The wind is whipping everyone’s face today. Visibility is low. Temperatures are freezing. It is dangerous for the elderly to be out and about, and not very safe to drive, all truth be told.
I love driving in the snow. But still. Here, as I sit and watch all the people hustle and move around, trying to get to their largely pointless (on days like today) jobs (often no real point other than to shuffle papers, reorganize some items on a shelf, or even build someone a house) I realize that society is a rigid machine, non-compatible with flow. With nature. With being human.
I myself am part of this silly hustle bustle, today force waking and force-feeding, and guzzling caffeine, to head to a “job” that could really be postponed to a day when it wasn’t hazardous to go outside. What do animals do on days like today? They stay the fuck inside until conditions for hunting and just existing are more favorable.
The cars drive around, crash into each other. Old people slip and fall and go to the hospital. Where’s the fireplace? Where’s the stack of wood split on fairer days for days like these? The supply of canned goods and food? They don’t exist, for the most part. We are expected by some amorphous non-entity called “society” to get out there and “DO YOUR BEST” :) :) :) !!!!!!!!
Cut that hair.
Be that clown.
Shuffle those papers.
Rearrange those picture frames.
Sure, some things need to be done on days like today. Of course. But things have become so bloated, so unsustainably expansive as far as communities go, in the interest of making everything and everyone one happy system, that now the smaller villages, communities, and societies, that would wisely wait a few hours to check the scene on days like today, are swallowed by a culture that has no preserves, no firewood, and no connection to being human, nature, or the rhythmic cycles of the earth. And is in an insurmountable hurry to get basically fucking nowhere.
Even mega-sized, modern cities could hypothetically exercise this common sense and use totally high-tech approaches to a more organic sense of flow and humanity. Not this wage-slave, work your ass-off to pay for the posh lifestyles of bureaucrat non-producers who “control the world.”
Good. That said, get out there and go to your pointless job!!!
I’ll be doing the same!
Now that this gripe is out of the way. And the pointlessness has been established. Let’s try to make at least one person smile today.
Cheers, Steem-Os.
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DTube and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
We are trapped as humans in a freaking rat race my good man. All because of our insatiable desires for materialistic things and the goodies of life. And like you said, this has made society, not willing to bend and flow with nature.
But we also have to stay in the rat race. Why? Because there are responsibilities which can't just take care of themselves and there are also others who depend and look up to us for sustenance.
This has how it has always been, and always will be. It just is.
This was a great article by the way.
Enjoy your pointless job that could have been postponed to another day.
Cheers!
I don’t think we have to stay in a rat race for the sake of responsibilities. I think that “society” has a lot of ideas about what is necessary for human survival that are largely...silly.
For me, one can work their ass off being productive and meeting responsibilities, and still not be a rat in the “rat race.”
Yes well it depends as we need to evolve as a society in order to live the most and win the upcoming challenges that human nature will face. For planet earth we are the dominating beings but we don't know what the future and other planets will bring us in the future.
We need to evolve in order to sustain ourselves in the very long term!
It is not a matter of the circumstances like with all the snow, but we have to realize that most of people are doing stuff for making a living which they don’t like just for the sake of it. People are wasting their time, their years on working their ass off, losing all this chances something to change, to see things, widen their horizon, but instead are stuck into a so called society which fails every week again.
I agree and disagree. If I were a business owner (outside of the Steemit biz!) I would perhaps cancel work and burn up the hustle the next day. The flow of the hustle is very real and is an individual type of thing.
Yes, I would probably do the same, at least I think so too at this moment. But there are variables you can’t tell for sure in my opinion.
For example, if you would be a owner of a big business, would you think the same lile now? That’s something which could be totally different then, because totally different influences would be there.
I think my main point in this whole thing is that people should be doing what they are interested in.
It’s different for everyone, of course. There are things I’ll sacrifice sleep, regular meals, and comfort for because it’s not “work,” but passion driving me to accomplish goals. This could well mean I keep my business open during a blizzard. These same things some others wouldn’t give a damn about.
I wanna see a society based on individuals, and not the cursed, co-opting cancerous movement of “we” to a place above “I.”
Once “I” is respected, “we” can start to have some meaning.
Here I agree totally. That is indeed a highly toxic problem of current society, because people are just accepted if they do the stuff like it is done since a long time. I think there is a movement into the right direction, but still it is on the frindges and slow as the system is, it will take a lot of time to get enough positive feedback.
But on the other side I am not too sure if it is right to say we need more "I" instead of "we". For Japan I definitely agree, at least in parts but looking for example to Germany, there is in my eyes too much "I" and too less "we". A lot of people just think about themself instead of how to live with other people together. But that's just my opinion.
I think that anyone who truly wants what is best for others will always come to the conclusion that “I”—the individual—is the foundation for anything legitimate. Indeed, only individuals think, and only individuals act. A “collective” can do no such thing. I’d say what you describe as thinking only of themselves is actually an ignorance and refusal to truly consider their individual life. Once we see we are the primary movers in our own lives, we realize that helping others ultimately makes our lives better as well.
I hear you, though, and don’t disagree, regarding that tendency in the US.
But, on second reading, I guess that’s what you are saying. People are not in control/taking control of their own lives.
I love your write up so much that I wish I could have the gift to write like this. Concerning the subject, I guess every man is the author of his life because God the creator gives every man the free will to make a choice. Nothing bothers our life more than our choice . And one thing, reading your article has really motivated me to write something on a similar topic. Thanks for inspiring me
Thanks my friend
Agree 100%!
