Monday, March 7, 2011

Richard Proenneke

This fellow retired into the wilderness; Twin Lakes, Alaska to be specific, for about thirty years. You can visit his cabin, by the way. He left it to the National Park Service, and apparently it's a bit of a tourist attraction.



Heroic in a way, yes, though I can't help but feel sorry for his wife Mary, the one he left behind. You don't read much about her. Y'know, my own horticultural explorations, my desire for self sufficiency, has developed in a context of Kat. I wouldn't be taking off on this adventure without her. I couldn't. How can you be a real American hero nowadays without including family, which has been drowning in the rising tide of greed and selfishness for so long now? Her longing to live off the grid is a great motivator to me.

I can't help but wonder if we could all create simpler, better lives for ourselves if we included others in our plans. Not if we gave them orders, if we worked with them. Divide and conquer, you know. I don't want to start talking conspiracies or anything silly like that, but the people in power aren't hurting from the way things are now.

It's not up to them to change things, it's up to us. To you. Yes, that means you. What are you thinking, what do you want right now? How are you reacting to this post? Call me a dirt-worshiping hippie for all I care. Go share it with someone! That's how to make a difference! Now go!

No comments:

Post a Comment