Soapbox

About 6 months ago I rediscovered Dr. Bronner's liquid soap. Those of you who do primitive camping or affiliate with hippie culture know all about this soap. I used to use it in college, but somewhere along the way stopped buying it. I am not really sure why. It has numerous excellent features:

• Certified Fair Trade
• Organic
• 100% post-consumer recycled material bottle
• Made in USA
• Gentle soap that smells awesome

It costs about $7 for a 16 ounce bottle. That seems pricey compared to other liquid soaps, but I've found it lasts a lot longer. The peppermint scent has always been my favorite. It smells good, feels tingly, and leaves the bathroom smelling great.

For those of you who haven't used the soap, a very interesting part of the experience is Dr. Bronner's philosophies that are written on the label. The story of Dr. Bronner's life and philosophies is difficult to sum up here. If you have the time, check out "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox" on Netflix: http://magicsoapbox.com/doc/. <aside> I recently watched it along with another, even better, more life changing documentary, "Which Way Home": http://whichwayhome.net/. If you have Netflix, it is definitely a good use of your time to watch "Which Way Home". It is one of the best "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" type films I have ever seen. <end aside>

Dr. Bronner was either eccentric or insane depending on who you talk to. However, his philosophies are worth reading. He espoused a brotherhood of man religion where we are all one worshipping the same God. Even if you are not of a religious nature at all, some of his points just make sense for living your life in general. Here are just a few of his statements from what he calls the "Moral ABCs":

• "1^st: If I am not for me, who am I?"
• "2^nd: Yet if I am only for me, what am I? Nothing!"
• "3^rd: If not now, when?..."
• "5^th: Whatever unites mankind is better than whatever divides us!..."
• "7^th: Each swallow works hard to be perfect pilot – provider – builder – trainer – teacher – lover – mate, no half-true hate! So, each day like a bird, perfect thyself first! Have courage and smile my friend. Think and act 10 years ahead! And the man without fault? He's dead! Do one thing at a time, work hard! Get done!..."

And it goes on and on. There are a lot of words for a soap label! I have left out the zanier parts, but even with the parts that don't make sense, there are some good points. He advocates hard work and cleanliness throughout and sharing what you know with those around you. So if you are tired of fake-smelling soaps with weird ingredients, embrace your hippie side!