[Homestead] Wither Homestead?
Gene GeRue
genegerue at ruralize.com
Tue Feb 2 08:40:18 EST 2010
On Feb 1, 2010, at 5:23 PM, Marie McHarry wrote:
> No. It's just been really, really quiet. I've noticed that usually in
> the depths of winter when homesteading isn't so busy this list turns
> to political discussion. Now that that topic has become something that
> most of us what to ignore, I think everyone is hibernating.
Marie, I think there are three primary parts to the decline of the
homestead list.
1. As with TMEN and other gardening/country living mags, once the
subjects have been covered multiple times, it is challenging to go
back to them and find something new to say. And it is tedious to teach
the same class over and over. The teachers tire and retire.
2. There are so many other lists available to each of us that with
slight effort we find a more perfect fit. I have found one, for
instance, consisting mostly of people who are bright, articulate,
accomplished and respectful. We have adult conversations. The list
owner has a light hand but will not tolerate personal attacks and put
downs.
3. Politics. I let myself get sucked into the political discussion
here, which started out somewhat reasonable and devolved into hysteria
and babble.
There is another issue that both amuses and troubles me. I thought the
Internet would be the library of the world with all wisdom immediately
at hand and, more, that it would help lift each of us to our maximal
level. Alas, the wisdom has become deeply diluted by our human need to
feel important. We easily find something new, embrace it, erroneously
think we have become instant experts. And then we broadcast it willy
nilly and feed upon the responses. The library becomes cluttered with
The National Enquirer.
Perhaps it is a sign of our apparently deteriorating time. Major media
thrives on death, disaster and dilemma. We fight back feebly with our
e-mails and our blogs: no, not me, not my life, my life is fine, see,
look at all I am doing, look at all I know, look how smart I have
become. It seems to me that we have become unbalanced. Our focus has
fanned and blurred. Like Stella, we need to get our groove back.
And the beat goes on.
Gene
More information about the Homestead
mailing list