View Full Version : Farewell
Williamsmith
6-14-16, 11:19pm
http://assets.amuniversal.com/fc1691500a7e0134639d005056a9545dI don't believe in attending a party and sneaking out without thanking the host. It has been entertaining to have shared thoughts, ideas and personal stories with the other members here. I want to thank you all for taking the time to create a little gathering of simplicity here. I have tried to be tolerant when necessary, and on occasion perhaps a little confrontational, again when necessary. But it is time to move on. Your hospitality has been much appreciated.
I would like to share with you a final thought and a little humor. I like to try to find the humor in life's tragedies. I believe we place way to much emphasis on our possessions. We gripe way too much about life's challenges while being the most blessed people on the planet. Yet we scarcely can find a more pessimistic group anywhere in the world despite all of our luxury.
This little cartoon gave me quite a chuckle today. It shows a hopeless situation framed by eternal optimism. I have been there. We are all in this together.
I wish for you all, ......quiet......contentedness.......and complete fulfillment in your simple living days ahead.
Peace be with you,
Williamsmith
iris lilies
6-14-16, 11:30pm
I am very sorry to see you go. Youalways providd a rational view and good insights.
Thanks for letting us know.
I'm sorry to see you go too, Williamsmith. I appreciate your thoughtful perspective. We don't come to the same conclusions about everything, but it would be a pretty dull world if we were all the same.
Fair winds,
Mary
Sorry to hear this, Williamsmith, I've found your observations and insight quite thoughtful.
Shoot, Williamsmith. Did we drive away yet another valued contributor? I am very sorry to see you go. Thank you for your thoughts and wisdom.
Ultralight
6-15-16, 7:17am
I don't believe in attending a party and sneaking out without thanking the host. It has been entertaining to have shared thoughts, ideas and personal stories with the other members here. I want to thank you all for taking the time to create a little gathering of simplicity here. I have tried to be tolerant when necessary, and on occasion perhaps a little confrontational, again when necessary. But it is time to move on. Your hospitality has been much appreciated.
I would like to share with you a final thought and a little humor. I like to try to find the humor in life's tragedies. I believe we place way to much emphasis on our possessions. We gripe way too much about life's challenges while being the most blessed people on the planet. Yet we scarcely can find a more pessimistic group anywhere in the world despite all of our luxury.
This little cartoon gave me quite a chuckle today. It shows a hopeless situation framed by eternal optimism. I have been there. We are all in this together.
I wish for you all, ......quiet......contentedness.......and complete fulfillment in your simple living days ahead.
Peace be with you,
Williamsmith
Nooooo!
This place needs your wisdom. I urge you to reconsider.
His wisdom was deep. But perhaps he didn't want to be someone's "project".
Thank you for letting us know. Be well and find your own contentment. Your contributions have taught me a lot and considerable understanding of the current states of thought.
Peace out dude! Had to throw that in, thank you for not ghosting the group
Sorry to see you go. Just wanted to mention again that you have such a talent for writing.......I hope you nurture that talent and share it with others.
Thanks for your input here. Wish you would stay. Maybe you'll come back some time in the future.
IshbelRobertson
6-15-16, 9:18am
You will be missed.
ToomuchStuff
6-15-16, 10:29am
Sorry to see you go.
I was fond of reading your posts to DH. Farewell:(
Have a good journey. Although we rarely agreed, I appreciate a well thought out opinion.
I've enjoyed your perspectives. Stop by occasionally and enlighten us or at least add a little humor.
Gardenarian
6-16-16, 10:12pm
Peace to you too, Williamsmith!
You will be missed.
gimmethesimplelife
6-19-16, 1:15pm
Sorry to see you go.....safe travels on the road of life to you. Rob
Teacher Terry
6-21-16, 12:12pm
I have had company for a week so just saw this. So sorry to see you go. Hope you come back at some point.
I'm sorry to see you go as well. The thing i love about this board is the variety of views, all presented in a remarkably civil and thoughtful tone. But heck, you reached your goal of a thread with over 1,000 responses so i guess this is called leaving on a high note. I look forward to your return and hope that you have an enjoyable life with health, happiness and enough in the meantime.
