My American Journey

You know, growing up I enjoyed the American dream as much as the next person. My family went snowmobiling, to the beach for vacations and lived in a nice house. My parents were, and are, attentive. We traveled. We had fun projects, toys and music lessons. What’s not to like? Even so, I had a vague feeling as a young teenager that this life could trap us all one day. It could be a prison of our own making. 25 years later, I felt my busy, addictive, stimulating life HAD become a trap. Fun for awhile. A long while. But ultimately not fun enough to sustain life itself. I needed connection with the earth and with non-busy people!

I know that now. But my reaction to my over-stimulating urban work environment in Washington DC was to cut connections further. I simplified…stopped listening to music, stopped consuming so much and worked hard to be silent and healthy. I stripped away the confusing impacts of Hollywood movies, sugar cravings, annoying commutes to work, being a slave to expectations and my own anger. I kind of went too far. When my husband got really, really sick I relied on my faith to help us. But I also realized “hey I need HELP” and I was alone. So I re-contacted many friends and family. I am still doing so now. And that really, really helps. Only then did I fully realize how disconnected I had become. First trapped by material stuff and then cut-off from all that stuff and from the people I needed too!

As part of my re-engagement with the world, I traveled overseas. I loved the re-connection with people so much it fueled my desire for more. My travels reminded me that people live very nicely without material wealth. They know their neighbors for miles around. They rely on each other. If they are not poverty stricken, it is a lovely life. And it worked for me!!

I recently saw Jensine on FreeSpeech TV, speaking at a Bioneers convention and she inspired me to further connect so I signed-up at the WorldPulse website. There I saw the Voices of Our Future training program, and with pleasure I signed up for that too. What a PHENOMENAL opportunity. I’d love to learn how to be a citizen journalist. My antidote for my own dis-enfranchisement is to write a travel column/blog in which I report on everyday people in Pakistan and the Middle East. I think there is a great hunger and interest, in America at least, to know more about these places and about Muslim traditions, from a western women’s point of view.

I believe Web 2.0 is transforming the “silent majority” into the “active majority”. Every story counts. Change comes one-person-at-a-time when a person changes what is in their heart. I choose to be part of that active conversation and offer up a clear picture of other life styles that I have connected with. O People! Let's all re-connect.