So here, we were on our next adventure. A man, a woman, a teenage girl, two dogs, a caravan and a trailer; setting up home in the woods. Twenty acres of undulating woodland, made up of hard and soft wood trees, which was unfenced and with no immediate neighbours other than the incumbent wildlife. This was our little piece of rural paradise hidden from everyone, a blank canvas to create whatever we wanted. Living the ‘good life,’ from our perspective, and on a practical level, meant aiming to live a simpler existence. In order to fulfil another of our bucket list items, we wanted to pursue a version of ‘The Good Life,’ inspired by the 1970’s UK sit-com, of the same name. ‘The Good Life,’ for those unfamiliar with its television origins, focused on a suburban couple, Tom and Barbara Good, played by Felicity Kendall and Richard Briers. They opted out of traditional suburban life, when Tom reached his fortieth birthday, and decided to quit his conformist office job, as a draughtsman. They embarked on a mission to achieve a simple, yet self-sustainable lifestyle, whilst still living in the suburbs. To achieve this they changed their conventional gardens into allotments, growing fruit and vegetables for them to eat and with which to barter. In addition they acquired livestock, including chickens, pigs, and a goat, much to their neighbour’s disgust. Over the years in the UK, in the various places that we had lived, we had dabbled with growing vegetables and keeping chickens, whilst managing a large family, and working full time. However, we had never really considered it in the context of being, in some small way, self-sufficient; it was more of a hobby. This time, we were in pursuit of a healthier and more self-sufficient lifestyle... ... middle of paper ... ...us in December, for the wedding, he went on to obtain his security license in the UK. After a couple of months, we started to encounter issues with the rental of our house in Ipswich. We decided that we would not pursue that any further, and that having made a lovely family home, we had the perfect opportunity of having two properties, which we could live between. This would give us the best of worlds, city and country living. We decided that working out the logistics of that arrangement could wait, until we got back from the UK in January, after Samantha’s wedding. We remained positive that our Australian adventure in Queensland, would continue and we were excited to establish our new five-year plan, in consultation with the children, during our visit to the UK when all the children, would at last, be together with us in the same place, at the same time.
After reading McKibben and Hurst’s articles in the book Food Matters, both authors present arguments on “industrial farming”, and although Hurst provides a realistic sense on farming, McKibben’s suggestions should be what we think about.
“Entrance to the Woods” is about a man who goes camping in the wilderness one weekend to take a needed vacation from his hectic urban lifestyle. On the trip, the narrator realizes his symbolic place in the woods, as well as the place that mankind has made in the world. He struggles with the negative effects that come from urbanization and the relentless progress for both mankind and nature. Berry’s genius lies in his use of diction to seamlessly use both the natural and activist personas, creating a stance and an image that leads the reader to his own thoughts, which have been manipulated by his perspective. While settling into the woods, his pace gets slower and he becomes aware of his surroundings. The natural world around him helps him realize that man must slow down and pay attention to the harmful effects of quick actions, such as rushing into a war or tearing up precious land for harmful coal mining. As he is able to fully stop and look around, he’s able to think clearly. The distractions of his hectic life are swallowed up by the peaceful calmness of the woods. Berry stat...
What does it mean to live the “good life”? The topic has been debated for thousands of years as people from all walks of life hold different values higher in accordance with their morals. People reflect their views of what they believe to be good through there culture, art, and lifestyle. Variations of how people perceive what it means to live the “good life” are even present within people of the same culture. Two renowned men from Attica, the area of land encompassing the ancient Greek city-state Athens, Sophocles and Plato share a similar culture yet depict different ideas of what it means to live the “good life”. Sophocles presents theories of the “good life” through the use of his characters in his plays, while Plato uses literature and dialogue to animate what he believes it means to live goodly. Living the “good life” is portrayed as
Does wilderness exist? To many people, this would seem to be a very meaningless question. Of course wilderness exists. But, coming from a student who decided to enroll in a class called Humans and the Natural Environment: Impacts and Moral Obligations, this question has become one that has almost thrown my world upside down. Before we can answer the question, we must first know the definition of wilderness is this, “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man is a visitor who does not remain.” Because of my recent class periods and readings, I believe that the concept of wilderness does not exist, and that it is not useful. Throughout this essay I will explain why
While for some, a good life resumes in living in an expensive home, and drive expensive cars; for others, a good life is hiking a mountain or rafting in a river.
3. Feldman, Fred. 2004. “The Quest for the Good Life” in Pleasure and the Good Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Jim is an innocent young man, living on the coast of Queensland. In this peaceful town, everybody is happy and at peace with themselves and with nature. The people enjoy the simple pleasures of life - nature, birds, and friendly neighbourly conversations. Their days are filled with peaceful walks in the bush, bird watching and fishing. Jim and his friends especially enjoy the serenity of the sanctuary and the wonders of nature that it holds.
