Remembering Helen Nearing on her 100th birthday
Good Life Message Rings Strong for a New Generation
Photo: Levinson
Harborside, Maine - Eight years after her death at the age of 91 in a car accident, and 52 years after the late Helen Nearing and her husband, Scott, brought their brand of non-violent activism and simple living to Downeast Maine, their stone-built home and organic gardens, now known as The Good Life Center, stand like a beacon for a new generation of Americans looking for a message of hope in troubled times. On February 23, the 100th birthday of Helen Nearing, a new generation of Good Life experimenters and those who knew Nearing as a vibrant and dedicated social activist and friend will recall the legacy of a woman who inspired them and changed their lives.
Henry Zachhini, now working as a community housing activist in southern Vermont, recalls his first encounters with Helen Nearing's writings, "Her writings inspired us with their deep dedication to her way of living. From her dissident lifestyle to her passion for animal rights, to her steadfast adherence to organic gardening practices, we saw in her model a way to live a satisfying, rewarding and purposeful rural life." He would later become a Resident Steward with partner Rachel Glickman, spending April 2001-February 2003 living at Forest Farm for an in-depth, hands-on experience at "living simply."
Since Helen's death, 11 young people have had the opportunity to live as Resident Stewards at Forest Farm, a program developed by The Good Life Center. Says current Board member, Annie Sheble, "In the idea for The Good Life Center, Helen wanted to preserve the Nearing's last home, ensure that the books they had both written would continue to be available, and offer a way for others to learn and experiment with living simply. She was particularly concerned that young people have the opportunity to explore alternative ways of living in the world and embrace and expand on the ideals and ideas that she and Scott had dedicated their lives to."
As Rebecca Hein, former Resident Steward (March 2003-March 2005) said, "Helen has given me the ultimate opportunity: to step into her world. She shares with me her home, her library, her garden and land. But beyond that, she has given me time. Time in life to explore, reflect, and create. Time to grow food, to be a part of a community, be with nature, see beyond the surface, attend to my needs, share with others, and learn so much that has already forever changed my life. She has allowed me to live life outside the system and experience the beauty and freedom that persist."
Visitors in the thousands, both young and old, continue to visit The Good life Center each year, and a series of weekly summer lectures on diverse topics of current interest, the Monday Night Meetings, keep the Nearing spirit of debate, discussion and innovation alive.
The flourishing of The Good Life Center has been the result of hard word and dedication on the part of a diverse group of associates of the Nearings, unexpectedly flung together in September 1995 with Helen¹s untimely death. That summer, Helen had put the final touches on an agreement with the Trust for Public Land, who would shepherd the creation of small, non-profit organization, The Good Life Center, to keep the Nearings' ideas alive after their passing. Both the Trust for Public Land and Helen expected to have several years together to help work out the details and nurture this fledgling organization. But her death that Fall left TPL to organize a group of Nearing associates from many walks of life to take Helen¹s vision and make it a reality. And they have. In 1998, with TPL¹s blessing, The Good Life Center became an independent non-profit organization whose mission is, "Advancing Helen and Scott Nearing¹s commitment to social justice and simple living, and preserving their last hand-built home."
Martin and Pam Spahn, Resident Stewards from April 1996- April 1997, were the first to live in the Nearing house who had not known either Helen or Scott. Martin says, "Helen Nearing could have enjoyed the privileges of affluence and education in the usual manner. Instead, she chose to live her life as a statement. Not a statement about taste, style, and prestige, but about simplicity, harmony and kindness with the universe. Was her life free from contradiction? Heavens, no. Perhaps the greatest testimony to her is the numbers of lives she touched. Now an organic farmer in Central Maine, I am continually meeting people who were influenced by her and her husband Scott."
Long-time friend Deb Soule, owner and founder of Avena Botanicals, says, "One of most significant memories of Helen that lives in me is the way she physically stood in the world. I first heard Helen speak in 1979 at the College of the Atlantic. Barely 20 years old, I was hungry to meet older women who were experienced organic gardeners. I could not take my eyes off Helen. She carried herself with dignity and without fear. She spoke with ease and without apology. Her willingness to stand tall and without shame has helped me to do the same. When I let myself imagine something Helen might say today, the words, "Don¹t give up" keep coming to me."
