Sunday Musings: The Worthiness of Smaller Simpler Lives

The world is a strange place!

If you've been reading these pages for a while, you've likely picked up on the vibe that I am often mystified by it, and I'm often rejecting many of its basic tenets.

Chasing "Success"

From childhood, we are set up and groomed to pursue this nebulous thing called "success."

I know I was... came from an extended family of business executives, bankers and industrialists, and "striving" was an intricate part of the fabric of the family — and everything surrounding it — since I was quite small. There were "correct" answers to the proverbial "so what do you want to be when you grow up" question, and there were "silly" ones.

We were expected to be serious about life. We were expected to achieve.

There was never any clear reasons given for this, other than perhaps an excessive emphasis on (impressive) things rather than people.

But my family — and its influence — was just its own microcosm.

Once I set forth into the world on my own — at the age of 18 — it didn't take me long to discern that the entire system seemed to revolve around pursuing material desires. Perhaps that perception was skewed a little by the fact that I started University in the USA — the world headquarters of Capitalism and Consumerism — rather than in Denmark.

Of course, I followed "the rules," while at the same time not feeling exactly sure why those were the rules, nor why they didn't actually feel like something meaningful.

Don't get me wrong here... I like "nice things" as much as the next person, but not to the degree that I would want to dedicate my entire life to the pursuit of so many of them.

In my 30's — stressed to the gills by a "successful" job in the IT industry — I just stopped.

Stopping is usually a really good starting point! As the old saying goes "When you find yourself at the bottom of a deep hole, the FIRST thing to do is STOP DIGGING!"

I stopped digging.

I started thinking.

What do you REALLY want your life to be about?

I certainly didn't want it to be about the constant stress of working endless hours, just so I could make the payments on $70,000 worth of consumer debt. And I didn't want to it to be about consuming so much... because it offered no joy; no satisfaction.

The Change

Society doesn't actually want you to live life on your own terms.

Why? Because — in most cases — when you start living on your own terms, you also start living according to your authentic wants and needs, rather than a manufactured "story" you are expected to follow... because your ego is all wrapped up in that particular story line.

It's not about rejecting money and material goods.

I have a car — a 2003 Chevy pickup truck to be precise — because I like having a car, and it's useful for moving garden waste to the dump, and picking things up from the garden center. But I don't need to do those things in a late model luxury car. I have a house, because I like having a roof over my head, and being warm and comfortable... but I don't need to have those things in a 6-bedroom mansion.

One of the most interesting things about "dialing down" the whole striving for success thing is that it has also resulting in a radical change in the friends I keep. We have a different set of common interests... but what I notice most is that this more recent group of friends are a lot less stressed out and hung up on the relentless pursuit of success.

And I kinda dig that!

On Tuesday, a friend is bringing a large trailer load of good topsoil. His parents own a large landscaping company, and he's just bringing this as a favor.

I realized that I am actually more excited about getting new soil for the garden than I would be about getting the latest iPhone! Things will grow in that soil... and become food. An iPhone? I have a six-year old smartphone that was "whatever came free" with the mobile plan. It makes calls. It has a basic camera. I can send a text when I need to.

Meanwhile... I'm grateful that Steemit seems to be "working" again!

Now, if the Steem token would just go back up to a couple of dollars again... I'd be able to buy a new house heater! But hey, I'm not counting on that one! Just saying "it would be nice!"

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about you? Are you a busy "striver" in life? Or are you more relaxed and laid back? Have you ever wondered whether your goals are YOUR OWN, or some prescribed by family/society? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.03.18 00:44 PDT
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