Zen and Buddhism are actually the things holding me together and keeping me on my path. I have read a lot of Alan Watts. "The Book", and "The Wisdom of Insecurity" were both great reads if you haven't already ocnsumed them. And yes, they express the same sentiment. The whole "whatever happens happens, it's only negative if you FEEL it's negative". All we ever have is this moment, there is no past or future, and right now my moment is going well, and as long as the moment is going well, my future should unfold the same. I'm a wannabe buddhist. I meditate, and even started shaving my head years ago as a result. Partially because of that, the other part because I look better with a shaved head. :) Oh I know life is far more than about money, houses, and stuff like that. My house its far smaller than I could afford, but it's a good size for me, my fiancee, our cats, and future family. It's about how you spend your time to me personally. But money does make things easier, and unfortunately I need money to explore the other things I want out of life. For example, I love traveling the world and experiencing new cultures, but that costs a lot of money, and more importantly as an American who only gets a few weeks off a year, it costs time. Having a good job that is both high paying and flexible with my time really helps me there. I'm also into music production, piano, and guitar, and those things all cost money as well to have access to in my home. So like I said, I very much agree with you life isn't about all these things, but given the society that we have to live and function in, it certainly doesn't hurt. And my work philosophy is; if I'm going to be doing something 40-60 hours a week, I might as well do it well and get the most out of it. And oddly enough, I actually love my job and find it interesting and challenging. But with the money I make, I actually spend fairly little of it... I drive a Subaru, not a BMW, I don't own a snowblower, I shovel myself, I don't own Les Paul Guitars, I own Epiphones and Mexican made Fenders, my house is not 8,000sqft and only has a 2-car garage, etc. I'm not "showwy", and I'm a "function over form" type of person. That being said, I do work quite a bit, and being in the line of work I am, my work phone is on me 24/7, and when it rings, I answer. It is much more of a lifestyle than just a "job" that I've found myself in, and that part I don't like. But the better I do now, and the more money I stash away now, the sooner i can retire or downgrade to a more peaceful working or living situation. So I agree that there is something missing that I haven't quit put my finger on yet, but I'm working on it and discovering what that is. My favorite things in life are travel, exploring, music, ready, learning, and accomplishing new things. But given our society, like I said before, traveling and things like that take a lot of time and money, but so do other things I want like having a family and providing for them, and giving them the same opportunities I have. It's a balance that I'm just now starting to work on... so it's going to take some time. Cheers,Now, do you feel how you do because you feel as if there's something more or that you haven't quite nailed it (not in the sense of contentment because you seem to have plenty) in the sense that maybe life isn't about all of promotions or nice houses?
So then why not live in a society that praises those things that you love? It's my goal that as soon as I pay off my student debts to live off the land. I want to live in a way that my only worries or concerns in life are the absolute essential things I have to worry about (i.e. what to eat, where to live, etc.) This society doesn't promote that so I'm going to get as far away from it as soon as I can. You seem to have a lot of things going your way, which is fantastic. I hope you have a very happy life (although it seems you're already experiencing that).
Certain aspects of our current society do praise those things, things like music, art, happiness, literature, etc. But we also have to live in a society with taxes, and bills, and property, and ownership rights, and of course work in exchange for currency. I like modern society and a lot of aspects about it, so I choose to live within the guidelines of if, cause it's not that bad (in my personal opinion anyway). I don't have to hunt for food, or grow crops, or build my own house, or know basic medicine to keep myself and family healthy. I get to have electricity, and plumbing, and the internet, and other modern conveniences. I can choose to do ONE job, do it well, and then I get currency that allows me to pay someone else who is good at those other things. It's a trade of services, and to me personally that makes a lot more sense than having to take care of all those other aspects myself, I simply wouldn't be able to. So that's kind of an example of how I actually feel modern society benefits us. I like having property, I like being able to do what I want, I enjoy travel, I love technology and working with and creating it, I love art and music and literature, good food, and all of those things are aspects of our modern society. "Leaving society" is much easier said than done, and I think the thoughtful ideal of it might overshadow it's negatives at first. When I was younger, in my teenage years and early twenties, I thought about giving it all up and doing the same thing. But then I'd just have other worries. Lonliness, isolation, stagnation, etc, and there would be many things I would miss not being part of the modern-society-rat-race-game-whatever-you-want-to-call-it. You'd still need land, you'd still need to work on your livestock and crops if you are planning on self sustaining, you still need money for all of that stuff, and you'll still depend on modern society for a lot of things... you'll just be further away from it physically maybe, but you won't be living outside of it. Sure, you would depend on it FAR less than say I would, but there is and will always be some dependence there. Unless you move to the middle of a jungle in some third world country, there will still be some depence there in some form. So let me ask you, what is your ideal setup for getting away from society? What do you mean when you say "get as far away from it"? I always enjoy entertaining this idea as well, and like hearing what other people plan on, because like I said I've had that same dream at points in my life too. I even have a close friend who does that as well, and lives pretty damn well "off the grid" for the most part out in Colorado, and I envy him in certain aspects, and others, I feel like his life would be too "boring" for me, lacking a better word. He's worked hard in the IT world for like 10 years, saved up enough money to start his dream of self-sustaining, and he's now doing it. He has some land, grows his own crops, has a rabit pen and chicken coop, a few cows, and ocassionally a pig or two. He makes his own milk, cheeses, and cream. He slaughters his own meat when he needs it. He has a windmill and solar panels for power, and a generator for emergencies. His home uses a wood burning furnace for heat. He takes meat and vegetables to farmers markets for sale to cover any bills he has, so that he doesn't have to dip into his savings. He hunts elk and caribou, and makes some badass jerky out of both that he sells for a pretty penny at farmers markets in Denver. He has internet, and a cell phone, and isn't living completely "off the grid", but he's pretty close to it. Close as he ever wanted to be anyway. He's got the best of both worlds if you ask me. Again, I envy his lifestyle in many ways, but it's still A LOT of work to live that way, it's just a different kind of work, and perhaps more rewarding. But personally, that kind of work doesn't appeal to me. But to each their own. Life is whatever you want to make of it, and that's the beauty. As long as you are enjoying the journey, and not holding out for a destination, everyone can easily be happy and enjoy what they have... however they choose to live. :)So then why not live in a society that praises those things that you love?