Paul Kingnorth on just how fragile our “Everyday life” is.

From the most recent edition of author Paul Kingsnorth’s email newsletter:

“The pattern of ordinary life, in which so much stays the same from one day to the next, disguises the fragility of its fabric. How many of our activities are made possible by the impression of stability that pattern gives? So long as it repeats, or varies steadily enough, we are able to plan for tomorrow as if all the things we rely on and don’t think about too carefully will still be there. When the pattern is broken, by civil war or natural disaster or the smaller-scale tragedies that tear at its fabric, many of those activities become impossible or meaningless, while simply meeting needs we once took for granted may occupy much of our lives.”

How appropriate this is for times such as these, eh?

Kingsnorth is a longtime environmentalist who lives his principles out by cultivating a style of living that most people might think is “crazy” or “primitive”. However, I think he is one person who might be one of the most well-adjusted and best informed when it comes to talking about the here-and-now we are all living in today.

You can buy Kingnorth’s book here (US, UK, CA). ¹