our predicament is, and I can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, all this stuff could cause at least a few people to look into things themselves, and perhaps make them decide to do something about it, something a bit more substantial than buying "green" paper towels... I could write more about environmentalism, but it seems I've already done that in the past, and until I think of something new to add (which I'm sure I will in due time), I don't really want to return to the same subjects. I will, however, leave you with links to a couple of my old posts on environmentalism, green anarchy, etc.

Anti-Civilizationism

Environmental Quotes

On the Interconnectedness of Life

The Problem With "Green"

An Elaboration on the Problem With "Green"

Anyway, just thought I'd add that. :-)

Peace,
Idzie

Anti-civ and environmental quotes

I'm sorry to be depressing yet again, but I've found lots of really cool anti-civ and/or environmental quotes lately, and I wanted to share them.

"The people of your culture cling with fanatical tenacity to the specialness of man. They want desperately to perceive a vast gulf between man and the rest of creation. This mythology of human superiority justifies their doing whatever they please with the world, just the way Hitler’s mythology of Aryan superiority justified his doing whatever he pleased with Europe. But in the end this mythology is not deeply satisfying. The Takers are a profoundly lonely people. The world for them is enemy territory, and they live in it like an army of occupation, alienated and isolated by their extraordinary specialness.” Daniel Quinn

“For us to maintain our way of living, we must tell lies to each other and especially to ourselves. The lies are necessary because, without them, many deplorable acts would become impossibilities.” Derrick Jensen

"Having long laid waste our own sanity, and having long forgotten what it feels like to be free, most of us too have no idea what it’s like to live in the real world. Seeing four salmon spawn causes me to burst into tears. I have never seen a river full of fish. I have never seen a sky darkened for days by a single flock of birds (I have, however, seen skies perpetually darkened by smog). As with freedom, so too the extraordinary beauty and fecundity of the world itself: It’s hard to love something you’ve never known. It’s hard to convince yourself to fight for something you may not believe has ever existed." Derrick Jensen

"Even now, we hardly love the Earth or see with eyes or listen any longer with our ears, and we scarcely feel our hearts beat before they break in protest." Stanley Diamond

"We have been too kind to those who are destroying the planet. We have been inexcusably, unforgivably, insanely kind." Derrick Jensen

"I should really like to think there's something wrong with me —
Because, if there isn't then there's something wrong,
Or at least, very different from what it seemed to be,
With the world itself — and that's much more frightening!" T.S.Eliot

"The only measure by which we will be judged by the people who come after is the health of the land base, because that is what is going to support them. They are not going to give a shit whether or not we were pacifists; they are not going to give a shit if we supported Israel or we didn't support Israel; whether we voted green or democrat or republican or not at all. What they are going to care about is whether they can drink the water, whether they can breathe the air, whether the land can support them. One of the important questions is to ask what does the land need from you." Derrick Jensen

"How is it conceivable that all our lauded technological progress--our very civilization--is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal?" Albert Einstein


You know, many people find learning about the type of stuff I read about depressing, but I don't. And surprisingly, many, if not most, green anarchists feel the same way. Or I shouldn't say that. It is depressing, but it doesn't affect my overall happiness, and neither does it affect the overall happiness of other green anarchists I know. More than anything else, I find the knowledge freeing.

Peace,
Idzie

The interconnectedness of life

I feel a need to write about something, but I'm not sure what...

I wanted to write a lovely 'about me' post like Sheila did, but I'm not sure how to go about that... I know myself very well, but actually putting that knowledge down in an even semi coherent manner seems very difficult, especially considering how tired my brain is right now.

I also wanted to write about how ridiculous homophobia is. But I think I'd do a really lousy job of it at the moment.

Oh, here's something I think I can manage, since it's far from the logical/researched end of things and much more on the emotional/feelings end of the spectrum. And that thing is how much it pisses me off when humans look at (our)themselves as somehow special, and "better" than all other creatures. Unlike many of my opinions, this is something that's bothered me for years! I'd often read books when I was younger that portrayed humans as the only ones with souls or real personalities, and all other creatures as nothing more than animals to be used, eaten, or controlled. This portrayal always bothered me a great deal, and felt amazingly wrong on a fundamental level.

