This I Believe

I believe words have power and I believe food is best from the source. Almost everything else depends on the context. What is life for? What work should one do? Where do religion, spirituality and relationships fit? I have yet to find definitive answers.

I would like to pursue the path of an independent writer, but instead of getting caught up in writing just to write, I would like to write about things that are meaningful to me, and live in a way that is in line with my values. These values are based on ideas of place, community and respect for all living things.

In order to live my values I would like to buy a small plot of land, (at the moment, I am thinking Kerala, India where I have family. On this land, I would like to grow vegetables and fruit. But, I would also like to turn this into a community resource center for local people as well as a place people can come to reflect and rejuvenate, sit, read, walk and write. Perhaps a simple guesthouse, and a simple school. I envision a small place that feels like a home. A place of learning where young and old can come to learn and teach what they think they know.

If all of us create communities around us that are in line with our dreams, hopes and visions, we will be able to realize a collective vision. If each of us finds our own passion, and has the courage to act upon it and turn our most protected thoughts into reality, the world would be an amazing place. If we recognize the difficulty in this task, and the fact that we must collectively (as a group, a community and perhaps even the world) ask for help and be willing to both give and receive we will all be on a path towards actualizing our vision(s).

I would like to be a VOF Correspondent because I am entering into a new community and, with a bit of support, I believe I will be able to take my writing to the next level. Becoming a VOF correspondent would be a step towards what I hope to continue to do in the future.

After experiencing the VOF program, I would also like to create or implement a similar type of mentorship program with school children across cultures to improve their writing and understanding of the world. I would like to learn how the program is structured, experience it and then pass on this knowledge as a form of empowerment.

As timing would have it, I leave in just about an hour to join my new community in the mountains of India.

Thank you in advance for considering me as a correspondent and taking the time to put this program together. It is amazing what a bit of support can do.