Last night, I listened to The Lost Words Blessing that you linked to - it is wonderful. In so many ways, many of have lost the connection to Nature and the Earth. That has all happened in a couple of generations. My grandfather was from the Isle of Man and when we used to talk about life there in the early 1900s, it was so different. Even for my mother growing up in the Thousand Islands area of Ontario, living on the water much of the time, there was such a strong connection to Nature. And people used to be more connected as well. I remember my father-in-law talking of how he and the other farmers used to share their farming equipment and have "bees" to do things at each other's farms -- raise a barn, thresh the grain, and so on.
I'm something of a fan of Nate Hagens' "The Great Simplification" video podcast -- which has the underlying theme of how a time is coming when we will have to find ways to live more connected to the land, nature and community. Last week, Bill McKibben was his guest and the latter part of the discussion was about how we have to connect once more -- and that people can't "do it all alone". I believe that to be true. People need connection on some level and that needs to be happening at the community level. And that we need to get out in nature - so that we learn to cherish and protect it.
It's interesting about social media. By coincidence, I and a few of my "widow friends" discussed this very topic on Facebook about 3 days ago. We got to talking about how different things are now for all of us than when we were first widowed. I have been alone for most of 16 years now. When Don died, I knew of no one in my community who was widowed in their early 50s. I was very much alone and people actually avoided me -- people I had worked on projects with in the agricultural community. It was incredibly weird and lonely. I decided to just leave in my van with my elderly dog and start traveling. At that time, I didn't use Facebook, but I had a blog. Somehow, a few months after I set out, I somehow found a couple of other widows who were blogging. We visited each others' blogs each day and left comments. Our numbers gradually grew over the next couple of years as more of us found each other. Then we started to connect using Facebook.
There is quite a network of us who are "widda friends" who met online and some have met IRL as well over the years. We all keep in touch. Many of the friends who comment on my FB posts are my widowed friends. Some are "new widows" who have just lost their partners over the past year or two. Our numbers are growing. We all post to each other on Facebook almost daily. We are there for each other in ways that no one else can be there for us. The non-widowed don't understand us -- they are dismissive and sometimes angry at us for not hurrying up to get back to normal. We are pretty much in agreement that social media has kept us alive -- helped keep us from giving up -- probably prevented many suicides -- given the newly widowed hope that they can survive. I think there are similar communities - people who have chronic illnesses - I have friends who network with others who have the same illnesses -- I've used those support systems as a caregiver to family and friends with cancer, and some very obscure auto-immune disorders where medical specialists actually hang out with patients and caregivers to discuss treatments, research, and so on. But, yes, I know that there are some very serious downsides to social media and the internet in general. Some of it alarms me greatly. I don't know how the bad can be avoided -- other than to avoid those toxic areas of the internet. Sometimes I just have to withdraw.
I hope you are feeling better soon -- that you are getting rest and spending time outdoors and doing some of the "connecting" with nature. Best wishes to you in the coming year. Let us hope that mankind comes to its senses and that peace will prevail. Take care.
Beautifully written Bev, and thank you for sharing your experience. I for one greatly enjoy your social media posts... and can see that so many others do as well. Wishing you all the best in 2024.
Deleting my facebook account over a month ago has been one of the best actions for my sanity that I've taken in 2023. While I was worried I would feel disconnected from 'everything' going on and 'everyone' that I know, I actually don't. While I am not suggesting that this is a move everyone should take, it is a move I needed to make. Wishing you lightness of being in this coming year. ruth
You have a wonderful way with words that I'm sure must reach many, as they do me. The mechanistic, money-driven, monopolizing systems we seem to be mired in these days certainly can be overwhelming. I know those of us who fight and struggle for environmental goals see these systems as antithetical to our own lives and goals. And there is certainly some solace to be had in fighting for something as certain, sure, and true as the Natural world, even though those struggles seem fraught with angst and despair at times. Still, it is always encouraging and comforting to know there are so many others like ourselves who see the importance of protecting the Natural systems we still have, even while recognizing these Natural systems seem to be the very fodder and fuel for the economic, and greed-driven systems that overwhelm us.
Thank you for being a voice that is honest, concerned, outraged, and yet hopeful about these things. I am convinced we must be hopeful about these things, or else we would have nothing left to say about them.
Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season, and the very best for the new year. Thank you for your persistence.
I deleted my twitter accounts a while back. I deleted my facebook accounts, but still have one to keep track of some local environmental issues. I post nothing about family or friends and do not spend any unfocused time on the site. I have resisted looking at images of violence for years unless somehow they are related to solving the issue peacefully or working with victims compassionately. For example MSF posts are worthwhile and as a contributor (donations) to their work I am interested in what they have to say and do. The news media thrive on violent images with minimal context. This type of media I try not to consume. Thank-you for sharing.