On a personal level, I can simply see the ridiculousness of it. I look at one of the furry family members that share my home, I look at the raccoons that clatter around on the deck, or the squirrels that race around the tops of fences, or the maple tree that rustles in the wind, and I don't see empty bodies blindly going about basic tasks. I see separate individuals who are simply living their life. I don't understand how they can be looked at as worthless by so many. Life is life, and every creature looks different. We're just one of a vast hots of different species that inhabits this planet. What makes the human race believe it's so special?

On a much larger level, I've recently realized how absolutely stupid and destructive this world view is. If humans are intrinsically of more value, and everything else is somehow lesser, than that leads to the belief that the world is here simply for us, and we as humans have the right to use, abuse, and destroy absolutely anything we wish.

As many of you know, this worldview is leading to the destruction of our planet.

Yes, I'm going to talk about something Derrick Jensen said again. I love how his ideas and words make such perfect sense. Instead of saying that it's always wrong to kill a creature for food, or that it's always wrong to cut down a tree, he instead says that as soon as you or I consume the flesh of an animal, we are obligated to ensure that species survival and well being. As soon as we cut down a tree, we are obligated to insure the survival and well being of that forest. To me, this way is the most ethical, simple, and intelligent way we can possibly look at things. He also goes on to say that if you consume the flesh of a factory farmed animal, you are then obligated to do everything in your power to end factory farming. Same goes if you consume the flesh of a factory farmed carrot.

By looking at things that way, it's impossible to not see how inextricably everything is linked.

I've heard people question why they should care about the extinction of a specific species, whether it's animal or plant or tree, and the answer is so amazingly obvious. Even if you believe that humans have some innate something that makes them "better" than other animals (for we are simply another species of animal), our survival is linked with the survival of every other species on the planet. When a forest is cut down, every human and non-human is ensured less oxygen. When the great fish of the ocean are driven extinct, we ensure ourselves, as well as countless other animals, and countless other forests, less food. When we pollute a river, or all rivers (there are toxins in every single river now), we ensure that both humans and non-humans will no longer be able to drink clean water. Everything we do to harm another life, whether it's trees, animals, rivers, it harms us. Karma in it's truest form.

My mind is feeling very tired, so I'll stop here for now. Just a few thoughts and opinions I figured I'd throw out there, since I think they are extremely important.

Peace,
Idzie

New quote and anarchy

"Real revolution starts with learning. If you're not angry, you're not paying attention." ~Rise Against

Yes, I'm in another anti-state/capitalism/fascism etc mood. I've been reading this really cool blog, that I've been following for a while now, called GreenIsTheNewRed, that deals with the so called "Green Scare", the labeling by governments of environmental activists as "Eco-Terrorists". For anyone who values freedom as much as I do, reading about the crap that's going on, especially in the US, both scares and angers me. I still think it's really important to know, however.

I'm also about to start Endgame Vol. 2: Resistance by Derrick Jensen, so I'll probably be in a political frame of mind again for a while now. Wait, I'm always in a green anarchist frame of mind, aren't I? Never mind... :-P Oh, and I've been wondering, is it annoying how often I talk about that type of stuff? Because I've been feeling like it might be...

Peace,
Idzie

An interesting excert

Thank you for your suggestions to my previous post! I think I'll do 'a week in the life of an unschooler' type thing, following both Michele and Signe's suggestions (well, not the suggestion to talk about Signe, but the unschooling one ;-) ). But for now, I wanted to share this exert, which I very much like. I've written in the past about how misguided I find the whole "Green Living" thing (you can check out my past posts on it here and here), and since this excert says so simply why I dislike the whole "Green" thing, I figured I'd post it too.

