Explore Extremes
Impacts: Mind, Community
“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.” -
Henry David Thoreau
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends… Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts. ” – Henry David Thoreau
Extreme examples teach valuable lessons. Avoiding throwing the extreme out with the bath water. Wring what you can out of the towel. Henry David Thoreau lived a life that exemplified this and now serves to inspire many. But there are many examples around us of people who are testing the edges of what most consider the norm.
A good example is the freegan movement. Freegans are people who put their values where their wallets were. They use alternative strategies for living and participate little in the conventional economy. They consume few resources and embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, and cooperation. They are opposed to materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.
At first their radical lifestyle would seem so foreign that many people would disregard them all together. When you choose instead to pause and withhold judgment to consider their point of view you may actually take something away that helps you grow and think differently. But this is just one example and no example has to be so extreme to offer value.
Take Action
- Visit freegan.info to learn more about freegans.
- Look for similarities instead of differences.
- Look for lessons instead of of passing judgment.
- When others around you cast judgment on extreme examples try to avoid taking part. If possible start a dialog to see the lesson.
