The Great Disconnection

   Lately My farmer and I have been on this journey uncovering the origin, or questioning how we do things, and what the affects are. This series of questions have led us to a lot of hard discoveries.

    The modern culture is obviously over-taking the world to some degree. Even in the most remote areas. Some think this is incredible; the technological bounds being taken, the achievements, the global connection. And it is amazing, but maybe not always good. Or rather maybe anything in this broken world can create negative and positive effects.

   

   One negative effect I can see about modern society, is our disconnection in a very technologically connected world. This disconnection comes in many forms. I see a disconnect in how we interact with the natural world, our food, our products, and doing things ourselves. Maybe it’s this strange disconnect that has created a cultural stress, and thus reactionary movements like Organic, and DYI, and Single Origin products. These things are so good and exciting. But it is SO hard in modern day America to truly connect with our world.

   I think about the rise in emotional instability, the rise in porn consumption, rape, campus assault, and the rise in public shootings/massacre’s. I have begun to think where the technology connection begins; it also ends this deep emotional connection to each other and the world.

   Perhaps our disconnection to simple things like food, small communities, product consumption and addiction to technology is changing us in more ways than we realize.

    Growing up, vegetables and fruits weren’t a seasonal change or something I had to wait different times to eat. They were available always, I didn’t know how to grow them, I just knew how to eat them. Meat was something a buy away, no slaughtering or caring for the animal required; just buy and eat. This is pretty amazing, because most of human history food is a constant working struggle that usually forced people together.

   

    Moving to Laos, the people are amazed that I consume garlic and ginger all the time but have never seen what it looks like while growing. They can’t believe that I’ve never slaughtered a pig, but always eaten pork. Or that when I walk in the forest I don’ recognize the plants, what is poisonous and what is edible, what helps with swelling, and what helps with stomach pains. Through living here I’ve begun to realize the depth of my disconnection.

   But the scary thing is it’s begun to take root here as well. The closer a tribal people are to roads, and development, the more we see them adapting to modern things. Packaged snacks, beer, soda, TV, smart phones. The old traditions are fading. The homemade bamboo Kan instrument is being replaced by the electric guitar and keyboard. Tribal story telling is being replaced by smart phone screen scrolling. It’s crazy because many tribal people feel that the modern foreigner do things better, smarter. That we are higher.  And maybe we have believed that as well. Maybe without knowing, while trying to “help” we have dominated a way of life that while different was also good and valuable.

   

   Another huge change more developed modern life has brought here is consumption of plastic. The people use plastic bags like crazy here. In the recent past they never did, or needed too. There has been no education on how to deal with trash so it’s thrown wherever, or burned where animals feed, and humans breath.

    

   Dealing with these things here has forced me to think and learn more about everything honestly. This place has forced me to be responsible for things that I’ve never had to be responsible for. I have to burn and dispose of my own trash, often we have to slaughter our own meat, grow our own vegetables, and scavenge for different things. We usually have to build things ourselves. When I do laundry the detergent water doesn’t go somewhere distant, it let’s out right in my back yard. Things that are hidden from us in our modern society in America are out in the open here, forcing me to realize my daily habits deeply affect my environment. But this has not created a deep stress in me, but a healthy mindset and conviction.

   So stay with me. I know this is a lot. And I don’t really have any answers, just musings. But what if we begin to ask questions about what we eat, what we consume, what we throw away, like really ask and think about it. What if we begin to do things a little old school, or be responsible for things we buy and throw away.

It’s not easy, just yesterday we didn’t have a water bottle on us, and no clean water access, so we bought a plastic bottle. I began to imagine how many rooms full of plastic bottles I alone have consumed. And every single one is still sitting somewhere on this planet.

  Or we have talked about how much we are on phones, and how little the young people talk. We have tried to encourage story telling again. But it’s so much easier to be exhausted and seek escape in a phone.

   This is a journey My farmer and I are starting, along with his siblings. We would love if other’s joined us; a journey reconnecting with food, with products, with plastic, and with the old Khmu culture.

    Why do we feel like these things matter? Because if we want to build the kingdom where we are, if we want to grow and live alongside people understanding the heart of my Father, I believe caring for the things He cares about is a good start. The earth, his people, justice, and thinking through things deeply with great intention. I am experiencing Him in a whole new way learning more about tribal culture, and growing coffee (seriously yall).  

   I know as we dream about having a family I want my children, to not experience that disconnect with the world around them. I want my children to speak many languages, to know the forest, to know their tribal history and stories, to not depend on huge systems to provide all these things for them. To take responsibility for their actions, or what they consume. To always see the bigger picture. To feel great empathy and compassion.

    But all of these dreams must start with us changing ourselves, and it will be hard. It’s much easier to just keep going, to feel the overwhelming defeat because everybody else does things this way. It’s easier to fall into doing things simply because it’s convenient instead of intentional. But I see the Father in so much of this, and it’s starting so many beautiful conversations. I feel like He is shaping us and desiring us to slow down and think, to do things with great intention and thoughtfulness. So let’s talk. Tell me what you have been learning, we are still just scratching the surface and want to learn more. If this is news to you, or something you haven’t thought about, below are a few resources I have found helpful.

Want to learn more:

Watch Plastic Ocean

Start learning about agriculture and gardening, here is a good book to start (also I've heard Wendell Berry is a good one)

Follow Bare.thred on instagram

Watch True Cost