That may sound like I stole it from minuscar, but really it was a quote from an article in the LA times, take a look. While you're looking around you can visit the website the article refers to.
So there it is, my dream in life, to progress to the point of living off the land, completely independent. So what would our country or city be like if we all lived like that? Well, we wouldn't need big trucks or trains transporting goods. Big businesses that people complain about would suffer because community members would be supplying many of their own goods. Of course not everyone would be able to live completely off the land, but imagine eliminating over half of your food budget, most of your electric and water bill and saving considerable on fuel for your car. What would you do with all that extra money? Most people would buy stuff, which is the problem. I think a better choice would be to cut my job back to half time so that the truck drivers and train engineers could find a job. Then I would have enough money to live, and more time to spend with my family. Boy, that sounds like the good life. Interesting, if someone were to ask what I did for a living and I told them I worked part time at a grocery store they would likely consider me "unsuccessful". I think that the independence and time to spend with my family would be the ultimate success.
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5 comments:
You and I share similar bucolic dreams. Almost a year ago I gave up a potentially lucrative career with a consulting firm to be a public servant at a government agency. I’ll never be rich, but I have a flexible schedule, work four days a week, never have deadlines, am encouraged to exercise at work, am provided with career advancement training, and earn a modest income. Sure it’s not quite as satisfying as living of the fat of the land, but living off the fat of the government sow is pretty close. You should give it a try.
When the world as we know it begins to collapse under the weight of affluenza and a lack of oil, those who can live off the land will become the elite and their educational expertise will become the new `oil`, creating massive wealth and celebrity for those who can teach urbanites how to live with less.
Wouldn`t that be interesting.
I completely agree with you on the success part. It should not be measured by the amount of money you have or make, infact, we should not be measuring success at all, because that would be judging other people.
John,
Is it wrong to judge other people?
If so, why would you judge those who measure success through financial gain.
I agree that we shouldn't use monetary gain to determine status or worth, but saying that we shouldn't judge other people is a poor line of reasoning because it is self-refuting.
Yes. I agree completely. The dream of living off the grid and being self sufficient is the ultimate lifestyle of peace. I have often wondered how this could remotely be possible unless one is rich, and all I can conclude is that the reason we were not born back in the 1800-1900's is because we are meant to be here now and we can cope with these modern lifestyles. As much as I wish I could live in an isolated community, without big business, it looks like it is here to stay for at least the next 20 years. The question I ask myself is: How can I measure my success while living in this time and in these large communities? The answer is what you touched on...success in the home and time with family. Nothing else matters. I love reading your thoughts. Keep them coming!
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