Beloved member of the FFOREST Denelle DeFer once wrote a profound comment that I expanded into a four-post riff. That’s what we’re doing this week.
I don’t resist what is. I realize it and embrace the challenge. It’s inevitable my beliefs will change. The choices will always be for MORE 🪷
— Denelle DeFer
First, capitalism. Capitalism requires constant growth. If an economy doesn’t grow for one quarter of a year, bankers, politicians and the stock markets get twitchy. If it doesn’t grow for two quarters, it’s a recession and the news tells us every single day about how terrible everything is.
Imagine if bears were capitalists. They would never hibernate for fear of losing 30% of their body weightduring winter. Imagine if trees were capitalists. They would go into a blind panic every autumn when their leaves started changing colour.
Capitalism’s requirement for constant growth is completely out of touch with the real world. That’s why I’m working with a different definition, a seasonal definition, of ‘more’.
Sometimes the appropriate choice for more will be more money and more stuff. Sometimes we need to choose more rest, more stillness, more space, more generosity, more openness. Sometimes we need more connection, more activity, more energy, more exercise.
Denelle wisely ended her comment with ‘MORE’ without specifying what more the choice is for. What you need more of is entirely based on the reality in and around you, on the season you are living in. You’ll know what you’ll need more of when you pay attention. Have faith in that. The thing I think she’s getting at is the attitude of moving towards life rather than retreating from it.
More rest in its season is exactly as important as more activity is in the opposite season.
—Jeff
More is my favorite possibility.
Tomorrow I head in for my second round interview for the position I have been patiently waiting for, for basically a year. I look forward to getting it over with (because anxiety), and hopefully the possibility of my job becoming more.
Grow slowly
Skyler
The irony is that less is more😉