Thougths on Excess

Here are some spoutings about poverty and injustice in our world:
What did I do or what Have I done to have been blessed with this life?
I don't have to worry about my next meal
I don't have to worry about my safety
I don't have to worry about where I'll sleep tonight

I have done nothing except be born
Born into middle class America
Born with white skin
Born into a supportive family
Surrounded by supportive friends
Why am I blessed with so much when others have so little?

My heart aches for the children
-with nothing to eat
-no place to call home
-no adult to look up to

My heart aches for the parents who try so hard but can't make it
-their job pays so little
-they have to work long hours
-they have no health care
-no safe place to live
-no saftey net of supportive family and friends

Everyone everywhere should have dignity of life!--
Why do I and so many others don't?

WHERE IS JUSTICE? WHERE IS COMMON SENSE?
Actually, I think our culture has gone from "common sense" to "INDIVIDUAL SENSE" from "The Common Good" to "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME"
I wrote that awhile ago, but it sure fits the economic disaster our country and all of us are facing right now.

Who Is Better Off?
Born into a life you have no control over
Being used as a scapegoat for so many things

You are poor and can't read and haven't eaten for days
You are cold and hungry and have no place to stay

I walk by you with a look of distain, feeling so proud-
I am so much more important than you
I have a huge house (well actually 3)
several cars
lots of very nice jewelry
I eat all I want-anytime I want (ok so I may be a bit overweight, but so what)
I am controlled by THINGS and I just can't get enough!

Sad to say, maybe you Are better off then me

Christmas is Coming

After my last comment about throwing in the towel because of gift giving, I did want to tell you what we do for Christmas with our family. My side of the family has always drawn names and then used to get a gift for that person. Well, a couple years ago I was feeling like it was really turning materialistic rather then expressing the joy of what Christmas actually means. I emailed my family and proposed giving to a charity instead of to each other. None of us “need” anything anyway, when so many others are desperate just to survive. So after discussion, we came up with the annual Moorse Christmas gift giving.

We still draw names. Whomever’s name you get, you give them a simple, very inexpensive (no more then $5) gesture of a gift. Maybe a small candle, maybe something funny(which is quite popular with my family). Just something small the person can unwrap. Along with that, each of us chooses a charity and gives whatever amount they are able to that charity. After unwrapping the small gift, we then each describe the charity that we have chosen. We do not have to disclose how much we have given to the charity. At the end of our gift giving we have all learned about different charities and have spent time thinking about others in need, rather then ourselves.

This year, for our immediate family-our children and their spouses- I am going to once again propose something new. There is an organization called KIVA that gives microloans to people around the world. You can go on their website, KIVA.org and read stories of people wanting to start businesses in Africa or India or wherever. You can then choose someone you want to help and donate your money to them. (go to the website to find out more)

My proposal is that instead of exchanging gifts, we will each put in some money and pick out an entrepreneur to help on KIVA. The great thing about this microloan organization is that once it is paid back, you either get your money back or can re-loan it to someone else. Just think if every Christmas we added more money to the loan. How many people could we help in 10 years? Quite a few I would say.

One last option we are exploring with Bob’s family. Instead of gifts, we draw names and whomever you get, we would actually do something for or with that person. Maybe spend an afternoon chatting and going for coffee. Maybe helping fix a computer, mow the lawn or going to Feed my Starving Children together. The sky is the limit.

Just some options to think about with Christmas only 3 months away....

Almost ready to throw in the towel!

A few weeks ago, I was almost ready to throw in the towel and say “ya know what? I haven’t bought anything new for almost 8 months. Isn’t that close enough to a year? I mean, really, what is 4 months?” The thing that I was having trouble with was what to do about gifts and cards. I know I said that right when we started, but I really thought I would be a little more on the ball and have knitted some things to give as gifts or have sat down and made a bunch of cards to have on hand. But I did not do either of those things.

