Like many, I watched Jon’s TED talk years ago; before I was married, before I had a kid. I have been feeling trapped, at work and at family, these 2 years. That gave me the motive to attend his speech in Taipei.
- The meaning of happiness is different for everyone.
- shopping, traveling, sex, etc.
Being poor and suffer
- TV is the first thing that tell us we’re poor.
- Before, we call it “suffer”, we suffer because there’s not enough food, so we find it in the forest. No enough bamboo to build a home, so we cut it with the neighbors.
- Because of poor, we must work in the city.
Poor in the city
- I worked hard, but I don’t have anything. I only have the money to live day by day.
- The bird does not have to go to school, no credit card debt, and flies to feed itself. But clever people like me don’t have enough food.
The system (capitalism) and fear
- Education and school doesn’t teach us to face fear. If anything, it designed more fear and worry.
- Objective of business and the system: eat less healthy, eat more.
- organic food is expensive, so I buy instant noodle. I need organic rice, but I’m tired from work, so I spend it on coffee.
- this world is full of food, but people live without having enough.
- Happy people consume less.
How it started
- Went back home, a small land to farm.
- Lists out the 50 vegetables I want to eat.
- ask for seeds
- collect cow poop and fertilize
- people think I’m crazy
- 3 months later, it grew and it’s more than we can consume
- Everyday, I could sell the 20 excess vegetables for money.
Design my life and self-esteem, confidence
- When I’m a kid, I know the people and land 2 to 3 km around me. I have no fear.
- Most people let society design our life, it builds the fear of no choice.
- Being natural means having no formula, it needs to be designed.
Living as a community
- Living in community is easier than living alone. I only have to cook 1 day a week, my kid is with other kids so I only have to ask “where is my kid?”
- No leader, no rule, no regulations. It’s not fun to live with dictator.
- Everyone must take turn do the work: cook, gardening, seed saving
- this month we build home for this person, next month for another person.
- our kids learn to be a farmer this month and artist the next month.
- people never learn from listening or reading (memorize), they must do it (understand).
Finding a community
- Reconnect with ourself
- be with ourselves, don’t run away from our feeling.
- if I feel sad, then sit down and watch my sadness. How long will it last?
- When we like it, every problem will be fun.
- reconnect with people
- a community is build by a shared space and activity, not particularly land.
- do we really love the nature? If we’re not sure, spend a month to live there to experiment.
- diversity
- Diversity keeps it the society function.