CONSCIOUS LIVING
arun on Jan 04 2007
There must be some mistake. We seem to have found ourselves in a world which has amazing advances in technology, science and discoveries… yet somehow the bulk of these resources and energy are being spent on the military and professional (male) sport. In a world where parenting inherently means control and discipline. And in a world where our planet is used as a dispoable resource.
In such a world it is all to easy to get stuck in the rut. To act like things are all ok because everyone else does. To accept and go along for the ride.
Conscious living to us is about taking a step back from the seemingly insanity around us. It is being conscious about the world around us, about our interactions as people, about the sort of societies and families we wish to create, about our relationship with our environment and more…
For us some of the factors in being conscious start with the personal and extend to our family then our approach to the world:
LIVING IN WELLNESS: We invest in our own health and wellness. We eat and live organically where possible and prioritise healthy choices.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: We both explore and invest in our own development as people. We know how nutty, insecure and disfunctional we can be at times… we acknowledge the baggage we carry and use a number of resources to compassionately identify who we are being and move towards who we wish to be. From Pema Chodron, Stephen Covey, NLP, Stephanie Dowrick and more… we use multiple books and courses to keep moving forward.
CONSCIOUS PARENTING: We are also very clear on the sort of parents and relationships we want within our family. This is based on us each working on ourselves so we can let go and trust one another on our unschooling journey.
GREEN LIVING: We are aware of the state of the planet and our impact on it. We are only too aware of the massive footprint that those in the developed world leave and the potential implication for us and future generations. We try to live by appreciating and respecting our environment and maintaining a responsible balance in our daily life.
CONTRIBUTION & ACTIVISM: Finally but essentially we work on ourselves and our family but we also have an eye on the world. We enjoy and revel in the amazing aspects and adventures this world has to offer. We are also aware that it is a world full of inequalities and unjustice. We commit to projects with our income and energy that can address such problems. Whether it be the poverty in the developing world, the treatment of refugees or corporations abusing the environment… we look for opportunities to take action and stay engaged. At time our contribution might seem tiny compared to the size of the challenges around us… but we know what sort of world would be possible if more people acted and lived consciously. So we continue…
all the best,
anne & arun
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Anne and Arun,
i absolutely love your site here. It is beautiful and reflects so much of my own journey and values as a parent.
Thank You for shining!
Namaste,
Asha
Anne & Arun ,
This is really a relaxing site . I happened to stumble on it looking for alternative living , I want to learn how to build a Cob House. Keep us the good work of Unschooling. My daughters was also homeschooled but in a more Holistic way.
take care
Phyllis Grant
I found your website and feel very inspired. However, I have a question for you. My wife and I have been struggling with combining the ideals of NVC, unschooling and being vegans and environmentally conscious.
Have your or do you find it difficult to “unschool” – giving your children control over their schooling and, even, diet – while trying to maintain an environmentally “sound” lifestyle (no meat, no “industrialized” products, avoid candy, etc.)?
We are really struggling with this.
Thanks.
Jason
Hi Jason,
thanks for your comment. I think NVC & Unschooling combine well although if anything i have been moving away from using the language of NVC which i personally found a little stilted and unnatural to me (although i still tend to use the process).
In terms of veganism & environmental conscious i think there lie some challenges ahead. The fact is that i dont agree with all of my dd’s food choices or purchase choices… i would like to have “less things” in general.
If you want to unschool then its really about modeling & where appropriate explaining your choices (& therefore your values) and trying to avoid guilt tripping while respecting your children’s choices.
Its also about being very proactive and in your case providing lots of very yummy vegan options etc..
You might enjoy the Crunchy Unschoolers egroup. I suggest you post your question there also… they are much more wise than me
all the best
arun
oh wow!!!
i am SO pleezed to find somewhere about conscious living..
i have been wanting to find somewhere & get some contacts for ages… so desperately…
its soooooo hard thinking/living like this, when everyone else makes you out to be anal or dominating [add others here!!]
i have 3 boys… an almost 6 yr old, almost 5, and almost 18 month old…
we are under so much pressure etc lately [from society & its officials in power-roles] we are almost giving up & conforming because its just sooo hard to keep plodding alone!!
we unschool, are vegan/vegetarians, & I choose to live consciously & try and teach it to my children… but i get labeled alot of other things..
im even at the moment trying to make ground on multi-generational family dysfunction… how to bring it into societies blinker range……….
if there is anyone out there who would love to keep in contact..
PLEEZ let me know.. we are quite socially isolated.. [fine for me, but not necessarily so for my kiddies in extreme]
Anne & Arun..
have you had these problems..
how do you overcome them?
im really serious about being put under so much pressure by society lately..
its like my mind is in a constant battle,
following my instincts & higher consciousness
&
having to stay tuned-in to societies ways to ‘pass’ their protocols etc
all ‘at the same time’…….
~Peace 2u~
megan