In the past month, I have been invited to two baby showers-one, two days before the actual event. I have had 2 birthdays and also 2 friends each lose a parent. This was also a very crazy month for me (when isn’t it crazy) because we had all of our kids home visiting most of the month. So, needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of extra time to sit and make cards or come up with creative gifts. So… I bought gift cards. What does anyone think about that? I have had discussions with friends and most think “of course that is ok.” I, however, am not sold on it. First off, I don’t really like giving gift cards, though most people seem to enjoy getting them. And secondly, I think it is an excuse for my lack of organization and forsight. I am still struggling with this issue, however, a wonderful friend of mine sure helped me out in the card making department.

I am not a stamper, nor do I have any special cardmaking supplies. At least up to this point. A few weeks ago, Michelle, a good friend of mine from college, gave me this box filled with extra stamping things that she had. There was paper, envelopes, ink pads, ribbon, tape (special card making tape) along with instructions for making cards. It was one of the most thoughtful surprises I have had in a long time. My daughter and I sat down right away and starting making some cards (which I was able to use for the two birthdays) and had a great time. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, Michelle gave me the extra little boost to keep me from throwing in the towel.

If I never bought another new thing for me, I think I would be ok. Should I continue to do this beyond a year, I think I will make gift-giving an exception to the rule.

The Big Drop!

Wow! I can’t believe how fast time flies. It has been awhile since we’ve posted anything. I guess part of it is summer coming upon us and it’s finally warm enough to be outside. Who wants to take time to sit in front of a computer, right? Anyway, I do need to tell you about an interesting situation that I found myself in, that I am sure I will never be in again. We did a few things to update our bathroom(more about that later) and I found that we needed a toilet paper holder. Bob says to me, “where in the world will you ever find a used toilet paper holder?” Well, I went straight to Craig’s List and believe it or not, there were quite a few to choose from. I emailed one of the listings and gave them Bob’s cell phone to call if the toilet paper holder was still available. Bob and the Lister communicated a few times and came up with a meeting place to pick it up. Well, at the last minute, Bob was unable to meet her, so I said I would go. The next thing I know, I am sitting in a Holiday gas station parking lot, looking for a black car of some kind with a woman in it. That was all I had to go by. As I sat there, I found myself thinking what a bizarre situation I was in; sitting in a Holiday gas station parking lot, waiting for someone to bring a toilet paper holder and all I know to look for is a woman driving some sort of black vehicle. I almost felt like I was in a comedy sketch where it looks like I am waiting to do some kind of big drug drop. There’s all sorts of tension in the air. I get out my car, walk up to the car next to and say, “Do you got it?” and the person in the car says,”yeh,” looks around to make sure no one is looking and then hands me a toilet paper holder. I hand over a brown paper bag filled with money, slip the toilet paper holder inside my jacket, get back into my car and drive away. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite that exciting.

As I sat in my parked car, I strained my neck every which way to get a good look at the cars coming into the station. You would not believe how many women drive black cars and get gas at Holiday. A few pulled up and parked fairly close to me and I was wondering if I should get out of my car. How will I know if it is her? After about 10 minutes of great anticipation, a woman in a black SUV pulls up next to me. We stare at each other for a bit trying to figure out if we are each who the other is looking for. We both make like we are going to get out of our vehicles and then simultaneously, with some relief, come to the realization that we are both there for the same reason. We both say “Hi”. She opens up the box containing the toilet paper holder and asks “Is it what you were looking for?” I glance at it, say “yes”, hand her a $5 bill, take the toilet paper holder, get back in my car and drive away.

It looks great in our bathroom!

Basic Needs

Most everyone agrees, if they search deep in their hearts, that people everywhere should be entitled to their basic needs: water, food, shelter, healthcare and life sustaining jobs. Why is it then, that even in the richest nation in the world, these needs are not met for many people? Could it be that we have all been caught up in a materialistic culture that has been part of our upbringing and infused into our daily lives so seemlessly that we don't even realize it?

Many of us no longer give any thought to our basic needs-we don’t have to. All we have to do is turn on a faucet and out comes clean water. Open a refrigerator or cupboard and there are several options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When we get a cold or sore throat, we go see a doctor before it has a chance to develop into anything worse. When it is raining, snowing or unbearably hot, most of us can go into our homes and be quite comfortable no matter what the weather is outside.

