Evolution of 6 Months and Counting

It's the beginning of July. It is "TC + 6 months". I use Jan 1, 2009 as the rough date when I realized that we are in Times of Change ("TC") and awakened to a new viewpoint. In short, a bit more than 6 months have passed since I started this journey. It is time to make a little self assessment. What have I achieved since my last self evaluation on May 1, 2009?

• I brought my finances in order. That also simplified my life as a welcomed side effect.
• I still read a lot of alternative news, watch alternative video documentaries, etc. And I am always aware and treat all information with a healthy dose of criticism.
  
• I have decided on living healthier, paying more attention to food products and processes. E.g. performing the extra step to avoid GM food; eating more vegetables and fruits and less meat; and very slowly we are on the way to incorporate more organic food into our diet.
• I have produced my own first food preserves, in this case 3 jars of seasoning (basil, chives) preserved in olive oil. I know this is just a drop in the ocean, but I have to start somewhere.
• Mentally I have embraced permaculture and I have obtained theoretical exposure to it via videos and books. I am still looking for the right place (land plot) where to put it into practice.
• I have gone through an evolution. I have evolved from fear, to action, to slowly changing my life values and ethics. What does that mean? My initial reaction to all the perceived change was negative surprise and fear. It was clear that the occurring changes are massive, touching everything from politics, economy to culture and social behavior. My first thought was about how to act in order to prevent further financial loss. From there the thought process evolved to providing myself and my family with a sustainable home that protects and shields us in the long term through increased resource independence. That lead to the interest in a home with wood burner, solar water heating, etc. and a garden for growing some food. [I plan to turn this interest into reality in 2010/2011.] The next step in evolution was a closer study of the permaculture concept. I found myself agreeing vastly to its driving forces and the underlying ethics. In short, I got infatuated with permaculture. The next step in my evolution was to see permaculture as a desirable personal philosophy; a set of ethics to guide my daily life decisions. My path of finding sustainable living seems to be upside down. Most people have a certain ethics (Taoism, Buddhism, Greenpeace generation, green activists, etc.) that leads them towards permaculture and similar sustainable concepts. My path was the opposite. I saw that permaculture would become something increasingly valuable. And from that I first learned, then started to appreciate and lastly slowly started to adapt the permaculture ethics into my life.

What's next? I don't know. But I do know that there is still a lot of change ahead of us for all of us, some forced upon us, some voluntarily implemented by us.