Future thrills

Life’s complexity is steadily growing. We have more and more of everything. We earn more money all the time so we can buy more and more things. The economic system requires growth every year. With 2% growth the economy doubles in 35 years. Most people now just work in simplistic jobs and we consume all we can lay our hands on.

Modern society is also full of activity – impressions, news, entertainment, advertisements, improvements, repairs, travel, study, things that you feel you must have, do, take part in.

The result is a cluttered existence as we spend time getting, using, repairing, throwing away, storing all the things we feel we must have. Entertainment is everywhere, modern communications are making us busy too.

Life ends up in complications, outside of our control, we are being driven along by a big engine of growth. In the process our time and attention is taken.

We have to start thinking deeply about our lives, and there are many angles from which to start. It is surely advisable to think deeply about these matters, get rid of confusion, raise your consciousness and then let some action follow.

The big challenge is how to set about making changes to your life. Social pressures against are enormous, we often end up dreaming about changes.

Materialism is one angle and contrast that with what you really need. The abundance is overwhelming and temptation is great. Consumers and anticonsumers are adversaries, and the rest are constantly confused. Get rid of confusion, raise your consciousness, find out what you really need from life. From there it is really only about willpower.

It could boil down to preferences, to what you think is important. In our societies work is the most valued aspect of our lives – it is the clear winner. We must work – at least 40 hours a week for 40 years – even more than that. Adding sleep and rest to that and our lives are gone. The need for change should be obvious. You can have it if you put your mind to it.

You want more time to spend on your “likes”, reduce costly living, build conscious consumption, be part of a sustainable world, find new preferences towards simplicity and functionality, work towards conscious reduction of outside pressures, solve the enigma of spirituality.

The time spent working must somehow be reduced. Less buying is necessary, unless you establish alternative streams of income.

Be honest with yourself – be hard and you may succeed. A plan for economising your time, attention, places and money must be developed. You have to consider reduced consumption, the environment, spirituality, social life, sources of inspiration.

The key is consciousness, it is a life project, about making choices and concentrating on them, measuring progress.

It is also about politics. In practice you must withdraw and build on your own values of equality, sharing, individual freedom, reduced power over individuals, resist increased personal interference. Today’s dependence on the 4040 people is too great.

Many people have lived simple lives through the ages, now it  is time for present day methods based on todays situation.

Increasingly the mantras of sustainability,  spiritualism, off grid, environmentalism, anarchism, local control, individual freedom, sharing, equality, permaculture – real and in depth is gaining ground.

Clearly we can have a future simple life, but the big picture must be developed first: Better use of science, acceptance of a cosmos that is above us, a proper information community, voluntary participation, non-violent action, cooperation, equality, freedom.

We need quiet people that work on themselves and their relations to others, deep thinking, action filled creative lives, active spirituality, production based on real needs, an economic system for all. More people must do more for themselves – building, growing food, making things and repairing them.

A huge challenge is people’s ego – previously free people think mostly of themselves – but now a new mentality is needed to balance your ego with that of other people. We need less rules, an anarchy based on principles of voluntary participation, solidarity, equality, simplicity, freedom, non violence – a sweet society for all.

The real simple life is when you fully decide your own life’s action,when you are in harmony with your nearest, living physically, spiritually, economically, politically on your own terms.

So start thinking and doing – the force of many good things is with you. Dreams can come true, it needs a conscious mind.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2012 at 11:24 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.