About Campfire Stories

I think most people would agree that our current way of living isn’t sustainable. And I’m sure my feeling of powerlessness about it is shared with many others. I recycle, eat vegetarian food and think over my options before getting on a plane. But the never ending stream of news about injustice, war and islands of plastics in the oceans – in the end just makes me shut down. I can’t take in any more of it! Because what could one person really do about it? What could I do to help create a just society? A world that isn’t so lonely? A world where fun and hard work aren’t opposites? Set within an environment that isn’t for sale?

For too long I’ve been blocking out what the effects are of “business as usual”. The quantification of all things. The ever hungrier converting of nature into goods. The measuring, labelling and destruction of our environment in the name of monetary wealth, efficiency and convenience. I’ve been pretending that global warming isn’t really happening to me. I’ve been telling myself that war is tragic, but occurs elsewhere. I’ve been under the impression that I need more stuff to fulfil myself.

Not anymore! It seems I’m waking up from a zombiefied state; realising that there actually are things I can do! No more business as usual! I don’t have to go along with the rules that were handed down to me!

The old way of doing things is beginning to crumble. And the time has come for ordinary people – people like me – to find new solutions, to act out a new story, and to no longer accept being part of the destructive old ways.

“Sounds great, but how, exactly?” you may ask. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t fully know. But I’m beginning to get a sense for it. A feeling of aliveness and “let’s-get-to-work” is rising within me. This website is a platform for that feeling. Welcome to Campfire Stories.

/Mattias Olsson