Monday, May 31, 2010

More from that Book

On page 105 she says, "Our society is riddled with myths to suggest that anyone who forgoes a conventional career track and devotes themselves to sustainable home and community life is merely squandering their life... Committing her life's energy to an employer has not made a truly 'liberated woman'. A homemaker's primary job is not to be a consumer. The choice to cultivate self-reliance, curb consumption and live well on less money drains only the extractive economy, but feeds a life-sustaining economy. The pursuit of affluence, the ennoblement of excessive work and hyper-individualism are not manifestations of the American dream, but causes of a national nightmare."

That's it. That's why I'm here and why I wonder at everyone (the general, not specific) pushing their children to go to college. I wonder why I was limited to that view of life and wish that I could have gotten to this one by a more direct route. I know people who did. I know people just barely in their twenties who know where they're going and it isn't into the "extractive economy". I'm not staying home to consume more; I'm not staying home to spend my husband's paycheck; I'm not staying home "for the children". I'm here because our family works better this way. We are able to pay closer attention to our path in the world. And Jason does the work he does so he actually has time to be part of our home economy and part of our community. We feel we're finally in a place where we can participate and be with the people around us. We don't want to be an atomic family; our vision is much wider than that.

No comments:

Post a Comment