Dear Editor,
People read these letters I write. I know this because they stop me on the street and tell me so. I like that, so don’t feel shy about saying it. For me, this hobby is a way of avoiding thoughts and fears piling up and getting in the way of right thinking. This time of this year, when darkness and loneliness are abundant, I guess we need to . . .
work extra hard to keep our heads on straight. It’s like shovelling snow — you have to move it while it’s fresh and make sure it’s piled up out of the way before it freezes in the wrong place.
I don’t make up the ideas I write about. I apply what I’ve learned from other people in other places and times. You can bypass the middleman, if you choose and catch some of these ideas fresh from their origins.
Some of my ideas about community philosophy come from poet/novelist/farmer Wendell Berry, located in northern Kentucky. He has several books published and videos on YouTube so it’s easy to get closer to the source of some good ideas. Another touchstone for me is the series of one-man plays starting with Letters From Wingfield Farm. I first heard them on Peter Gzowski’s radio show on CBC. A stock trader from Toronto buys and moves onto an old farm in Persephone Township and tries to revitalize the old ways, with help and well-meaning advice from the locals. I can relate to that scenario having moved to Pontiac County as a young and impetuous man with few practical skills.
One of my current philosophical heroes is Beau of the Fifth Column, who does an almost-daily video blog on YouTube. He’s a bearded, shaved-head cap-wearing redneck from north Florida, who happens to be well informed and very community minded. His videos are short, to the point and straight ahead essays on current events and how we can prepare for the future, in spite of the lack of leadership shown by many politicians. He doesn’t hide behind hocus-pocus or refer to mystical knowledge not available to us all. I find that refreshing and inspirational. You can check it out for yourself, and perhaps come up with your own interpretations of how we’ll get through this darkness together.
Whatever you find out, it’s only useful if you can relate it to your life and your community. Even though we’re now forced by circumstances to be alone or in small groups, it’s the community that will keep us alive and help us thrive in the long run.
Robert Wills
Shawville and Thorne, Que.