Williamsmith
8-7-16, 2:42am
http://youtu.be/DP9UjLeLN5AJust felt like it was right to check in with my friends here. I spent some time in Asheville, North Carolina where I rubbed elbows with some very eclectic artistic types. I found it refreshing to be in the mountains. Then I took a tour down to the coast in Wilmington, NC where I became a beach bum for awhile.
I ran out of money so I came home. I am considering writing a novel whose main character is patterned after myself. Only the book is intended for just three people.....my three children. I want them to know who I really am, what I did, why I did some of the things I did, and what was important to me. It is meant to be discovered after my passing. I regret not getting to know my own father. And well......this seems like a good way to fill that void with my own kids.
I leave you all again with wishes for your own joy and happiness. My father said that two things were necessary for a good country song......a love story gone bad and a steel guitar. This fits the bill and a favorite of mine. Peace brothers and sisters..
ToomuchStuff
8-8-16, 9:25am
Just don't play country music backwards. The ex comes back, with your now beat to heck, pickup and brings a zombie dog, back.
Thank you Williamsmith for your advice you gave me about buying a car last November
Williamsmith
9-13-16, 11:15pm
I am convinced that checking in with you all once or so a month is the right thing to do. Not so much that I flatter myself that anyone here perks up at the thought of it but that it is satisfying to me though I admit it is a selfish thing.
But I do check in on topics every once in awhile and am pleased to see the community continuing to thrive.
I took in the Tom Hanks movie, "Sully" tonight. The miracle on the Hudson River. Every Tuesday is $5 night at my rural theatre. My wife accompanied me to the 5:15 pm show which was a miracle in itself since we only sat down to eat a meal of stuffed porkchops, mashed potatoes and green beans at 4:30pm. All of which was local grown food I used to prepare the meal which cost $5 for the chops, a fraction for the bread crumbs and spices to make stuffing, potatoes were a gift and the beans a dollar for a green cardboard box full.
So we sat down in time to avoid all the trailers and advertisements. Perfect timing. About ten minutes into the film my wife leans over and with a straight face poses this question, "Is this a true story?"
I could only answer a definitive, "Yes." But later after the movie I asked her where she was living when Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, January 15, 2009. She was not amused. I being a private pilot prior to my life's work......found the incident riveting and further confirmation of my reason for disinterest in the Canadian Geese species.
On a totally different topic, my contemplative quiet time lately has been researching and reading about the life of Isaac Newton and on the nature of gravity. It has challenged my so called religious tenants particularly on the issue of the Trinity or a triune God. I must admit my skepticism from a child regarding the hypocracy of the church. Newton had a surprising amount to say not only about mathematics but about religious philosophy. I get my books from the local library not the e media.
My best to all.
William
I too saw that movie today with my nine year old grandson. He was riveted by it. He too asked me if it really happened. 😄
I had tears in my eyes several times. Not when it was scary with the impending crash or when people were afraid and suffering from the cold water - but rather when the pilot was showing such concern for his passengers. At his searching for every last person before exiting the plane. At his great relief when all were accounted for. At his love for all 155 of them.
freshstart
9-14-16, 5:35am
I am glad you decided to check in once a month. I would really hate to see you gone for good. Good luck with the book for your children, that is quite a gift.
Hi, Williamsmith! Thanks for stopping by!
I'm interested in seeing Sully also. My son had an apartment right on the Hudson River during that time with a bird's eye view of the river. He was at my house, though, when his landlord called and asked him "Are you home?? Do you see the plane??" And my son said, "what plane"? He was sorry to have missed the chance to have witnessed such an extraordinary event.
The next month, I had a business flight out of Newark. It was my first flight since that incident, and as we were taking off, I was thinking, I hope there aren't any geese around! Coincidentally, upon take-off, the left engine blew out and we had to make an emergency landing back at EWR, which was a pretty routine landing--we didn't wind up in the Hudson! I don't think geese were the cause. Aviation is fascinating to me as well.
And, wow, I have been talking to DH about the Trinity. For the first time he was really thinking about it and he couldn't wrap his mind around it. In Catholic school we got the whole story about the shamrock, but I couldn't really get more sophisticated than that in my explanation to him about what the Trinity really means.
