Effective Simplicity

I recently completed one of Sustain Dane's discussion groups on “Voluntary Simplicity.” This is the second course I've taken and I highly recommend them. The last week of the series, I had a chance to be the "opener" for our discussion about putting what we'd learned into practice. The poem below sums it up.

Effective Simplicity

If Ignorance is Bliss
Why are we stressed out by competing with the Joneses?
Why are we less satisfied than when we knew the shoemaker?
Why do people suffer and die supplying our American lifestyle?
Why do we miss the vanishing landscapes and dwindling diversity of wildlife?

If Knowledge is Power
How can we value possessions over people?
How can we underrate true community?
How can we ignore the global consequences of our actions?
How can we justify destruction of the natural world?

If Love is the Answer
When do we help our neighbors?
When do we support the larger community?
When do we care about people we don’t know?
When do we protect our planet?

If Seeing is Believing
Close your eyes and…
Imagine a world where everyone’s health and well-being matter.
Envision a society where “waste equals food.”
Picture a community with its own sustainable economy.
Visualize your neighbors working together in a “cradle to cradle” cycle powered by the sun.
Now, open your eyes and …
Look for ways to live as “effectively” as a tree.


Terry Carpenter
11/18/2007

What If The Experts Are Right?

[Originally published as Letter to Editor in the Fitchburg Star on November 30, 2006.]

What if the experts are right
That the earth is a closed loop system
With limits on many of its natural resources
And long term consequences for many of our actions?

What would you change if you knew
That our unsustainable lifestyle
Wastes precious and finite assets
Like oil, natural gas and water?

What would you want if you realized
That our excessive consumption
Lowers the future standard of living for our children
By producing mountains of junk destined for landfills?

What would you do if you believed
That our disregard for resource limits
Allows us to enjoy the luxuries of today
In exchange for the necessities of tomorrow?

What if the experts are right
That we must make changes to ensure that
Our children have the resources they need
To lead healthy, happy and productive lives?

Terry Carpenter