November 23rd is Buy Nothing Day in the USA and Canada. Buy Nothing Day Europe is November 24th.The idea is to opt out of the consumer culture for just one day. Totally by accident I typed "consumer vulture". Now doesn't that put an interesting spin on things? I wish I've thought of that! It leads right into what I wanted to say. If the total population of the world were to make the lifestyle of the upper sector of the population in leading Western countries the ideal, one everybody aspires to, one planet earth won’t be enough to supply the raw material needed to sustain such a lifestyle. Such a lifestyle is in essence totally out of step with what our planet has to offer. Through our compulsive buying and consumerism we are quite literally raising consumer vultures waiting to pick the bones of a dying planet. By not buying on Buy Nothing Day we may not create a major change in the flow of things, but at least we start objecting. At least we begin t...
The Restory is a Retreat Centre nestled against Tafelkop, a singular mountain head near Wakkerstroom, South Africa. Here we live a simple life as contemplatives. It is a place of re-connection: with ourselves, people, Nature, Silence and Creativity. Our retreats are aimed at this. Our conversations, writing and art centre around the univocity of life. We need a place that reminds us that we are all one. The Restory hopes to be such a place and space.