Friday 19th April
Sitting waiting to get on the ferry after the most wonderful few days in Lincoln with Molly. How did that girl turn out so enchanting? She is such lovely company and we do enjoy our time together. I am refreshed and ready to resume my life but thank you Molly for a proper girly rest.
It is a beautiful evening and Arran looks majestic rising from the sea and that rock is my home. I have finally finished Mark Boyle's book entitled the moneyless manifesto and what an interesting read it was. I began it thinking I would probably have come across his topics before as I have read quite widely on sustainable living. There were many issues that I had debated in my mind that Mark raised but he has a refreshing approach. There is a simplicity to his arguments that mean they are stripped back to the basics of living.
His argument that we have over complicated life is presented with validity and supported by evidence. Personal preference becomes the only counter argument at times and so he easily wins. The passion that Mark feels for the planet is beyond question and there are times when I feel more than a little guilty for the way I sometimes treat the place that my life depends on. He does resist preaching and I admire him for that. He asks questions and offers some answers and I admire that too.
There is no doubt that I am further on in some of the sustainable issues he raises than others. That, I feel, is one of the best uses of the book. You can do a sort of carbon footprint health check and that can only ever move us forward. Some of his more controversial discussions on issues such as 'home' are contextualised in interesting debates of approaches such as squatting. This brings up the whole debate of ownership which, in turn, debates land issues. Again, Mark is solution focused and also community focused as he talks of schemes such as Landshare.
It is a book that you can dip in and out of and I had to do that as I am quite busy at the moment. I was slightly disappointed in the ending but I am not sure why. Was I expecting some kind of blueprint for life to be laid before me? If I had been I probably wouldn't have followed it anyway. It is an engaging read that offers more answers than in other books that have tackled issues of sustainability. Few would argue with the central issue that the human race needs to do so much more to preserve the resources we have for future generations. Mark has done some of our thinking for us and I can only feel gratitude.
If others read it as a result if me reviewing it then his 'publishing' strategy is working in a moneyless way. Well done Mark.
The boys are tidying the house as I blog on the boat and drink tea. Excellent. It is not a memorable Friday travelling on soulless motorways but some of the views were wonderful and I am so looking forward to parking myself back on Hazelbank. I hear my kitten has been a good girl so maybe I should go away more often.
Have a lovely evening. Until tomorrow. Xx
No comments:
Post a Comment