Our sense of the definition of “basic needs” has changed. We've slowly begun to feel entitled to more than those five basic needs that are so essential for existence. It used to be that washers and dryers and cars were necessities. Next came TVs, DVD players, cameras and video cameras. We began to feel entitled to two or three cars and larger homes. Once you start to feel entitled to something, it easily transforms from a want to a need-and that is what is happening now. Exotic vacations, second and third homes, cosmetic surgery; these are just a few of the things that have begun to replace our old wants, shifting them to needs. Our basic needs are not even in the picture because they are so taken for granted.

This is not to make a judgement call on wanting or doing special things in our lives. We've all looked forward to the long-awaited vacations or buying that special house we've always dreamed of. However, it's when we begin to feel entitled to these things, that we also begin to overlook those who struggle every day to meet their basic needs. Those who can't take them for granted.

A friend of mine sent me a link to this article. Very thought provoking and informative.

The Gospel of Consumption
Jeffry Campbell
Orion magazine. May-June 2008

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/2962/


Lori

Paper Bag Floor

Our friends have been asking for an update on how the paper bag floor turned out. We are very happy with how it looks. Here are a couple pictures of the process. I will post final pictures as soon as we get the baseboard on. All-in-all we got a nice looking new floor for the cost of 150 used grocery bags ($0) and 5 gallons of good floor polyurethane (about $125)!

-Bob



Lori Working on the Floor






Almost Done

Trying something New

Bob and I have been trying to refinish our basement for quite some time. We were trying to figure out how to redo the flooring while staying within the confines of our compact. Well, we figured it out!!! We found out about a process where you can paper the floor with grocery bags recycled from neighbors etc. We will keep you up to date on how this turns out and post some pics of the finished product and possibly the process. I know it sounds a little crazy, but the pics we've seen are quite extraordinary. So, if you happen to have grocery bags you need to get rid of, give us a call. We figure we will need about 150.

If you want to see pictures from someone who has done this just click here.

-Lori

A Used Shower Curtain Rod?

Bob and I took out the old shower doors in a bathroom in our home. We had decided it would look better if we got rid of them and just had a shower curtain hanging instead. We had no problem finding a used shower curtain at our favorite store, Unique. However, we were stuck without a used shower curtain rod to hang it on. I used all my usual search engines to no avail. We started asking friends if they had a shower curtain rod hanging around their house that they weren’t using. Low and behold, Bob’s Mom had one. So, we had found our used shower curtain rod. We didn’t, however, feel it went against our compact to by a new liner.

Bob went to get a new liner and picked up some shower curtain hooks also. Neither of us gave it a thought as to whether buying new curtain hooks was acceptable. In my book, it was not. The issue was, neither of us had given it a thought until a couple weeks later. After being interviewed by the Catholic Spirit about our compact, we were discussing portions of it on our way home. At one point we talked about our shower curtain rod hunt. As we replayed the conversation, we realized that, sure enough, we had bought a used curtain rod and curtain, but, without even thinking, we had bought brand new hooks to hang the curtain from.

Buying nothing new is at the forefront of our minds most of the time. But I guess it will take a while longer for us to totally incorporate the concept into our lives. It is just too easy to run out and buy something without giving it much thought. I guess that is one of the reasons we are doing this; to get us to think more about what we buy and how much. For the most part, Bob and I have been doing that. But as you have just read, even after doing this for 3 months, it is so easy to slip back into our old ways of buying.

-Lori

Hollywood, CA vs. Guatemala

Well, I was a far cry from Hollywood CA last week. I had the chance to go to Guatemala for the week through the organization that I work with. Let me tell you, it certainly reinforced many of the reasons for doing this compact.

I had the chance to go to the home of a girl that Bob and I sponsor. Many of you may have seen pictures of what poverty looks like, but seeing it through the eyes of a family that lives it day in and day out is quite extraordinary. They work so very hard for so very little, but they survive. I found myself realizing that even though I have given up buying anything new for the next year, I still have the capacity to buy something if I really wanted to. These families are living this way for what will probably be the rest of their lives. This is no compact for them—it is reality. For most of them, there is not an option to leave poverty behind.

