News From the Future

I have finally made it about 2/3's of the way through the book. Ironically most of my reading time has been spent at 35,000 feet or on the 43rd floor of a hotel overlooking the neon lights of a city that was burned to the ground about a 150 years ago. As I stare at the neon, red Coca-Cola sign outside my window, which illuminated this side of the city like the brand name illuminates the world with consumerism, I can't help but think what this city looked like in 1900. Due to that fact that it was a major metropolitan area, I would think it is much like it is now, minus the tall buildings. The homeless sleeping in the dark alleys, drugs and alcohol ruling the lives of those who have yet to find something better to live for, money ruling the lives of others only in a much more glamorous fashion, and those who are working hard doing what is in their power "to feel more secure."

Despite all the discussion over whether or not the Ward's accepted this challenge to put another notch in their belt or somehow profit from the experiment, the most important thing is whether or not they (as a family and individually) were able to take something away from the experience. Over the last few years, I have come to realize that God places situations in our life that are meant to teach us and/or grow our relationship with Him. We usually don't understand why at the time and may never understand in our time as a member of this fallen creation. These situations shape our character and can also be used for use to help others in the future who go through similar experiences. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (1 James 1:2-4)."

What I am trying to get at is that for the first time in this book I finally feel that Logan is pulling something from this experience other than a cool story or a self serving exercise. Maybe it was a combination of the experiment and the attacks on New York but whatever it was, I felt relieved to see Logan gain an understanding and appreciation that he can take with him and hopefully spread to his family. When Logan was talking about Heather's grandmother and the Great Depression he said, "she's doing what is in her power to feel more secure - honing her resourcefulness, staying focused on life's essentials, helping others." Logan, that is exactly what you are doing....I hope. The purpose of the experiment itself is laid before us and what our daily lives should revolve around. I go to work in attempts to hone my resourcefullness to provide for my family. I go to Church to help me stay focused on life's essentials, and I try to stay in the word to guide me in these principles and help others in their lives and give them the opportunity to experience a life with Christ that we so often take forgranted.

I don't know what the final outcome of the book will be or what the Wards' will take with them other than a story and a paycheck from the publisher but there is a part of me that longs for them retain something more from the experience. Whether we realize it or not, we encounter experiences daily. How we embrace these experiences dictates the future benefits we gain from them. "turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (Pr. 2: 2-5)." We are all serching for security in everything we do, and if we take a few minutes and look for it in the right place, we just might find it. I look forward to see if the Wards' find the security they were searching for when they left their broken home in the city.

An Inconvenient Truth

I have to say that as I have progressed onward into the book I have become less and less enchanted with the author's seemingly idealistic campaign to reclaim the purification of his soul by fleeing the evils of modern society. I really think the post by fbw reflects a lot of what I have begun to notice: that this is not about escaping the grasp of modern life in order to enhance one's self but rather an attempt to add another story to his repertoire. I truly feel there is nothing more behind this excursion into 1900. I was watching some show several months back (can't recall what the show happened to be) but there was character who was basically a collector of personal stories. He would pass from one experience to the next claiming to have uncovered some insightful meaning from each one: patience from a year studying amongst the Monks of Tibet, wisdom from the Spanish priests, etc. However, by the end of the show it has become apparent that this guy is actually caught up more in the romanticism of his stories and that he has gained very little comprehension of his own character. The other “locals” on the show soon discover that they have more profound experiences even though they have stayed within the same county most of their life. This is not to advocate any xenophobic attitudes of small town life, but I feel very much as if Mr. Ward just wanted another story to add to his collection. As the story has progressed I have felt this disposition increasingly growing. They want to appear to be this “cool” couple to their New York friends and this pragmatic family who endured the bright lights of the city and escaped it to return to where they truly belong. I am just not buying it. I do want to note that I think that what cwb stated is so very important in that no matter what I say, I do have to commend them for taking action. It is easy for me to sit and here type this out in my air conditioned house and cast judgment when a part of me truly envies what they have done. I just find it hard to believe that the author’s purpose is for anything beyond writing a book to make more money and gain another story that, although unique in nature, has been done with the wrong intentions.

With all of that being said, I actually feel strongly connected to the couple’s story and I am enjoying the read. Despite what I perceive to be the author’s disingenuous motives I feel that the story does convey extremely well how disconnected we really are from our recent ancestors. I am baffled at the fact that it is virtually impossible for an average couple to completely abandon the present day and live as our great grandparents did. It seems as though it would be so hard for a modern person to live one hundred years ago and it makes me wonder what my grandchildren will think of the era I lived in.

