Rethinking "Normal" Part 1 - A/C

I have been out in society, or the matrix as I and many others sometimes call it, for several days now.  This being the beginning of my seventh day away from the @gardenofeden, it’s actually more time than I have spent immersed in this “normal” life than I have in many years.

Even though I have been choosing every day for over a decade to dedicate my time and invest my energy in living the most sustainable life I can imagine (mega-appreciation to @quinneaker and his vision), I am having the opportunity to see and feel even greater depths of the “normal” powerful trance rampant in today’s society.  

I feel compelled to write a short series to highlight a few of the things I am witnessing (and struggling with) which are very standard practice for many, in hopes of sharing some perspective and raising some awareness on some of the “normal”  things almost everyone is doing as I’m witnessing on this trip away from home.  

I am in Nashville, Tennessee for my daughter’s wedding.  (Weddings being a subject I may touch on in this series, but not just yet.)  My daughter and I are staying with a couple of her friends in their home during my stay, so not only do I have a place to stay for free, I also have free transportation, free food, free wifi and all the amenities needed for a practical existence--all for which I am extremely grateful!!

However, just by being a part of what is happening out here in the matrix, I am affected greatly.  Though I don’t have to engage it fully, simply being around others who are for the most part not aware of or don’t care about these subjects I'm going to address, is actually quite difficult, especially in finding balance between what I am aware of, upholding my own values, what I see and how I feel about it, what I want to say and do about it, and what is received from me or resisted in the process of attempting to shine the light on it.

I’ll begin today with….

#1 - AIR CONDITIONING

I haven’t lived with a/c for nearly a decade since @quinneaker began the sustainable life at the @gardenofeden. When I did use a/c before Quinn came around, I kept my thermostat set relatively high (at or about 74 degrees F).  It was common that others kept their temperature lower, and I used to have to wear socks and jackets when I left home so I could be comfortable in the environment, even when it was 100 degrees outside.  

On this trip to Nashville, a/c is used everywhere I go.  I am remembering how it felt to be in artificially cooled air almost all of the time--stuffy, enclosed, and cold!   I”m finding myself wishing I’d brought more sweaters and long pants on this trip, even though it’s in the dead of summer.

I’ve found for myself that not only can cold circulated air be uncomfortable, but that it also contributes to cutting us off from our own ability to regulate our body temperatures.  Because I live at the @gardenofeden, I’m used to being inside without heat or a/c, and outside regardless of the weather or time of year.  My body adapts very well, and it is extremely rare that I find myself uncomfortable enough to wish for mechanical heat and/or cooling.  My body is, however, already adapting to these cooler indoor temperatures on this trip, which makes the outdoors seem even hotter because of the contrast.  I can understand why most people I know are extremely uncomfortable without artificially temperature controlled environments, which is a condition we and our children are subject to most often from the moment we are born. If only people knew how strong and capable our bodies can be at adapting and cooling and heating itself, we would all be much less dependent on artificial sources, much stronger and more self-reliant.  We would also give our children the gift of doing the same.

Here are a couple of my situational thoughts I’m experiencing now…

The a/c runs full blast 24/7 in this home to about 68-70 degrees.  The entire upstairs (which is fully occupied) and the entire downstairs (which is completely unoccupied) is temperature controlled, even to the discomfort of the occupants, even though the thermostat is easily changeable and accessible in the hallway.  When relaxing in their living room, the renters cover themselves with winter blankets, and have down comforters on their beds to stay warm at night.

This particular house also has a heated bathroom floor which the primary renter keeps running 24/7.  Because it’s so cold inside, she likes the comfort of having warm feet, even though she tries to avoid the warm outside temperatures.  

I can’t make sense of having to combat the controllable artificial inside cold temperature by dressing warmer, curling up under blankets to get warm, or heating the floors, when the natural, outside temperature is already providing an abundance of heat for free!

Additionally, one of the renters of the house arrived home late one night with strep throat.  I found myself feeling very grateful for a strong immune system as there was no getting away from her illness that was circulated throughout the house, duct by duct, room by room.  The germs were locked inside, as not even a single window had been cracked open to let the sickness out, and the fresh air in.

One of the greatest notes to mention is the toll it takes on the environment to produce and provide service for the electricity to run these man-made machines, the manufacturing of the equipment, ducts, thermostats, tools etc., and all the cleaning and maintenance it takes to keep them in top, breathable  performance over the years.

The price the renters pay for these conditioned comforts is a pretty penny, each of them having to fork over a portion of their monthly pay to maintain the chill in the house, even when they are at work or away. The electric bill for this approximate 1500 s.f.  home housing 3 people is generally about $165 per month.  In contrast, because of the life choices at the @gardenofeden, we have had months where, with up to 22 people, we’ve paid $35 for all of us for all of our electricity in our 3800 s.f. home and out building housing combined.

Artificial heat and a/c has become an expected part of the human existence in many parts of the world.  Humans are attached to their creature comforts, often not even considering how much healthier, richer, stronger, more capable and empowered they could be without them.  Our environment would also be much healthier and abundant if we humans weren’t so needy.  If we all took responsibility for our part, not only for ourselves, but for each other and our planet, the world could change by leaps and bounds.

Solutions do exist.  Even if one is not ready to turn off the a/c and bring the body back into empowered balance as we do at the @gardenofeden, raising the temperature of one’s home even a few degrees, and using a timer on the thermostat to turn off or lower the usage of a/c during the night and while no one is at home are beginning options.  Just imagine if everyone did this one thing, how much energy would be saved and how the world would immediately benefit.

Though I’ve been frustrated this week, as what I witness feels like we are moving in the opposite direction from positive and progressive change, I’ve learned that it doesn’t pay for me to be angry with people for what they don’t know, to expect them to live up to my standards, expect them to understand or even care - or feel that they as one person can make a difference, or expect that even in the knowing of these things that they will change.  We all have a lot of conditioning to let go of.  It starts with awareness and acknowledgement that we are part of the problem, then taking responsibility to be part of the solution.

@quinneaker has been sharing even greater depths of his enlightened perspectives for over a decade, and has created a life at the @gardenofeden where these “normal” scenarios do not exist, which make them even more apparent for me in contrast .  He has unwaveringly held such high standards that he makes it seem easy! 

I’m getting an amazing opportunity on this trip to feel my own awareness, test my own resolve, see where I am weak, rejoice where I am strong, find a way with ease and grace to share perspective without shutting people out so they are unable to hear or get a glimpse, and help change the world for the better, even if I touch only a few people at a time.

I hope you will follow this series and consider your own impact on humanity and our planet, and do what you can do to make this world a better place.  

There are things we all can do daily, if we simply care enough!

Enter the @gardenofeden website to to see how we're doing our part to change the world.