"The whole individualist what-you-can-do-to-save-the-earth guilt trip is a myth. We, as individuals, are not creating the crises, and we can't solve them. Take our crazy energy consumption. For the past 15 years the story has been the same every year: individual consumption--residential, by private car, and so on--is never more than about a quarter of all consumption; the vast majority is commercial, industrial, corporate, by agribusiness and government. So, even if we all took up cycling and wood stoves it would have a negligible impact on energy use,global warming and atmospheric pollution. I mean, sure, go ahead and live a responsible environmental life; recycle, compost, ride a push-bike; but do it because it is the right, moral thing to do--not because it's going to save the planet.
If we really want to understand why this happened we have to ask ourselves another question: "Why is it that we seem willing to live with the threat of apocalypse rather than trying to seriously alter a world where consumption, of anything, is seen as unrelieved virtue, production, of anything, is regarded as a social and economic necessity, and more, of anything (like children or cars or chemicals or PhDs or golf courses or recycling centers), is unquestiononly accepted?""

That is by Kirkpatrick Sale. Oops I just made another political post, didn't I? Oh well. So now I shall try and keep track of what I do this week as an unschooler... Just so you know, it'll probably be boring. :-P Most of the the "learning" I do involves thinking, reading, and discussing, which although very fascinating to me, is not so much fun to read about! Oh, and here's a couple of quotes that I've found recently, and loved. They've also been added to my quotes page.

"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." Goethe

"The hardest battle in life is to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it's best, night and day, to make you like everybody else." E. E. Cummings

I love quotes. :-)

Peace,
Idzie

Pride

For a long time, I was a really insecure person. I mean, I still am insecure about some things, but I used to be much more sensitive, and to constantly doubt myself. If my family didn't like a movie I liked, I felt slightly embarrassed for liking it. I worried constantly of what other people thought of me, thought of my ideas. I worried constantly that "they", that great, all knowing yet invisible entity, were right about a lot of things. What if "they" were right that unschooling was a "bad thing"? What if "they" were right that I should be more outgoing, or wear make-up, or have tons of friends... I think worrying about what the magical "they" thought about me and my family's life choices took up way too much of my time...

All that type of worrying is getting steadily further into the past now, but I'm just recently starting to notice a new emotion, pride.

I've realized that I'm actually proud of my beliefs, of my opinions, of me. I've realized that I'm not like everyone else. I'm never going to be like everyone else. But far more importantly, I've realized I have absolutely no desire to "be like everyone else". As if there's somehow a standard of normality, with rules that no one has ever read, yet so many people believe and follow.

I'm proud to be me. I'm far from perfect, and I still go through periods of self doubt, of disliking who I am. But those are becoming less frequent, and being overrun by new feelings. I'm proud that I believe what I do. I believe in anarchy, in true freedom, in radical unschooling and attachment parenting and breastfeeding, in human and non-human rights, in mutual respect, respect for humans, non-humans, and the world we're so incredibly blessed to call home. I'm proud that I talk about all of these things, debate them passionately, and try to show other people my views, let them understand why I believe all of the above are so important. I'm proud that I've gotten over my fear of ridicule to do so, and saddened that so many people either have no causes they believe in, or have yet to muster the courage to speak out about them. Because it can truly be a very hard thing to do. Society often reacts badly to those who don't conform, so by speaking out, it sometimes feels like you're opening yourself up for rejection from society itself, as if it's a single entity, the cool person whom you secretly, or not so secretly, crave acceptance and approval from.

I kind of realized just a few days ago that I'm pretty much an unschooling advocate. That word sounds big, impressive, professional, and incredibly intimidating. "One who defends, vindicates, or espouses a cause by argument; upholder; defender" states my ancient Random House dictionary that weighs over ten pounds. "A person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc." says Dictionary.com. Wow. It seems hard to believe, but that sounds like what I've been doing very actively for the past six months or so. It feels strange... I've been thinking constantly that I should become an "activist", get involved with some local environmental groups. Find a cause. And I still want to get more actively involved in environmentalism. But I've realized that I already have a cause, and one that I'm truly, wholeheartedly, passionate about. A cause that I'm knowledgeable about, and one that many people have never even heard of. I've never kept a tally, that would be silly, but I think of how many people whom I've introduced to the concepts of unschooling, of how many people were first exposed to the idea by me. And I'm proud. I've realized that I have been doing something to forward a cause that I believe in, to make the world a better place, a more open minded place, in whatever small way I can. And I'm proud.