Her strength of purpose and character were also fondly remembered by Ellen LaConte, who reflected, "What set Helen Nearing apart at the end of her life when I knew her was why she lived her life the way she did: The Good Life gave her the opportunity in every phase of her life, as it had given her and Scott in every phase of their shared life, to attempt to live mindfully, consciously, and with the grain of what they called the Larger Life or the All rather than against it."
In looking to the future, The Good Life Center continues to be inspired by the woman whose vision it was. As Henry Zacchini, Resident Steward from 2001-2003, says "As Resident Stewards, we quickly became aware of Helen's inconsistencies, frailties, insecurities and fears, and we discovered that she did not always achieve the lofty ideals laid out so concretely in her written life. But we realized there was an even greater lesson here - ultimately, her story represents an enduring facet of the human condition, that of striving for an ideal and perhaps falling short, but in so doing, inspiring others to take up the mantel, take up the struggle to realize our divinity."
Helen's oft-quoted words, which she attributed to Scott, "Do the best that you can, wherever you are, and be kind" sum up her enduring legacy, one which encourages all of us to make a difference in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. The Good Life Center continues to strive to manifest her vision and to maintain a vibrant, living legacy that both reflects the Nearing ideas and offers an opportunity to experiment with how those ideas can evolve and grow to meet current day realities.
A small group has formed to plan a special planting of some of Helen¹s favorite plants this summer at a Monday Night Meeting dedicated to her, and will work through the Spring on this project. So far, high bush blueberries, apple trees, maple trees, and a revitalized herb garden have all been suggested as appropriate. All have agreed that new plants that will grow and flourish under others' care is a fitting remembrance for a woman whose life was dedicated to sowing "seeds" of love and change in as many people as she could.
What site visitors shared about Helen with us...
From Ellen LaConte
What set Helen Nearing apart at the end of her life when I knew her was why she lived her life the way she did: the Good Life gave her the opportunity in every phase of her life, as it had given her and Scott in every phase of their shared life, to attempt to live mindfully, consciously, and with the grain of what they called the Larger Life or the All rather than against it.
Helen viewed her life as just one of many she had spent and would spend in Life's school graduating from clumsiness to competence, callowness to compassion, ignorance to wisdom, illusion to truth, and selfishness to love. She reckoned she'd learned love from and with her parents and Scott, and in her last years she was endeavoring to spread it around a bit more generously.
After much reflection, Helen and Scott put the horse of aspiration before the cart of action. The specific principles and practices of the Good Life were expressions of an ambition to self-perfect: the best and most just, fair, honorable, and equitable life could only be manifested by one's best, most just, fair, honorable, and equitable self. Sustainable self-subsistence, vegetarianism, healthy environments, pacifism, frugality, commitment to community and to teaching, were not only an end, they were the means. Consequently, the tenets and tenor of the Good Life can be lived out even where its specifics are less easily achieved.
What Helen wanted our ever more clumsy, callow, ignorant, deluded, and selfish society to learn, and sometimes despaired of our learning it, is that, no matter what our circumstances, we are called to live higher and to grow up into our full humanity, and that we are capable of doing it. What she meant to be, and what The Good Life Center still is, is an example of what a mature, mindful, and meaningful way of living looks like. Though I live in urban North Carolina now, far from all the Forest Farms on which Helen did her spiritual homework, I regularly run into people who have not only heard of her, but have recognized hers and Scott's example as one that applies and inspires no matter what the circumstances of one's life. The Good Life is still a goad to sane living in a troubled world.
