Downshifting: freedom or escapism?

Now it's fashionable to be single-minded. Assertive. Leader. Make a dizzying career by the age of 30, sparing no effort and health. Earn for an apartment, a car, a country house, a bank account and a vacation in the Bahamas, and not in Turkey. Important is also the social status, which you can not buy for money - but you have to "plow" it. Age of careerists.

But how long will the "internal batteries" last forsuch a rhythm of life? Not everyone can withstand constant stress and competition with other same careerists. And even if that's enough, what then? Having received everything - what to strive for? To the second car - and why, if one already exists? By the second apartment - why, if I'm already at night on the job? So it turns out that an increasing number of successful young (and not so) people are attracted to downshifting.

The invention of the term "downshifting" is attributed American journalist Sarah Ben Britten. On the last day of 1991 in the newspaper WashingtonPost "was published her article" Life in a downshift: downshifting and a new look at success in the 90's. " Having spread first in the western countries, downshifting gradually came to us, becoming a rescue for the exhausted "veterans of office labor" and a real nightmare for the Eichars.

What is downshifting? In fact, this The refusal of career growth and high incomes in favor of own spiritual comfort. Downshifters live for themselves. Having refused high position and material benefits, they in return receive more time, which can be given to a family or a hobby, and much less stress. The main idea of ​​downshifting is the rejection of the ideals of the consumer society, which imposes on us goals and benefits.

To become a downshifter, you do not need to go into the forest, like the hero of Henry David Thoreau's book Walden, or Life in the Woods, or lock yourself in a mansion like Salinger did. The main thing - abandon other people's desires and goals, which often replace our own. Different downshifters rebuild their livesdifferently. Someone moves to the countryside, someone starts to struggle for the cleanliness of the environment, someone suddenly decides to write a book. And many have a simple pastime with their family.

Many consider downshifters losers: stumbled on the career ladder, got on the foreheadfrom the competitor and now quietly mourns in the corner of unfulfilled dreams, hiding behind the fashionable word "downshifting." In fact, there are a minority of these downshifters, and by and large they can not be called downshifters. Downshifting is a manifestation of a healthy instinct of self-preservation, inherent in any normal person.

When we ate the shawarma from the tent near the metro, westomach begins to ache. The body warns: "You ate nasty things, and I do not like it!". When we work round the clock, more and more getting into the routine and trying to increase the income that we do not have time to spend, we gradually want to "go to the aunt, in the wilderness, to Saratov." The body warns: "I'm tired, I'm tired, make a breather, think about it."

There are also another point of view on Downshifting. Its adherents believe that life for its own sake -this is selfishness, and egoists are by definition unhappy. And life for the sake of the family is self-deception: you need to provide for the family, but how will you do it if you are a downshift who does not give a damn about money? Let's remember Maslow's pyramid: first of all, a person needs food, shelter and security. While basic needs will not be met, self-realization is unlikely to interest him. In addition, freeing us from some imposed goals and priorities, downshifting in exchange for us to impose on others.

So bad downshifting or good? You decide. Listen to yourself - what will be comfortable for you? If you are satisfied with your job and your career,if it does not cause you any discomfort - there is no point in downshifting. And if you feel that something is wrong in your life - this "something" needs to be changed. Do not necessarily leave for the village forever, or lock yourself in the attic and write oil paintings - just take a vacation. Or try freelancing. Or go hiking around the world, describing your impression on the blog.

The most important goal of a person is to be happy. And what brings him this happiness - career growth, family, downshifting or something else - this is the tenth thing. Be happy!