I did actually buy a few things while I was in Guatemala. There was a class of learning disabled young adults who made jewelry to sell at the Common Hope site. Most kids who are learning disabled have absolutely no chance of being able to help support their families financially. These kids get to bring home the money they get from selling their jewelry. One girl’s family wouldn’t have had anything to eat one night had it not been for the money she had made selling a few of her pieces. Needless to say, I bought a necklace and a pair of earrings. Both will be gifts I will give to someone, along with a little write up about the person who made them.
It is good to be back home again. However, I have left part of my heart in Guatemala among the gentle-spirited people who struggle to make it through each day with enough food for their family, yet offer pop and fresh bread and beans to a stranger. And I, being the stranger, gratefully accept it knowing that hospitality is part of their culture, even when it means they may not have enough food to eat for their next meal.
-Lori

Used Sunglasses in Hollywood

I am in Los Angeles on business this week and am visiting my son who is here for the semester on an internship. His internship in at ASCAP in Hollywood, and he has an apartment in West Hollywood. (Well, calling it an apartment is an exaggeration, it is actually more like a large closet with a bathroom!)

Anyway, I got here and realized I had forgotten my sunglasses at home. How was I ever going to find used sunglasses in Hollywood, CA?! I was resigned to squinting for a couple days to keep our compact promise.

As I was walking down Santa Monica Blvd to find lunch, I spotted a small shop selling used men’s designer clothes. I went in and was disappointed to find that, while they had lots of used clothes, the only sunglasses I saw were designer glasses for $100-$150 a pair. As silly as it seemed I asked a young clerk if they had any used sun glasses and was surprised when she said, “Yes we have some in a case over here”. Lo and behold there was a small case of used sunglasses for $10 each right in the middle of Hollywood…who would have guessed!

I ended up having a nice conversation with the clerk about The Compact and she was very interested. I guess I will never assume anything about finding and using used stuff the rest of the year!

-Bob

The Mall

Well it has been two months and other than our doorknob dilemma (see the previous post), we have had very little trouble buying nothing new so far. I found a used sweater at the Salvation Army store that I liked, and I have been wearing it just about every other day. I think I am wearing it so much just to train myself not to worry about what people think when I have the same darn sweater on all the time!

I bought a new pair of glasses recently, my prescription has changed and my old lenses were scratched. Obviously new lenses to match my prescription are OK to buy, but what about the frames? I guess I could have just had the lenses replaced in my old frames, but the frames were a little bent and did not fit as well as they should so I decided that this in not contrary to our pledge. Am I already starting to rationalize things too easily? A door knob, new glasses…what will I buy next and say it is OK because I come up with a good sounding reason?

I walked through the mall to get the glasses and had an interesting experience. As I looked around it hit me that I could not buy anything I was seeing. There was so much stuff packed in that huge mall, but I realized there was almost nothing there that I actually NEEDED. Imagine that…10’s of thousands of square feet of stuff we don’t need! This is our world.

Ok I am probably just being a little strange now, but it was actually kind of a freeing feeling.

-Bob

Can a doorknob make a point?

Well it is almost 2 months now and so far we have been able to not buy anything new with little difficultly. We made cards and wrote notes for Valentines Day and went out to eat. Actually for me it was nice not to have to worry about what I was going to buy for a gift!

I did buy my first “new” thing, a door knob. The knob on our door to the garage broke so Lori and I debated if we should buy a new one. After thinking about it for a while I decided to buy a new one. I decided that a “used” door knob, if we could find one, probably meant it didn’t work wherever it came from. The fact that is was 10 below zero and our door would not stay shut helped with making this purchase seem OK!!

The important thing for me is really not whether we should have bought a new $15 doorknob. The point is that we had to think about it first. Before we started The Compact we rarely thought about purchases other than the price. We never paused to think about “do we really need this”. That is what The Compact is doing for me, it is making me really think about the difference between “needs” and “wants”.

-Bob

Great Presentation of the Issues

This link is to a website with a short video that makes a very compelling argument for what is wrong with our "consumption" economy. Even if you do not agree with every single point in the presentation, it make a powerful case for why we need to change the way we think about "things". Take the time to watch it - it is worth it.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Why do this?

We have been asked by some people why we are doing this. I can only speak for myself, so Lori will have to weigh in on what is most important to her, but here are a couple of my thoughts:

I am not trying to make some moral or ethical statement that all buying is bad, and I do not plan to go the rest of my life buying nothing new. However, I do believe that we have fallen into a trap in this country. Since we are all so wealthy (compared to the rest of the world), our view of what is normal and acceptable has become grossly distorted.

