Living Good Now

It's nice that WeWantARevoLuTioN (some of us, anyway. I imagine nearly all of us wouldn't mind seeing very different or many fewer schools). Anyway, it's clear that a lot of us want to change things, and a couple people have said that they're trying to pay attention to their own lives, likes and dreams with this in mind.

What do you do in they way you live to express and embody your values and ethics, your vision of the world?

I think some of this stuff is kind of hard to talk about. No one wants to come off sounding holier-than-thou... I certainly don't think that anyone here goes around shouting, I've been to more protests than you have! I'm more vegan than you are! I'm a true unschooler and I never do anything vaguely resembling schoolwork, unlike you other yutzes! We know better than that. The problem is, it's hard to simply say, I go to a lot of protests, or I'm a dedicated vegan, or I want to support and expand the unschooling movement by taking its practice to an extreme. Because we don't want to seem self-righteous or self-involved, and also simply because these are, or can be, very personal choices.

Let's make this a forum for discussing these "lifestyle choices" loudly, clearly, and safely. Check you egos at the door, folksin other words, if you're going to feel threatened here because you're afraid that other people are being better citizens, or because you believe strongly in something that a lot of people here don't, you should probably work that out somewhere else (hopefully as near as another page away.) Likewise, if you're going to be judgemental or argumentative or rude, take it to another page. That's not to say that we can't have discussion based on healthy disagreement, but I think that first we should just put this stuff on the table. What you should do is talk about your own values... if you do something because you strongly feel that it's Right or a Good Thing to do, tell us why. Tell us why you think it's right, and even why you think that everyone should do things that way. We won't be intimidated, we won't be judgemental, and we just might be inspired.

So, what do you do in they way you live to express and embody your values and ethics and personal tastes, your vision of the world?

(One last noteit doesn't have to be very big or political. I'm talking, everything that you've thought about seriously and made an effort to do. Maybe you floss twice a day. Maybe you make an effort to do really nice things for your friends' birthdays. Maybe you're a member of the Dark Sky Association, or perhaps you're learning entomology so that you can understand and support integrated pest management. Maybe you vote in every election (if you're old enough). Maybe you never vote. Maybe you're campaigning for youth rights so that someday people your age can vote. Maybe you walk your dog every day. Maybe you sleep in late. Maybe you're radically honest every third Wednesday. Maybe you know how to type in dvorak. Tell us, and tell us why, and be passionate!) Julie(lipse

I pick up pennies. I turn payphones upside-down. I smile at people on the bus. I sing. I'm open. I never make people feel bad if I can help it. I try extremely hard to understand myself and my motivations. I try extremely hard to see at least two sides to every situation. I don't accept 'this is the way it has to be.'

I told marina about the pay phone thing <grin>. I take photos that I think show something of how life a)has it's damn fine points now, b)has some more suckier ones that need to be changed and c)how awful some parts of it are. Right now I'm doing a series, inspired by the Weetzie Bat Books, called "Love is a dangerous angel." i'm doing a board on various "dangerous loves" the only completed one so far is on drugs. Hey if anyone has any ideas, let me know. i'm open to suggestions to make it better. I really want these particular projects to be good, because they're going to be in an exhibit at the end of the semester, and a lot of people will see them. I'm almost shivering with awe that my work will be seen and have a chance to say something. I write a lot. Granted much of it is just petty, personal poems that i write to vent, but some of it addresses larger issues. I'm making a book of poetry that leaves space for the reader to write their own poems. I have two zines, one that's kind of on hold right now, i make with Sam(ara) called 32 Flavors. And another that's a solo project, is called Skye High. In Skye High I have a topic per issue. My last one was about cutting. Marina and I have also been making a book of poems, called MOTLEY. (it's nearly done, just need to work on the covers). Making these has really been a great thing for me, because i can see how the things i do can become bigger. if that makes sense. I'm also on the forensics (that'd be speech and debate, not dead bodies) team at cypress college, and this is one thing that i think will help myself, and the people i'm speaking for, a Lot. it's opened my eyes to sooo many issues that i had no idea even existed before. it's also enabled me to argue my position, defend my principles and morals, and think critically about everything. For the past two semesters I've had an informative speech on homeschooling, and I've talked to a lot of people about it. I just think that's so neat that I have this forum to educate people. :) And in any debate where it's possible, I always end up debating education policies, and the problems with status quo. I think the last tournament I was for distance education, and for aboloshing standardized education. That would be something i'm really passionate about - i think standardized testing is a heinous crime. It does nothing to measure skill, competence or thinking level. All it can do is measure how well the student managed to cram information into their short term memory. regurgitation is NOT learning. ARRRGH. I attend cypress community college, and have since i was about 13. This alone has opened up SOOOO many opportunities to talk to people about homeschooling/unschooling/education. It's also given me amazing resources to further my own passions... music, ceramics, photography, speech, writing... all of those that in turn, hopefully, i'll be able to continue using to address larger issues.

ok now i feel really preachy, but these are all things i've been doing and love doing. RoyaBoya

I rescue worms in distress and slow moving bugs that I walk by on roads. And turtles or what ever else. Always carry the turtle to the direction it was aimed at going. I don't eat meat. I hardly eat dairy or eggs. I bite off what I can chew and no more. I try not to waste, but to reuse. I recycle. I garden. I speak out. I get angry and do something about it. I'm still angry, but it a postive way that feeds action. I try to spread happiness. First, you have to be happy yourself, then you spread it around. Send nice thoughts, try to be a beacon of relaxation and un-stress. I sabotage sport hunters. Yeehaw. I try to be useful, I try to be helpful. I try. (carrie) (more later)

School's out, and I'm debating whether to go back. It did some weird things to me, and I feel like I haven't made a dent in it. Is it possible to change school, to make community there? ~Wind~