plenty of bananas

Just writing and talking about this strangeness has shaken out my head; I feel myself again.

Joyce Rooks reminds me of a fact that is so easily lost in conversation; that there is in fact plenty to go around, there is enough for everyone, but only if people are willing to make themselves smaller so that their level of need goes down in accordance with what is available. I’m certainly trying to become smaller myself. I find it exciting, not limiting.

There actually are enough bananas for all of us monkeys, and if we can’t get along then general systems failure will sort it out for us, and people we like and respect will not make it through. The cheap or derivative schlock will always survive; as Wal-Mart proves, there is always a market for cheesy crap at rock bottom prices.

I’ve never been very good at accepting the facts of human society- average people tend to acquire power and dole out pork to their inner circle; people who are successful with one shop or dealership strive for two, always the goal seems to be to increase money, reach and power. Rarely do you see people who celebrate smallness. I have a love for people who know when to stop, and when to choose to earn less and live more.

I was talking with my aunt the other day (she been smallerized against her choice) and she was telling me of her plan to earn money by making custom clothing. This is a great idea; she is a genius with a sewing machine. But within ten minutes, she was sketching plans into the air for her Mexican sweat shop to mass-produce the garments. She could easily support herself; there is no need to think big. Thinking big is a recipe for disaster right now, unless you are one of the megaliths eating our world, like Amazon or Facebook… entities with billions of dollars in cash that control the Internet. They control our world because we let them; their value is determined almost exclusively by our dependence.

If we can all find ways to celebrate austerity, instead of always thinking how we can take things up a notch, I suspect we can come out of this deep recession better and happier people.

Joyce left this morning, loaded up with seed beads and with two of my black dancer lamps; can you believe that? I thought that those lamps were the very things I would not be willing to part with, but in fact, it felt lovely to give them to her. I am asking people now what I have that they might want; their answers are fascinating to me. Gabriella wants an owl lamp; she shall have one.

Joyce went home with the awesome pair in the pink harem pants.