I've now been offered the amazing, if incredibly intimidating, position of unschooling editor at a homeschooling magazine where I've had a book review column for the past two years. The idea was suggested by my mother, and enthusiastically accepted by the editor, to run an unschooling article each issue. And since I'm deemed to have the most unschooling contacts, I've been asked to collect the articles. Now this is all in it's first stages... We don't know if I can get enough articles, if there will be enough interest in writing them from the unschooling community. But I keep thinking about how many young parents, parents just exploring the alternative educational paths, pick up that homeschooling magazine, and what a difference it could, just possibly, make for those parents to see these beautiful, shining, unschooling articles. Articles showing how people can live such free, non-coercive lives. It could make no difference at all. But as long as there's a chance that even a few more people could come to unschooling because of what they read, I have to try and make this work. And I'm proud that I'm getting the opportunity to share something I love and believe in with all of my heart.

I'm proud. And I'm slightly amazed that I'm proud. Such a novel emotion... But I'm proud of myself for overcoming the emotional blocks I have, for learning not to listen to those little voices in my head that say I'm worthless. So there little voices. I'm proud of myself. Ha.

Peace,
Idzie

Cuddly cats and problems with life goals...

As it gets steadily colder and more Winter like (well, not steadily, but generally colder), the cats start sleeping even more, and being adorably cuddly. Minni (orange-brown tabby) and Henry (black-tabby and white) truly are marvelous critters...

I've been spending a lot of time on the computer lately. Probably too much. But part of what I've been doing is researching... I want to know what I want to do! The thing that appeals to me most is an herbalist, or natural healer of some sort. I don't want to be a naturopath, because all that really is, is a doctor without prescription meds, and that's not what I want. I envision a much more earthy approach, if that makes sense. I want to apprentice, not go to university for four years. The thought of spending years in a classroom makes me shudder. I've also been looking into midwifery, but again, that needs four years of university. What ever happened to apprenticeships?!? I'm feeling slightly discouraged. I think I might know what I want to do with my life, or at least I know that I want to try and do certain things with my life, I just don't know how to go about doing them. ARRGH!

Peace (*takes deep breath*),
Idzie

Why I'm an anarchist

I don't think I've ever really talked on this blog about WHY I'm an anarchist, or what lead me to agree with that particular philosophy. I've only ever said that I am an anarchist! So now I want to explain why. I'm not really sure how to go about this in a logical manner, but I'll try.

I've been vaguely interested in anarchy for at least a year (I think even longer), but I never believed it was a real possibility, a valid opinion. I always just believed the commonly held opinion that anarchy can never work. I thought it was an amazing yet entirely unrealistic ideal. But then, I came across an essay (on deviantART of all places) that was very much anarchist (anarcho-primitivist to be exact), and brought up some very interesting points. I commented on it, not all that positively, and got into an extremely long conversation with the author. Pretty quickly, my arguments melted away. What he had to say made sense, and I was totally drawn to the ideas he expressed. Wanting to find out more, I asked for book suggestions, and he was happy to oblige. His top recommendation was Derrick Jensen, and so I read his book The Culture of Make Believe, and it rocked my world (if you've read any of my early posts, you'll know just how much I love Jensen). That book broke my heart, and made me incredibly angry. But even more then sadness or anger, I felt determination. I couldn't really identify as anything but anarchist after that. Now, you may be thinking I was to fast to change my opinions, or that I didn't research the other side, and I'd say that isn't true. As for changing opinions too fast, I'd believed, in my heart, that anarchy was the right way to do things for a long time, Id just never had that gut feeling backed up by anything definite before. And as for looking at things from the other side, that's impossible not to do in this society. My entire life I've seen the other sides view, and I hate it. That's why anarchy has always appealed to me. Since The Culture of Make Believe, I've read several other books by Jensen, and numerous essays by numerous authors online. I'm still sure that anarchy is the only political view that's right for me (and the earth). I should make it clear that although Jensen is an anarcho-primitivist, I'm not. I'm certainly leaning in that direction, but I don't believe that a complete return to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle is the only sustainable way of life. I'm also not convinced that agriculture and domestication are Bad Things, I just think they need to be completely re-thought. I'm honestly not sure what little sub-group of anarchy my views fit into (there are a LOT), but I'm definitely a collectivist, one who sees a world of sustainable communities and mutual support, not an individualist, which seems like a pretty cut throat every-man/woman-for-themselves type setup. I envision a return to nature, in small, self sustaining communities, communities that love and support each other, and live in freedom and peace. Idealistic? Perhaps. But if you never go for the ideal, and make do with well-things-could-be-worse-this-will-do-I-guess, then things will never change! I don't want a world that "could be worse". I want a world that I'm actually proud to be a part of, one where I can hold my head high, and not be ashamed of everything I do, since everything, from eating to buying cloths to peeing in the toilet harms others. How can that be right?

