For about 5 years I have been studying material on downshifting and various transfers from city to country. Downshifting, what is it and why there are so many controversies and misunderstandings around this term? Where did the downshifting myths and stereotypes come from among many people who are far from this topic? What are the types of downshifting? Can all downshifters be equated under the same conditions? These and many other questions I have asked myself over these 5 years, studying various information, after which I have a clear idea of this phenomenon - and I am ready to share it with you, colleagues.
I will not write here the stereotyped phrases from Wikipedia that downshifting is this and that. What for?! You are not interested in this at all, because it is all commonplace. I want to present a slightly different view of the question.
Nowadays, many immigrants can be called downshifters, but everyone has different goals. But some take offense when they are called that term. For example, downshifters of the first option (see below) may be offended because they do not want to associate themselves with the second option. "We are not like that!" - these settlers mean, and they are completely right. I have identified two main types of downshifting: moving with the aim of a long settled life on their land (purchased, rented or self-seizure) and downshifting as a protracted get-together at some resort. I will write about this in more detail below.
Now let's take a closer look at both of these options:
CREATOR'S DOWNSHIFTING (PEASANT DOWNSHIFTING)
Downshifting is like moving from a city to a village, a village, "in the open field", in order to create your own farm there for yourself and your family, have cattle, grow vegetables, engage in crafts, etc. Raise children in ecologically clean conditions, eat healthy food that is not poisoned by pesticides, breathe clean air, well, you understand me … This variation of downshifting is a creative option when a person is not afraid of work and reaches for the ground.
This option also has a beneficial effect on other people, ordinary residents of cities or neighbors in the countryside, since in the conditions of a peasant farm, as a rule, the peasant tries to sell his surplus products, i.e. supply to markets. This creates a favorable environment for the development of the country's economy, because the country, as a result, will not need to purchase products from abroad, but will be able to take its own. Yes, pricing is controversial, but with a reasonable approach, you can accept compromises for both parties. However, those oligarchs who make their profits by importing foreign products (primarily speculative capital), of course, will be against this and will try to dissuade them in every possible way, claiming that this will only harm the economy, since the product is purchased from abroad for more than low price.
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Therefore, moving to a village, a person improves his living conditions and creates the prerequisites for the development of various industries. It may even create new jobs. I can't find any minuses in this.
The family of German Sterligov is the most famous example of * creative downshifting *.
Russian family of downshifters in Belize.
The famous Ukrainian downshifter V. Sergienko * Koshasty *.
Inhabitants of the ancestral settlement * Creation * under the auspices of the current * Ringing Cedars *.
Downshifting
Has already absorbed many people. What is this option based on and what is it? He is what I already wrote above, that is, a simple move, most often to resort places in hot countries, in order to hang out there for a long time (ideally, unlimited). However, its ideology is based on the theses of human self-development. The essence of such downshifting is individualism, that is (as almost all adherents of this type of downshifting claim) life for oneself, life for oneself, destruction of the old system of values for the sake of an individualistic new one, in which only my “I” will exist and I will live only for myself yourself.
Which value system are both types of downshifters opposed to? Against the imposed system of endless consumption, career and material well-being as a goal in life, against the constant race and fuss for material values and life according to the "law of the jungle". In this, both options coincide. What are the differences? And the differences are, in fact, in the ideological basis that downshifters share. In general, there are only three ideologies that mankind has invented in its entire history: Socialism, Conservatism and Liberalism. If a socialist strives for downshifting, then he is trying to create large settlements, revive the village, create a large family, where everything will be equal and there will be justice.
The conservative also strives for a large settlement or for the creation of a patriarchal family with traditional values, many children, a large household. But a liberal, when striving for downshifting, does not at all strive to create a large settlement where everyone will be busy working in the field, or any settlement in general, most often does not even want to create a family and have children at all, since his ideology of individualism, in which his "I", is in the first place, does not provide for the presence of children, since children will take away from him a lot of time that he could spend on himself a loved one, traveling the world, riding a surf, relaxing in Thailand, Goa, Bali or elsewhere. Life in self-improvement and self-development. You hear? SELF-improvement and SELF-development. That is, focusing only on yourself.
