Is Freedom Just a Luxury Now?
My neighbors think I'm a lazy ass.
No wonder.
After all, I'm the one who's out walking my dogs at 10 am.
Or lying in the sun in the garden in the afternoon.
And that's being watched; I know it...
Hi everyone!
Even if very few people know it, humans are herd animals.
We like to be part of a group.
Associations, clubs, trade unions, and many other institutions are evidence of this.
And that's a good thing.
I am also part of such associations and enjoy them.
However, our herd behavior also has a downside.
Psychologists call it adaptation.
It's the "if everyone else does it, then I should probably do it too" mentality.
We are forced to think this way a bit. We learn it as kids.
Woe betide anyone different at school; the stronger ones were waiting for a reason to fight.
Those who have survived school unscathed then somehow find their way into the world of work.
This is usually also the way into the consumer world.
Suddenly, they often have their first money at their disposal and the process of adapting to society takes its course.
From clothes to cars, and vacations to eating habits - everything is now possible.
But all too often the social hamster boss is already waiting to push the famous hamster wheel into the hands of the next unsuspecting person.
The perfidious thing about the hamster wheel is not the fact that it exists.
No, because many people feel comfortable in orderly and consistent structures and processes.
The real danger lies in the momentum of the hamster wheel.
Once in motion, the speed increases constantly without you realizing it.
At first, it's fun, and your hair flutters in the wind of new opportunities.
All the money increases, the apartment or house gets nicer and bigger, and so does the neighborhood.
What then decreases more and more often is the connection to real life and existence.
Time for yourself? For the family? Friends?
Not a chance! After all, you have to earn the money you need to make ends meet at the end of the month.
The hamster wheel turns to maximum speed when we start spending money we don't (yet) have to buy things:
Spending money we don't (yet) have to buy things we don't need, to impress people we don't care about, and to ruin our health in the process...
More and more often, someone flies out of the hamster wheel at full speed.
The flight can take a long time and is not necessarily perceived as unpleasant.
The impact on landing, however, is.
Still caught up in feelings of astonishment, helplessness, and existential fear, the person who has landed in an emergency knocks the dust off their pants and begins to ponder.
Behind the brooding, the insidious depression is already waiting for its chance...
Health ruined. Family too.
The ex-partner now has the money because he/she had the better lawyer.
But now you're free again.
Really?
Losing everything you love is a life experience you wouldn't wish on anyone.
If your health is also ruined in the process, then your newfound freedom is in jeopardy.
And, overnight, many things that should be normal become a luxury.
Leaving the hamster wheel early seems impossible to many people.
But it's quite easy.
If you know where you can start doing things without ever missing them.
You don't have to chase after more and more.
Once you have learned to say no and refuse to play the game we call society, it is surprisingly easy to reorganize yourself.
The hackneyed saying "less is more" certainly has its value.
Do we still need more? Money, cell phones, vacations, you name it.
I think the time for real change has come.
And the number of people who are not prepared to give up on themselves and put their health at risk is increasing.
What they often lack is the certainty to start making the right changes.
Real freedom has long ceased to be a luxury for me.
I have learned how little I need to be happy.
And not just since my health was damaged when I landed in the dirt beside the hamster wheel…
The freedom to organize my days according to my rhythm is priceless.
Many people realized this luxury much earlier than I did.
Others will only realize it when they start to lose weight and get healthier.
My FARMISH lifestyle has become second nature to me and no amount of money in the world will be able to drag me back into the consumer world of the past.
Thanks for reading :-)
Wish you a wonderful day and a nice weekend.
Daniel
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