The main reason I'm anarchist is because I genuinely believe in freedom and respect for all beings, and for the the land itself. No human, creature, tree or plant is a resource, or there simply for their usefulness to us. Each is an individual, and each deserves respect.

I suppose all I've done so far is say why I'm against industrialized civilization, not why I'm against government. So, why I'm against government is simple; although it sounds corny, I really believe the old adage "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". I don't think it's possible for someone in a position of power and control over others to not abuse that power in one way or another, even if they're ignorant of that abuse themselves. I believe that people can never be their own bosses until there are no bosses other than themselves.

I always used to scoff when I heard our civilization described as a "machine". I'd roll my eyes and think the people who were saying that were idiots. But now, I really understand the metaphor. Each individual, no matter what position they hold, is in a neatly fitted slot. The people, wether they're in positions of seemingly high importance or not, can change so easily, someone else fitting perfectly into that same slot. Each person really is like a tiny piece of a huge machine, and, just like machines, parts are easily replaceable, and the machine keeps on working.

Since I became anarchist, or more realized that I was an anarchist, I really do feel like my eyes have been opened, and like I'm seeing things for the first time. I no longer look at things the same way the mainstream does. I see so many things, commonly accepted, almost never questioned things, that are so WRONG! There is so much irony, and so much insanity in our culture it never ceases to astound me. What's even more astounding is that so few people see it. But then again, it took me 17 years to start to realize, so I suppose it's not all that surprising. It's hard seeing things in a way that's so very far from the commonly accepted "normal" views, and I think I'd go crazy if not for reassurance from books, people online, and my sister that I'm not the only one to see the fallacy of our entire civilization... Also, something that really helps when I get overwhelmed with all the negative stuff people think and say about anarchy, when I start to question whether I might be wrong on this one, even though I believe it whole heartedly, I just have to think about the fact that EVERYONE "knows" that you can't learn anything without school. Then I laugh. And the doubt goes away.

Wow, that's long (and rather abrupt and disjointed, I'm afraid). I thank you very much if you got this far! I hope that made sense, and wasn't to all over the map... As always, comments and opinions are much appreciated!

Peace,
Idzie

More problems with "Green"

I was just thinking about something that I think a lot about, and that is the whole problem with environmental destruction, and green living, and environmentalism and all that. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll most likely know that I have real issues with the whole "Green" thing. And I finally thought of a good way to articulate why I do just a little while ago. My problem is that all mainstream environmental activists talk about is how to live sustainably in an industrialized, capitalist, hierarchical, patriarchal society. Basically EXACTLY how things are now. My problem with that is that I think it is absolutely impossible to live sustainably in that type of system. It just doesn't work. Our current economy is built on growth. There MUST be growth for the economy to be "doing well". But when the economy is doing well, the earth suffers. The forest suffers. The creatures who live on land and sea and everywhere else suffer. And poor people the world over suffer. Whenever the numbers in the stock exchange go up, many, many creatures both human and otherwise either lose their lives or are otherwise greatly harmed. An economy and society that values money far above life, and an economy that works on infinite growth with finite resources, do not by any means foster sustainable living. Therefor, by my logic, we cannot live sustainably in such a system. As the Infoshop.org slogan so charmingly puts it: "Kill capitalism before it kills you!"

Peace,
Idzie

Yet another new blog...