One particular passage captured my attention recently. I am over a hundred pages into the book so this might be a little ahead of some of you but I do not feel it will detract anything from your future readings by mention this now. At one point the author introspectively notes that he despite his best efforts to flee the stresses of modern living he has only succeeded in recycling them for new stresses which in many ways seem far more bothersome. He points at that, yes, in today’s society you have debts and deadlines but you never worry about the ability to provide food for your family. If someone is starving in America today it is largely, if not entirely, due to their own stupidity. Any family will have numerous places to reach out for the ability to survive. One hundred years ago it was a very real possibility that your family could run short of food, or a simple cold could wipe out an entire generation of ancestry. I remember distinctly a conversation that I had with Leigh’s great-uncle one time a few years back. I asked, ”what is the biggest difference between the time when you were my age and now?” His reply was surprisingly short and simple; he said the only real difference as far as he could tell is that the pace of life has changed. People have lost all patience with everything: business, nature, religion, and even their fellow man. He said that nowadays everything is expected to be done with great haste, whereas in his youth people appreciated what virtue there is in waiting. As I try patiently to wait for this baby to stop crying, I wonder what else I have to do that is so important. Yet for years now I feel that I have wrongly labeled patience as laziness and I am beginning to see what it is the author claims to have set out in search of among the Virginia farmlands.

The Struggle

Good morning gentlemen! I finally had the opportunity to dive into our our current topic and was consumed with anticipation in the first chapter. As most of you probably know, I am at my wits end with my current job and have began the search for a "normal" life. This chapter of the book has highlighted several of the personal issues I have been struggling with over the last couple of months. The discussion below may not coincide with the book 100% but it was inspired with the book and as my friends you are forced to listen.

I think this chapter consumed me because I can identify 100% with the Ward's, outside the fact they live in NYC and have a child. I have been pushed to the breaking point mentally and physically over the last 4 months, working 60+ hour weeks consecutively and the majority of my relationship with my wife has been that of 2 ships passing in the night. The old saying, "It pays the bills..." describes my job completely. I have no passion for what I do, I don't see the purpose in my meaningless daily tasks 90% of the time and I don't respect the people I work for.

I have brought up the term "self-sufficiency" numerous times over the last few months. While that may be a little extreme, I think the idea is attractive. I have grown frustrated and tired with the demands society has put on each and every one of us. Phrases such as, "We have to have this...", or "You have to do this.....", "You need this....". I long for the simple things that I do not have, and despise the chains that bind me to my current state. How I would love to take a walk with my wife down by the pond and stroll by the garden on the way back to the house, pick a few vegetables for dinner and not hear a car or another human being. I was talking to Ashley last night and discussing why I have such an addiction with turkey hunting and why I let it run my life during the spring. I realized that it is my escape. For a three hour period I use no cell phone, I have no email, I don't have to think about work, or how I can get a lower internet rate. It is absolutely the most peaceful time I have throughout the entire year....it is my escape....my drug. Not only that but the sense of satisfaction that comes with providing meat for my family's table. I truly feel like a real man when I have blood on my hands or dirt under my fingernails. Yes, I love to hunt but there is nothing like the satisfaction to know that I am the one putting food on the table and not picking it up from Publix. I am in control of my family's future. My success or failure in the woods or in the garden directly affects my family. Now there is a daily task that gets my attention, as opposed to making sure the VP of Finance signed off on a reconciliation!

Wow, hows that for rambling? My point is that we have been painted into little boxes that society has molded for us. I'm not saying living in the 1900s would be glamorous because there are definitely hardships that I have not thought about or even know about. I just think our society as a whole would benefit in the morality department if we carved out some things in our life and replaced them with a slower pace. A few examples...actually observe the Sabbath (i.e. take the day off and give it to God), spend time with our families away from the TV, take children fishing, take time out of the day to teach something to our children about the outdoors and get our families back in Church. Last point, I vented to Ashley about society and how I desire to shield our children from the curses it brings but also expose them to the great things it has to offer (a very fine line indeed). It will take a strong relationship with God for our children to not succumb to the desires society says we should have, it will take a mother who is there to love and support, and a father who is a true spiritual leader of the house. I look forward to see what the Ward's take away from their experiment, as such a measure must be a great awakening. And for now, I will continue to settle for the days in the woods and the time on the water for my escape to a simpler time until I can break the chains that hold me in modern day society.

