A Letter to a Lake

[FireLane]

A lovely essay from the science writer Simon Oxenham, reflecting on how pandemics and lockdowns have a clarifying effect that reminds us of what really matters. If he's not a Mustachian, he hit on nearly all the same themes by coincidence:

https://medium.com/@simonoxenham/a-letter-to-a-lake-ac842474e257

One thing nobody really talks about that people should consider doing to help the planet survive a little longer; while helping themselves in the process, is to drop out of the rat race for a while.

If this time has taught me anything it’s that it will still be there when you get back.

Get into nature, hunker down, log off, tune out, mute all the WhatsApp groups, stop consuming, clear your mind, breathe out and try to enjoy the simple things in life.

Fresh air, water, oats, nuts, berries, bread, milk, butter. The things I used to think of just as staples for other things to be added to, to be wolfed down while at my desk, I now realize can be just as delicious as a gourmet dinner if prepared thoughtfully and eaten with intention, rather than chomped down while staring at my phone or watching Netflix. And that gourmet dinner, when you do finally make it, tastes 100x better than if you try to have it every night of the week.

You might realise these things actually feel a lot better than all the things you thought you needed. The fancy food, the car, the jewellery, the new clothes, the latest electronics, the weekend package holidays.

All of this is worth nothing to you on the day you die and all of these things harm our little planet.

Once you truly realise this, these possessions become more of a burden than anything else, a ball and chain keeping you in the same place, keeping you scared to lose your job, keeping you earning as much as you possibly can just so that you can keep them 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If you’re not careful, you might just die wasting your life trying to obtain them or run out of time to truly savour life while you’re in your prime and suddenly wake up from your stupor old and rich but with a life devoid of experiences and never having truly tasted the experiences you did have.

[ysette9]

That hits the nail on the head.

Thanks for sharing.

[Metalcat]

Is that really something "nobody" talks about?

It's a cute little essay, but it's kind of written from the stance that it's a novel thing to say, and not something that has a massive cultural following already.

[Dictionary Time]

It’s like every generation thinks they invented sex.

Even the great mmm himself thought he had come up with something new when he discovered it. It’s hiding in plain sight, but when you notice it you feel like you’re in on a secret.

[aceyou]

It’s like every generation thinks they invented sex.

Even the great mmm himself thought he had come up with something new when he discovered it. It’s hiding in plain sight, but when you notice it you feel like you’re in on a secret.

Probably because both sex and personal finance are considered taboo to talk about by large swaths of the population. 

[Valley of Plenty]

Is that really something "nobody" talks about?

It's a cute little essay, but it's kind of written from the stance that it's a novel thing to say, and not something that has a massive cultural following already.

"Nobody talks about it" might be slightly hyperbolic, but I'd definitely say that very few people talk about it, proportionate to the total population. The notion of not being a part of the rat race is completely alien to the average person.

[Metalcat]

Is that really something "nobody" talks about?

It's a cute little essay, but it's kind of written from the stance that it's a novel thing to say, and not something that has a massive cultural following already.

"Nobody talks about it" might be slightly hyperbolic, but I'd definitely say that very few people talk about it, proportionate to the total population. The notion of not being a part of the rat race is completely alien to the average person.

Really? Because a ton of people, especially Americans read Walden, Into The Wild, etc, and seem pretty enthralled with the whole concept.

[BicycleB]

Maybe there's bubbles where it's commonplace, swaths where somebody tried to preach it (like my high school lit teacher when we covered Thoreau and Walden), and vast realms of society where any mention has been covered up with ambition or ads. So people from the oblivious realms have to rediscover it for themselves.

[ixtap]

Maybe there's bubbles where it's commonplace, swaths where somebody tried to preach it (like my high school lit teacher when we covered Thoreau and Walden), and vast realms of society where any mention has been covered up with ambition or ads. So people from the oblivious realms have to rediscover it for themselves.

I think the fantasy is common place, the actual doing is rather more rare.