I know you're not Catholic, but you might want to check out Richard Rohr, because I get daily meditations from him and the next round of emails is going to be about the Trinity. I can't link to it because it's an email but here's an excerpt. Rohr is very ecumenical so I think you would like him. His website is http://www.cacradicalgrace.org and I think you can sign up for the emails if you want to read the stuff on the Trinity, and then I'm sure you could unsubscribe.
Trinity: MIA
Monday, September 12, 2016
In his classic study, The Trinity, Karl Rahner said, “Christians are, in their practical life, almost mere ‘monotheists.’ We must be willing to admit that, should the doctrine of the Trinity have to be dropped as false, the major part of religious literature could well remain virtually unchanged.” [1]
Until quite recently, I would admit Rahner was largely correct. Now the sciences of quantum physics and cosmology are affirming the Trinitarian intuition that the foundational nature of reality is relational; everything is in relationship with everything! There is a growing interest in and appreciation for the Trinity. It’s almost as if we finally have the software to understand it. [2] For the first time since fourth-century Cappadocia, the Trinity has actually become a topic of conversation for lay people, not only theologians. I am so glad, as the Trinity has the potential to change our relationships, our culture, and our politics for the better!
Instead of an Omnipotent Monarch, we see Trinity as the actual and wondrous shape of Divine Reality, which replicates itself in us (see Genesis 1:26) and in “all the array” of creation (see Genesis 2:1).
Instead of God watching life happen from afar and judging it . . .
How about God being inherent in life itself?
How about God being the Life Force of everything?
Instead of God being an Object like any other object . . .
How about God being the Life Energy between each and every object (which we would usually call Love or Spirit)?
Instead of the small god—usually preoccupied with exclusion—in our current (and dying) paradigm, the Trinitarian Revolution reveals God as totally inclusive and with us in all of life instead of standing on the sidelines, critiquing which things belong and which things don’t.
See you around!
rosarugosa
9-14-16, 7:32am
Hey William Smith; good to hear from you!
Sully is one of the few movies I'll see eventually. It's such a powerful story, and such a counterpoint to what passes for celebrity these days. Who would have thought Tom Hanks would have grown into the actor he is from his days on Bosom Buddies...(And whatever happened to Peter Scolari?)
glad to hear from you. Also very glad to hear your review of the movie. I plan on trying to see it soon. The "where have you been" statement makes me think of a lady in my Sunday School class. She had been married for years and her husband had just realized she colored her hair. LOL She said "where have you been?" I have never been a natural blonde.
Williamsmith
10-12-16, 10:23pm
"I suspect that you underestimate the strength and depth of feeling against industrial civilization that has been developing in recent years. I've been surprised at some of the things that people have written to me. It looks to me as if our society is moving into a pre-revolutionary situation. (By that I don't mean a situation in which revolution is inevitable, but one in which it is a realistic possibility.) The majority of people are pessimistic or cynical about existing institutions, there is widespread alienation and directionlessness among young people.....Perhaps all that is needed is to give these forces appropriate organization and direction."
1998 - Letter to Alston Chase from Ted Kaczynski, The Unabomber.
A study of the philosophy of Kaczynski would reveal a hatred of big government, corporatism and mega funded science for the attacks on freedom that result from technology. Local culture is destroyed, labor undermined, globalism collapses regional economy. The earth becomes flat again. Without the technology of aerospace, computer science, space exploration and communication advances, these corporations could not function. The "system" as Kaczynski refers to it, uses science and technology to control the population with propaganda, public education and surveillance.
Kaczynski is well known for his mail bombing campaign that for all its "technical" prowess, the FBI never came close to solving for 18 years. That is until Ted made the mistake of having newspapers publish his "manifesto." It was then that his brother David realized that Ted likely was the bomber and turned him in. Unfortunately the crimes he committed, heinous as they were, overshadowed the manifesto itself. And the media liked to describe Ted as this hermit who lived in the wilderness. Truth was, his cabin was near a major highway and surrounded by seasonal camps, a logging operation and mining interests.
And, his attorneys were hell bent on using the insanity defense. Schizophrenia....paranoid. Ted was having none of it and eventually agreed to life in prison without chance of parole. I have interviewed crazy murderers before. Kaczynski was not nuts. He simply was able to kill for his ideas. But I ramble on.
