What stands out to me here is that you aren’t rural, and you haven’t grasped the importance of family. Not many generations before me, 80% of North Americans lived on family farms. You talk of wanting to put down roots-in Vancouver. You compare it to Toronto, London, Dublin. GET OUT OF TOWN, woman! And if you want a tribe: make your own. That’s what all tribes start out as: a big family. And finally: get involved helping others. Volunteer. Make it your living. Those become your ‘tribe’ too. The
I grew up in Peterborough, the daughter of a man born in a 2- room shanty on the Saskatchewan prairie, brother to 10, a mother who was born in a farmhouse on the edge of the bush in Alice Township near Pembroke, sister to 5. I had aunts and uncles whose farms I regularly stayed at. I share the world with a legion of cousins; could likely freeload my way around this globe. My Christmas cards encircle my dining room-but one wall is from charities my husband and I donate to. My current residence is a hobby farm on a backroad in NB, where it’s quiet enough to hear the wind sigh through the raven’s wings overhead. My other residence is a cottage on the Madawaska River south of Eganville, which will become our sole Canadian home within a year or 2: the kids and grandkids are within 2 hours of it. Cities are man-made. Get out of that puny self-important jangle and clash and marvel at the immensity of the REAL world, and the amazing handiwork of our Creator.
Well said, however one can still experience all of this in an urban setting. It’s really about asking oneself to be a part of a community and putting their needs above our own. The payback is extraordinary.
I would agree with that. I was responding more to this comment: "And if you want a tribe: make your own." I've said that to my own children many times. More accurately, what I've said is to go out and find your people. Even those in the country may not fit that particular box, it is just about being open to possibilities and when you find something that fits, keep it close and and nurture it.
Well, I was trying to put into words what some random thoughts and you did it for me. I grew up in a log cabin with no electricity or running water. Now travel to Europe multiple times a year for work, usually commuting through London or Paris. Live on a farm in the country in Nova Scotia. Feet in both worlds. The rural, family, traditional, garden growing, fishing, fixing stuff when it breaks world is way better. There's no competition. I'd give up the city, travel stuff in a heartbeat. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a pub and a pint followed by a show in the West End, but am ready to head home after 3 or 4 days.
I have found that, if I have a bit of forest to call my own, that gives me a sense of belonging. I’ve been a member of human communities in the past (environmental activist groups, Quaker groups, interfaith contemplative-prayer groups, and friendly neighborhoods), but even though I found my connection to these past groups to be pleasant, they never gave me a sense of belonging in the way that a “belonging to a forest” does. Maybe in my next life I will be a tree. : )
What nice writing...precise and compelling. I subscribed to Lean Out to expose myself (is that now a dirty, triggering expression?) to your perspectives which are so different from mine. No Conservative could have written such prose. Beautiful job, Tara.
Why you needed to put a political lens on this piece puzzles me. To me it was more about connection and support, the vices of modern technology, and perhaps, romanticizing a less affluent, or reclusive, lifestyle (no one wants to live in tenements but certainly better to have company in misery than be there alone).
You state you are here to broaden your mind but simultaneously can’t resist the urge to cast a stereotype befitting an ignoramus. The supreme irony here is conservatism is founded on family, community, and tribes. All of which are regularly denigrated by the intellectual class. There are plenty conservatives in the room and we all paid the admission fee so I’d thank you for keeping your tropes to yourself.
Great story but not for me - I am way way too much of a news political junkie to give that up - on the other hand being away from twitter would greatly improve my mental health 😝
Tara, it took me a while, but I finally read your essay, "Madeleine L'Engle Taught Me the Universe Has Meaning," which you hyperlinked in this essay. I loved this essay, but when I read your story about your friendship with Mutang in Borneo, my heart felt pierced. Thank you for including the link, in this essay, to your older piece. Truly, a work of art! Thank you for honoring Mutang. Now I feel like I have an invisible connection to him also.
But living in other countries and working within the local culture can be eye opening, teach some good old grit, and help one learn how to accept others and the cultural differences. I say so cause my 15-16 years in South Korea (2003 to 2019) were fabulous. Thanks to former BC Education Minister Christy Clark for her cutbacks that spurred me overseas.
As I said, education budgets increased. At no time did they ever decrease. Where funding went deserves better scrutiny, but suggesting there were cuts, is inaccurate.
