I keep hens.
These hens feed into my local economy in small, positive ways.
However, these beautiful creatures are not part of Ireland’s economy, despite their consistent hard work!
Economic growth is all about measuring the flow of money.
Surplus eggs at Bealtaine Cottage are bartered for other goods.
The details of that growth are almost irrelevant.
Yet, every day, the news is filled with details about the economy, difficult to relate to any aspect of our daily lives.
There is not one aspect of what I do here at Bealtaine Cottage which would be deemed to contribute to economic growth. Sewing, spinning, planting trees, growing food, supporting wildlife, caring…
Planting trees?
Only measured on the day of cutting and selling!
Ensuring the land is brought back to fertility…not measured.
If it cannot be measured in the transfer of money, then it is not counted.
If you produce what you consume, then, apparently, you do not produce…the real economy of people like me is zero.
However, the future is local in terms of the real economy, because the real economy is about real people and the real lives they lead!
I believe that in order to stabilize the world, we must first stabilize our country and in order to do that, we must ensure our homes and communities are efficient and resilient.
The future can only be welcomed if our present is secure.
We are of real flesh and blood; real feelings: compassion and hope; real lives, not economic statistics on the six o’clock news.
The future is local, resources are plentiful; the future is us…just us and justice!
Beautifully and perfectly put.
so true. Happy Full Moon. Just looking at the sun setting and the moon rising and the sky is so beautiful. How much is that worth I wonder? Priceless in my book!
You’ll get to meet the writer Paul Kingsnorth on Sunday as he’s visiting! His book, The Wake, is on the Mann-Booker long list.
Blessings X
There is a new cat in this post! (Or did I miss a post maybe?) Do you have a new family member? =)
Charlie has come to stay! Nine weeks old…son of a feral (now spayed) cat! He is just gorgeous X
Adorable! Congratulations =)
Couldn’t agree more! Well done for living the dream and inspiring me to continue taking baby steps.
Blessings and more power to your baby steps X
So true. But unfortunately, in this world we SELDOM see justice!
Wonderful post. Every time I see pictures of your home and the land that you steward, I fall in love with it all over again…
Lovely…bless you X
The “economy” is an illusion… you are so right. The real measure of our economy is local and can be shown in the health of the people and the land. Excellent post.
Shannon
Blessings X
Reblogged this on Divine Timing and commented:
Absolutely powerful, this message. I always love the innate wise wisdom that is inherent in all Bealtaine Cottage posts. Following that blog is definitely a great decision! Bless!
The government is leading us ‘up the garden path’, or should we say ‘away from the garden path’. Dare I mention ‘monsanto’. Watched some of your video clips, and I was just hooked.
This is a great post, and I agree with all of it! More folk need to being getting into this.
Hopefully the more people who start living this way, the future generations will begin to re learn how to live in a sustainable way. It does not matter you are not paying into the worldly economy, who is that really for anyway? Local economy and people investment is best, yes. The investment you are putting into mother nature too is just amazing.
The fracking has made me livid, and I am so happy to see people like you doing things like this for earth. Well done. x
Blessings X