Journeys into the wilderness test far more than the physical boundaries of the human traveler. Twentieth century wilderness authors move beyond the traditional travel-tour approach where nature is an external diversion from everyday life. Instead, nature becomes a catalyst for knowing our internal wilderness and our universal connections to all living things. In Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing, Mary Austin’s Land of Little Rain, and Gary Snyder’s The Practice of the Wild, “nature” mirrors each narrator: what the narrators ultimately discover in the wilderness reflects what needs they bring to it. Their points of view, expectations, and awareness all determine their experiences of the wild and “self.” Ultimately, however, each work reveals that the experience of nature need not be restricted only to “self-discovery,” but may well expand to an understanding of the spiritual “family self.”
As a city kid, I never thought in a million years that I could do something like that. Each day at Green River was a surprise. My third day away I was provided with mentors who led me on longer hikes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and who taught me about the flora and fauna of the land. I ate fresh blueberries for the first time on my second time ever hiking. Green River Preserve was not just about the camping experience but also about the experiences of respecting yourself, the ones around you, and the land you live on. Each night we gathered around and sung camp songs. When we returned to our cabins, we explain how our days went through Rose, Bud, and Thorn. Rose is the highlight of your day, Bud is what you are looking forward to the next day, and Thorn is a bad part of your day. We hugged one another and told one another compliments, which I truly enjoyed. In the morning, before we entered the dining hall, we would wake up as a cabin and meditate together. After meditation, we had to do a quirky activity of some sort, and the quickest cabin went in first. Plastered in the main lodge of Green River were the Woodcraft Laws. There are four laws: The law of Beauty is described as being clean for both yourself and the place you live in, as well as understanding and respecting your body because it is the temple of the spirit. Be a friend of
The Good Life: Originally associated with Aristotle, “the good life” refers to an ideal. How do these texts represent that ideal? As living in sensual pleasures? As living for a contented mind through a simple life? As living for others? As a utopian ideal that is so far off as to be impracticable? How does the treatment of the good life change across these texts?
(The Sustainability of Irish Agriculture, n.d.) Sustainability is very important on my home farm. Practices have been put in place that won’t cause harm to the environment. My home farm is a small, family enterprise and I feel that new approaches are needed in order to maintain the farms sustainability status. Non-renewable inputs that are harmful to the environment or to the health of farmers should be minimised. As well as this, farmers have knowledge and skills that could be put into use, therefore substituting human capital for costly external outputs. Sustainable agriculture outcomes can be positive for food productivity, reduced pesticide use and carbon balances. (Agricultural Sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence, 2007) In this essay, I will discuss the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture, identifying how they may relate to my home farm. I will then discuss whether or not present activities can change to more sustainable methods in the
We slowly crept around the corner, finally sneaking a peek at our cabin. As I hopped out of the front seat of the truck, a sharp sense of loneliness came over me. I looked around and saw nothing but the leaves on the trees glittering from the constant blowing wind. Catching myself standing staring around me at all the beautiful trees, I noticed that the trees have not changed at all, but still stand tall and as close as usual. I realized that the trees surrounding the cabin are similar to the being of my family: the feelings of never being parted when were all together staying at our cabin.
We might not have the same opinions, paths, and ways of living; but we all, millions of people around the world, share the same purpose of life: Being able to say “I am having a good life!” What we mean by “good life” is living in pure happiness and having a wonderful peace of mind. The difference between us is that each one of us chooses a different way in his pursuit of happiness. Some find it in stability with a big house, a family, and a good paying job. Some find it in adventure and wildness, travel, and taking risks. While others don’t really have specific criteria or an organized plan, they just believe that happiness comes with living each day as if it was the last, with no worries about the rest. Personally, I find it in trying to be the best version of myself, in staying true to my principles, and in the same time in being able to make my own decisions; which reminds me of what George Loewenstein said “Just because we figure out that X makes people happy and they're choosing Y, we don't want to impose X on them.”
The journey to achieve the good life on a personal level has defined human life across all cultures and time periods. Although we human beings have this similar goal in life, what we consider to be the “good life” differs from person to person. The Hindu people, for example, believe that one reaches the good life or enlightenment when he/she finds and truly understands Atman, the inner self or soul. In my opinion the good life involves following one’s internal ideals and values. These values should allow him/her to enjoy the good life in spite of time progression and outside influences such as material wealth. However, this concept of the good life comes with costs that prevent those without a strong will to stray from their values. On the journey to find the good life people often come across social and political barriers much like the civil rights supporters of the 20th century. Still more people struggle with making the sacrifices needed to sustain and ensure the longevity their good life, which is illustrated by Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. The costs may seem overwhelming at first but they are only temporary and the long lasting, internal benefits eventually become dominant.
Depending you are a man or a woman, there can be many aspects and opinions of the good life. Depending your rich or poor, there are many aspects. Some people say money is the key to a good life, but I do not think that. The age means something, but I have my opinion and have my own examples, and I will tell you, and can only speak for my self.