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Music

Everyone is searching for their own way through this maze of uncertainty and although the world may be unified by a single crisis, we are separated by the uniqueness of our own particular circumstances. And with antisocial media raising the power of the individual over that of the group and giving mainstream platforms to extreme minority views, it can be hard to separate what is individual from what is communal. The danger is that with so much noise coming out of our fractured society, sometimes the only way to hear ourselves think is to stop listening altogether. Yet we do that at our peril. What is the sequel to the dystopian nightmare of Edvard Munch’s The Scream? By listening less might we lose the capacity to listen at all? Live music forces us to listen. It encourages us to listen better. And maintaining this ability, desiring it even, is essential to the survival of the human race. Live music is a celebration of listening, and a celebration of togetherness. We need to do all we can to encourage its full return.

Source: Music is an act of communication. Without anyone listening it doesn’t exist by Mark Wigglesworth

Published on September 30, 2020 at 6:00 by

Simple Living Alaska

Over the past week i have been avidly watching the youtube channel Simple Living Alaska. I found this channel a few months ago while i was searching for canning, fermenting and pickling recipes. I had skipped most of the videos on this channel, until a week ago.

You follow Arielle and Eric, who moved to southern Alaska around two years ago in 2018. They have chosen a life of self-sufficiency and sustainability. They hunt and gather, maintain a vegetable garden, an orchard, chickens and bees.

A few of my favorite videos i post here. There are many more videos on this channel. Highly recommended!

Published on September 28, 2020 at 6:00 by

I’m 19 and I’ve lost my sparkle for life

I read this article called I’m 19 and I’ve lost my sparkle for life. How will I ever get it back? on the Guardian Sunday morning. It brought tears to my eyes. Lots of truths in the answer.

I also watched a video about integrating your shadow side in your life. This article actually reminds me a bit of this. Happiness, excitement is not something you strive for. It is a bonus. I am still struggling with my own life. Still not sure which way to go. Still half believe i life in a fantasy. It still does not feel real to me. I do hope reality will come to me soon. I do hope my life will turn out to be difficult and challenging. But i also hope it will be happy and productive.

I hope it is ok if i post the article here.

I’m 19 and I’ve lost my sparkle for life. How will I ever get it back?
Your privileges aren’t necessarily a route to joy, says Mariella Frostrup. But finding your own purpose in life is

The dilemma I’m a girl, I’m 19 and I never get excited about anything. It’s been years since I’ve felt that sparkle, even though I’ve done things and been to places that I really liked and that changed me in a positive way.

My bucket list in life is very long and full of diverse activities and trips, but I never seem to enjoy that much when I’m doing it. I usually only realise how good it was afterwards, and I feel lucky about what I had experienced, but my heart never beats fast.

Friends get excited over small and silly things (and God knows it’s healthy, I am not judging) while I keep getting bigger chances than them and never feel that good. I do realise I’m lucky to have a supportive and wealthy family, and many friends. I am even good looking.

I’ve been depressed last year, and even though I am much better now, it seems to me that the only thing missing is the step from “glad” to “excited”.

Will I ever feel the sparkle again? If I don’t now, will I when I am old?

Mariella replies Even before! And you don’t need to sit around twiddling your thumbs and waiting for divine intervention; you can get cracking on reviving that sparkle right now. This is a common problem, increasingly so among younger people, and although it can often be linked with clinical depression it’s also perfectly possible that you’ve just lost sight of the things that make you happy.

For the clinically depressed or terminally myopic it can be hard to separate the challenges faced by others from our own near-the-knuckle woes. When you wake up in the morning and find you’re not moved by birdsong, or moved to tears by the sight of an old couple holding hands, or a kid touching sand for the first time, it’s a good thing to start looking for what’s afflicting you.

I’m so sorry to hear that your capacity for pleasure is so depleted, but you need to understand that what you describe as being lucky isn’t the pass to happiness you assume it to be. There’s nothing wrong with failing to use your privilege as a weapon against joylessness: the two are closer linked than you might imagine.

You say your parents are wealthy, and perhaps that’s an issue here. I’ve always wondered how my work imperative and, through it my enjoyment of life, would have fared if I hadn’t needed to make a living and step far beyond my comfort zone in order to do so. There’s a frisson of danger that you can’t easily conjure up when jeopardy is not a paycheck away.

First, though let’s talk about that depression which can’t be discounted as a considerable contributing factor for your malaise. You don’t tell me whether you’ve been treated for it, but I would strongly recommend that you do talk to a professional – contact your GP, or Mind (mind.org.uk) and make sure you have a support system in place. Depression is an epidemic that recognises no socio-economic borders and no matter how #blessed you feel it can seize you in its grip.

That said, as I mature (disconcertingly speedily) and become an irritating know-all, I’m increasingly conscious of the failure of my generation to instil resilience in our children. Don’t get me wrong, my friends, acquaintances and colleagues have offered spectacular opportunities to their offspring: helicopter-parented them through exams; filled in their college forms; scrimped and saved to supply a deposit for their first flat; and endeavoured to be there for them through every pitfall and passion project, every friendship failure and broken heart. And guess what? It could be that we’re causing equivalent damage with our goodwill as was inflicted by the neglect and ignorance of previous generations’ parenting.

It seems to me that because we parents haven’t got a clue, we’re frequently over-compensating for a perceived absence of care in our own pasts that may actually have been a blessing. I wonder if my generation’s sustained efforts to bring our children up in the protective circle of our embrace has left too many kids, like you, struggling to work out how to find their own pleasure in the world.

There’s one good reason to seek joy in life and that’s simply because you are lucky to be alive – and the challenge is what best purpose to put your time to. Look around, step beyond your comfort zone, delve deep into issues you might not have thought about engaging with and don’t imagine that just because you’re surrounded by privilege you are churlish for not being happy!

When you find your own priorities in life you’ll understand how subjective they are. Life will always have its ups and downs so when you lose sight of the sparkle it’s time to change your perspective and look further afield for inspiration. There’s a big, wide world out there that you can make an impact on, but right now small steps towards discovering your purpose are all you need to worry about.

Published on September 14, 2020 at 6:00 by

Stardew Valley

A couple of months ago i bought the game Stardew Valley. I enjoyed it from the start. The retro pixel look of the game, the simple things you could do, seeds and plants and trees and mining and fishing, it is all lovely. Fishing took me some time to get a hang of, but even that is going better now. I uploaded some of Madelief’s progress to upload.farm.

A few weeks after i bought the game i found out it is developed by one person, Eric Barone. Salute!

Madelief (Daisy in english) in her big home. Not married yet.
The cellar
Standing outside
A bigger view
In the fields, with the cows, goats, sheep and pig roaming free. Watering the plants.
In the stables, putting the milk in the cheesemakers
The greenhouse
Some crabpots and the house with the storage
Fishing
The community center. Only the fishing part needs to be done, than we will have a party!
In the dark
Roosje (Little Rose) in front of her house. The first spring.
Published on June 23, 2020 at 6:00 by