On a commune in Finland

Toni Tanskanen: not religious – spiritual I’m living in the countryside in a community in Southern Finland. We live in a 150-year-old log house. Our goal is to be as independent of society as possible. This is a life long project for me. We have now 12 square metres land in organic agriculture, and soon we will have two finn-horses and one pony. also two sheep.

Our community works very well. here is three adults, three children (they’re all one person’s of our community), two dogs and two cats. In the spring we’re buying also three base’s of bees.

My plan for myself is to do full time organic agriculture at summer time, collect food from wild nature and take care of bees. Also I’m gonna collect material from nature for handicrafts for the winter. I will make hats, baskets and many other things from reed(rush), willow, hemp-, linen- and nettle fiber. Then I’m going to sell them on the streets.

I have and idea for an eco-village which isn’t big building but a small village community which consist of common kitchen & sauna & washing place & main building and private singletons and duplexes. Those singletons and duplexes would be small low-cost huts, teepees, yurts and such ancient dwellings.

I have decided that I won’t study anything that I’m not interested in anymore. And I am interested in self-sustainability, solidarity and helping people. I am interest in giving joy and happiness to people, not being in rat-wheel. I am mentally healthy, also socially and physically. I have no problems which is a quite surprising and very good feeling. My goal for my life is to live in THIS MOMENT and give, give, give! That way is also the only way to get as much as possible. But I get also when giving. I give light ofmy being and I get light of the beings of the others. And that’s MUCH. That’s the most precious thing we can give and get.

I could die a happy person just now for I have got so much from the life itself although I lived only 23 years and Fully Lived only four years.

I’m not religious, but I am spiritual. Not Christian, not new-age, … maybe mystic. Although I aim to live like an ascetic, I don’t feel like that.

When I’m eating and living more simpler way I get more from it. I feel like as a true hedonist. It feels odd when I’m visiting in cities and seeing what poor games people are playing! But I can not help them. I can only help myself and be a part of creating new culture based on true joy, happiness and solidarity. I can only help those who are open to it and also same time they help me.

In Finland there isn’t enough people interested in indigenous (“primitive”) way of life) so it’s enough for me if that village consist of persons that really want to live self-sufficiently, growing their own food.

My ideal village is such, where is possible to grow individually your own food in own garden, but also there’s large common garden which can be used.

I have found one possible couple for the village. Also one young girl that has established successful self-sufficiency garden this year could be interested. But I think that I and that couple can make already that village and more will come by time. So, I have to save money for the land (10 acre field, 30-50 acres meadow, spring or well, lake somewhere nearby and 1 hectare or more forest).