Of all the lessons I learned at Srisa Asoke, I’m most enthusiastic about reducing waste through the 3Rs. Who doesn’t like to save money and, at the same time, save the planet? That’s a win-win. Still, try as we might, our landfills are overflowing. In 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash but […]
When I was last writing about material wellbeing, or Being Thrifty, the focus was on the Sufficiency Sweet Spot. So where exactly is that sweet spot? On the one hand, we have the subjectivity of sufficiency – as Asoke Buddhists reasonably observed, individuals must determine for themselves what is enough. On the other hand, we […]
I have long romanticized living in a commune where people help each other freely, all for the good of the group. After living in an intentional community in Thailand for a year, I now know that communal life is not all sunshine and daisies. Nevertheless, I’m still drawn to the ideal of mutual support that improves […]
Social interaction is not only good for us, it’s a biological necessity—that much is clear from the research. Now I wonder, as an introvert married to an extrovert (two people who seem to have different social needs and responses to social interactions) how much interaction is necessary to get those benefits, and is it the […]
Realistically, it’s often easier to find excuses not to exercise than the time, energy, and will to do it. That’s why Nike came up with the brilliant advertising slogan, “Just Do It.” So for most of us, overcoming mental barriers to exercise is really all it takes. But too many others face real obstacles to physical […]
If you read my 2018 post describing what I learned about healthy eating while living at Srisa Asoke, then you know the arguments for a whole-food, plant-based, chemical-free diet. Now, it’s relatively easy to be a vegan when everyone around you is, too. Like in an intentional Buddhist community in Thailand. In a typical American […]
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to achieve a Good Life for All—how a life built on a strong foundation of wellbeing would actually look in practice. While this may not make me the life of the party, I’ll gladly trade small talk for BIG ideas any day. The challenge now is […]
(*I want something better!) I took this photograph of my daughter this summer: we are in an alpine meadow about an hour outside Munich, hiking up to a hut where some friends would be married. These two girls were thrilled to be together, conquering the mountain and communing with cows, carrying all they needed for […]
The “pursuit of happiness” is a phrase Americans know well. The United States Declaration of Independence established it in 1776 as an inalienable right for all citizens. Fast forward to 1955, and happiness becomes a national pastime, epitomized by Disney’s “Happiest Place on Earth.” Now in the first quarter of the 21stcentury, happiness is a […]
No man is an island / Entire of itself Every man is a piece of the continent / A part of the main In these oft-quoted lines from a centuries-old poem, John Donne reminds us that individuals are not isolated—we are integral parts of the communities we live in. What a comforting thought. Yet with […]
There’s a direct connection between consumption and waste: the more we consume, the more waste we create—and vice versa. At Srisa Asoke, the ethic of “consuming little” also means actively reducing waste, specifically through the “3 Rs”: reuse, repair, and recycle. This installment of the Intentional Living Project’s exploration of material wellbeing (a.k.a., “being thrifty”) looks […]
Being thrifty, or not wasting money and resources, is a long-held American virtue that fosters material wellbeing. Material wellbeing starts with the ability to meet basic needs for food, water, shelter, and clothing, plus essential services like health and education. If you’re reading this now, there’s a good chance that you have that covered. But […]