An example of * downshifting a bum * as a way to burn your life.
Dreams of an office worker about constant rest and life only * for himself *.
And now many representatives of this species, that is, professional loafers, may disagree with me and give an example of some monks, to which I will answer that monks improve themselves, going through colossal tests in strict asceticism and with great difficulty, effort, while a liberal downshifter spends time in Southeast Asia, hangs out and photographs various attractions. Is there a difference or not? Or do you want to say that your attempts to "meditate" for 15 minutes in the morning are just asceticism and hard work of a monk (of any denomination)? I beg of you. It is one thing when you do it reluctantly, through strength you go to spiritual feat, and another thing for 15 minutes a day, before the resort movement you expect further?
This is nothing more than hippie downshifting. Like all hippies, this version of downshifting is purely consumer-oriented. What?! - you ask me. We are just running away from this imposed system of consumption! But consumption is different, because it is not necessarily only food or household items. Travel and tourism, for example, as a form of consumption.
While in emigration, such a downshifter, as a rule, receives money by renting out his real estate, or working remotely via the Internet. However, a villager cannot afford this in all cases due to poor communications and a simple lack of communication on his site, but he can also rent out his property. But here the point is not in this, but in the fact that for those and for others, money is still needed. How they manage them is another matter. No, I don’t count other people's money, but the attitude itself - after all, we are talking about supposedly refusing to consume.
Since, living in a resort in a hotel, you do not have the opportunity to start your own farm, you are not tied to this land, and, therefore, you are mobile and you can leave whenever you want. And if you are not tied to your land and you do not have an economy that can feed you and your family at the very least (and often quite well), then you are forced to constantly spend money to support your life. It is somehow not economical to start a family and children here, since there is not enough money from renting one apartment for everyone, here even without individualism this is understandable. As a result, such a person simply drops out of society and ceases to bring any benefit to him. For the society that raised him and gave birth to the world, no matter how bad or good it was. Or for some other society in the country in which it is located.
This is precisely the egocentrism and egoism that his new ideology, the ideology of liberalism, dictates to him. Moving away from the old values of consumption and material well-being, a person comes to new ones. By the way, people often think that having left old values, they are freed from imposition and dictatorship, i.e. they think they are moving away from ideologies, religions and all that. However, this is a deep misconception, because, leaving one, they come to another. "A holy place is never empty". One energy passes from one state to another - remember from physics?
Hippie downshifters in Goa, period 60-70s
Now the most interesting thing is, what is something that any downshifter, good and bad, creative and wasteful (animal), is trying to get away from? What is this endless consumption and craving for material well-being? And this is nothing more than the same liberalism, only a view from the other side! Liberalism as an ideology in its economic doctrine implies a free market, capitalism, where this very imposition of endless consumption takes place, so that the owner of the corporation can get the maximum profit from the sale of his goods or services.
It turns out that such a downshifter, being within the framework of the liberal system, running away from some needs, comes to others. Well, for example, these endless travels, which I myself love (by the way), is this not consumption? How many travel ads are there now? And films about travel, which are filmed with the money of an advertiser, owner of a particular corporation? And what about advertising in the form of propaganda with beautiful pictures and images on social networks? By publishing articles on this site, I myself am engaged in propaganda and advertising! But it's one thing when you travel just for the sake of quenching your craving for emotions and parties, it's another thing when your trip brings you a lot of new knowledge and material that you can then share with people.
If a person has money, then he can afford to consume goods and services, and if he does not want to consume certain goods and services, then he will consume other goods and services. Or do you think that the tourism industry does not exist? Remember this, dear friend, the next time you are somewhere near the bar of some resort / tour. places when you will once again consider yourself "free".
