THE husband-wife term of journalists living in California discover one day that they no longer can afford the luxuries that they have been used to – like visiting restaurants, taking vacations, changing Laptop very eight months, taking trips to gourmet supermarket, employing a weekly gardener. In other words, it means some serious cutting back. So they write down the following three goals:
* take greater control of their lives
* cut through the absurd chaos of modern life and find a path that is simple, direct and clear
* forge a deeper connection and a more rewarding sense of involvement with the world around
They decided to make a list of items they would need to sell off and after disposing their goods, they take a flight to Rarotonga where no matter where they look, they see signs of neglect and ugliness.
The couple and their two kids returned to Los Angeles. Here the husband meets a publisher of books particularly of Do it Yourself series which help the readers to realise how to lead a richer and more meaningful life by working on projects oneself with one’s own hands. They decide that by incorporating elements of do-it-yourself into their household, like by raising chickens, sewing clothes, preserving food and making simple things out of wood and other materials, they become more appreciative of what all they have had and become more engaged with systems and things that keep them alive and well.
Here the author cites the case of Model T cars (1908-1927), produced by Ford Motor Company when the owners boasted that they could fix their cars with “twine, baling wire, or clothes pins” as do-it-yourself was a way of life for them.
As a result of his work, he discovers that Nature’s components can be snapped together to create on thriving ecosystem that provides fuel for heat, food for people and livestock and materials for use in construction, clothing, furniture, and to meet other needs.
This book can help in discovering the “joy of using your hands to build a richer, more meaningful life.”
-MG
(Portfolio, Penguin Books, India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017; www.penguinindia.com)
