Hi there, we've had a marvelous long weekend, the unofficial start of summer in SE Ontario. When we lived in northern Ontario, it was the 1st of July long weekend :=) With summer here and a long list of outdoor projects, I'm announcing the Resilience Group summer loafers schedule. I usually create 5-6 resilience posts per week. During Summer Loafers it will be 2-3 (brief) posts per week.
On that theme then, here is another bit of Wendell Berry's practical wisdom: his 9 rules for consumption. I had posted his 9 rules for replacing an older technology and have appended it to this post. More below.

(By Guy Mendes, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29726407)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry
http://www.wendellberrybooks.com/index.html

Wendell Berry's nine rules for consumption

1. Be happy with what you’ve got. Don’t be always looking for something better.

2. Don’t buy anything you don’t need.

3. Don’t buy what you ought to save. Don’t buy what you ought to make.

4. Unless you absolutely have got to do it, don’t buy anything new.

5. If somebody tries to sell you something to “save labor,” look out. If you can work, then work.

6. If other people want to buy a lot of new stuff and fill up the country with junk, use the junk.

7. Some good things are cheap, even free. Use them first.

8. Keep watch for what nobody wants. Sort through the leavings.

9. You might know, or find out, what it is to need help. So help people.

Wendell Berry reads his Poem on Hope

In conversation with Bill Moyers, Wendell Berry reads the poem of hope.
It is deeply moving to me. I hope also to you.

Wendel Berry's nine requirements for replacing an older technology

1. The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces.

2. It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces.

3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces.

4. It should use less energy than the one it replaces.

5. If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body.

6. It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
7. It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.

8. It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that will take it back for maintenance and repair.

9. It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.

I have lost the source for both lists. Perhaps you know?

The man is a national treasure. His wisdom would feed a nation's body and mind, if it would quit being distracted and focus on the common good for a minute.

Comments welcome! I'll be in and out on another gorgeous May day.
Peace be with us, if we adopt a low-consumption, low-tech philosophy,
gerrit