Last night, I listened to The Lost Words Blessing that you linked to - it is wonderful. In so many ways, many of have lost the connection to Nature and the Earth. That has all happened in a couple of generations. My grandfather was from the Isle of Man and when we used to talk about life there in the early 1900s, it was so different. Even for my mother growing up in the Thousand Islands area of Ontario, living on the water much of the time, there was such a strong connection to Nature. And people used to be more connected as well. I remember my father-in-law talking of how he and the other farmers used to share their farming equipment and have "bees" to do things at each other's farms -- raise a barn, thresh the grain, and so on.
I'm something of a fan of Nate Hagens' "The Great Simplification" video podcast -- which has the underlying theme of how a time is coming when we will have to find ways to live more connected to the land, nature and community. Last week, Bill McKibben was his guest and the latter part of the discussion was about how we have to connect once more -- and that people can't "do it all alone". I believe that to be true. People need connection on some level and that needs to be happening at the community level. And that we need to get out in nature - so that we learn to cherish and protect it.
It's interesting about social media. By coincidence, I and a few of my "widow friends" discussed this very topic on Facebook about 3 days ago. We got to talking about how different things are now for all of us than when we were first widowed. I have been alone for most of 16 years now. When Don died, I knew of no one in my community who was widowed in their early 50s. I was very much alone and people actually avoided me -- people I had worked on projects with in the agricultural community. It was incredibly weird and lonely. I decided to just leave in my van with my elderly dog and start traveling. At that time, I didn't use Facebook, but I had a blog. Somehow, a few months after I set out, I somehow found a couple of other widows who were blogging. We visited each others' blogs each day and left comments. Our numbers gradually grew over the next couple of years as more of us found each other. Then we started to connect using Facebook.
There is quite a network of us who are "widda friends" who met online and some have met IRL as well over the years. We all keep in touch. Many of the friends who comment on my FB posts are my widowed friends. Some are "new widows" who have just lost their partners over the past year or two. Our numbers are growing. We all post to each other on Facebook almost daily. We are there for each other in ways that no one else can be there for us. The non-widowed don't understand us -- they are dismissive and sometimes angry at us for not hurrying up to get back to normal. We are pretty much in agreement that social media has kept us alive -- helped keep us from giving up -- probably prevented many suicides -- given the newly widowed hope that they can survive. I think there are similar communities - people who have chronic illnesses - I have friends who network with others who have the same illnesses -- I've used those support systems as a caregiver to family and friends with cancer, and some very obscure auto-immune disorders where medical specialists actually hang out with patients and caregivers to discuss treatments, research, and so on. But, yes, I know that there are some very serious downsides to social media and the internet in general. Some of it alarms me greatly. I don't know how the bad can be avoided -- other than to avoid those toxic areas of the internet. Sometimes I just have to withdraw.
I hope you are feeling better soon -- that you are getting rest and spending time outdoors and doing some of the "connecting" with nature. Best wishes to you in the coming year. Let us hope that mankind comes to its senses and that peace will prevail. Take care.
Beautifully written Bev, and thank you for sharing your experience. I for one greatly enjoy your social media posts... and can see that so many others do as well. Wishing you all the best in 2024.
Deleting my facebook account over a month ago has been one of the best actions for my sanity that I've taken in 2023. While I was worried I would feel disconnected from 'everything' going on and 'everyone' that I know, I actually don't. While I am not suggesting that this is a move everyone should take, it is a move I needed to make. Wishing you lightness of being in this coming year. ruth
That is so reassuring to know, in case I decide to go that route. All the best to you too, Ruth.
Thank you, Linda.
You have a wonderful way with words that I'm sure must reach many, as they do me. The mechanistic, money-driven, monopolizing systems we seem to be mired in these days certainly can be overwhelming. I know those of us who fight and struggle for environmental goals see these systems as antithetical to our own lives and goals. And there is certainly some solace to be had in fighting for something as certain, sure, and true as the Natural world, even though those struggles seem fraught with angst and despair at times. Still, it is always encouraging and comforting to know there are so many others like ourselves who see the importance of protecting the Natural systems we still have, even while recognizing these Natural systems seem to be the very fodder and fuel for the economic, and greed-driven systems that overwhelm us.
Thank you for being a voice that is honest, concerned, outraged, and yet hopeful about these things. I am convinced we must be hopeful about these things, or else we would have nothing left to say about them.
Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season, and the very best for the new year. Thank you for your persistence.
Rob
Thank you for the very kind words Rob. Means a lot to me, and thank you for also being that voice.
I deleted my twitter accounts a while back. I deleted my facebook accounts, but still have one to keep track of some local environmental issues. I post nothing about family or friends and do not spend any unfocused time on the site. I have resisted looking at images of violence for years unless somehow they are related to solving the issue peacefully or working with victims compassionately. For example MSF posts are worthwhile and as a contributor (donations) to their work I am interested in what they have to say and do. The news media thrive on violent images with minimal context. This type of media I try not to consume. Thank-you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your strategies... it really helps to know what others are doing to minimize the impact of this stuff.
Thx for these words, these thoughts, so completely appropriate.
Thank you. Sending love and light. I hope you experience fresh perspective and inspiration in the new year. We need your voice.
Thank you, Wendy. I feel the same way about your voice. Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday.