[Living Small]

Small living is about meeting one's needs while enjoying occasional, modest luxuries,
but not desiring great wealth, power, or fame. Small living is content with labouring to
provide for oneself and one's social circle, but seeks work that is fairly-compensated
and of reasonable conditions. Small living appreciates the simple pleasures of life, like
the smell of fresh bread, a friendly interaction with a stranger, a refreshing breeze,
and a good night's sleep. Small living makes the reasonable demands for equity, welfare,
self-fulfillment, security, and peace, not only for oneself, but for all.

Small living is compatible with minimalism and slow living, but does not necessitate them.

*

[Following the Flamingo]

For all the pretty things that can walk through hell unscathed:

Following the flamingo means thriving where it is not thought possible to survive.
For the sake of power and profit, global capitalism deems certain modes of
existence undesirable and uninhabitable. However, the flamingo, an unlikely
extremophile, makes its home in these places. Flamingos rely on each other to
weather the harsh conditions of their environment. Establishing a strong community
involving trust and mutual aid allows flamingos to sustain their way of life
outside of norms, expectations, and sometimes the law. Flamingos are resourceful
and brave, but their lives are not, by definition, glamorous. They struggle under
oppression from social, economic, and legal forces. They choose to endure
persecution because they value a quality of their lifestyle more than they fear
repurcussion. Flamingos acknowledge and accept the possibility that, despite their
best efforts, the foundations of their way of life may collapse at any moment.
Despite the danger, disapproval, and impermanence, flamingos regard themselves with
a sense of pride.

Examples of flamingo cultures can include underground networks of many different
types including homeless communities, queer identities, activist groups, and
criminal syndicates. However, not everyone in such networks fit under the analogy of
the flamingo. For instance, many people are not homeless by choice and would take any
opportunity to become housed; some people caught up in criminal operations may seek
to transition into legal work; etc. The analogy of the flamingo only fits those
individuals that find themselves suited to their underground lifestyle, regardless of
whether they entered the lifestyle by choice or circumstance.