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resilients:the_resilient_aristologist [2013-01-29 01:26] – nikresilients:the_resilient_aristologist [2013-02-13 22:20] – alkan
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-==== The Resilient Aristologist ==== +=====The Resilient Aristologist=====
  
 by [[:Pippa Buchanan]] by [[:Pippa Buchanan]]
  
-“A good half of the art of living is resilience.”  +“A good half of the art of living is resilience.” -- Alain de Botton
-― Alain de Botton +
- +
-“...The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men +
-Gang aft agley... +
- +
-(...The best laid schemes of mice and men +
-Go often awry…)”+
  
-― Robert Burns - //To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough//, November, 1785+“…The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men\\ 
 +Gang aft agley…"\\ 
 +("…The best laid schemes of mice and men\\ 
 +Go often awry…")\\ 
 +-- Robert Burns, //To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough//, November, 1785
  
 The concept of resilience is broad, but in essence it can be defined as //the ability to withstand, adjust to or recover from misfortune and change//. My thoughts often turn to questions of how resilient I and my loved ones will be to changes, whether that be a personal or global financial crisis or changes to the space and climate we live in. Will we be able to work? Will we be able to eat? Will we be content with our changed lives? The concept of resilience is broad, but in essence it can be defined as //the ability to withstand, adjust to or recover from misfortune and change//. My thoughts often turn to questions of how resilient I and my loved ones will be to changes, whether that be a personal or global financial crisis or changes to the space and climate we live in. Will we be able to work? Will we be able to eat? Will we be content with our changed lives?
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 We often need to adjust our behaviour or expectations to navigate a difficult situation. How true to our earlier selves can we be in these situations and how much do we let ourselves adapt in new ways? How adaptable do our plans need to be so that they can be achievable and still remain true to our initial goals? We often need to adjust our behaviour or expectations to navigate a difficult situation. How true to our earlier selves can we be in these situations and how much do we let ourselves adapt in new ways? How adaptable do our plans need to be so that they can be achievable and still remain true to our initial goals?
  
-===Traversing water commons===+====Traversing water commons====
  
 One of the most challenging and unpredictable circumstances I have recently placed myself in has been the Control of the Commons (CoC) project run by Time's Up (Austria) as part of the Resilients project. One of the most challenging and unpredictable circumstances I have recently placed myself in has been the Control of the Commons (CoC) project run by Time's Up (Austria) as part of the Resilients project.
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 In order to explore the idea of commons ownership and access, we (Tim of Time's Up, myself and a distributed cohort of collaborators) decided to explore water rights by travelling down three major watercourses in Austria, Belgium and Australia. As far as challenges go, that might not sound like much – but consider that the boats we used were constructed by hand from reused and recycled materials, we had to carry all our camping and personal gear onboard, and that a core goal was to use only renewable power for the journeys. In order to explore the idea of commons ownership and access, we (Tim of Time's Up, myself and a distributed cohort of collaborators) decided to explore water rights by travelling down three major watercourses in Austria, Belgium and Australia. As far as challenges go, that might not sound like much – but consider that the boats we used were constructed by hand from reused and recycled materials, we had to carry all our camping and personal gear onboard, and that a core goal was to use only renewable power for the journeys.
  
-===Eating the best food possible===+====Eating the best food possible====
  
 The Murray CoC journey is something that I remember fondly, but I was – unsurprisingly – nervous about it at the time. While fears of injury and dehydration were easily insured against with a first aid kit, a river and a gravity-fed water filter, the challenge of feeding and energising our crew to propel us down the slow-moving Murray River was more alarming. I've roasted marshmallows and undercooked my sausages on school camps, and used vacuum flasks of pre-boiled water to prepare couscous while on road trips. Never before had I needed to cater for three or four people on a journey that would last for three weeks and might take us far away from civilisation (roads, shops, hospitals) for up to ten days at a time. The Murray CoC journey is something that I remember fondly, but I was – unsurprisingly – nervous about it at the time. While fears of injury and dehydration were easily insured against with a first aid kit, a river and a gravity-fed water filter, the challenge of feeding and energising our crew to propel us down the slow-moving Murray River was more alarming. I've roasted marshmallows and undercooked my sausages on school camps, and used vacuum flasks of pre-boiled water to prepare couscous while on road trips. Never before had I needed to cater for three or four people on a journey that would last for three weeks and might take us far away from civilisation (roads, shops, hospitals) for up to ten days at a time.
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 I was nervous about what might happen on the river, but I also found the Murray CoC trip and the following journeys difficult in other ways as I worked out how I could adapt and what I wouldn't budge on. I was able to live without showers in weather regularly over 30C, to pee off the side of the boat in the presence of a mixed crew (or half of Belgium), and was happy to camp by the side of the river among poisonous snakes and spiders with glinting eyes. I struggled with what felt like a lack of mental privacy with no time for my own thoughts, and the feeling of guilt that there was always something else that should be done. But in the end there was one thing I wasn't prepared to give up: making and eating the best food possible given our situation.  I was nervous about what might happen on the river, but I also found the Murray CoC trip and the following journeys difficult in other ways as I worked out how I could adapt and what I wouldn't budge on. I was able to live without showers in weather regularly over 30C, to pee off the side of the boat in the presence of a mixed crew (or half of Belgium), and was happy to camp by the side of the river among poisonous snakes and spiders with glinting eyes. I struggled with what felt like a lack of mental privacy with no time for my own thoughts, and the feeling of guilt that there was always something else that should be done. But in the end there was one thing I wasn't prepared to give up: making and eating the best food possible given our situation. 
  