Im not a technology hater but I am more comfortable with a typewriter than a word processor, a gas stove than a microwave, a landline than a cell phone. I like to sit in front of a wood stove, drive a computerless car and I like the looks of a lawn mowed with a hand powered reel mower. I'd even go so far as to prefer a recurve bow over a compound and a bamboo fly rod over an ugly stick with a fancy bait casting reel. But I like indoor plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning. I am a hypocrite through and through but as know what's good for me. I guess if I could outfit my place with everything 1969 vintage, I'd probably be happier. Except for that Richard Nixon deal. He was a crook.
And now for your moment of Zen.
All the Best
http://youtu.be/_NSROuzLybs
What's your point here? That apart from killing and maiming innocent people in a cowardly fashion "for his ideas", Ted had some valid insights?
The jist I got was that there are more and more people who are feeling this way....but maybe I'm wrong?
Loved the video William. I fear more and more of these areas are being developed, which makes me incredibly sad.
catherine
10-13-16, 9:37am
Nice video! (Are there any veiled metaphors there: beaver as corporate industrial pest?)
I'm a hypocrite, too, but I think that just as technology may have been used for ill purpose, it can certainly facilitate a return to values that can serve us all well. I think about Dave Wampler, the founder of this site--he started the Simple Living Network from a remote lakeside cabin (from what I understand). Technology is just a tool that can either divide or unite us.
So, in my mind science is not the enemy--you can use the same argument for science that 2nd amendment folks use for guns: "Guns don't kill people; people kill people." It's true that we have used technology to make it easier to kill people, easier to become faceless, easier to become a culture of unrelenting consumption. But my hope is that we figure out a way to use science and technology to get us out of our own stupid ways, once we realize that we can be like that guy in the video who knows he's well-off because he's the one bidding the muskrat good morning every day.
You are the eternal optimist catherine! :) I'm afraid I'm the sort-of eternal pessimist. We've had so much development around us that it feels like I can always feel/hear the deep rumble of bulldozers heading for our somewhat protected 35 acres. It could be wiped out in a year. I oftentimes picture those creatures underground in "The Lord of the Rings", constantly manufacturing/destroying and they are very similar to developers/consumers today..
Yes, I can be a hypocrite too. We had beavers in our large creek, which meanders all through our property. We tried to encourage them to leave because they were chewing down our trees......even in our front yard. We put chicken wire around some of them, but couldn't do the hundreds of trees along the creek. We yelled at them. We put smoke bombs in their lodges (knowing that they had several exits to use). We had to do this because there's so little place for them anywhere else. We tried out-witting them with their dam, but they would build it right back up. They are incredible parents to their offspring. They are extremely intelligent. I just can't help getting depressed. The horse is out of the barn............I feel like it's too late to turn back. We have alienated ourselves from nature and are destroying everything that's good around us. We are destroying our life-support system.
I'm sure we all live in different areas and might not be aware of all the damaging development going on, in the name of "growth and development", and to me around here, it's sheer madness........
Sorry for the rant. Well actually, I'm not sorry. I'm mad/sad/overwhelmed/depressed. I'd like to be hopeful, but I see no signs of anything around here that points me in that direction. I think I'll go sit in the woods now...........
But my hope is that we figure out a way to use science and technology to get us out of our own stupid ways, once we realize that we can be like that guy in the video who knows he's well-off because he's the one bidding the muskrat good morning every day.
I wonder who presents the bigger problem for Mr. Muskrat: the guy living in a high-rise in town who doesn't give much daily consideration to the beauty of nature, or the guy living in the cabin that impinges on his habitat?
I would guess the millions of people who don't even know or care about the muskrat. I understand what you are saying. WE impinged on the beaver's habitat, for sure. But we probably would have chosen to live further from civilization if we could have at the time. But yes, we are a problem too, since we are human beings. Hopefully we are impinging less on lots of other creatures, letting weeds grow, leaving dead trees, planting things that feed animals, having many brush piles, not using chemicals, etc. We do lots of things that others would consider eye sores.......but it benefits non-human creatures. We protect all the new trees we plant with wire, so the bunnies/deer don't destroy them until they are bigger, instead of killing all of the wildlife. We don't drain our property and we let the water naturally flow to the creek. We really do try to consider everything else besides ourselves. But yes, we're still part of the problem.