Remember and understand that it is impossible to leave the consumption system in this way, you just switched to another type of consumption, and instead of one race (career and material) you have another - a race to satisfy your idleness, desire to have endless fun, have fun, hang out, mess around, play the fool, waste life. You say, what's so bad about enjoying life? Nothing! - I will answer, but, one thing is to enjoy life, and another thing is to enjoy the burning of this life. After all, what do you mean by the word "life"? Namely: the very fun, idleness to which such downshifters devote their lives.
Do not confuse life and burning this life. After all, what is life? Not just life as a simple biological existence of a mammal, as survival on this planet, but life in the humanitarian sense. Life is an activity, these are actions that a person performs to improve the world around him. This is the activity that is aimed at creating something, and not just burning your energy, your calories, for the sake of acquiring only ordinary emotions. After all, emotions are just an organism's reward for an action performed, but what is the use of a stupid action that such a downshifter performs at his resort? Does he improve the world, himself, his children, create something new, invent some kind of mechanism, write a book, examine a leaf of a plant through a microscope, come up with a theory, grow vegetables, build a house, help someone?
No, he's just having fun. And also imitates vigorous activity: surfing on the waves, jumping with a bungee, lying in a hammock, drinking a cocktail, walking around the city, mindlessly photographing everything and posting on social networks, considering himself a "man of art" and a highly spiritual person, gets drunk in the evening in the club dancing to acid music Those. Positive emotions become the goal and meaning of life of such a downshifter. After all, what is “joy of life”? This is an emotion. Therefore, if a person sets as his main task the constant receipt of emotions, and not work and creation, then he turns from a person into an animal. Therefore, I called this version "Animal Downshifting", or "Animal Downshifting" (Downshifting Loafers). Well, am I wrong? So it turns out that the first type of downshifting is a creative type,Downshifting of the Creator, and the second is destructive, Downshifting of the Animal. When a person, instead of craving to discover, conquer and improve the world, is drawn to idleness, then he turns from a person into an animal, because this is what distinguishes us from animals - the desire for creative activity. After all, it was not monkeys or cheetahs who invented the same computer with which you are now reading this article, but a man. It means that the desire for creative activity makes us human from animals, and a downshifter of such a plan strives for desertification, strives to turn from a human back into an animal, without noticing it or simply not wanting to notice it.after all, this is what distinguishes us from animals - the desire for creative activity. After all, it was not monkeys or cheetahs who invented the same computer with which you are now reading this article, but a man. It means that the desire for creative activity makes us human from animals, and a downshifter of such a plan strives for desertification, strives to turn from a human back into an animal, without noticing it or simply not wanting to notice it.after all, this is what distinguishes us from animals - the desire for creative activity. After all, it was not monkeys or cheetahs who invented the same computer with which you are now reading this article, but a man. It means that the desire for creative activity makes us human from animals, and a downshifter of such a plan strives for desertification, strives to turn from a human back into an animal, without noticing it or simply not wanting to notice it.without noticing it himself or simply not wanting to notice it.without noticing it himself or simply not wanting to notice it.
Only when a person is drawn to work, his activity is constructive. When he is not afraid of work, be it physical, mental or spiritual work. When he creates something new, gives birth and brings up children, helps people, is not afraid of difficulties and difficulties, then he becomes a passionate and positive hero, to whom I am ready to devote articles, and an empty pastime under a palm tree or, on the contrary, some stupid and stupid "rides "On anything that people usually imagine as active activity - all this is an indicator of the meaninglessness and worthlessness of being such a person.
When such a person claims that he “truly lives”, that he is truly enjoying life, then he is delusional. Yes, one should get pleasure from life, but only from life, and not from imitation of life. From real activity, and not from imitation of this activity. And when your activity bears fruit in the literal and figurative sense, then only then your existence here is valuable, endowed with meaning and idea.
Author: Oleg Prikhodko