What's this all about?

Writing a blog is the last thing I ever thought I’d do, so for my first post I'll outline what this is all about:

 In August 2012 I quit my job and dream career of the past 12 years to seek skills, knowledge and first hand experience of living a low impact lifestyle and in a way that better reflects my sense of right and wrong.
My aim is to re-prioritise my quality of life, my ethics, and develop my connection with the natural world to to allow me to partake in a self perpetuating give-and-take relationship with the earth.

I am ultimately seeking a way of living that is:

• Not dependant on limited supplies of non-renewable resources
• Does not rely on exploitation of people, animals or the earth
• Does promote interaction between people, animals and natural systems so that through listening to the needs of each we can adjust our methods to serve all in synergy.
• Is generally based on Permaculture principles.
• Promotes the sharing of skills and preservation of crafts as a meaningful contribution to society in terms of material production and psychological well-being.
  
• Is entirely self-supporting, meaning that it must pay its way in an ethical manner
• Does not involve excessive discomfort, living in squalor, or a return to the days of rickets and smallpox...

I’ve received vastly different reactions from the people I’ve told about this journey, from stunned silences followed by mockery, through to euphoric congratulations and elevation almost to hero status. One of the most 'memorable' responses was "What, you mean you're going to go and be one of those hippies that don't pay any taxes?"

I’ve found communicating about my journey very difficult. Partly perhaps because what I see as 'the way forward' is such a multifaceted, interwoven web of ecology, sociology, spirituality and practicality that it is extremely difficult to concisely articulate anything close to what I actually believe. Especially when talking to people who have never given serious thought to the way we live in western society and exactly what kind of abominable practices prop it up. I often find myself in a completely different paradigm when trying to communicate this which usually results in having to make a choice between conflict or keeping my opinions to my self – the latter feeling totally unsatisfactory but by far the least worst option.

So I am trying this as an attempt to communicate in a different way. I intend to present an account of my journey as it happens for anyone who feels inclined to read it. I do not intend to try to change others, rather to be open about how I am changing myself. I don’t claim to be ‘right’ or wish to promote a ‘right way’ of doing things – this is my journey of exploration and learning, and will naturally come with mistakes and contradictions which will need to be identified and overcome. I hope it inspires debate and discussion to aid that learning process for everyone, and most of all I hope it inspires others to overcome the fear of the unknown in the search for a fairer, kinder and more sympathetic way of living.