ToomuchStuff
10-13-16, 12:21pm
I read his point as find your zen. What he first writes about seems more true today, then back then. Hatred of big government, corporatism with its cheaper to pay fines, then to do the right thing to begin with, and the divides tech brings, between have and have not's, as well as how tech eliminates jobs that people are used to. I have seen it mentioned several places, as well as discussing it with late neighbors (one lived in three centuries), about how what was considered luxury in the 50's, became standard now. (verses the values of always wanting the next thing, chasing gadgets, etc) Why does one keep chasing, instead of figuring out "their zen"?
On Ted, he is supposed to be a genius, but off a bit. I talked to owners of/workers of the hardware store he used to buy some of his bomb supplies from, and they didn't feel comfortable dealing with him. (family of LEO friend) Technology, is a tool that can be used for good and bad. If Ted had used tech and was able to connect with people, would he have been less prone to violence as from what I can gather, he scared off others. Or would Ted have found a fringe and effectively created his own terrorist cell, which may have gotten, him/them, caught quicker?
catherine
10-13-16, 12:43pm
I wonder who presents the bigger problem for Mr. Muskrat: the guy living in a high-rise in town who doesn't give much daily consideration to the beauty of nature, or the guy living in the cabin that impinges on his habitat?
A person who lives in a high-rise in town and spends his/her time ensconced in society will be less connected to nature, ergo will likely have less respect for it. More likely to see nature as a set of commodities. A person who spends more time in nature will be more likely to feel interconnected, more respectful. So when they "impinge" they are doing so with intention and respect and more likely minimize their impact because if you live closer to nature you know that whatever you do to "it," you do to yourself.
A person who lives in a high-rise in town and spends his/her time ensconced in society will be less connected to nature, ergo will likely have less respect for it. More likely to see nature as a set of commodities. A person who spends more time in nature will be more likely to feel interconnected, more respectful. So when they "impinge" they are doing so with intention and respect and more likely minimize their impact because if you live closer to nature you know that whatever you do to "it," you do to yourself.
That sounds like a "have your cake and eat it too" argument to me. Justifying a bigger footprint on the land in terms of spread-out infrastructure and living space than an oblivious high rise dweller by saying you care more deeply than he does.
That sounds like a "have your cake and eat it too" argument to me. Justifying a bigger footprint on the land in terms of spread-out infrastructure and living space than an oblivious high rise dweller by saying you care more deeply than he does.
But you may well care more deeply and you may have a positive impact o the land. We garden organically and have noticed that when we buy a place, there are no birds or wildlife to speak of, but as we build the soil, stop the poisons, and grow a very wide variety of plants, we attract incredible numbers of birds and other animals. We have always left the land better off than we found it. We build soil and we restore the buildings, so that when we have left, others have been able to have a very nice habitation.
catherine
10-13-16, 1:40pm
That sounds like a "have your cake and eat it too" argument to me. Justifying a bigger footprint on the land in terms of spread-out infrastructure and living space than an oblivious high rise dweller by saying you care more deeply than he does.
But I'm not justifying a bigger footprint. I'm not talking about the natural splendor of suburban sprawl--I'm simply saying that the more connected people are with the natural world, the more likely they are to treat it kindly. As Tybee said, "being nice to Mother Nature" has a payoff for her human offspring as well.
But you may well care more deeply and you may have a positive impact o the land. We garden organically and have noticed that when we buy a place, there are no birds or wildlife to speak of, but as we build the soil, stop the poisons, and grow a very wide variety of plants, we attract incredible numbers of birds and other animals. We have always left the land better off than we found it. We build soil and we restore the buildings, so that when we have left, others have been able to have a very nice habitation.
We've noticed the same thing Tybee. The guy who built this house used to spend hours and hours mowing all the fields. We've let it all grow up and have had increasing number of birds and other animals over those 32 years. I can even at times hear the earth sigh with relief. :)
Nooooo!
This place needs your wisdom. I urge you to reconsider.
UL, if you see this, I hope you consider what you said a few years ago when WS announced his departure. I also hope your absence is as short-lived as his was.
catherine
12-19-18, 2:38pm
UL, if you see this, I hope you consider what you said a few years ago when WS announced his departure. I also hope your absence is as short-lived as his was.
Whew!!! For a minute there I thought we were losing Williamsmith, too!
As for the sentiment to UL, +1
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