Freedom: the choice is yours

As I sit in my garden, watching the woodlice explore the cracks in the patio and listening to the bees visiting the sweet peas, I can’t help but remember over hearing a conversation on the train the other day. A woman was telling her friend how she emailed her boss at 3am because she was so worried about work she couldn’t sleep. Now I bet she doesn’t feel she has the time to watch woodlice and what a shame. I was reading about freedom on the train and how freedom isn’t about escaping responsibilities but respecting them as well as other people’s freedom. Sadly, the woman on the train probably doesn’t realise that she has freedom (as most of us in the modern world do) as we create cages for ourselves with work and perceived responsibilities. We allow ourselves to become trapped in consumerism and the rat race when there really is no need. Why trade our freedom for the choice between designer brands?

So, whilst blissfully soaking up the sun and admiring how nature has managed to overcome the paving slabs and grow a willow tree in the smallest possible amount of soil, I realised that whilst 9-5 doesn’t feel like freedom, we are all still free. We just need to remember that. If we enjoy the simple pleasures in life, make the most of what we have rather than striving for more money, more stuff, more responsibility, then we can feel free. I for one will try to remember this, although it’s going to be hard the next time I get soaked to the skin on my way to work at 6am when I’d rather be in bed!

Is it time to escape the rat race and downshift?

I’ve noticed recently, that just buying ethically isn’t enough for me anymore. I feel the need to live more ethically, in all areas of my life. Don’t worry, I’m not about to start some moral crusade or anything, I mean living a life that has less impact on the environment, perhaps one that makes a positive difference. Whilst browsing facebook and twitter I see that more and more people are keeping chickens, bees and animals and growing their own veg – a friend last week even announced he wants to live on a farm. This got me thinking, where has this sudden ‘getting back to the world ways’ idea come from? More and more people are becoming disillusioned with the 9-5 constant consumerist society, the American dream we’ve all been sold since the 50’s where work equals money which means we can buy stuff to make us happy rather than just being happy. In the past we’ve had a New Age craze going on where these disillusioned people, feeling displaced from modern society, were seeking solace in Eastern religions and philosophies. We had a resurgence of yoga, Buddhism, spiritualism, anything exotic or ethnic rather than something western religion. Now its like the trend has swung back to where we are, it’s just that we’re embracing the old ways of self sufficiency, working the land and even paganism. Whilst the religious side of things doesn’t interest me, I don’t need to believe in anything to be content, this concept of a simple life, downshifting or dropping out the rat race really appeals. My experience of living cheaply and ethically from charity shops and farm shops fits nicely in this concept so now I’m just working out how to take the steps to get to live my dream of the good life.