Winnipeg Summary / Breeding hope for change.

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Day 26

June 16:

Before I type up everything that comes to mind from the past 8 days I need to reiterate how and why this trip came about (to anyone who was never told). Justin says it best when he exclaims we’re trying to re-connect humans with their food. It’s important we know where our food comes from...simple as that. Mass production of food products is a COMPLETELY UNSUSTAINABLE way of life. Think about this for a minute. Something like 2% of Canada’s population are farmers now, which was ~97% in the early 20th century. We’re running out of economically feasible (i.e. obtainable) oil reserves but we feel it is justified to eat strawberries brought on a truck from the southern States in January. Therefore, the point i’m attempting to briefly make is that food needs to come from nearby. Only when this happens can we move into a new, more “sane” age.

But wait...there’s no possible way this change in lifestyle can bring some of the most enriching and life-changing experiences imaginable, can it?

What I can tell you from our empirical experience is that producing the majority of your food or even just purchasing food from local sources creates some of the strongest community values I’ve ever witnessed.

Fade to Little Mountain Farm, Winnipeg MB, where a set of religious values (see later on for explanation of our newly developed ‘same frequency’ theory) inspires a community of about 22 people consisting of full families, single men and women, and even WWoofers! Their large piece of land includes a 3 acre garden, goats for milking and for meat, chickens for both laying and meat and even honey bees. The property also has a volleyball court, pond, large house, barns, a greenhouse, shop and much other infrastructure.

Their belief system is structured around the Old Testament of the Bible as well as the Judeo Christian side, but with the main difference being their passion for creating a sustainable world as they believe the scriptures say they must. The result is a brilliantly conceived community in Winnipeg as well as 11 other tribes around the world (all closely connected through trading, etc.). Outside sources like television or often times internet are not needed which results in some of the most intelligent children I’ve come across yet. There’s no bickering, wining or fighting. Most of them are in such a constant state of joy that you can’t help but laugh when you converse with them. Everyone puts in a full week of farm work or kitchen work when the weather’s nice. When it rains the men will often go to their downtown Winnipeg four-story building which contains a Yerba Maté tea factory, a wood shop, the future site of their café/deli, a metal shop and a Wholesome Food and Tea store.

We were fortunate enough to arrive on Wednesday June 8th at night because that coming weekend included their Sabbath (no work on Saturday) and a festival on Sunday celebrating many things which included Pentecost. Families came to this tucked away farm from all over Winnipeg for incredible food, fun games for the kids, a deep group discussion of some chosen lessons from the scriptures, as well as many other experiences.

So coming back to the theory of being on the same frequency or having similar vibrational wavelengths: What Justin was enthusiastically telling me after coming to a great realization is that in order for this kind of co-existence to effectively take place there must be an underlying reason for their cooperation, with this example being their spirituality. Even the example of Justin and I rolling across the country can be considered, because we’ve been able to maintain a very high vibrational frequency through practice of ego awareness and basically remaining joyful and focused. We’ve managed to overcome countless misfortunes throughout this trip because of this attitude, and we feel that maintaining a higher goal in sight is the key to this success (as is the goal shared on Little Mountain Farm).

A common word for this is synergy, where “a unified group is more than the sum of its parts”. I guess what I’m saying is if you feel that enough is enough then begin to do something about this food crisis because other people are looking to join in. We can begin a revolution of the food industry by slowly increasing awareness of the countless downfalls that modern food production possesses. Every day we can make a change to our habits, and from this gradual change apparent benefits will be realized. Please allow this to happen, because every action or thought you experience in your life affects the Universe as a whole. Things are connected more than can be easily recognized. Though I don’t subscribe to one religion but consider my spirituality to come from many belief systems around the world, as many of you probably do as well, I believe our goal frequency is one of hope and love. Best of luck in your new life!

Ryan

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