Will You Repeat Your Programming As Temporary Caretakers on The Land, Building Your Temporary Dream Life, Or Will You Instead Create Something On Your Land For Eternity?

Yuri's Story

We are now on our land and we are building our common house, which will later be used for intellectual and creative workshops.  Everybody is happy and excited and works joyfully and diligently.  About 3pm after we finish the walls, using straw bales, then we take a small break.  

During the break Oleg starts talking about his discovery.  He found a new alternative echo-friendly fuel.  This fuel can be used in cars and home heaters.  Everybody listens to him and doesn't want to interrupt because it is very interesting and a very important subject for everyone.  We lose track of time as we listen to him talk.  

About 5pm Philip, who is the team leader for this project, says, "Sorry, to interrupt you, Oleg, but we have to finish the roof today before dark because tomorrow there will probably be rain."  

Oleg says, "Please let me finish because it is very important what I have discovered and it is important to discuss it.  We have to do it now."

Philip likes Oleg and doesn't want to upset him.  Thus, we didn't finish the house that day.  That night it started to rain.  the next day we couldn't work on the roof under the rain.  We tried to cover the straw bales by using big tarps.  Strong wind didn't let us complete this task.  By noon everybody was wet and exhausted.  

The rain did not stop and we decided to go back to the city, because it was cold and there was no shelter.  The rain continued for three days.  We came back the next weekend to finish the house but we had to take apart almost all of the wet straw bale walls because straw bale is very picky and can not be built with when wet.  

We are all very happy to finally complete the first common house.

OR alternative ending:  

Philip likes Oleg...but he has a lot of experience with building straw bale homes.  Philip says, "I like you, Oleg, and I know that it is very interesting and important for you and for everybody but we have to finish this house today."  

Oleg was a little but upset at first.  He didn't want to continue the job, but later he joins everybody and helps to finish building the house just before dark.  The next day there was heavy rain, but we were sitting in our new home watching Oleg demonstrate to us how his new discovery works inside a home heater.  

After lunch, Alex presents his first workshop to the parents who are present at the time.  He teaches them how to teach their children at home.

That story is about a consequence that only involves loss of time as a result of allowing ourselves to get off focus.  The next story is about more serious consequences.

Breaking the Trail

Oleg and I are leading a group of climbers; it had snowed heavily the previous day.  We had been breaking the trail for eight hours straight in the knee deep fresh snow.  Everyone was exhausted and slightly angry with the unexpected snow conditions.  We changed the leader every five to ten minutes.  

When it was my turn to lead, after a few steps I turned around and asked, "Do you know why you are so tired?"

Oleg looked at me and said, "Maybe because of the deep snow?"

"Of course, but the main reason is because your eating habits are wrong.  If you don't have any hot meals, you don't have any energy."

I start talking about food and different diets, raw, and cooked.  No one interrupts me.  Not because they agree with me but because they were exhausted and didn't have any energy to argue.

After fifteen minutes when they had rested a bit, Oleg said, "Look, man, you are probably  right.  I know you are an expert in this field, but we have to go.  We have to reach that big rock today so we can climb it tomorrow and come back in one day.  We can't spend the night on that rock or we will all die.  Right now we can use your help to break this trail, but when we come back to town, I promise we can talk about the eating problem."

I didn't know what to say.  I think that they have to know this information now, but at the same time I knew Oleg was right.  

Oleg asks, "So, what is your decision?"

"I don't know, " I said.

Oleg looks at me one more time, takes the lead and starts walking.  Everyone follows him.  

In a few minutes I was standing alone in the middle of a small field.  I was thinking, we planned this trip for five years.  We built this team where everyone did their job and without me the team wouldn't be complete.  Oleg was right again.  We had to climb this rock tomorrow because then the climbing season ends.  If it starts snowing we can't climb this rock.  We will lose this climbing season.  Of course we can come back next year, but we have spent so much energy and time...

What's wrong with me?  I betrayed everyone and I betrayed my dream to climb this rock which has never been climbed!

We reach our camp near the rock about midnight.  We have about 5 hours to rest, because we have to start climbing at five in the morning so we can get back before dark.  The next day we did climb that rock.  It was very difficult and required a lot of skill.  Everybody reached the summit.  

On the way back, two of our friends got sick from the altitude.  We had to help them go down as soon as possible.  At this altitude they can die very quickly.  About halfway down, the weather changed and it started to snow...

We came out on even ground about midnight.  We did it and we are all alive, but if we had started climbing just two hours later, nobody knows how it would have ended.  

In town these two friends asked me for books on how to become vegetarians.  We are all friends forever and we know for sure that WHEN YOU ARE BREAKING THE TRAIL, BREAK THE TRAIL!