Ever counted how many signs and advertisments you encounter in just a single day? How the DMV or the IRS? Every try to actually wrap your mind around all of the options and choices in your retirement package? It is not how humans are meant to live. I go to the Philippines quite often and my first thoughts were damm, these people are poor. But soon I realized the closer we live to the earth the simpler things become. I feel refreshed when I leave the Philippines and when I come back here its like a slap in my face how complicated and fast we live our lives. No wonder we lead the way in heart attacks and strokes. I am trying to find some balance but it is very difficult. We do 10-20 things every day ..day after day. Howmany of us have 2 jobs? I have 2 jobs AND a side business just to get by. I actually envy farmers in small towns. I wish I had an answer.
2006-07-22 04:41:34 · 6 answers · asked by marco 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
there would be an answer and that would be go move to the philippines and live the life they are living close to the earth. yes you may have to give up all luxuries etc but that of course wouldn't matter if it was the natural free life you want. i wish i could just go off and the one thing i would do is sell everything and move to the china forests to look after and rescue the panda bear!!! that is my dream but of course i need to learn chinese AND hopefully they won't become extinct before i do.... but is that a dream or is it an aspiration YOU can make happen?!?!
2006-07-22 04:48:15 · answer #1 · answered by giantbutton 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Friend, you are so right, there is a fear in the USA that has everyone overworking, overplaying, overeating, over-consuming in every way. By a series of strange events, I have been living in Mexico in a foreign retirement community for the last seven years even though I am not of retirement age myself quite yet. Whenever people come back here after going back north to visit kids and grand kids they always say the same thing. They do too much, never slow down, I am exhausted keeping up with them. Since I have been here, Mexico seems to be speeding up too, but there is still lots of the patience and acceptance left here that is in such short supply in the US. Most everyone in the USA seems obsessed with owning too much stuff and having too much reliance on insurance and endless rules. Which is what I think causes all of this. It might not hurt to take a couple of deep breaths, think about ones life and maybe simplify?
2006-07-22 11:53:23 · answer #2 · answered by Opalita 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Being busy is not necessarily a bad thing, it's your feeling that you have no control that is frustrating. I read one book based on the theory that too many choices is one cause of depression. No matter how much you think about and analyze a choice, in the back of your mind you're always wondering if you should have chosen differently. We have dozens and dozens of choices for everything: from healthplans to toothpaste and bandaids.
I know what you mean about being confused by coming home. When I lived in a country where I was illiterate, the simplicity I gained by not understanding ads and junk mail more than made up for the confusion caused by my inability to understand the occasional road map or cooking instruction.
2006-07-22 11:52:45 · answer #3 · answered by byama 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our lives are complicated because we make them complicated. My husband & I live in a rural area & live simple lives. The best way to find a balance is to get out of big cities ( I don't feel that we were meant to live that way either). If you feel your life is too complicated, take a leap of faith & SIMPLIFY IT!!!! We did. We moved from Dallas to a very rural area...no more noise pollution, very little air pollution & the water is better. And we get to see all the neat creatures who live out here. It is very peaceful & serene. We have the lake at the end of our street too. Yeah it was hard at first...there are things you can only get in the big city...but we have one an hour away from us. But we have learned that most of that stuff we can live without thanks.
2006-07-22 11:53:20 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know what you mean. You can't live a simple life in the US. It's one freedom we don't have. I am actually jealous of Catholic nuns because they don't have to worry about anything.
2006-07-22 11:46:44 · answer #5 · answered by tenaciousd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God only gives us as much as we can handle, sounds to me like you are doing good man.
2006-07-22 11:45:53 · answer #6 · answered by alli 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