What Made By People Means to Us

In Paul Kingsnorth’s book Against the Machine, he offered a simple thought that has stayed with me since reading it:

“We—at least if we are among the lucky ones—have every gadget and recipe and website and storefront and exotic holiday in the world available to us, but we are lacking two things that we seem to need, but grasp at nonetheless: meaning, and roots.”
― Paul Kingsnorth, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity

It’s true that even as you scroll through our website here at Homestead Living, you’ll find recipes, stories, inspiration, and knowledge — all available through the gadget in your palm.

However, we feel strongly that there is a distinct difference between finding content through your gadget and that same gadget shaping and informing and producing that very content. Especially when it comes to matters of family, food, and connection — things that matter.

This leads us to our promise: Made By People.

In a world where “the machine” can pump out content with a single prompt (and within just seconds), we know that there is an irresistible urge… the “tug of the machine” that seeks to lure mankind into a space of efficiency and convenience. And it strips away essence and humanity in the most callous of ways. And together, we lose something.

So when that urge hits our team, we pull the rope taut and resist. We resist the convenience of machine-made content and AI generated “stories.”

A machine is not capable of wisdom. A machine doesn’t sink its fingers into the dirt and pull from decades of experience to develop a unique, hard-won thought. A machine doesn’t have roots shaped by generations. A machine cannot love.

Stated simply, we’re making a promise that the content that you read from Homestead Living is shaped, and made, and earned by People — and is filled with meaning and roots.

One can gain with the machine. And there are efficiencies to be had, indeed. We are not anti-efficiency, anti-machine, or anti-progress. But those very machines cannot gain meaning and they cannot grow roots: both of which we hope we’re able to provide through the stories we share, voices we platform, and inspiration we provide.

So when you read Homestead Living magazine, scroll articles on our website, or flip through any of our published books, you can trust that our content is Made By People.

And it’s made for people like you, who are growing what matters — in every respect of life.

We thank you for your trust and your support.
— Troy

Troy Klongerbo
CEO, Homestead Living