We are surrounded by messages that having more of this or more of that is “good”, and we start to believe it. A simple example is that just a couple generations ago it would have been considered excessive to own multiple TVs (even when TV was very popular in the 60’sand 70’s). Consider this statistic: Today…half of American homes have three or more TVs, and only 19 percent have just one…Compare this with America in 1975, 57 percent of homes had only a single set and only 11 percent had three or more. Obviously nobody “needs” three TVs, but we now consider that “normal”.

Americans consume resources at an astounding rate compared to the rest of the world. Again – we don’t really notice because we compare our materialism against what we see near us, or on TV. I don’t consume as much as the people profiled in that silly show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, but that is not the point.

• Even in my year of living simply, I will consume and live a vastly more materialistic life than 80 - 90% of the world…that is the point!
• If I stopped buying things for the rest of my life and moved into a log cabin in the woods, I will have already consumed much, much more in my lifetime than most people in the world ever will…that is the point!

As long as there are billions of people living on less that $5 a day, my middle class lifestyle with a decent home, a couple normal cars, and a couple TVs is roughly equivalent to the medieval castle on the hilltop overlooking the poor peasants below. All I am really doing is trying to live in a little smaller castle...that's all.

At the end of the day I guess the question for me is will I be just as happy with much less?...I don't know for sure, but I want to try to find out.

- Bob

Hardest so far...

So here is my problem...I keep forgetting about not buying anything new when it comes to small things...

A baptismal card for Baby Max. Usually I would just run out and pick out a cute card for whatever occassion. However, Wed night I sat down and made one for Max. It turned out very cute and was pretty fun. I'm not sure how I will feel when I am in a hurry and need a card right away.

A book on CD...Usually when we make the trip to SD, we go to the library or Cracker Barrel and rent books on tape for the trip. We forgot and when we stopped in Sioux Falls for gas, the gas station had some for sale. Tony and I were reading about some of them and I commented on how expensive they were. Tony says to me, "yeah, and they aren't used." Here I was ready to buy one to help make the trip pass more quickly. Good thing Tony was there. We actually ended up driving about 20 minutes out of our way to a Cracker Barrel and rented one. We would never have done that before. We would have just bought the new one.

-Lori

Jan 1st....time to begin

A few years ago, I went through a program called JustFaith. Throughout the program, I learned about social justice both locally and globally. The readings, videos and conversations really changed my outlook on just about everything that my life consisted of. I kept wondering why I had been so blessed, just because I happened to be born in an affluent nation. Why did I have so much, when so many others had so little? Many times since then, I have had the urge to sell everything and try to live a more simplistic life.

Fast forward 4 years. Bob and I are empty-nesters with all sorts of possiblities awaiting us. So, before selling everything, we thought it would be an interesting challenge to try not buy anything for a year. Funny thing is, the second day into it, we faced our first dilema:

Tony and Catherine told us Christmas day that they were going to get married (yippee!!)...in less then 2 weeks (yes, 10 days from Christmas). Tony asked Ben to be his best man, but Ben had no suit to wear. What to do? Well... we bought him a new suit. We started our compact Jan 1st and bought Ben a suit Jan 2nd. However, I would like to state for the record that I did not buy anything new for myself to wear for the wedding.

I have come to realize that stress in life is directly related to the amount of stuff you have - in one way or another. So, if all goes well, I should have a pretty stress-free year!

We'll see if it is easier to try "keep up with the Jones'" or try stay behind the Jones'.

-Lori

The Adventure Begins

Lori and I are 2 weeks into our commitment to join the movement called "the compact", and have pledged to buy nothing new for a year. We will use this blog to journal our experiences.

The compact started with a group of people in San Francisco a couple years ago and has spread nationwide. The group has several stated aims:

• To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc.
• To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)
• To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

We've agreed to follow two principles

1. Don't buy new products of any kind (with some exceptions such as food, toiletries and underwear!)
2. Borrow, barter, or buy used...or do without

The only thing I am sure of is that this will be interesting!

-Bob