Category Archives: Philosophy

The Hard Way, Part 1

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(been working on this post for a while, look forward to Part 2 in the next few days!)

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” (Walt Kelly)

Everyone loves to talk about tough economic times, like the economy is a nebulous, undefined malignant force- like it’s not our fault or something that just came upon us.  Our economy is the product of what we have chosen, and what “the economy” does reflects the choices we have made.  For the bulk of the industrial revolution (including now), “the economy” has responded to “the market” which responds to “price signals.”  “Price signals” are based on what we buy; we create them (the price signals), we send them based on the choices that we make.  In a perverse twist of fate, “the market” has responded to an attitude that says “cheaper is better, easier is better, faster is better”- that attitude is our own.  Remember that the market is only responding to price signals that we sent, and thus, we ourselves have chosen to place a priority on faster, cheaper, and easier.  We as a people have failed to stand up for quality, we have failed to pay the true cost of the lives that we lead.  We have chosen not to take the hard way or do the hard work, and as a result we have a world that is buried in debt, smothered in pollution, and anchored in a feeling of helplessness.

My life has been different- when I learned to play music the biggest lesson was that good performance was the result of slow, deliberate, diligent practice.  In climbing, achievement has been the result of regular training and slow incremental progress.  Somehow when I look at our economic history I can’t help but notice that the “market signal” of cheaper, easier, faster has pushed us into a situation where the systems we have built will no longer sustain us.  Our food is engineered to be tasty, manufactured to be cheap, and retains the false appearance of being available and abundant.  “In 1950, 70% of food consumed in Montana was grown within the state… by 1989 it was 34%.”  Why?  Because cheap transportation costs and global competition made it easier and cheaper to buy imported food.  Now, as energy prices and health problems rise, the easy way has suddenly made it impossible to feed ourselves.

I work in designing and building houses, and every day I see houses that are built with a goal of turning a quick profit rather than providing a safe, durable, energy-efficient place for a family to make a home.  I feel fortunate to be working on these projects because the folks I work for understand building science, and usually get called in to fix other people’s mistakes.  Somehow, Americans came to believe that making a profit in the housing market was a given, and we are determined to preserve that fallacy.  A house can be a cheap shack, but a home involves science, time, investment, and care- these homes are rare, and I feel fortunate to get to be a part of them.  Somehow in our society real abundance isn’t very abundant at all.

Do we have the political will and cultural discipline to chose harder options?  Even if the Keystone XL pipeline provides 100 more years of oil, what’s the world going to look like in 2111?  I believe that if our society is to survive, it will have to learn to choose the harder way.  The easy choices were easy in the short term and disastrous in the long term.  How can we cultivate our society to think and consider a longer term vision?  We are not victims of what is available, we are victims of our own choices.  With everything that I’ve ever done in my life, I’ve found that real value is only the result of hard work and consistent long term investment.  This is a lesson that somehow I think much of America has missed.  The experiences playing music and climbing remind me that taking the hard road is worth it.

Make your choices count.
Consider where you spend every last dollar.
The only real boundaries or barriers to affecting system-wide change are the ones we create in our own minds.

“There are no shortcuts for hard work.”  (Mark Twight)

Passion

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My friend Chris likes to remind himself (and me) that climbing is not his passion, but the relationships we form through climbing often are.  I had a few great days of climbing this past weekend- working hard in the vertical seems to strip away the unimportant like nothing else can, and energize me for whatever comes next.  “Climbing gives us so much, but when it takes, it takes big.” (Mark Westman)

A number of my friends are hurting today, and while I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Jack Roberts, his first ascents dance in my head and his partners have shown me the ropes.  I was sad to read of his death this morning.

Polar Circus, one of the greatest routes in the Canadian Rockies. FFA Jack Roberts and Dale Bard. RIP Jack.

Climbing has given me some of my best friends and strongest experiences.  It continually teaches me new things about myself and others, and enables me to give the best of myself to the world like few other things can.  Speaking of those who have not come back from the mountains, they would always say “go”- may their final lesson to us all be not to settle for less than our very best.

This past Saturday night I was playing my bass with some people and feeling antsy.  Talk to Hannah to learn she had almost recovered from her cold, so at the last minute we made plans to climb Sunday morning.  Happily, I finally got to tick the Graineater (70m, WI4, 2p)- the local classic is exactly that, classic.  A few photos:

View from the trail.

For being so close to home, the line is pleasantly NOT small.

Just off the belay on p2, and into the business...

Stoked to tick this one off.

“Don’t worry about what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and do that.  Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”  (Howard Thurman)

Re-Blog: An Open Letter to Those Who Hate

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This is one of the best things I’ve read on the internet in a long time. I’m scared of what I see in political discourse in our country, in conversations I hear on the street, and where I hear people cite information from.  I’m all for people having different ideas, different feelings, different priorities, and different motivations.  Fine- but every day I see and hear a deepening chasm of hate and ignorance that frankly scares the shit out of me.

