A Badly Needed Update. Written June 15th. Things are better now.

It’s summer. so much comes with summer, for everyone I think. In my case, it means a lot of transition. This summer there have already been a lot of changes for me. There is always a strange void after classes end, and I struggle with self-discipline and focus, particularly at that time. But it really is no surprise – after all, during 3/4 of the year I spend most of my time doing what other people think I should be doing, on the time-line they think I should be doing it on. There is also a karmic aspect to this. Most of my summers, even when I had a job, were not particularly focused on particular kinds of productivity. These observations by no means that I shouldn’t ever relax or enjoy the summer, or that it’s any kind of absolute bad that I do the things required of me by school. But it is very tricky to break out of that and transition to self directed productivity. I take a lot of false starts, but eventually some of them get somewhere, and that is good. But I think if I am going to accomplish my goals, particularly the Sunflower Village Initiative, I need to learn to be more effective than that.

So I’m back to this blog and attempting to use it as a tool to keep myself moving, by reporting to myself and to whomever reads this. I hope you haven’t given up on me.

I moved recently, and discovered, among other things, piles and piles of notes and references that I have made or gathered that have plenty of potential. But first, I am working on some more organization. I decided, towards the end of the school year, that the Sunflower Village Initiative needs to become an official non-profit, and that I want this to happen by May of next year. One of the things that I started to do before I moved was to consolidate my contacts into one place so that I better reach out to interested people. What better way to begin organizing people? I anticipate that this will save me time and frustration. Once that project is complete, I will be following steps from a book about starting a non-profit. I am going to try to set myself a timeline to help my effectiveness. A few weeks ago I determined to spend at least three hours per day on the Sunflower Village Initiative. I am going to redetermine and say that it would be good if I could do one hour a day. For now, that can include updating this blog. It’s a good way to get my creative juices going, and to try to hold myself accountable.

Thank you for reading.

Satellite Experiment

Alright, after clearing up my thoughts yesterday, I really want to write what I originally meant to get down.

On Saturday, I while I was chanting, I was struggling a bit. I had some difficulties in organization last week, and I was feeling a bit frustrated with the fact that I hadn't done anything directly connected to the Sunflower Village Initiative for awhile. But I want to clarify, this was a joyful kind of struggling and it wasn't agonistic at all. I have felt at times that while I love the idea I have for the structures of the village, I am not sure how to bring that vision to fruition. Things came together rather suddenly. I realized that a great way to move my ideas forward is to take one aspect of what I am trying to do and attempt it on a slightly smaller, more feasible scale. So the thought is to take the Satellite model (see earlier posts) of organizing the village and test it out, over the course of at least one summer. I would organize a group of 10-20 people. I would like to see if a local farmer might be able to accommodate us. I have one in mind, but if he would rather not participate, I can imagine the "Happy Valley" providing someone who would. This group of people would come to the farm for the summer. A central area would be designated for cooking, socializing, and projects. Perhaps this area should have a wood platform to prevent mud. Tents would be used primarily for sleep and private time. The work day would be spent doing farmwork under the direction of the farmer. This would work well with the idea of having specialist directors of village labours. It would also serve to provide compensation to the farmer for the use of space. The main objective of the experiment would be as a preliminary test of the function of a satellite dwelling arrangement. Ideally, the experiment would be repeated in a consecutive season, ideally with most of the same people. One of the challenges involved is finding funding and other resources needed to allow people to participate. This is needed to counter the hindrance presented by peoples' need to continue to pay rent, bills, and to take hiatus from other activities. More research must be done on the exact costs for dwellings, impact for a potential farmer-participant, the kinds of support needed for participants, and how to keep the project cohesive.

recognizing the inherent interconnectedness

When I started my sunflower village blogs, I felt like I would keep my theories and ideas and experiences separate. But lately I've been feeling more powerfully the reality that nothing is ever separate, and that what I think about and experience and hope to do in the future, and my perceptions of why I want to do those things aren't genuinely separable. It's alright if people don't always like everything I write. I am grateful for those of you who read my blogs, but ultimately this writing is my reference for what I'm thinking and doing and collecting and attempting. So this might be too much for some people, perhaps someday construed as unprofessional or too personal or chaotic or unclear. I am willing to accept those possibilities and be radically me. This wasn't what I meant to write about it, but I've been mulling it over for awhile and I'm glad I had the chance to get it out.

Answers

Wow, this makes me feel like I'm getting in rhythm, especially given yesterdays' events.

"Let's continue to meet,
converse and establish
heart-to-heart bonds with
as many people as possible.
Our efforts to expand dialogue
is a struggle to spread trust and
friendship in society."
- Daisaku Ikeda.

Similarly, I opened up the March-April Living Buddhism this morning and Sensei's writing heard my soul's cry!

P.S. Apologies for lack of posting, school is presently consuming my mental resources.

Thesis idea:
The Effects of Structural Violence on Sustainable Development in India

May post more of these as they come to me.