I am OUT. And almost happy about it.

[BelgianMadCow]

Our western society is based to a large degree on the selling of needs. Even when they are vacuous.

We need LCD TVs. Full HD preferably, never mind that the difference between full HD and HD-ready is invisible from the average viewing distance, or that the free channels carry ever less worth wile material, while ripping us through expensive cable and pay-per-view.
We need two cars. Never mind that a car is, besides polluting, a great way to spread your hard-earned money.
We have to travel at least twice a year, preferably outside our own country. Never mind that we hardly know our own history or culture.
We have to isolate ourselves from our neighbours, using fences hedges and whatnot. The facade of our houses has to be as pompous as possible. Never mind that through this isolation, we also tear apart the very social fabric of our society.
We have to look like the celebs. Aspiring to become the (dancing, singing, nothing) next star is a glimmer of false hope for the subdued masses. Trying to look like the celebs and models (desperately needing to EAT please) makes 95% of the women unhappy with themselves.

The examples of marketed needs that we don't really need are ubiquitous. I have done such marketing for years, I should know something about it. Banks, utility companies and raw material producers meanwhile drive up the price of life, and it isn't even faintly compensated by the index mechanism we have here. The price we pay is, obviously, having to work ever more stressful jobs to either make ends meet, and to fulfill the aforementioned "needs". And both have to work of course. As a consequence, looking at suicides and depression, the inescapable conclusion is that our society is sick. I have contemplated the first and experienced the second repeatedly, due to an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Coming from an upper middles class family with high achievement pressure, I unfortunately measured success in life along those lines.

But my disease (if you agree calling it that) has been a blessing in disguise. It has forced me to examine the difference between need and want, and to rethink my priorities. These things don't make me truly happy. Spending more time with my two sons IS.
Rethinking my way of life has been hard. Especially having one car, and giving that to my wife for her work, has been hard. Yes, very male and pretty stupid but there you go.

So I decided that also for the future I'm going to opt out of the rat race. I have focused my free time on trying to become more self-reliant, building a local network and starting a fruit and vegetable garden. I am not gonna return to the stone age, but all the technological needs I'm gonna take a pass on. Vista? Fuck off. A new graphics card for my game PC? Never mind. A new car? Nah, bought a second-hand bike and put it back in order. Dining out? No more once or twice a week, enjoying cooking (with produce from the garden if possible) instead. LCD TV? Fuck off, not watching much anyway and gonna borrow & read books much more. Cable may go out the window if my family agrees. Cell phone usage in the hundreds a months? Switched to pay-and-go, down to 20 euro/month through emergency use and text messaging only. Buying "A brands"? No Logo by Naomi KLein is on the way, and I buy as much as possible at Aldi (no brands, low prices). Trying to get a top (stress) job with my masters' degree? Nope, it made me miss my children (and also spend half a fortune on daycare and the like).

And even though it is hard, we may actually end up having more disposable income, and a family and personal life that is much more rewarding.

Be careful what you wish for...what you desire...what you you need.

:rant:
bmc

PS I know many of you have done this before me, and purely out of necessity, maybe not having as many options as I did/do. My hat's off to you.

[Indenturedebtor]

1. Good for you Belgian! I'm going through the same thing myself

We're going through a bankruptcy right now. We're going to give them the house, one car, and hopefully most of our "crap". The wife and I came back from a "gap year" only because we thought we could live frugally and make money to leave again. We never should have come home.

We've enjoyed some great successes as far as the Consumerist Dream is concerned - house, 2 cars, etc. But as a salesman my income has been shrinking steadily since we started out here in Tucson nearly 4 years ago. Now I've been laid off/fired/whatever and we've actually breathed a sigh of relief. We never wanted two cars and a house... we had to get them for what passes as a poor mans investment here in the US, and the cars to get to work heh. We needed furniture, and new carpet, etc for the house, blah blah and before you knew it we worked for our crap.

Anyways we're giving as much of it up as we can and moving near the university where my wife works. We will then be able to live on one salary and save the other! When we have enough, either our online business will have taken off and we can move to the developing world, or we'll go teach english overseas. I'm done with this race. I hate almost all of my crap, and it doesn't make me happy at all. It's like an anchor around my neck.

[BelgianMadCow]

2. "crap"

well put. Much if this crap is made in China (no disrespect to the Chinese, but can someone please tell me why they have to make EVERYTHING in the world).
And over here, they throw it at you head nowadays, with the weak dollar and all...

