Things to think about

[Josie R.]

www.youtube.co/watch?v=9XRPbFIN4lk

This is a very thought provoking video, about doing what you want and choosing the freedom to do what you want and the barriers stopping you by speaker Adam Baker - Sell Your Crap. Pay your debt. Do what you love.

In 2008, after the birth of his first child, Baker and his wife decided to sell everything they owned, pay off their consumer debt, and spend a year traveling abroad as a family. They began sharing their journey in early 2009 on the blog Man vs. Debt, now 15000 subscribers strong. In sharing their ups and downs in the areas of personal finance, consumerism, clutter, travel, minimalism, and passionate entrepreneurship, they realized they aren't alone in a desire to explore and grow.

What are your thoughts. It would be interesting to open a discussion.

Please post other videos or writings, articles etc. that are "something to think about".

Josie

[Josie R.]

Here is another interesting video from Ted.com (a great website - always inspiring), following a similar theme.

Chris Jordan: Turning powerful stats into art

Chris Jordan runs the numbers on modern American life -- making large-format, long-zoom artwork from the most mindblowing data about our stuff. Photographer Chris Jordan trains his eye on American consumption. His 2003-05 series "Intolerable Beauty" examines the hypnotic allure of the sheer amount of stuff we make and consume every day: cliffs of baled scrap, small cities of shipping containers, endless grids of mass-produced goods. Artist Chris Jordan shows us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like. His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics -- like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.

His 2005 book In Katrina's Wake: Portraits of Loss from an Unnatural Disaster is a chilling, unflinching look at the toll of the storm. And his latest series of photographs, "Running the Numbers," gives dramatic life to statistics of US consumption. Often-heard factoids like "We use 2 million plastic bottles every 5 minutes" become a chilling sea of plastic that stretches beyond our horizon.

In April 2008, Jordan traveled around the world with National Geographic as an international eco-ambassador for Earth Day 2008.

"As you walk up close, you can see that the collective is only made up of lots and lots of individuals. There is no bad consumer over there somewhere who needs to be educated. There is no public out there who needs to change. It's each one of us."

Great work! After seeing the Brita commercial on TV that shows the number of disposable water containers one uses in a year, I stopped buying them. Very powerful visuals - from a place of passion.

[Josie R.]

This is an excellent video. It is fairly long (1 hour +), but is really worth watching. If you enjoy the video, consider reading the speaker, Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods. It is a wonderful book - if you have children or grandchildren it is a Must-Read. I was fortunate to develop a relationship with nature as a child and so have my children. It is sad to think many children are growing up without the wonder of nature in their lives. Since reading this book, I have joined a conservation group.

Here is a brief overview

The Abundant Childhood: Nature, Creativity and Health: An Evening with Richard Louv - Indianapolis Museum of Art


On Thursday, November 8, 2007, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Eagle Creek Park Foundation, Inc. and nine co-sponsoring organizations presented a lecture by journalist and futurist Richard Louv called The Abundant Childhood: Nature, Creativity and Health.

Remember romping around the woods or building tree houses as a kid? According to author and futurist Richard Louv, today's children are in danger of losing the benefits of unstructured outdoor play. In Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Louv draws a connection between exposure to nature's physical and spiritual bounty, and improved health, creativity and empathy. Outdoor play is proven to inspire children to embrace the abundance of the planet with all their senses and to help them become environmental stewards. Hear Louv speak and be part of a renaissance in connecting youth with nature.

There are a few moments in the video that may almost bring a Nature-Lover to tears. This particular quote I find very upsetting, "Nature will be carried in people's briefcases, not in their hearts."

Hope to see some replies.
Josie