-===Floating pantry===+====Floating pantry====
  
 We can argue about shades of grey all we like, but in the end there are just two types: those who are Food People and those Who Are Not. In the first essay in her book An Opening: Twelve Love Stories about Art, artist and writer Stephanie Radok describes her mother: "She collected books and vases, gardened, and enjoyed smoking and drinking more than eating." (2012) Contrast this with her sister who at 8 definitely showed signs of being a Food Person: "my older sister who had been 'bad' and complained that she was hungry most of the day." Stephanie relates these memories in connection to a postcard of Henri Fantin-Latour's Still Life, one she chose because the elements of food and a teacup would help appease her hungry sister. We can argue about shades of grey all we like, but in the end there are just two types: those who are Food People and those Who Are Not. In the first essay in her book An Opening: Twelve Love Stories about Art, artist and writer Stephanie Radok describes her mother: "She collected books and vases, gardened, and enjoyed smoking and drinking more than eating." (2012) Contrast this with her sister who at 8 definitely showed signs of being a Food Person: "my older sister who had been 'bad' and complained that she was hungry most of the day." Stephanie relates these memories in connection to a postcard of Henri Fantin-Latour's Still Life, one she chose because the elements of food and a teacup would help appease her hungry sister.
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 I stored dry food in plastic bins on the bow of the boat, had a separate container specifically for snacks (sweet and salty), and we fashioned a cool box out of styrofoam to hold our yoghurt, milk and cabbage. When we did reach town we restocked on fresh items. It can be concluded that we had Too Much Food I stored dry food in plastic bins on the bow of the boat, had a separate container specifically for snacks (sweet and salty), and we fashioned a cool box out of styrofoam to hold our yoghurt, milk and cabbage. When we did reach town we restocked on fresh items. It can be concluded that we had Too Much Food
  
-===Cooking in challenging circumstances===+====Cooking in challenging circumstances====
  
 Just as we can rashly group people into Food People and Not Food People, there are people who Follow Recipes and those who Do Not Follow Recipes. If you are going to cook and eat in challenging circumstances (while camping, or on a public holiday) you will find it very difficult to Follow Recipes: inevitably you may realise that you couldn't actually find mayonnaise in tubes in Australia and so neglected to pack mayonnaise at all. The use of a single camping stove would mean that no, you can't pre-heat the stock to add to your risotto and gods forbid, the lack of refrigeration will mean that you won't be able to deglaze your pan with white wine, but instead will have to resort to using red wine from a bag. Just as we can rashly group people into Food People and Not Food People, there are people who Follow Recipes and those who Do Not Follow Recipes. If you are going to cook and eat in challenging circumstances (while camping, or on a public holiday) you will find it very difficult to Follow Recipes: inevitably you may realise that you couldn't actually find mayonnaise in tubes in Australia and so neglected to pack mayonnaise at all. The use of a single camping stove would mean that no, you can't pre-heat the stock to add to your risotto and gods forbid, the lack of refrigeration will mean that you won't be able to deglaze your pan with white wine, but instead will have to resort to using red wine from a bag.
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 There are the mutable qualities that can be adopted to get yourself, your project or your meal through to the other side of a challenging situation and then there are inherent attributes you must maintain in order to keep your self [sic], your project or your meal true to its origins. It could be that being a Resilient is partly about knowing how to identify these two: the variables and the constants. There are the mutable qualities that can be adopted to get yourself, your project or your meal through to the other side of a challenging situation and then there are inherent attributes you must maintain in order to keep your self [sic], your project or your meal true to its origins. It could be that being a Resilient is partly about knowing how to identify these two: the variables and the constants.
  
-**Recipe:** Grated Carrot and Cabbage Salad with a Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing+====Resilient Salad==== 
 + 
 +//Ingredients:// grated carrot and cabbage salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing 
 Carrots and cabbage keep remarkably well without refrigeration as long as they are kept as cool as possible. Lemon is a useful seasoning that also provides valuable vitamins. Carrots and cabbage keep remarkably well without refrigeration as long as they are kept as cool as possible. Lemon is a useful seasoning that also provides valuable vitamins.
  
-The Resilient Salad: Grate some carrots into a bowl. Finely slice cabbage and add it into the bowl. Mix and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste.+Grate some carrots into a bowl. Finely slice cabbage and add it into the bowl. Mix and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste.
  
 This basic salad can be augmented with grated radish, celeriac or apple. Should seeds and nuts be available, toast and add them to the mix. Dried fruit such as sultanas and cranberries are also delicious. Mix mustard or horseradish into the dressing. If you remember to buy mayonnaise feel free to mix it into the dressing too.  This basic salad can be augmented with grated radish, celeriac or apple. Should seeds and nuts be available, toast and add them to the mix. Dried fruit such as sultanas and cranberries are also delicious. Mix mustard or horseradish into the dressing. If you remember to buy mayonnaise feel free to mix it into the dressing too. 
  
  
-===References===+====References====
  
   * Bollier, D., 2002. Reclaiming the Commons, Boston Review, [online] Available at http://bostonreview.net/BR27.3/bollier.html (Accessed 16 January 2013)   * Bollier, D., 2002. Reclaiming the Commons, Boston Review, [online] Available at http://bostonreview.net/BR27.3/bollier.html (Accessed 16 January 2013)
  • resilients/the_resilient_aristologist.txt
  • Last modified: 2013-02-13 22:23
  • by alkan