Does Simply EXISTING Require More Effort than it Used to? by denmarkguy

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life · @denmarkguy · Mar 4 '17

$1.31

Does Simply EXISTING Require More Effort than it Used to?

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<p>Every time I look at YouTube and other commercial sites, I seem to end up being presented with ads for <em>"5-hour energy drinks,"</em> and various supplements evidently designed to help people avoid getting naturally tired.</p>
<p>Being a non-consumer of such products, these ads <em>do</em> sometimes it makes me wonder what's going on with the world-- <em>and</em> they make me wonder just how well <em>"targeted ads"</em> truly work.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-left">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/a055a097e5.jpg" alt="Clover" /><br />
<em>White clover blossom</em></p>
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</p>
<p>But anyway, we never used to drink energy drinks... we didn't used to <em>have</em> them, either, I suppose... we drank "coffee" to wake up.&nbsp;</p>
<p>And yes, I am <em>familiar</em> with the ostensible benefits of these drinks; my wife drinks <em>"Rock Stars" </em>on a regular basis-- she says they help her stay focused; she has ADHD.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But it all still makes me ponder: what's the deal?</p>
<p>Do we really have less energy than we used to? I doubt it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Seems more likely that we've created a world in which having <em>"more life</em>" is the norm... so it's not that we <em>have</em> less energy, it's that we<em> need</em> more energy to cope with what's considered a normal life, these days.</p>
<p>To me, it's a world upside down. I really don't believe human beings are meant to cram as much <em>(stuff, activities, people, events)</em> into a 24-hour day as we sometimes seem compelled to.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-right">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/a0558791ff.jpg" alt="Rhododendron" /><br />
<em>Salmon colored Rhododendron</em></p>
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</p>
<p>Studies of indigenous peoples who have very little contact with western <em>"civilizations"</em> consistently have shown that in these tribes 4-5 hours a day engaged in procuring <em>"the basic necessities of life"</em> is pretty standard. The remainder of the day is spent in conversation, in story telling and in <em>"community connecting,"</em> and in basically <em>NOT DOING</em> anything. Typically, these tribes also don't have problems with such things as crime, stress, depression and the like.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Yes, I'm well aware that I am oversimplifying here, but maybe we could learn something from them, rather than try to <em>"civilize"</em> them to become <em>"good little consumers."</em></p>
<p>The longer I live, the more I come to the conclusion that <em>"our way"</em> (AKA "Western Civilization") just isn't <em>"all that."</em> I have long been a believer in <em>"less"</em> and <em>"simplicity."</em>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Ironically, consuming "less" is not as easy as it looks.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Why?&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-left">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/a055b71160.jpg" alt="YellowFlower" /><br />
<em>Yeah, but will I get energy from eating it?</em></p>
</div>
</p>
<p>Because the world is primarily set up to serve the needs of people with a <em>"more"</em> orientation towards life, not with a <em>"less"</em> or <em>"enough"</em> orientation. Even in the simplest of ways. This morning, I was standing the kitchen waiting for the coffee to finish brewing... and noticed the banner printed across a can of soup: <em>"Now 35% more soup!"</em> the label proudly exclaimed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Call me cynical, but it seemed like just another reflection of our world's seeming addiction to <em>"more."</em> Think about it: After a while people don't need <em>"more"</em> cans of soup-- after all, you can only want soup for <em>so</em> many meals-- so what do you do, in order to sell <em>"more"</em> soup? You make each can of soup <em>larger</em>, so you can perpetuate the eternal growth cycle.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of course, somehow we have to be able to <em>pay</em> for "more" soup, so we have to <em>work</em> "more." As a result of which we need to have "more" energy, so we need to consume 5-hour energy drinks.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but I am just not interesting in being on that train, anymore...</p>
<p>Meanwhile, here in our local town, there's a proposal before the city council to increase people's water bill by $50 a month for the base rate.</p>
<p>City revenues are down, and campaigns to use water economically have been very successful. The cost of water hasn't actually gone up... and yet? We will get charged <em>more</em> for <em>less</em> water because the city government lives by a policy of <em>expansion</em> (or "<em>more</em>") rather than recognizing that it could actually become <em>smaller</em>, and function just as well.</p>
<p>What do<em> YOU</em> think? Does the <em>"velocity of life"</em> seem to be speeding up, all the time? Does it feel like you eternally have to consume and do "<em>more</em>" in order to simply feel like you're not falling "<em>behind?</em>" How would you feel about a world in which <em>"enough"</em> was the ideal, instead of always <em>"more?"</em> What are your thoughts on things like <em>"Voluntary Simplicity?"</em></p>
<p><em>(All text and images by the author unless otherwise credited. Original content created specifically for Steemit)  </em></p>
</html>