It's evil out there sometimes. It's not about being unproductive, I think we all like to be productive because it gives us a sense of accomplishment. However I hate the competition society creates and us humans abide by. I hate how the system sometimes makes you feel like you have not done enough (thus the competitive feel) which probably leads us feeling that we have to always do more and it is never enough.... just like going to our pointless job
You've made me smile, you're done. 😀
Just knowing another soul feels the same way I do is enough to bring a smile to my cynical lips. Y'know what though? We ain't the only ones, there are many that feel the same way, sick and tired of this BS paradigm.
"Stop the world, there are a shit load of us who want to get off!"
:) Thanks bro. Good to know I’m not alone. And now that that job is done, I can live today free of any other self-expectations! ;)
You've made me feel totally compatible with the flow! Yesterday I went for a walk up my valley in the snow, following deer tracks and looking at trees they had obviously been nibbling on. Today I'm sitting at home, trying to plan my crop rotations for this year and waiting for about a half a deer -- which I got for free from a local trapper -- to defrost so I can carve it up into steaks. Still have to fine tune things -- still staying up way too late -- but this way of life sure is more respectful of the natural flow of things than anything I did before...
That is excellent to hear. Can’t wait to hear more about it in person!
Yeah, we'll need to work that out: let me know what I need to get ready...
I'm not a big fan of winter, and these blizzards must be one of the worst things.
By the way, where is that?
I see that you're from Japan, but this is not even close to what I thought Japan would look like.
I'd say that this was in Canada or something like this.
In Croatia, we've got something like this, but it's not that big.
Yep, up here in Niigata, Japan. It gets somewhat evil sometimes :)
@kafkarnachy84, boss you never cease to amaze with thoughtful articles, the worse part of this pointless job is that most of these people are addicted to the society way of life and never care to seek for a solution of becoming their own boss.
Imagine animals having freedom far more better than we humans, what a tragedy.
well, it's their business, it's their life.
let's live and let live, your decision is your destiny.
THANKS FOR SHARING
Thanks man. Really appreciate your thoughtful and encouraging comments!
always my pleasure boss
we are all part of this stupid run :)) I agree you till the end @kafkanarchy84
Humans are most intelligent species yet they live the live in most stupid way a species can live, actually we have come to a point that there is no "living" there is only "breathing", your way of life is already decided you just have to go do the formality of existing with others. Everyone has a written character on his hand just go and act. Really sucks .
we are all part of this stupid run :)) I agree you till the end @kafkanarchy84
Just a little snow, they don't cancel school over there for snow?
Heh. No, not usually.
you need to introduce them to the concept of the "snow day"
Well said. People in a hurry to get nowhere. You read all these studies about how people really aren't doing anything at their jobs anyways, just trying to look busy, play the game to get the promotion, to, get, what? Where's the happiness in that? It's crazy. I mean, we only have one of these precious lives to live and most of time people are forced things they hate to buy stuff they don't need so they can impress people who don't matter.
Stay strong! :)
Indeed it is! Thanks, @mikesthoughts.
Thanks for your writing.
I like to remember a time when I saw a small pleasure boat loose from its anchor, and I waded out to help the captain push it off of the shore at the beach I was resting at.
By the time I got there, a few other people had gathered, and I saw them all struggling 100% of the time to push the boat forward, out into the water, but I learned quickly that when the waves were pushing towards us, it was moot to push against them, but when the waves were going out, that was the right time to push the boat, because the physics of gravity, friction, and inertia are more conducive to our goal at that moment.
Life is a balance of balances and imbalances, and often timing matters more than the other important things.
I live in canada, and the winters are very bitter near me. good writing.
That is why I try to get away from city when I can. Everytime I am in the woods I feel so content and sad at the same time that my life requires the hustle bustle of the city to keep paying for my life.
That is the rat race of life - running around enmasse looking for what to eat. That is why your thinking aloud is a warning to discerning minds:
I'll add my voice to yours and say: 'Man, learn from the ants, they gather their food in store ahead...'
@kafkanarchy84 Thank you for sharing your wisdom and inspiration.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Rat race indeed!
True, growing up in the 1980s there was no flow, only phony !!
Great call.
Well said @kafkanarchy84! It does seem rather pointless when the weather is terrible. The days of preparing and saving up stores, so you can hibernate indoors only exist for the rich, or for those too poor to do otherwise. All you middle people, get shoveling and turn those gears, we have trinkets to ship out. Senseless.
Not sure if you saw my earlier reply, transferred sbd to your wallet for Rei. Hope it helps out a little. Take care.
Thanks, @jbcoin. I got the funds and sent them to @boxcarblue who is putting together all the rewards for Rei. Really awesome of you to help out. Follow up post should be coming soon in the near future.
Cool thank you @kafkanarchy84!
To be honest we are supposed to start dehumanizing ourselves such that our society will grow as a whole. It has its pros and cons and yet it is a part of the evolution.
It's really important for us, humans, to take at least a fraction of the day (15-30 minutes) in order to meditate, enjoy nature and living the present moment. That's what will approach us to our true human being.
There’s never a pro to becoming less human, but I think I follow what you are trying to say.
I like the way you think my friend! =) Following you!
and who's fault is this i will ask?
I support you until the end. Well written. You are doing a great job. Thanks for sharing @kafkanarchy84
very good artivle @kafkanarchy84
thanks for great work :)
Wow
Cheeres
i enjoy your post! thanks
To my satisfactory, I really enjoyed this and in fact I can't stop sharing this on social media because this is superthetic
It's good writing indeed
very cold for my taste, very interesting your post, valuable as always, thanks for sharing.
thank you, your post
When people say they are riding the flow what does that mean to you?
It is very white!
2月に新潟にキャンプしに行きます！！
people have been thought to think like. This every day I argue with my mother about how the dollar is crashing most people dont understand economics we all know how to chase money because we know that it can bring us better materialistic thing in this made up world