Rethinking Lifestyle

Old habits die hard. Usually we have to be thoroughly convinced that the old way of doing things is harmful or not sustainable and that an alternative way is better before we make a move to change our lifestyles.

Smoking is an easy example to pick on because by now even the government is trying to convince smokers to quit. But there are many other lifestyle habits that society as a whole has not yet identified as being harmful or unsustainable. And so many voices call out to us to continue on with destructive patterns of life. One hour of television viewing will garner an amazing amount of bad advice about lifestyle choices.

But once we are alerted to the possibility that the voices calling out to us generally do not have our long-term interests in mind we need to start asking serious question on a broad front about the way we live.

How much energy do we consume? Where does that energy come from? What effect does the production and use of that energy have on our environment? Is it possible to reduce our energy requirements? If we decide to live in a way that consumes less energy, does that down-grade or enhance our quality of life?

How many toxins do we consume via the processed foods we buy at the super market? What pesticide residues are left on the fruits and vegetables we consume? What effect do the chemicals used in our groceries to maintain long shelf life have on our bodies? Are there ways of reducing the number of toxins we ingest? Will that improve our chances of being healthy longer?

How many of the gizmos and gadgets that get thrown at us by an aggressive business community do we really need? What negative effects are left behind in the environment and in the lives of those persons who make them? What are the minimum number of products and services we need for a healthy and purposeful life? Does our happiness quotient rise significantly with every purchase we make? Could we do with less and possibly be more happy and content at the same time?

Once we begin asking such questions we begin looking around for alternatives to our status-quo lifestyes; alternatives that will help us transition toward healthier and more wholesome lives.

But the next question is whether anyone has thought of alternatives and actually made them work. One of our goals at South Eastman Transition Initiative is to facilitate connections with people and their ideas that might help us in our transition efforts.

A group of people that has been modelling alternatives to the modern lifestyle is the intentional community, Northern Sun Farm Coop, located near Sarto just south of Steinbach.