👍 witness.svk, krnel, craig-grant, joshbreslauer, joseph, michaeldodridge, svk, dunia, summon, kus-knee, carrinm, biodragon, wang, macksby, picokernel, cryptos, pal, mata, jocelyn, bue, lightsplasher, berkah, good-karma, coininstant, gamer00, fyrstikken, originate, stephen.king989, goldsteem, roelandp, svamiva, jacobtothe, ocrdu, bola, honusurf, steemsports, furion, blackchen, idol, denmarkguy, unipsycho, xwerk, jonathanxvi, bue-witness, littlemozart, ripplerm, boy, animal-shelter, proctologic, deadmosco, pairmike, kurtbeil, sqube, happyphoenix, mini, karenmckersie, jeanviete, kyle.anderson, jamesjarman, ttitto, richardcrill, daniel.pan, barrydutton, giantbear, and 57 others

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@jacobtothe · Mar 4 '17

I would argue that taxation makes up the difference between the hours primitive people work each day and the hours we need to work in the modern world. Technology has massively multiplie dthe productivity of the individual, more than making up for the added costs of modern luxuries. One could live at the standards of a mere century ago with little labor indeed, but that's probably "illegal" now.

👍 gamer00, denmarkguy, deadmosco, johnthehoan, ambyr00

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@denmarkguy · Mar 4 '17

Agreed-- except most people think they "have to" keep working more and more so they can afford to ACQUIRE all the things now created by automation. It is as if it doesn't even *occur* to them to simply say "no thanks."

👍 jacobtothe

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@macksby · Mar 4 '17

More, More, More... Me, Me, Me... 
If there is someone or something observing us, looking at us from the outside -- it can't be a very pretty picture. Thanks for the post, I completely understand. Cheers!

👍 denmarkguy

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@denmarkguy · Mar 4 '17

Sometimes I think most of humanity suffers from (or has been *trained* to suffer from) a really bad case of "The Fear Of Missing Out." Like something terrible will happen to them if they don't have the latest gadget or the newest car or whatever....

👍 macksby

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@macksby · Mar 4 '17

...or the biggest flat screen TV... :))

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@old-guy-photos · Mar 4 '17

The older I get the less I find I need. It is a recent change though. I spent my first half century on the "more" train, but now I find the minimalist train more and more appealing.

👍 gamer00, denmarkguy, deadmosco, johnthehoan, ambyr00

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@deadmosco · Mar 4 '17

I have a similar feeling. I have heard of the minimalists recently, and their way of life is quite compelling.

👍 denmarkguy, old-guy-photos

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@denmarkguy · Mar 4 '17

I find the idea of voluntary simplicity very appealing... I was part of the "success economy" till my early 30's, but didn't do very well at it. Whit I find challenging is that I still have to *interact* with it... I may want smaller, but when I go to find a nice inexpensive apartment, it has been torn down and replaced with "luxury flats." For example. I think it's crazy, and needs to be changed, somehow...

👍 old-guy-photos

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`root_title`	"Does Simply EXISTING Require More Effort than it Used to?"
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properties (23)vote details (1)

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old-guy-photos	0 B		1,419,798,637	100%

@old-guy-photos · Mar 4 '17

Agreed. That's the rub isn't it. Unless one is totally self sufficient, you still need to interact with it. I have no desire to totally withdraw from society. If I break my leg, I would like to have a dr fix it etc. At the same time, I am no longer driven to buy into the excess...the idea that  new is always better, or bigger is always better etc.

properties (22)