My wife teaches too - and I may as well, or take a relatively simple part-time job. Good thinking on the move to the univ neighborhood - we bought our house just two years ago so doing exactly that would punish us financially.

Courage (which you don't lack at all I think) and happiness to the both of you, and if you want to teach in Belgium...let me know, we can have a beer in Bruges.

bmc

PS: what is that online business then?

[Indenturedebtor]

5. The online business is a secret :D It's a new concept so I can't say hahaha

Us too with buying our house a little over a year ago. But as we're going bankrupt, if we had any assets, they would just take those too. I'm hoping that they take at least a few!

Man I would love to teach english in Bruges. Don't they mainly want English english teachers though?

[BelgianMadCow]

10. Okay don't tell then. great feeling huh :-)

As to teaching in Bruges, well most of us speak english pretty well, and most do in Europe. Not saying there is no need, but not that much I figure...Paris maybe :D

[JCMach1]

16. Most of the world prefers American English

with a few exceptions...

You would need TEFL/TESL credentials though to get a decent job.

[Indenturedebtor]

19. As I understand it though most of Europe prefers English English no?

Along with India and others.

[JCMach1]

22. American English is more priveleged in the ME, and has become so in India

as well because of outsourcing and customer service businesses...

Europe really depends on where you are... Also note, you would need higher credentials (and possibly experience) in Europe. Asia tends to be more flexible.

For example, in Europe don't even try to walk in the door without an MA in TESOL and experience. In Asia, you might get a job with a BA in English, or a General BA and a TEFL/TESL certificate.

Dave's ESL Cafe has always been a good source of information AND job postings...

http://www.eslcafe.com/

[Indenturedebtor]

28. Cool thanks :D Yeah I didn't think I could work in Europe easily

Hell for that matter, not being EU, I might as well forget ever working in Europe unless I claim my German heritage.

But we would likely go to Asia, which is our first choice to move to if we can get our online biz off the ground!

[JCMach1]

29. I wish you good luck... my wife and I bailed on the U.S. after the 2002 elections

It was as much economic as anything as I got a very good job here in the UAE. As much as I love my country (and trust me I love it more living away from it now), the U.S. can sometimes constrain in all kinds of ways. Here, it's a meritocracy and everything's new anyway so the monolith of prejudice and tradition are not quite as brutal.

Young bright academic in the humanities is almost a recipe for unemployment in the U.S. where so many professors were over twice my age and tended to hire people who looked (and thought) like them.

It's just different here. And yes, don't tell the other Americans, but they actually value teachers and education. Go figure.

[ForeignSpectator]

6. Read "Shock Doctrine" after you're done with "No Logo", you'll know about that chinese thing...

Sounds way healthy what you're doing!

Did the same thing with my cell and man, was I laughed at...

[BelgianMadCow]

9. I have the Shock Doctrine and indeed, a must read

yeah not caring what other people think is a part of it. But seldom the people that matter will laugh at you. My upper class parents are happy that I'm happier...

[ForeignSpectator]

18. Remembered something overnight that fits your story, too.

I study at the university and there, everyone has a laptop... so it seems at times. Now, that one friend of mine doesn't have one but wants to buy one, since 3 or 4 months now. 4 months ago, he first asked for advice what to buy. Then recently, he asked once again and our exchange went something like this:

"You still didn't buy one? Do you actually really need a laptop? If you didn't get one by now, your need obviously wasn't that urgent...", "actually, that's true", "and maybe you don't need one at all, think about it, you always use the desktops here at the university for everything you do ( and they're really good )... and where are you going to use the laptop? On the bus rides? Maybe an Eee PC is enough..."

That made him think about, he sits on his money since months and is "buying" a laptop since then... ;)

It's the "needs" that are injected into us by society and marketing, needs that often can't be justified rationally. In some marketing lectures I visited the theme came up of "creating needs in the consumers", making you buy something that you actually don't need.

But all that was in your OP, I am just saying...

Anyway, I am glad for you that you made that step! :hi:


PS : pity you don't live in Brussels, I am sometimes there... ;)

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. I was in a hospital waiting-room, and another patient was saying how expensive he

was finding using his cell-phone. I believe that even by "Rip-Off" Britain's normal standards, cell-phone use is extremely expensive, though it has apparently come down a certain amount in the more recent past, due to pressure from the Regulator, Oftel. I read the Regulator still wasn't satisfied by a long chalk.

