For many of us, the urge to be free is greater than the desire to have more. We resist the orders to "CONSUME" coming from the consumerist cabal in order to live life on our own terms. There are no harnesses or fetters in a life of simplicity, frugality and thrift.
When it comes to resisting the chaffing, restricting harness of consumer capitalism, any response is valid and useful. Active resistance, passive resistance - it doesn't matter. Both are effective means to throw off the constrictions and run free once again.
We are saying NO to the profiteers trying to shackle the planet and everyone on it for their own selfish purposes. We can make their billions in advertising attractive chains ineffective. Sadly for them, they just can't force us to adopt their selfish, greedy line of thinking.
The beautiful, freedom loving cat in the video shows us that resistance is not futile. Watch and learn. And laugh. Then run away really fast and enjoy your life the way you want to live.
I really, really hope that the cat peed in their bed after. And then puked on that guys shoes. Cruel thing to put a too tight, too short harness on and then asume that it can walk. Sounds like a metaphor for any work I ever had by the way... To resist consumerism is like beeing Pippi Lonstocking everyday; be generous, be brave and be just you even if someone does not like it.
ReplyDeleteMost of the work I have done has made me feel exploited in some way because that is the way our system operates. Linda and I ran a small educational consulting business for a while and that felt better because we were working for ourselves doing work we enjoyed.
DeleteI like Pippi's radical advice.
Thanks so much for the reference to Pippi Longstocking. I have not thought of those books in years! I read them as a youngster. You bringing them up has made me want to re-read them. Planning a trip to the library!
DeleteHi Gregg,
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing that video, a good laugh before I go to work is always appreciated. I do get to laugh at work too as I spend most of my day with kids!
Anyone who thinks animals don't have intelligence and a spirit has got it wrong. I think pets are one of life's greatest gifts, for those of us fortunate enough to share our home with them.
I'm no longer shackled to work because of consumerism, but I am still shackled due to the need for housing. We had a housing boom in my country town and now housing is expensive, and renting costs about as much as buying. I really don't know what the solution is as I'm paying off my own house (the smallest we could reasonably live in) and fixing it up at the same time. This costs money, which means more working hours than are healthy. For now I try to be grateful that I have my own home and garden, and continue to pay it off as quickly as possible (to avoid hundreds of thousands in interest.)
Madeleine.x
I am a huge proponent of a guaranteed annual income for all. If we make the maximum wage about a few million per year, then we could use the rest to help others. I propose we do this before there are trillionaires everywhere.
DeleteThe Telegraph predicts that the world will have its first trillionaire by 2039, and that it will probably be Bill Gates.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10808915/World-could-see-first-trillionaire-in-25-years.html
Would this be a good thing if we still have people starving and dying of preventable diseases? I think not.
Spread the wealth. Share it around. Do some REAL good for the earth and the people on it with all that excess cash.
Working with kids has been my favourite work of all the jobs I have ever had. You are fortunate that you get to share your life with them in your job.
love it! apparently passive non-violent resistance really does work. perhaps i should simply lie down the next time that i think that i need to go shopping?
ReplyDeleteHillarious! I think that is an excellent solution to the problem of unneeded shopping events.
DeleteYou can lead a minimalist to the mall, but you can't make them shop. Especially if they are laying motionless on the ground in the parking lot outside.
Loved this post, made my morning indeed. Love the humor and love the message behind. They can't make me shop. Hubby and I both find going to town a bit boring now. No commersials or shops seem to have any draw on us anymore, there is nothing we want. Love the feeling. Not completely free of that harness yet, but fighting hard. Want to be free! Have a great weekend, all the best, from Pam in Norway
ReplyDeleteSounds like that harness is almost off!
DeleteIt's a beautiful analogy of run free like the cat in the video. And we must run free from the profiteers who harness us by every form of manipulation psychology can teach them to control us to consume. It works on the masses. If only they knew they are living in a learned helplessness state. Their collapsed into the system of "more".
ReplyDeleteWhat's actually happening in the in the video is a trauma response on the part of the cat. Humans trapped the cat, scared it to near death. The cat's body felt danger and went into collapse (or freeze) where it's heart rate and breathing slowed, all bodily functions slowed to a near death state a.k.a. "playing dead". That happens as an absolute last resort when the animal doesn't think it can survive by running (flight) or can't fight. It is a bodily (somatic) response not so much a cognitive one. Sometimes if the body "plays dead" the prey will leave and the animal can escape death. The refusal to stand and walk in the harness was a bodily response to fear of being eaten or suffocated or killed in some way. It is a profoundly cruel thing to do to a domesticated cat. I hope they ditch the harness.
Fortunately, for the cat, he was able to escape and likely was able to shake which is the body's way of discharging trauma. He should be OK.
For humans however, socialization has blocked that shaking response (and other ways animals discharge trauma) because we immediately try to stop the shaking, crying, etc after we experience a traumatic event because it is not socially acceptable for one to be out of control of our natural bodily functions. Hence, humans store the bodily energy and get sick, have PTSD, etc.
Animals have 3 responses to events they perceive as traumatic; fight, flight or freeze. It is possible to scare an animal to death, humans included.
What can happen in the case of the harness is that if the humans keep putting it on the cat enough times, the cat might develop a "learned helplessness" pattern because the cat knows and believes he cannot escape it when they decide to put it on him. He will appear obedient to the harness when really he is has learned helplessness. It robs him of his inherent right to move about freely and will likely affect him even when he is not harness.
The above information comes from my extensive study of Dr. Peter A. Levine's work on Somatic Experiencing and my personal experience with trauma. He dedicated his life to this study. I'm no expert, yet I felt compelled to share. This was just a summary.
I also have to say, I did laugh some during the video until I realized what was happening. It is funny to see a cat behave like that. So no one needs to feel bad. I have 3 cats who are in a learned helplessness state because I can't let them go outside and truly be free. It is too dangerous where I live to let them out. But I do not harness them, ever. I also understand that dogs must be leashed when around people. So I am not anti-restraint. It isn't a perfect world.
Here's to lets all go run free from consumerism like a cat who has just been released from a harness!
I can't jump up and down enough about how much support I gather from this blog. It is difficult to say no to so many intense pressures to buy more, own more, waste more, do more, more, more, more. It's especially difficult when your tiny support system (social network) is entirely signed up for consumerism like mine is. I appreciate all you guys so much.
Thank you for adding this information. I thought the cat was just a character with a serious attitude about being bound. What you are saying makes sense, and helps us understand better what is happening to the poor kitty (and civilized humans too, I think).
DeletePeople are increasingly catatonic, just the way they want us to be. It seems that the best we can do as totalitarianism sneaks into our public and private lives is get ourselves a more comfortable harness with a longer leash.
The current system is not geared toward our freedom or happiness. Those of us that struggle against that which is trying to dominate and destroy us and our planet have to stick together.
Communities like ours can help provide much needed balance in a wobbly world. Thank you for your participation in helping make this happen.
Thank you Terri, for explaining this--it looked to me like shock and very shallow breathing--not so funny.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gregg and Anonymous for sharing. I was a bit hesitant to speak up about the cat. Glad it was meaningful.
ReplyDelete