I have often wondered if living a slow, simple life is more desirable to people tending toward introversion.
It seems to make sense because internals need less to get their kicks than externals.
Such a way of living is vastly misunderstood, or at least misrepresented.
Having few external desires, and living with just enough, and possibly away from it all, is painted as misanthropic, a deficiency of some sort, or an outright mental illness.
As usual, follow the money.
Rewarding the pursuit of external stimulation gets people out of their homes and spending.
Therefore, extroversion is favoured in consumer nations.
Maybe, in part, that preference is why simplicity has not been a popular choice.
A quiet, inward-focused life is not business friendly. There is little profit to be made there.
However, there is nothing wrong with spending time alone, or living a quiet, mindful, simple life, despite what our cultural conditioning tells us.
Maybe if more people tried it, they may find that they like it more than being on the constant treadmill of consumerism.
Gregg, this guys life looks amazing to me. What a beautiful cottage and such peaceful surroundings. Like him, I too am an introvert. Growing up, I was made to feel like there was something wrong with me and that I didn't like going out to pubs or parties etc. There was always too much noise, too much stuff and too many people. That hasn't changed now in middle aged and I have come to accept- and cherish it. I am busy, with plenty of hobbies-most of which are home based and involve growing food, preserving it and tending to my family. I now work from home as well- very, very part time hours- and it is brilliant. I get to help other people for a few hours from the sanctity of my own space, and then return to the other things that I love doing. Often I will walk in the evenings with my very extroverted husband. Sometimes we meet people he knows from his own work and they are surprised that I exist as they don't see my 'out and about'. It's quite funny. I love my way of life. It is peaceful and there is nothing in the world that I want to buy, and certainly nothing that can be purchased that would make my life 'better'. I am so very glad to be 'missing out'.
ReplyDeleteI am with you. When I was growing up I always chose getting out into nature (sometimes with friends, sometimes alone) over pubs and parties.
DeleteAs a matter of fact, that is still my choice!
Your current situation sounds lovely. As a care giver I guess you could say that I work at home, too. And I love it. Helping others is where it is at.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It makes me sad that the contemplatives among us are "make to feel like there was something wrong" with them. I would say there is something right going on.
- Gregg