When I said that I wouldn't have one in a fit, he looked at me with an expression of wonder tinged with gratitude. You know.... "You mean it doesn't matter if you don't have one? Gee, what a relief!"

[Norrin Radd]

15. It's not disrespectful to point out that all of that stuff made in China

is done so with slave labor in the poorest of working conditions.

[Indenturedebtor]

20. Yes our corporate criminals teamed up with their governmental criminals

To screw their people as much as possible.

[Joe Chi Minh]

26. That's why I would get rid of our cable TV, if my wife didn't rely on it.

There are are some very good, cable documentaries, but I just hate Big Business so much, now that they've bought our government.

[Indenturedebtor]

27. Yes me too, and my wife as well. I use the PC for my entertainment. n/t

[seemslikeadream]

3. The first thing on my agenda?

NO MORE PLASTIC BOTTLES!! I make my own ice tea and flavor it with fruit juice and there are 10 glass canning jars in the fridge right now.

:hi:

[Cha]

4. Good for you, BMC!

I'm going in that direction..and it feels good.

[yowzayowzayowza]

7. K&R.

Most of the really important things in life can't be measured in units comparable to pork bellies.

:hi:

[jberryhill]

8. Oh, then you should consider a plasma TV instead

...if you aren't watching that much, then screen burn isn't that big a problem, and you get a better contrast ratio and more accurate picture for fast motion.

There should be some good labor day sales coming up.

[JCMach1]

17. I have a recycled (i.e. refurbished) Sony 42" letterbox projection

TV. We currently have a non-digital cable system. The only thing plasma, or LCD would give me is a clear view of how much static and interference there is!

We usually only use that for news though. Here, we have a cute little USB port in our DVD players that will play DIVX files. So, we download American shows that we actually watch. That DVD player costs $20.

So, there are many ways to save money.

[jberryhill]

24. You understand I was kidding, yes? /nt

[JCMach1]

31. d'accord

[bvar22]

11. We moved to "the sticks" in 2006.

We couldn't be happier.

Twilight Harvest


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x5729

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x7979


If we can't build it, grow it, or barter for it, we will do without it.

[lonestarnot]

12. Didn't you mean Ann? Ann Klein? I didn't Naomi had a brand logo. LOL

Maybe I already gave that up for something! I love your post! Most excellent! Now stick to your guns and make it work!

[NightWatcher]

13. I ditched the tv months ago out of necessity, but I dont want it back now that I may get a new job

I dont want the next best thing that everyone else has and says I need. I predict that the economy will take a severe drop off sometime next year and I have been trying to plan and get in the mindset to lay low, take care of the few real NEEDS that I have and try to live a simpler life. I applaud your efforts and hope that you find the peace that comes with a simple kind of life.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

14. Reminds me of a line in a song

Calling All Angels by Train

I need a sign to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know that things are gonna look up
Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup
When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you can feel the world shake from the words that are said

And I'm calling all angels
And I'm calling all you angels

And I won't give up if you don't give up
I won't give up if you don't give up
I won't give up if you don't give up
I won't give up if you don't give up

I need a sign to let me know you're here
Cause my tv set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

And I'm calling all angels
And I'm calling all you angels

When children have to play inside so they don't disappear
While private eyes solve marriage lies cause we dont talk for years
And football teams are kissing queens and losing sight of having dreams
In a world where all we want is only what we want until it's ours

And I'm calling all angels
And I'm calling all you angels
And I'm calling all angels
(I won't give up if you don't give up)
And I'm calling all you angels
(I won't give up if you don't give up)
Calling all you angels
(I won't give up if you don't give up)
Calling all you angels
(I won't give up if you don't give up)
Calling all you angels

I won't give up if you all won't give up.

[UnitedVoters]

21. "I'm Mad As Hell & I'm Not Going To Take This Anymore!"

But thanks. You said some great things.
:-)

K&R

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. My favorite line

"A new graphics card for my game PC? Never mind."

You hermit!

[tedoll78]

30. I'm taking the next major step this week.

You sound like a kindred spirit! :hi:

We take the next step tomorrow, actually - we meet with a realtor and make an offer on 20 acres (maybe 30). Dad's my architect; he's designing us an energy efficient home that we can keep off of the grid. And my partner and I have been honing our gardening & chicken skills over the past few years.

It's taken a huge amount of overtime in the rat race to afford this, but the efforts will be quite worthwhile.