| The Homestead Manifesto Page 5 Severing the Ties Having reached the conclusions discussed above, I suppose that I could just continue life as I have been, working in the human services field, living in or near Boston (as I had been up until September of 2002), and griping about the hollowness of our institutions. However, I want to do more than that. I want to embrace a lifestyle that I believe in and not just reject one that I have lost faith in. Influenced as I have been by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Wendell Berry, Helen and Scott Nearing, and others, (14) I have come to embrace the principles of homesteading, which revolve around the concept of self-sufficiency. To minimize the ties that one has with the false gods of the western world, it becomes necessary to undertake an existence that relies as little as possible on the infrastructure that supports those frauds. Even in this ultra-modern era, it is possible to free oneself almost completely from the web of a materialistic and wasteful society. It is questionable whether a person can TOTALLY do so, (15) but nearly complete self-sufficiency is doable and is being done right now by thousands of Americans. (16) Human beings cannot continue to live the way we have been living, devouring the resources around us as if we are at an all-you-can-eat buffet. We just don�t have that right. We are here now, but each of us will only be on earth for a relatively short time compared to the life of the planet. Humans should live with the understanding that we are stewards of the land, protecting it for the flora and fauna of today as well as for tomorrow. This is especially a problem here in the United States, where less than 5% of the world�s population consumes 25% of the resources used by humanity and generates that much of the planet�s waste. We are a society out of control and America�s insistence on economic colonialism has spread this epidemic worldwide, so that every day woodlands are plowed over, waterways and oceans are used as dumping grounds, air is filled with toxins, and species are permanently destroyed. The earth is an amazing entity. The land, water, and air of this planet are being damaged severely, but each will eventually bounce back. All will right itself in due time. It is not for the planet itself that I worry. The wide variety of life forms, however, are not as resilient and cannot sit by and wait as cycles run their course. An individual species has only to become extinct once. According to a more conservative estimate, each day 73 species on earth are made extinct� most due to habitat loss, environmental degradation, the introduction of non-native species, and hunting for recreation and profit. That is more than 26,000 species each year, one of the many costs of human �progress.� (17) People cannot honestly believe that such a cataclysmic eradication of life will not have grave effects on our species. Already pollutants in our food, water and air are causing cancer, respiratory problems and other illnesses. What happens when species of plants and animals that are necessary links on our food chain join the list of those eliminated by our carelessness? What happens when there are not enough plants to use carbon dioxide and generate the oxygen that we need to breathe? The canary keeled over long ago, and we have seen it, yet we continue to strip-mine the world. A commitment to preserving the environment is one of the main focuses of homesteading. This applies to the land directly beneath one�s feet, as well as the entire planet. A homesteader acts as caretaker for the piece of land that he or she lives on, with the understanding that he or she has an obligation to the plants and other animals that inhabit the land as well as to every living thing that will inhabit the land in the future. The homesteader also seeks to minimize the size of his or her �footprint� on the earth�the impact that he or she makes via the use of resources�thereby leaving that much more of the planet free from damage. A self-sufficient homesteader can shrink his or her footprint to virtually nothing. Homesteaders attempt to live as simply as possible, placing value not in material goods and accumulated wealth, but rather in working directly for their living, (18) in experiencing the peace and beauty of nature, in an unhurried and less stressful existence, in the richness of being part of a culture that has existed for thousands of years, (19) and in patiently forging deep relationships with family, neighbors and the land, as well as with all of the plants and animals that live in, on and above it. Fundamentals of Homesteading We will consider land itself first. People should not live crowded in urban areas as they are today. I say this as someone who lived the first forty years of his life in such a location, and I readily admit that I had many enjoyable experiences and frequented many interesting locations in the city. I also took advantage of what the city has to offer: proximity and convenience to stores, restaurants, entertainment, transportation, etc. I understand why many people enjoy living in the city and why they cannot fathom living a rural lifestyle. However, despite the advantages, I have no doubt that living in the country is better physically, mentally, and emotionally for human beings. Though crowded, noisy, polluted and stressful, cities are ideal for capitalism�a concentration of workers and consumers. The homesteader, however, seeks to leave behind such an environment and to settle on a piece of land that is removed from the trappings of the consume and waste society. Most homesteaders are quite a ways from the interstate highway, well outside of the village, at the end of a dirt road, and surrounded by trees, streams, hills and fields. Other people sometimes misinterpret this as a desire to be away from human contact, and�while that may be the case for some�it is not the rule. Homesteaders simply want to be away from the noise, pollution, smell, frantic pace, and the media and marketing barrage of cities. Family, neighbors, friends and guests can often be found on a homestead. Finding land, (20) preferably several acres of unspoiled countryside, is the first step for the homesteader. As caretaker of that land, a homesteader seeks to live viably while at the same time in harmony with nature. Human beings are part of nature, not above or apart, and therefore can and should live a life within nature. |