Stand-Up
Comic Of
The VS
Movement Comes
To SLO
Over 29 people attended the humorous and entertaining presentation/lecture on Feb 9 of Cecile Andrews at the Unitarian Universalist Church in San Luis Obispo. Down-to-earth and full of anecdotes from her travels to various simplicity presentations, Cecile charmed us with her wit and made us feel welcomed.
Time is the one major element that people don’t seem to have much of... so what do we do? "What do you see people doing in their cars, besides driving?" she asked us. Some answered: putting on their make-up, eating, talking on their cellular-phone, and two people mentioned seeing people having sex while driving!
Another story was of a man who, rather than waste his time to walk down the long corridor to the men’s room, got creative and used a jar at his cubicle!
Italians seem to want more time off than folks in the US. They average 47 days throughout the year not working compared to our 14 days! A woman from Germany told Cecile, "When we get a latté, we sip it for hours while talking with friends. You Americans drink lattés for fuel!" Another European told Cecile that Americans have perfected the art of living "without the unexpected."
When she asked the audience how many minutes a day does a typical married couple in the US spend talking with each other, answers fluctuated from 15 to 45 minutes. The answer: 12 minutes!
Another story: A married couple were at a party. The woman was listening to her husband tell a story about some friends of theirs. However, she seemed a bit perplexed. Then when they got home, she finally got it and told him, "Honey, you know that story that you told those people tonight about our friends. They are not our friends. Those people were on television last week!"
So, not only have we perfected the art of living without the unexpected or the mystery but we are talking about friends whom we don’t even have... living vicariously through TV characters and calling it "community." Cecile noted that we need to redefine this word "community" especially since a woman had once told her that she experiences community whenever she goes to the mall!
Cecile also informed us that communities/cities where people hang out in pubs, cafes and other social gathering places are more resistant to advertising. "Those people don’t go shopping to meet their needs for social gathering. They actually get their needs met by hanging out!" [Check out the new book called I SHOP THEREFORE I AM.]
When she asked the audience about the ways people are simplifying their lives, many hands shot up to tell their stories. One man said that he convinced his wife to have the garbage disposal removed so they could start a compost pile. Others spoke about wearing used clothes, growing food, turning the TV off... [The group from the new cohousing development in north county spoke about how our housing designs can become more ecologically sound....].
She spoke about study circles and their history, beginning in Denmark, where people formed circles to become more educated about local political issues. Miles Horton went to Denmark to learn how it worked. He returned to the States to form the Highlander School with the philosophy that we needn’t have experts teach us things, but given an encouraging space, all of us can become teachers of what we know.
Cecile continued by telling us that a young black woman who had been a student at Highlander got on the bus one day to go back to her home in Alabama. She was told to go to the back of the bus and sit. She refused... and the rest is history. Rosa Parks had gone to Highlander... an educational place for empowerment and results.
Cecile’s presentation turned to advertising. She told us that there is a change a’brewing in advertising. It used to be that if you bought a particular product, you would become popular. Now it appears that that isn’t the major enticement. What’s happening now is that if you buy this product you will have a "relationship" with it, as in the commercial with the image of a backpack and four women. The narrator speaks to the guys in the audience, (to paraphrase) "Your relationships won’t last as long as this backpack will."
If you are interested in participating in a simplicity study circle, contact HopeDance (for now) [email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 544-9663] to get the latest info about the blossoming study circle in SLO.
Carol Pimentel, editor of this column, has been dealing with breast cancer and will be back soon. Send her your prayers.