From Rebecca Hein, Resident Steward 2003-2005
Helen has given me the ultimate opportunity: to step into her world. She shares with me her home, her library, her garden and land. But beyond that, she has given me time. Time in life to explore, reflect, and create. Time to grow food, be a part of a community, be with nature, see beyond the surface, attend to my needs, share with others, and learn so much that has already forever changed my life. She had allowed me to live life outside the system and experience the beauty and freedom that persist. Thank you Helen for your generosity, wisdom, and inspiration.
From Henry Zacchini and Rachel Glickman, Resident Stewards 2000-2003
As former stewards of The Good Life Center, we have a somewhat unique perspective on Helen's life and the influence she made on us years after her passing.Her influence can be divided into two different but interconnected spheres.
The first is that her writings inspired us with their deep dedication to her way ofliving. From her dissident lifestyle to herpassion for animal rights, to her steadfast adherence to organic gardeningpractices, we saw in her model a way to live a satisfying,rewarding and purposfulrural life. The flip side of this reality is her humanness. As Resident Stewards we quickly became aware (through reading and meeting folks who knew her) of Helen's inconsistencies, frailties, insecurities and fears, and we discovered that she did not always achieve the lofty ideals laid out so concretely in her written life.
At first we were somewhat taken aback, but as time passed we realized there was an even greater lesson here than if Helen had been the anointed figure we (and she) had made her out to be. Ultimately, her story represents an enduring facet of the human condition, that of striving for an ideal and perhaps falling short, but in so doing, inspiring others to take up the mantel, to take up the struggle to realize our divinity. As for what she would think of the world today, we do not believe it would be that different than her perspective when she died. Contrary to some commonly held notions, Scott was not the only one in their partnership who cared about social issues. And we feel that the things which bothered him, capitalistic oligarchy, the U.S. war machine, social inequities, competitive rather than cooperative social structures, poisonous food, etc., were the things that bothered Helen as well. Our guess is she would have been on the streets protesting the current imperial war, globalization, etc., and would have been giving those who showed up at the farm an earful about them as well.
From Martin and Pam Spahn
Helen Nearing could have enjoyed the privileges of affluence and education in the usual manner. Instead, She chose to live her life as a statement. Not a statement about taste, style, and prestige a la Martha Stewart but about simplicity, harmony and kindness with the universe. Was her life free from contradiction? Heavens no. Perhaps the greatest testimony to her is in the numbers of lives she touched. I never met her, but as an organic farmer in central Maine, I am continually meeting people who were influenced by her and her husband Scott.
From Deb Soule, Avena Botanicals
One of the most significant memories of Helen that lives in me is the way she physically stood in the world.
I first heard Helen speak in 1979 at College of the Atlantic. Barely 20 years old, I was hungry to meet older women who were experienced organic gardeners. I could not take my eyes off Helen. She carried herself with dignity and without fear. She spoke with ease and without apology. After Scott's death, Helen and I developed a relationship that lasted until she herself died. Her willingness to stand tall and without shame has helped me to do the same.
Over the past several years I have called up images of Helen to help me feel confident and less fearful when I give public talks about medicinal herbs, women's health and political challenges herbalists face. When I let myself imagine something Helen might say today, the words Don't Give Up keep coming to me.
From Jeanne Gaudette, Neighbor and Friend
Here are some things I loved and remember about Helen.
- Having intense intellectual conversations
- Having her accurately read me psychically and jump up to get me some article or thing that was JUST what I needed at that moment
- Sharing the lunch of recycled soup with a blob of peanut butter thrown into it by her
- Talking about extra-terrestrials
- The extreme orderliness, i.e.: the elastic ball, the paperclips, the string balls, etc.
- The constant re-usage of envelopes and packaging materials
- The joy of having her telephone me for a cheerful gab
- The amazing stories she told me about her Theosophy days
- Her incredible wardrobe !!!
- Without notice having her appear with some friends who we simply had to meet
- Her total eccentricity
- The manner in which she would dismiss me whenever she felt it was time to move on
- Our incredible astrological discussions
- Receiving several Christmas presents from her that I had given her in past years!
- Laying in the hammock together talking about the dying process.
Helen seems very close somehow and I often feel her guiding hand in the quest to live ever more simply.