I've been driving manual transmission cars since I was 16, but I had only heard the terms "downshift" and "downshifting" related to gears. A couple years ago, I was delighted to discover the same terms can apply to our lifestyles. Googling "define: downshifting" gives a #2 definition of: Change a financially rewarding but stressful career or lifestyle for a less pressured and less highly paid but more fulfilling one. Since I just quit my corporate 9-to-5 job last week, now is the perfect … [Read more...]
The “Why” Behind Gandhi’s Simple Living Transformation at Age 23
Everyone knows Gandhi from his later years — when he was “Mahatma” which means “great soul” or “the great-souled one." But, what path did he follow to get there? Was he born into a lifestyle of simple living, or did he make an intentional choice? Naturally, I decided to give myself a crash course on Gandhi. You could spend a lifetime studying Gandhi, but I wanted to focus on just a couple aspects of his life: What were his early years like?, and What was the "Why" behind his … [Read more...]
Voluntary Simplicity: “Listening to the Quiet Revolution” (Thesis Summary)
Who knows how deep I had to dig into "voluntary simplicity" search results to find Katie Barton's 89-page college thesis in October 2016. It was an eye-opening breakthrough for me personally when I read it back then. I thought it was so good that I read it again in full this week. After all, who wouldn't want less: work, stress, rushing, wants/desires, consumerism/consumption, spending/debt, competition, ecological footprint... And more: time, meaning, intention, balance, … [Read more...]