Coming around

Delving into the second chapter, I am overwhelmed by the vestiges of pace and stress the Wards have packed with them from New York. The strain of the project’s preparations engulfs the reader, and the tension between the couple is palpable. I identify well with Ward’s self-doubt as the new farmer’s practical insufficiencies manifest themselves despite his best efforts as a reader. Whether an author or friend, one willing to share insecurities and failures can quickly find in me admiration and respect. Though still a skeptic, I find myself cheering for the couple more and more. The tedious planning for the project is frustrating, but I have begun to take to the author, and I am brewing with excitement over the start day.

Two thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way? Our home galaxy is so obscured by lights and pollution that we cannot even identify it. Even if we could, I doubt we would separate ourselves from The Office or Blackberries long enough to look. Numbed by amusement, I find myself less and less attached to reality. Even without a television, this morning I rose to partake of coffee imported from a foreign land and a bagel baked in a factory. While my mind drifts away to Swoope, my lungs draw in carbon-tinted air and I sit upon a chair from Pier One. As I ponder, I become more overwhelmed by the depth that modernity and the American Dream have penetrated my being. Despite soaking in the words of Henry Thoreau, Wendell Berry and now Logan Ward, I observe little alteration in my lifestyle. Keith Watkins used to emphasize the Latin origins of contra- (against, counter) –diction (speech). As I sit under the cool air of an electric fan typing away on a laptop computer, I embody the definition.

The skeptic

Starkly in contrast to the pastoral serenity identified in the posts of fellows Riley and Barefield, I find myself strangely dissatisfied in the early pages of Ward’s See You in a Hundred Years. A pair of affluent hipsters, yearning for a new drug, grows bored with the pace of New York City and careers that provide for a Manhattan apartment and international escapades, and decides to rough it for a year. Just as he had tired of Ecuador and Kenya and small town South Carolina before that, Ward will transition from the city to the farm for a change of scenery. My skepticism seeps in early, suspecting this adventure is nothing more than an extended “expedition” for a journalist who has tired of airplanes and deadlines. The hardcover book in my hands is evidence that he has been well compensated for his most recent story before he departs from the nostalgic farm to pursue his next article.
My distrust is driven by a pair of factors. Firstly, the terminology in the early pages resembles the same rhetoric employed by sophomoric yuppies who have well grasped the verbiage and slogans of the modern environmental movement but without a clue as to what such a movement demands of us as humans. Secondly, I well identify with the dissatisfaction afforded by the modern life and find myself envious of the decisions he has made and actions he is taking. My hope is that this work will stir within me motivation on a smaller scale to alter my life in such a way as the author. My fear is that, armed with an agrarian vocabulary and resources sufficient for a year-long camping trip, Ward will endure and enjoy 1900 before engaging another adventure as the New Year rings in 2010.

...And then, no more light.

I feel like I should be reading this book by oil lamp light and underlining words with a feather dipped in ink. Having read thru the beginning, I am reminded of the days following hurricanes in southeast Alabama. I remember it being real hot due to the instant lack of air conditioning. We would grill a lot of food so that it wouldn't go to waste. Candles were everywhere. I also remember my family spending quality time together during those few days without electricity. We played board games and talked. There was no constant droning of the television. Time was spent outside until the last light of the day gave way to a new darkness. A darkness that causes the stars to shine all the more. Maybe life is much more memorable the simpler it is.

"Time to light the fires and kick the tires."

Today I will be issuing my rule for the group. It is simple. Each time that I am too choose the book in our rotation, I will give two options. Each member has 24 hours to vote for their choice. There will be five votes; so no worry of a tie. You will vote by responding to the post. This is democratic and saves me for dreaded decision making. Choices are below:

1. See You in a Hundred Years...Logan Ward

2. In a Sunburned Country...Bill Bryson (This book would fulfill part of fbw's rule for this rotation.)

In 24 hours the book will be chosen. At this point members need to secure a copy.

cwb

Greetings

Gentlemen, that great moment of your life has arrived. You have been judiciously selected for membership in that illustrious society that is The Hall of Books Interweb Fellowship. While the honor of such a membership is high, know too that your responsibilities are equally great. For each selected title, fellows will be responsible for maintaining pace in the book. Subsequently, weekly posts are also expected.

As each fellow has substantial demands on their time, we will maintain reasonable and considerate reading schedules. In the coming weeks, each will have an opportunity to contribute rules to the Fellowship. At no point will communication ever be reduced to emoticons. The braintrust is deep and varied in personality, conviction and intellect. The calling of the society is high, and those who decline membership will endure no ill-will. The fellowship includes:

A.J. Riley

A.L. Carson

B.M. Goodson

C.W. Barefield

R.T. Cox

F.B. Williams

Congratulations, gentlemen. The future is glorious.