Recently, I was asked what I felt it meant to be “progressive,” a word I am not afraid to use to describe myself. To me, being progressive is being humble, willing, and interested in taking a look in the mirror at yourself and learning from what you see.  It is virtually synonymous with being accountable.  I answered honestly, and realized after the fact that my answer has nothing to do with supporting traditionally liberal values- I’m sure there are folks who espouse traditionally conservative values that would aspire to that same reasoning.

That said, I think it does have something to do with basic human decency, responsibility to our whole communities (including the natural resources that sustain us, the diversity of our citizens, and the many resources that we indirectly benefit from), and a commitment to thinking carefully.  We need this, we need it now- how can you help?  How can I help (feel free to post ideas to comments)?

Re-Motivate

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I don’t know, or care, if the title is a word.  Since getting back from Bozeman last Thursday morning, I’ve been low on motivation.  Perhaps the adrenaline associated with moving to Missoula finally wore off, or that the pain in my left foot is finally strong enough to seriously slow me down.  I spent the first day of 2012 with Hannah at Jerry Johnson hot springs, just over the Idado border- not a bad way to ring it in.

The New Year looks pretty good.

I just gotta jump into this year.

I do know that of the holidays, New Years Day and Thanksgiving are the ones that matter the most to me.  New Years (now) is a time to re-motivate, to plan, and dream big dreams about the coming year.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, appreciate, and respect how what may have been decided over New Years may or may not have gone down.  Strangely enough, while my Thanksgiving was full of gratitude, my New Years is somewhat absent of the motivation that I normally associate with this time of year.

Thankfully, I’ve spent this week hosting an awesome visitor in Missoula-  Jess, from the fabulous Strangled Darlings, came out to visit.  Her cheer, and desire to understand this place that I enjoy so much, made it an active week despite my low motivations.

If you come to Missoula, this may become mandatory.

Highlights included some great jamming, a carousel ride, trivia night at FLBC, and a day trip up to see the Missions and Flathead Lake.

So good to see a bit of Portland out in the Montana field.

Some of the view that first tempted me to Montana- the Missions.

For whatever lack of motivation I feel this year, I realized this on my hike yesterday: the most important thing to do with my life this year is not worry too much about it.

“Today isn’t special. We aren’t special until or unless we make ourselves so. And everyone’s journey is one day shorter. Did you use this day?” (attribution withheld out of respect for respect for the speaker)

Tomorrow is as full of opportunity as you make it.

Even Better

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I spent most of 2011 traveling, climbing, having fun, and being with people I cared about.  I didn’t have to work, I had few if any responsibilities, and in review I’m pretty happy to say that it was the best year yet.  I rang in 2012 swing dancing to a live big band with a good portion of downtown Missoula as part of the First Night festivities- credit to Hannah for dragging me onto the dance floor, and credit to my friend and co-worker Andy for showing  some serious swing moves.

Enjoying a very tight band, and I didn't have to play!

One thing I’m sure of though, is that is only gets better.  I’m working, I have limited means, and I’m in a place which is less accessible to everywhere else- but somehow, all of those things seem like factors that are going to enrich my experience rather than detract from it.

I may not know exactly how yet, but 2012 is going to be even better... (yeah the photo is blurry, but the feeling is spot on.

New Years Day and Thanksgiving are the two major holidays that really mean something to me.  I got up this morning and biked over to the hills just behind the University and hiked up to the University M that is built into the hillside.  Something about the first light on the first morning is a good time to get inspired, and I hadn’t seen the city from that vantage yet.  What are you going to do to make 2012 the best year yet?  I’m not sure, but I got plans… stay tuned.

Missoula, on the first morning of 2012, from "The M" on Mt. Sentinel.

 

Race to the Bottom

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Local businesses are moving out of your community NOW! When there aren't any left...

There is a question I’ve been thinking about often recently.

It seems like many things in our culture today involve a race to the bottom.  Who can own the most stuff, make the most money, be right most often, or “beat” someone else at something have become fundamental drivers in economics, social hierarchy, and even family life.  Ghosted out timber towns- not quite dead, but definitely not live, are ample evidence.  They opened their doors, offered tax breaks, and ceded environmental concessions to lure in good paying jobs and “economic” security.  Once the forest was clear-cut, the timber companies moved on, and the people who had felt connected to their land, found themselves connected to a graveyard of stumps and chaff.  Talking to my cousin, in her sophomore year of high school, academic success depends on being in the top 10%, getting good letter grades has been prioritized over understanding the issues that  result in a tolerant and engaged citizenship.

We praise wealth, and yet we eschew it.

As was better said on Seth Godin’s blog, the paradox of a race to the bottom is– what happens when you win? (both links are worth the read)

This the case for local economics.  For local businesses, for paying more, for demanding quality and humanity in our economics.  One of the most satisfying parts of my holiday in Austin has been getting a substantial amount of food for the family at a local farmer’s market and paying in cash.  Most of the gifts I brought for people were crafted in the place that I bought them.  Much more has been written about the topic- but I highlight it here again because supporting our local economies, our communities, is the single most important goal we can have in spending our money (in case you want to reconsider what local looks like, you may have it better than you think).  The after Christmas sale isn’t such a good deal when you realize what’s on sale.

