green: the art of dependence

after a long and uncomfortable autumn and winter, with no energy or interest in much, i'm finally feeling like i'm resurfacing. i've got both the time and energy to get things done, and to pursue my ever present domestic goals further: decreasing clutter; decreasing costs; becoming increasingly better at living sustainably. luckily, getting better at one of those things often means getting better at the others.
a great inspiration in this is bjørk's blog, spiderwebmama. she is always looking for new ways to becoming greener, and that inspires me. she admits to the difficulty of being green, but that doesn't stop her from trying out new stuff.

the original subtitle of my own blog was 'a creative outlook on the art of dependence'. it was inspired by the norwegian "declaration of dependence", put together by 52 organizations and handed over to the prime minister at the time:
on june 7th 2005, norway celebrated its 100 year anniversary for its independence from sweden, which it had been in a forced union with for 91 years. during the celebration, while the people's main focus was on independence, the golden calf of our time along with individualism, representatives from the 52 organizations signed the newly written declaration of dependence. it was a solemn occation, with speeches and the presence of many politicians, including the prime minister.
the starting-point of the declaration was questions like: how does todays strong focus on individualism affect our different communities; our family lives, at school, with friends, in our work lives, in our organizations? how does it affect the way we perceive society? how does it affect our global consciousness? it concludes with the fact that we are more dependant than ever - both as individuals and as a nation.

the 7 points of the declaration are (i'm sorry for the sometimes bad translation):

we are dependant on mother earth
we all need a living earth. our fragile planet depends on each and one of us reflecting on our actions, so that the earth will stay fertile and in balance.

we are dependant on community
we all need to be a part of a whole, to belong in a multifarious society built on solidarity and community. the safety of the individual depends on an existing community where many take responsibility, and where there is trust and mutuality.

we are dependant on safety
we all need a safe haven. a safe and good home, food on the table, and help when we are ill.

we are dependant on recognition
we are all equally valuable. we all need to be respected as we are. we need to give and take through meaningful tasks that challenges and developes the intellectual, artistic, ethic and spiritual abilities latent in every man.

we are dependant on protection
we all need protection against encroachment. there are rules to protect people's dignity in peace and war. we all depend on these rules to be followed.

we are dependant on expression
we all need to express ourselves. through unfolding, play and speech we can keep our curiosity, our wonder, and develop our understanding and empathy. nature, culture, religion and filosophy contribute to the opening of our senses and to put our lives in a greater context.

we are dependant on time
we all need peace, quiet and reflection, to rest and to be able to make the best decisions for ourselves and society. we need time to be able to give care and loving attention.

we depend on each other and we all need love, care and values that provides us and society with directions. this will give us hope in these challenging times, and confidence in our ability to achieve our goals.
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(in the words of bilbo; there and here again. full circle. i hope you understand what i mean.)

my understanding of man's dependency on mother earth is great. my understanding of man's dependancy on man is less great, but in progress. i thought my blog was to be about green creativity; recycling stuff into art and craft, and thoughts on the interconnectedness of humans and the planet. i wasn't able to be consistent to that, and, as a mirroring of myself and my life, the blog went in all directions. and so it probably will continue to do. nevertheless, i'm going to try to blog about sustainable solutions to domestic doings as well. first post tomorrow: family cloth!!

(link til 07-06-05 om avhengighetserklæringen.
også her.)