My Why

It’s great being in a group like Valhalla. There’s a constant inspiration that helps me grow as a person each day. Rusty’s article, Monday, was one of those times where a little lightbulb in your head that was growing dimmer suddenly brightens up. I completely agree that the “why” in ourselves and others is the most important question. I believe we should keep asking this question on all levels. It helps uncover our true motivation, connects us to it, and inspires action that comes straight from the heart.

Even within our like-minded group of Valhallers, our motivations are all slightly different, although they have an overreaching theme mentioned by Rusty. So here’s my why. Why do I do what I do at Valhalla?

I’ve always been an idealist and I believe true freedom to express our humanity is one of the few things we’re entitled to and one of the many things for which we should strive. I can only act at my fullest potential if my life (me and the things that support me) are self reliant. This independence affords me the ability to follow my passions, develop them to the fullest and use them to help the community around me that enabled me to do it in the first place.

Saving the environment, “sticking it to the man”, and securing a future are all great consequences and factor into my reasoning for why I’m a Valhaller. But they’re not my prime motivator. It’s the true freedom to be me.

When I see myself and others living in a world where we’re dependent on our source of food, water, shelter, energy, entertainment, friendship (think Facebook), and every step of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it ties my soul in knots and I know it shouldn’t be this way. How can you be yourself when you need permission from these sources to do all of the above? It’s the same reason I got into gardening in the first place. Besides always enjoying nature in general, I figured if I can grow my own food source, I was that much more independently able.

When Valhalla formed, I soon learned that without the support of a community, none of this was very possible, much less worthwhile. Ironically, it’s through your community that you build around yourself that you can most easily gain your independence from the globalized, industrialized, captilized, and individualized community we call society. I’ve given up on society, and am living in a community. This community is helping me and others achieve true freedom through self-reliance and sustainability. That’s why I’m a proud Valhaller. That’s why I do what I do with the people that do it with me.

4 thoughts on “My Why”

  1. Community instead of society. Never thought of it in those words.. that’s a brilliant nugget right there! I’m picking up these nuggets from you guys and I’ll be using them soon enough. Thanks for sharing!

Leave a Comment