What stands out to me here is that you aren’t rural, and you haven’t grasped the importance of family. Not many generations before me, 80% of North Americans lived on family farms. You talk of wanting to put down roots-in Vancouver. You compare it to Toronto, London, Dublin. GET OUT OF TOWN, woman! And if you want a tribe: make your own. That’s what all tribes start out as: a big family. And finally: get involved helping others. Volunteer. Make it your living. Those become your ‘tribe’ too. The
I grew up in Peterborough, the daughter of a man born in a 2- room shanty on the Saskatchewan prairie, brother to 10, a mother who was born in a farmhouse on the edge of the bush in Alice Township near Pembroke, sister to 5. I had aunts and uncles whose farms I regularly stayed at. I share the world with a legion of cousins; could likely freeload my way around this globe. My Christmas cards encircle my dining room-but one wall is from charities my husband and I donate to. My current residence is a hobby farm on a backroad in NB, where it’s quiet enough to hear the wind sigh through the raven’s wings overhead. My other residence is a cottage on the Madawaska River south of Eganville, which will become our sole Canadian home within a year or 2: the kids and grandkids are within 2 hours of it. Cities are man-made. Get out of that puny self-important jangle and clash and marvel at the immensity of the REAL world, and the amazing handiwork of our Creator.
Well said, however one can still experience all of this in an urban setting. It’s really about asking oneself to be a part of a community and putting their needs above our own. The payback is extraordinary.
Yes, it's true. Communities within communities in the cities. There's just a quietness in the country that I have a hard time finding in cities.
I would agree with that. I was responding more to this comment: "And if you want a tribe: make your own." I've said that to my own children many times. More accurately, what I've said is to go out and find your people. Even those in the country may not fit that particular box, it is just about being open to possibilities and when you find something that fits, keep it close and and nurture it.
Well, I was trying to put into words what some random thoughts and you did it for me. I grew up in a log cabin with no electricity or running water. Now travel to Europe multiple times a year for work, usually commuting through London or Paris. Live on a farm in the country in Nova Scotia. Feet in both worlds. The rural, family, traditional, garden growing, fishing, fixing stuff when it breaks world is way better. There's no competition. I'd give up the city, travel stuff in a heartbeat. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a pub and a pint followed by a show in the West End, but am ready to head home after 3 or 4 days.
I have found that, if I have a bit of forest to call my own, that gives me a sense of belonging. I’ve been a member of human communities in the past (environmental activist groups, Quaker groups, interfaith contemplative-prayer groups, and friendly neighborhoods), but even though I found my connection to these past groups to be pleasant, they never gave me a sense of belonging in the way that a “belonging to a forest” does. Maybe in my next life I will be a tree. : )
What nice writing...precise and compelling. I subscribed to Lean Out to expose myself (is that now a dirty, triggering expression?) to your perspectives which are so different from mine. No Conservative could have written such prose. Beautiful job, Tara.
¨No Conservative could have written such prose. Beautiful job, Tara.¨" says closed minded Tom
Jeez, it's hard to give a compliment these days.
Why you needed to put a political lens on this piece puzzles me. To me it was more about connection and support, the vices of modern technology, and perhaps, romanticizing a less affluent, or reclusive, lifestyle (no one wants to live in tenements but certainly better to have company in misery than be there alone).
You state you are here to broaden your mind but simultaneously can’t resist the urge to cast a stereotype befitting an ignoramus. The supreme irony here is conservatism is founded on family, community, and tribes. All of which are regularly denigrated by the intellectual class. There are plenty conservatives in the room and we all paid the admission fee so I’d thank you for keeping your tropes to yourself.
Great story but not for me - I am way way too much of a news political junkie to give that up - on the other hand being away from twitter would greatly improve my mental health 😝
Tara, it took me a while, but I finally read your essay, "Madeleine L'Engle Taught Me the Universe Has Meaning," which you hyperlinked in this essay. I loved this essay, but when I read your story about your friendship with Mutang in Borneo, my heart felt pierced. Thank you for including the link, in this essay, to your older piece. Truly, a work of art! Thank you for honoring Mutang. Now I feel like I have an invisible connection to him also.
As they say “home is where the heart is”.
But living in other countries and working within the local culture can be eye opening, teach some good old grit, and help one learn how to accept others and the cultural differences. I say so cause my 15-16 years in South Korea (2003 to 2019) were fabulous. Thanks to former BC Education Minister Christy Clark for her cutbacks that spurred me overseas.
ed spending increased during this time period. But glad she spurred you on to get out of dodge.
In 2002 the BC Liberal government engaged in large cutbacks.
My department, adult education in a Lower Mainland school district, lost lots of funding.
Sure, funding eventually went back up over time.
As I said, education budgets increased. At no time did they ever decrease. Where funding went deserves better scrutiny, but suggesting there were cuts, is inaccurate.
We will have to agree to disagree.
Enjoy your day. Take care.
I wonder how something that sounds so practical can be so impractical.