“When you try to get something for nothing, what you end up with is nothing worth having.”  (Ralph Marston, I think…)

Retraction

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As some of you might notice, the last post has been significantly edited.  After publishing it and then sitting on the post for a while I realized that I had not appropriately portrayed the situations described, and that the tone was wrong.  Especially to my subscribers (whom I love and appreciate deeply), I apologize, and hope that you all enjoy the updated public version.  Sometimes, in trying to be transparent about my thoughts and feelings I err on the side of simply spewing said items out into the world without proper context or description.  Thanks for learning from the experience with me.

Look Out for Yourself

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“Skander, the most important thing is that you look out for yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.'”
(quote attribution withheld out of respect for the speaker)

…and sometimes the people whom you hope look out for you, simply can’t.

In general, I try pretty hard not to make enemies in life. Despite my best efforts, I’ll be leaving a few behind in this city. Clearing my life out of this city, I haven’t exactly included time for making amends. Today I stand humbled as new information sheds light on a situation I didn’t understand and in which I didn’t play my cards right. And in which I found I made an enemy. Maybe I should make amends, but maybe I haven’t because I’m not sure it’s mine to do. I’ll need to keep a careful eye over my shoulder as a result. Welcome to being an adult Skander.

To the person in today’s item- I publicly and sincerely apologize for my lack of foresight and lack of sensitivity.
To the others for whom I have failed to make amends- it is likely we are past apologies. Thank you for your lessons, for sharing this life together such that we might learn from each others mistakes. Thank you for any measure of forgiveness you may be able to offer.

Lakeside, Montana

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I spent this past weekend at the AERO Conference in Lakeside, Montana.  Perfect weather, a gorgeous facility, and a supremely energetic group of people made the trip east well worth while.  I started the weekend with a tour of a fledgling biodiesel, omega-3, and camelina jetfuel plant in Kalispell, Montana and met a weatherization expert who spends his time trying to insulate mobile homes while not falling in through the roof. As it would be, Friday afternoon and the rest of the weekend continued to present a version of Montana that I was surprised to find.

Jeff sets up the bicycle powered apple cider press.

Friday was pretty casual, lots of meeting and greeting, eating good food, and making apple cider by bicycle power.  I quickly came to realize that I was amongst people who really cared about the same stuff I did.  More importantly I noticed that they weren’t particularly wealthy, didn’t tend to have fancy degrees, or sound preachy.  I was with a group of practical, hard-working, staunchly independent, and very intelligent people who are seriously concerned about the sustainability of their local communities.

Yours truly working the cider press.

The conference was equally focused on renewable energy, local agriculture, and sustainable food systems, and attracted a broad range of participants.  Saturday morning we enjoyed an inspiring keynote from Phillip Ackerman-Leist on the challenges of homesteading (yes, people still actually homestead and aren’t just crazy recluse types).  After lunch was a panel discussion followed by small group discussions with leaders in a variety of topics.  I spent all 90 minutes with 8 other people and the owner of Kalispell Kreamery, who recently stood up to two of the largest corporate dairy operations in the country, told them to screw off, and is selling milk right and left (BOOYAH!).  Following that I enjoyed some time with my friend Jeremy who had invited me to the conference (buy his book!) and vaguely listening to the AERO Members meeting, but frankly I was glad to get a break from networking.

Escaping the networking madness with a quick jaunt down to Flathead Lake.

An amazing dinner of local food set us up for the live auction (I’m going to take a blacksmithing class) and a lively night of contra dancing (like square dancing, but less redneck).  Sunday included small group discussions with more local entrepreneurs (who I aspire to emulate), and a great closing address from Pam Gerwe (of Montana Public Radio amongst other things).

Heading down to Missoula on Sunday afternoon.

So what did I “take home” other than a bunch of business cards and some notes I probably won’t read again?  Inspiration, curiosity, respect all jump to mind.  I came to Montana for the conference with the consideration of moving here permanently in mind.  I also came with the idea of trying to be an entrepreneur, and the thought that life in Montana might fit well.  All of these ideas are still true.  I feel both daunted by the challenge and inspired by the opportunities.  Many people this weekend have said “if you want a job in Montana, you have to make yourself a job in Montana… but I will help you.”  I leave convinced that amongst the numerous groups concerned about sustainability, AERO is truly unusual in both the willingness of its members, and the honest humility with which they approach things.  There’s something going on here, and I think I want to be a part of it.

I'm not sure where this road goes, but sometimes you just have to follow it.

Times are a Changin’

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Just a quick note to everyone- there’s lots of change, and lots of adventure in the works. There might even be some change coming up here on the site. Thanks to everyone for all the support- it’s been a relaxed week with my brother and sister-in-law here in San Jose, CA and I’m looking forward to sharing more in this space shortly. Cheers!

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Sometimes you gotta change things with a sledge hammer.