Not as “do-gooders”out to reform everyone else, but people quietly reforming our own lives in harmony with that which is good. I believe that the mission and message of our little community, the Village on Sewanee Creek, should be about freedom in its fullest and best sense – the freedom to do positive good. These are my thoughts as I considered the following interview from The Real News. Is our way of life just an excuse for conquest and plunder? Bush euphemistically said it, “our way of life”. We have collectively turned a blind eye to our wars of aggression waged in the name of freedom, or as G.W. As the empire crumbles and the benefits that trickle down from the elite to the masses wane, the masses will wake up, not out of righteous indignation, but out of a displaced sense of loss. The dirty little secret that The American people have bought into, the elephant in the room that we choose to ignore, is that the empire we support through endless wars of conquest disproportionately benefits us vs the rest of the world. We fight not for freedom, but for personal greed and dominance. If we commit unspeakable acts of violence and evil in the name of freedom, we have no moral basis for the defense of “freedom”. To defend freedom in the name of freedom only – the right to do whatever we want because we want to – is to be morally bankrupt, destructive to the world God created for us and at odds with “natural law”. It is to safeguard our ability to choose and do that which is good. It benefits all things without contention. Inasmuch as it is always peaceable it is never rebuked.” Like water it ever seeks the lowest place, the place that all others avoid.įor a dwelling it chooses the quiet meadow It benefits everything and harms nothing. I hope this brightens your day in some small way. I include the two translations, from which I drew inspiration, below. In a time of division, contention and darkness, this is something we can all do. Post it as a comment for the enjoyment of all. I recommend the exercise and, should you give it a try, would love to see your version. Wrestling with my own poetic version of Lao Tsu’s wisdom helped me think more deeply, clarifying my water. I hope to become more like water and God. Truths I learned from my own life’s path, my Tao I drew inspiration from the two translations, adding my own insights about life and the nature of God and water. Without consulting the original Chinese, I did my own translation. This morning I have been meditating on Lao Tsu’s verse #8 of the Tao Te Ching. “A mycological survey conducted in the area surrounding the eco cabin between July 29 and August 1, 2019, finds the following: Scott meticulously identified and documented many of the mushrooms in the forest with beautiful photos. I think I was even more thankful to have them come and share their for mushrooms with us. It was a truly spiritual experience for us. I loved seeing how much Scott’s face would light up upon seeing new species of mushrooms he had never seen before. I can see why Grant and his wife, Becky would choose to build their community here. There were so many more we didn’t get to see while we were here. We saw four different waterfalls, one being on Grant’s property. I couldn’t believe how many waterfalls are in the area. The wide variety of mushrooms, plant life, and animal life was amazing. “There is nothing to describe how beautiful the area here is. So, I asked them to write something for this blog. They were able to point out, name, categorize, and identify many edible and medicinal mushrooms right in our 45-acre back yard. You see, both are highly accomplished mycologists. I was fortunate to spend hours with newlyweds, Scott and Stephanie, learning about mushrooms that fill the forest floor of our property. Little did we expect that honeymooners would reflect the Village motto, “In Harmony with nature and people”, so well. This week, a couple on their honeymoon stayed we us in the container guesthouse for four nights. Then there is what I call the Village 2.0, made up of hundreds of equally delightful, endlessly diverse and interesting people from all walks of life who visit only briefly, stay in one of our vacation rental cabins and share their unique talents and interests. The trust and camaraderie and personal insight we share is deeply enriching. Permanent residents in the Village 1.0 are delightful neighbors.
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