Urban Farmers South Africa

About 8 years ago, our little family of 2 adults, 3 kids and 2 dogs decided to do the craziest thing! We decided we wanted to get off the Hamster Wheel. It seemed that we had been running round and round in circles, trying to make a living, getting the kids to school, paying the mortgage and the bills, etc etc....you know how it goes....the so called 'story of life'

I can't remember exactly what the trigger was as it seems that there were a few at the time, but they catapulted us into an adventure that at times seems really crazy and bizarre, but which has never ceased to amaze us with its enlightenment and joy.

Family and friends thought and still sometimes think we had gone crazy, but as time has gone by, the resistance has eased and we have come to realise that the more we stand firm in our truth and continue to seek and live a more sustainable existence, the more the abundant opportunities open up for us.

What we have learnt so far:

Life is certainly not meant to be about Possessions. We got rid of all of our possessions except for a few personal things. We now feel lighter and the more we got rid or things, the less we felt the need to buy useless things. This means we are consuming less! and thereby not contributing to the destruction of the planet by demanding more products that we don't actually need. We love to Recycle and upcycle and find new ways of using existing things. Much more creative!

Our planet is on the verge of being destroyed. You only have to do a little bit of research to see how the corporations have exploited the resources for profit. Our species has been caught in a perpetual trap of consumerism under the guise of 'survival'. We do not need to be paying for our survival this way, or working like slaves for hours and hours everyday so that bosses of corporations and banks can profit from our labour. The Trap is in convincing everyone that the harder and longer they work, the more benefit they will receive, but the reality is that people just remain trapped in debt cycles so that they can attain the lifestyles that they see their bosses and wealthy people having. The truth is that ordinary everyday people will never attain that level of wealth because the system is purposely designed to keep the majority of the people supressed. You only have to study history to see this pattern being repeated over and over again.

Think about what it is that you really need to survive, Need being the operative word. Once you realise that the only things you need to survive are Food, Water, Shelter and your loved ones, you will realise that you already have everything you Need. Once you come to this realisation, you will then start to ask the question: "What can I go without?" "What don't I Need?" Make a list and strip it back as far as you can go. Then you will start to realise that you can actually go without most things that you fill your life and time with. How much of those things and activities actually contribute to your happiness? How much of it contributes to your stress and misery? How can you change things around?

This little exercise is what set us off on our journey, in search of a more sustainable, happy and fulfilling existence. We are already happy and fulfilled now because we have removed the stress, so now the quest is for sustainability.....

Lets see where we end up..... Can't wait to find out!

Please feel free to co-create our journey with us and contribute in sharing sustainable solutions. Our dream is to assist in creating sustainable communities using permaculture principles and smarter ways of doing things.