Takin' It Down a Notch

Anyone who's reading this probably is aware of the efforts of my wife and I to live in a way that makes minimal impact on our planet. We shun plastic, don't use toilet paper, don't buy packaged food, and reuse everything we can think of a way to reuse. We aren't perfect yet, but we're working on it :)

This blog isn't about that part of green living. It's not about the climate crisis. I wanted to take a minute to talk about the impact living this way has on my life. Not my body, my Life.

My efforts to live a simpler life have had a wonderful unexpected effect: I feel like everything's been turned down a notch.

I look out my apartment window any hour of the day or night and I see traffic. I remember driving, it's only been a couple months since I gave it up. I remember getting in my car and thinking ahead to where I was going. I wasn't thinking about where I was; what I was doing at the moment. I mean, I payed attention to the road as much as the next guy, but I didn't focus my whole mind on driving. I imagine that few do. I simply used the car as means to an end. I didn't want to waste my time getting to a place, I just wanted to be there; that attitude made traffic unbearable, but that's just part of life, right? You wanna go somewhere, you gotta get stuck in traffic sometimes.

I wonder how many hours of my Life I missed by focusing so hard on the destination and railing against where I was.

Now I walk almost everywhere I go. I spend a lot more time getting where I'm going. A mile takes 15-45 minutes, depending on the pace I choose. But that's not the major difference. The major difference is where my mind is. It's with me, not waiting for me at my destination. Part of that certainly comes from the slower travel speed; I have time to actually see my surroundings, the birds, the trees, the buildings, the people. But I think that the bigger reason is that there is no inherent tension in walking as transportation. There is a basic, perhaps primal, relaxing effect of moving my body at a natural pace. There's a sense of independence. I own this body, and I can drive it how I want. There's a sense of freedom; I can move it wherever I want. I think that as a culture we have built a lot of stress and pressure into driving. Financial pressures from the cost of purchasing the car, the maintenance, the fuel, the insurance. Stress from the clock: we have these vehicles capable of transporting us long distances in short time, and we've gotten in the habit of giving ourselves as little time as possible to get somewhere, so many of us are always running late. Then there's the legal aspects; all the rules and regulations to obey from maintaining your lights to staying in the proper lane, speed limits, pedestrian crossings, left turn arrows, etc. And the speed limit is never high enough, is it? And driving certainly brings out the competitive nature in many folks. I've heard more than one friends say, "This asshole won't pass ME." Hell, I've said that myself.

We are supposedly a nation that loves our cars. But who actually likes to drive, honestly? I bet they're in the minority.

But that's not the only improvement living a 'lower impact' lifestyle has made.

We do all our laundry by hand now. Well, most of it gets done by foot, in the bathtub. This saves us money (building washer/dryer are each $2.75/load; water is included in our rent). Saving a few bucks is nice, but it's not really a factor in why washing by hand is better. I'd say washing a load, from when I start stomping to when it's all hung on the rack, takes 30 minutes. It might take more, but I've never timed it. The magic of it is that for 30 minutes (or whatever) my brain decompresses. I let go of the brain reins and just let it run. Sometimes I work over philosophical issues. Sometimes I think about financial issues. Sometimes I think about my relationship to my wife. Sometimes childhood memories. One time I did an entire wash and when I was done I couldn't remember thinking about anything, or even doing the wash. I do NOT spend the wash time thinking about what I have to do next. Every time I finish the wash, I feel calm, rational, peaceful. I get a similar good feeling from doing the dishes by hand, though usually not as deep or profound as from doing laundry because the dishes only take about 5 minutes.

There is an important aspect of Zen philosophy that when simplified goes like this: Be where you are. It means don't be thinking about all the stops you have to make between work and home when you're eating breakfast before work, think about eating breakfast; taste your food. Don't think about how today is the last day of your weekend and you have so much work to do tomorrow, enjoy what you're doing on your day off. Don't think about what you're going to say when your lover finishes their sentence, listen to what your lover is saying to you.

It's not easy for everyone. We live in such a fast-paced society that puts a HEAVY emphasis on what's Next. What are you doing tomorrow? What are you doing after work? What's the next step in your career? This American pacing demands that SOMETHING comes next. There is no time to sit and enjoy, to dawdle or meander, because we must get to the next thing.

Perhaps there are people out there who, deep down, really like to live like that and can find satisfaction, deep, meaningful satisfaction, in that way of life. Perhaps. I doubt. Instead, I believe that such pacing, such emphasis on what's next is frighteningly detrimental to the health of people; physically, emotionally, spiritually.

I mean, I'm pretty sure I've become less of an asshole just in the few months since we started down this path. I'm becoming a better listener. I'm more inclined to read something twice and take a few minutes to think about it before I spout off some negative, reactionary statement. I'm more inclined than perhaps I've ever been to think about why somebody else does a thing before I dismiss them as a useless retard. And all of these changes have led to a more positive self image; I'm not perfect, but it's becoming easier and more enjoyable to spend time with myself. Nice, since I'm sorta stuck with me.

Living simpler, greener, like a hippy in a commune, however you want to label it, won't make you a Zen master, and it won't solve all your problems. But from my own admittedly brief experience, I believe that it helps. I believe it is conducive to a calmer, more rational, more compassionate mindset. Add that to the positive impact it has on health and environmental issues and you just can't lose.