Tom and I are members of the Simplicity movement—involved in voluntary simplicity – the resolve to rescue ourselves from the runaway consumerist culture and begin making intentional decisions about how to live our lives. We honor simple, just, and sustainable ways of life and act to inform and organize others like us to actively work towards changing the culture and policies that drive overwork and overconsumption.
We realize that simplicity is not just about making personal decisions to slow down and simplify, to unclutter our lives and the earth we live on, but in fact we need to change society to make it more simplicity friendly. Right now the structures of our society discourage simplicity and encourage the opposite – overconsumption, overproduction, overwork, overcommitment. We are organizing to change that.
At a Simplicity Forum meeting in Seattle, there was a talent show. Tom and I wrote a song/poem as our contribution.
The Simplicity Poem
A Parody of
I'm Late, I'm Late
With apologies to Lewis Carroll and Walt Disney
I'm late....I'm late...
For a very important date.
No time to say hello, goodbye,
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.
Consumption reigns, Our lives are out of whack
Our time is not our own -- to play, to rest, to dream
We must get back on track
No time to cook a meal at home
No time to play with kids
It's sad to say, It's the American way
And here's the reason why
(You see)
The ads tell me to buy, buy, buy
And you and you and you
I'm mall ward bound, consumption to be found
I hurry off to shop, shop, shop
I just can't seem to stop, stop, stop
Shop till we drop, shop till we drop
Electronic leash, I want to make it cease
Voice mail, e mail, phone, fax mail too
Quite more than I can do, do do.
I surf the web, and then I channel surf
But none of it is real and true
Don't really talk to you or you
Keep up the pace, no time to waste
We work from dawn till dark, dark dark
To guarantee our place
Overload, I'm in a burnout mode
Must make my corporate mark, mark, mark
What danger if I dare to stop !!
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late
I'm overdue, make way I'm coming through
Can't even grab a lunch to go
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late
What will the neighbors think
If we don't have enough---
Hummers, yachts and all that stuff
Keeping up with the Joneses is tough, tough, tough
To please our yen for SUVs and such
We attack Iraq and kill, kill, kill
For oil to bring it back, back, back
Up to our ears in stuff,
can't seem to get enough
To get rid of it is rough, rough, rough
We sort it out and run about and take it to the dump
Where does it go? Tis not our woe
Our landfills they are full, full, full
Our streams with filth oerflow
We're late, we're late, we're using up the earth
We're in a stew, the solution's over due
But wait, but wait
We haven't sealed our fate
We can still save planet earth
it's not too late, late, late
We've got a plan for you and you
of ideas there is no dearth
Just slow it down, take back your time
and then get others to,
sides me and you, and you and me, and me and you, and you and me
The future's clear to see
Simplicity is here to stay
and here's the reason why
(You see)
It's overdue, there is no turning back
It's up to us to save the world
AND THAT'S A FACT
Wow, There is so much truth here. Sadly, I find myself in a lot of what you say. Nice wake up call. Sorry I haven't been by FNB lately. School, family, surgery. I'll be back.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim.
ReplyDeleteJudy and I wrote the Simplicity Poem in a visitors dorm room at Seattle University where the Simplicity Forum was being held. Since then our electronic leash has become even tighter with all the social media( Facebook, Twitter etc.etc.) we are required to be "on" to be cool. A more simple, aware and fulfilling life style is even more difficult. I know I could be an out-of-touch, incommunicado Luddite, but I even quit my cell phone a couple of years ago. It is hard enough for me to keep up with my e-mail, help Judy do this blog and work on cases at our law firm. I piggy-back on Judy's cell and we are together quite a lot. I answer all my voice mail at home and the law office. Are folks happier while talking on a cell phone walking across the street or driving a vehicle? What did everyone do without all this continuous electronic/virtual conversation 10 years ago?
I'm sorry to hear about your surgery, but don't feel isolated. I also went under the knife last Thursday.
Hope to see you soon at Food Not Bombs.
Before I retired, I could see myself in every single verse. But now I don't have that burden because I'm free from worrying about what people think of what I do or don't do. But even after retirement some people can't let go and are always late.
ReplyDeletePS: I hope everyone is recovering from their surgeries.
ReplyDelete