Yes, I've done the unthinkable. I've started yet another blog. I think I have four now, each one themed (poetry blog, one page story blog (which I haven't added anything to in ages *blushes*), this general blog), and the newest one is all about the acquiring of secondhand yet still totally usable stuff. I love shopping at thrift stores, and haven't bought anything new in months (my grandma has bought me a few things that I couldn't really turn down... I've told her I don't need new cloths, but she LOVES shopping!). I also love driving or walking around on garbage day, and seeing what awesome stuff people have put out in the trash. I've found some truly beautiful, often useful things that way! I also occasionally go to garage sales, bazaar's, flea markets, or other places where previously owned items can be acquired. My idea with my newest blog is to post (erratically, just when I feel like it) photo's and the stories attached to them of all my cool secondhand finds. www.trashhunter.blogspot.com

In other news, I found a quote that I love today:

"When injustice becomes law, rebellion becomes duty."

Which made me think of this quote:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable" JFK

I wish I knew who the first quote was attributed to... In even more news, I heard about CouchSurfing.com a while back, but I just checked out the site for myself today. It seems like a totally awesome way to travel, and I plan on seriously looking into it sometime when I'm not so tired and my brain is working better!

Peace,
Idzie

Memories of slightly warmer times...

The problem with "Green"

I'm not even an activist myself (yet), but I'm starting to really get annoyed at mainstream environmentalists, mainstream climate change educators, spreading awareness about this problem. And don't get me wrong, it's the single largest issue in the world, more detrimental to our species or countless other species survival than anything else. Problem is, all these mainstream environmentalists, all the governmental parties, they ALL put the onus squarely on you and me. Drive less, they say. Yes, driving less and buying fuel efficient cars lowers green house gas emissions by a minuscule amount. But you know what? The meat-agriculture industry produces more green house gas emissions than ALL transportation in the ENTIRE world. More green house gas than every single car, bus, train, boat, and airplane in the ENTIRE WORLD. Are you hearing anyone say don't eat beef anymore? Of course not! Beef, by the way, is THE food that's the hardest on the environment to produce. Another interesting fact is that if all the countless crops grown to support animals we later eat as meat were instead fed to humans, there would be no global food crisis. Every single human being in this world would have enough food to survive. And here's another thing you hear a lot from so called 'environmentalists'. Use less water. Take shorter showers. Well guess what. Corporations use 90% of the water that's used by humans. Ninety fricken' percent of ALL WATER USED BY OUR SPECIES! There is something seriously wrong with that. Why aren't these facts commonly known? Why is everyone pointing fingers at the wrong people? Well, I suppose, as usual, the powers in charge (governments and corporations) don't want that known. People WILL worry about the environment, so they need to feel that they're doing something, that they can change things. So they're carefully guided in the right direction, so they can all be good little green citizens without ever actually fixing the problem, and, more importantly to the powers that be, without ever harming their profits and production. So you know what? I guess the onus IS still on us, on the common people. But not for the reasons so many people think. If we really want to change things, stop supporting corporations. Stop buying their products. Stop giving them money to deforest our planet, stop giving them money to support death squads that make sure no one stands in the way of Shell's access to oil. Hold them accountable, or, even better, simply bring them down. Deprive them of the means to kill all life on earth. Because THAT ladies and gentleman, is the only way to truly be Green.

I'm tired, and rather pissed off at the moment, from having just watched more of this misdirection of the public, so this may be a rather unintelligeble rant... *Sighs* I hope you understand where this is coming from, anyway.

Peace
Idzie

In the last two days...

Since I've fallen down on the job here, I'll tell you (briefly) what happened in the last couple of day.

July 14

Talking talking talking! I discussed sustainable living extensively with my mother as we cooked supper together (Moroccan Lentil Soup and Chicken and Celery Soup). It was nice to make a really good home cooked meal again, as it's something my mom's been rushing around too much to do in a while. I also discussed random things with my dad... And since a friend was over, stayed up until about 2:30 a.m. talking some more! Good times...

July 13

Well, I'm afraid the highlight of that day was not anything spectacular, just the most recent Foyles War mystery. I love that mystery show! Yes, it's aired on PBS, but I don't like all the shiny chase scene filled CTV ones.... So yeah, Foyles Way is awesome.

I'll fill in today's details tonight...