Category: Miscellaneous Drivel

Whatever residual belief I held of good and evil was smudged out last night by a dream where several people and I were being detained by a couple of smooth-operating thugs. They exuded such calm, slick professionalism that they didn’t need to level any threats or brandish any weapons to keep us quiet and sitting…

I live and work with a group of people who are very conscious of their effect upon others. They work at being nonjudgmental, refraining from gossip, and accepting others’ thoughts and feelings. Yet there is one odd little item that stretches their tolerance. It started to show itself couple of weeks ago: so-and-so has poor…

I encourage anyone who wants to turn his/her life around and get super healthy—physically and emotionally—to read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich. Along with a new take on human evolution, you’ll learn why there is no substitute for running. Humans evolved as nomadic foragers, always moving, and…

It is common knowledge that in long-standing traditional cultures, ancestor worship is practiced. Many of us have heard the phrase “Honor the ancestors” spoken by American Indians. However, what we hear may not be exactly what they intend to say. We who record our history and have noun-based languages tend to view our ancestors as…

At the Alaska Bioneers conference in October, I attended Jaime Van Lanen’s workshop on regional wild food procurement. Jaime, an anthropologist studying Alaskan subsistence patterns, has a passion for indigenous ways of procuring food. Last year, he successfully hunted a Moose with a primitive bow. Jaime started the workshop with some myth busting: rather than…

Lety and I just returned from a trip to Alaska, or I should say “almost Alaska.” With its well-kept suburban neighborhoods and typical fast food joints, Anchorage could easily pass for a city in the lower 48. Our hosts were ready with a response: Anchorage is just 15 minutes from Alaska.  Sure enough—right outside of…

I meet and talk with many people who are looking for a well-organized community that features regular drumming and singing, storytelling, games, and ceremonies. I understand their yearning, and at the same time I am concerned that they are looking to substitute one ready-made culture for another. They are not stripping down to life’s essence…

We were born with free will, and we make choices in our lives to direct our destinies. These are the premises upon which the Western way of life is based. We thrive on options, whether they be political, religious, or culinary. When we don’t have them, “Give me the freedom to choose,” becomes our battle…

I know a number of people who believe we can sustain our present world population level using green technology. They say that organic farming, permaculture, renewable energy sources, and the elimination of garbage and hazardous waste could keep us going indefinitely. But why? What contribution do billions of us make to the Hoop of Life…

For 40 years I have been living with people in extended family and community environments. There have been many differences in configuration and philosophy, yet there was one thing they all shared—a preoccupation with food. It wasn’t the food itself, but what it represented. For some, it was a political issue; for others, it had…