I am off on holiday until March 31st so I will probably take a short break from this. I am sure the world will change so much in that short time.
I have decided to turn the news reports off and just give myself time to take in all the information that I have been barraged with over the past couple of days. It really has taken its toll, hasn't it?
I think what I have noticed most is that many of us have lost the self-sufficiency that was so prevalent in past generations. We don't grow our own food, make our own clothes or even prepare our own meals from scratch. For those of you who know how much I go on about this, comments like this are nothing new but it really has come to light again in the past week or so.
The conveniences in our every day lives are surely put in place to make things easier for us but is any of this really fulfilling on a personal level? Do we really get to spend any more time with our families? Are we learning the life lessons that our parents and grandparents had because they didn't have as much money as we do? I don't think so. They were less able to go down to the local mall and pick up anything that they wanted than we are nowadays. They had to make things on their own. They had to learn things that we have since not had to because of our ability just to pop down to the local shop and pick it up. No money? No problem... just whip out that piece of plastic and put yourself into debt. That just didn't happen in past generations...
We may have an "easier" life but can we fend for ourselves if all of these convenience were gone tomorrow? No. The generations that had the knowledge to do live are almost gone and we have no one to teach us these things. My friend Dave once said that the average young person in the UK does not know how to butcher meat. (I apologize to the vegetarians here) So, for those people who still eat meat, who will prepare this for you if all of the butcher shoppes were gone?
This makes me a little fearful and also makes me more than a little sad. Having lost all of the skills that were present in everyday life a generation or two ago, we have also, it seems, lost our usefulness.
Let me ask any of you out there, when was the last time you actually made something? Things like clothing, your own soap, a table or any other item that would have just been made at home in our grandparents time. I know that it has been way too long since I did anything like that. When I did though, I always felt so worthwhile having started and completed the project. We live in a time of "instant gratification" but I can tell you that I feel way more gratified to be able to say "I made this". And I would like to feel like this more often.
There was a time for me in which I felt totally worthless. I just simply came to work at the office and stewed about how I was not appreciated and became very unhappy with my life. What I have only recently come to realize was that it wasn't really the job that made me unhappy but because I had let it happen to me and I had nothing to give me anything to be proud about. Don't get me wrong, if I were handed a large sum of money tomorrow, I would probably quit but I know that I have to do things that make me feel worthwhile. And if that means I have to stick my hands in the soil and nurture a carrot or artichoke to life, then I will do it. Perhaps I will make a quilt or something else...
My point is this: Perhaps the so-called conveniences in life are a big part of our troubles. Perhaps we need to get back to basics to ground ourselves. What do you think? Anyone care to join me? Let's get out there and ask our elders to teach us some of these skills!
PS I want to thank all of you who have been "checking in" and commenting on my rants. The comments really are food for thought.
I have decided to turn the news reports off and just give myself time to take in all the information that I have been barraged with over the past couple of days. It really has taken its toll, hasn't it?
I think what I have noticed most is that many of us have lost the self-sufficiency that was so prevalent in past generations. We don't grow our own food, make our own clothes or even prepare our own meals from scratch. For those of you who know how much I go on about this, comments like this are nothing new but it really has come to light again in the past week or so.
The conveniences in our every day lives are surely put in place to make things easier for us but is any of this really fulfilling on a personal level? Do we really get to spend any more time with our families? Are we learning the life lessons that our parents and grandparents had because they didn't have as much money as we do? I don't think so. They were less able to go down to the local mall and pick up anything that they wanted than we are nowadays. They had to make things on their own. They had to learn things that we have since not had to because of our ability just to pop down to the local shop and pick it up. No money? No problem... just whip out that piece of plastic and put yourself into debt. That just didn't happen in past generations...
We may have an "easier" life but can we fend for ourselves if all of these convenience were gone tomorrow? No. The generations that had the knowledge to do live are almost gone and we have no one to teach us these things. My friend Dave once said that the average young person in the UK does not know how to butcher meat. (I apologize to the vegetarians here) So, for those people who still eat meat, who will prepare this for you if all of the butcher shoppes were gone?
This makes me a little fearful and also makes me more than a little sad. Having lost all of the skills that were present in everyday life a generation or two ago, we have also, it seems, lost our usefulness.
Let me ask any of you out there, when was the last time you actually made something? Things like clothing, your own soap, a table or any other item that would have just been made at home in our grandparents time. I know that it has been way too long since I did anything like that. When I did though, I always felt so worthwhile having started and completed the project. We live in a time of "instant gratification" but I can tell you that I feel way more gratified to be able to say "I made this". And I would like to feel like this more often.
There was a time for me in which I felt totally worthless. I just simply came to work at the office and stewed about how I was not appreciated and became very unhappy with my life. What I have only recently come to realize was that it wasn't really the job that made me unhappy but because I had let it happen to me and I had nothing to give me anything to be proud about. Don't get me wrong, if I were handed a large sum of money tomorrow, I would probably quit but I know that I have to do things that make me feel worthwhile. And if that means I have to stick my hands in the soil and nurture a carrot or artichoke to life, then I will do it. Perhaps I will make a quilt or something else...
My point is this: Perhaps the so-called conveniences in life are a big part of our troubles. Perhaps we need to get back to basics to ground ourselves. What do you think? Anyone care to join me? Let's get out there and ask our elders to teach us some of these skills!
PS I want to thank all of you who have been "checking in" and commenting on my rants. The comments really are food for thought.
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