how people should live

everyone should live in small houses; no bigger than their needs justify. they should have their own garden, including vegetable garden and fruit trees and nuts; potatoes or root vegetables as well growing. they should use organic fertilisers. the houses should be made of natural materials and should not take up a lot of energy or space. green energy should be used to power the home, with everything recycled where possible.

the natural environment should be preserved. ideally houses should be located beside a natural stream or spring for ideal drinking water. rainwater and dam water (a dam dug in a paddock if necessary) should be used on the garden etc. however interference with the natural environment should be kept to an absolute minimum. clearing large areas should be discouraged.

people should eat a largely vegetarian diet, surviving mainly on a variety of nuts, seeds, root vegetables, plants (leafy vegetables, a variety of fruit) and grains. the diet may be supplemented by eggs or fish or fowl occasionally if desired.

freshwater should be consumed mostly, with other good drinks being fruit or vegeable juices, and herbal or other teas (green), or soymilk/ricemilk/almondmilk etc.

consumerism should be absolutely discarded, as should 'fashion'. live simply; have clothes for their utility only and only what you need. don't buy more unless you actually NEED more. it is not important what you look like. you should be with someone who respects your soul not your body. superficial things bring unhappiness. the same for your hair and makeup. who is looking at you? nobody except those that already love or care for you. therefore what does it matter if you wear makeup or not? (if you wear it to express individuality or for artistic reasons maybe thats ok..)

buying new items and discarding old items based on fashion is silly. if an item is functional, what is wrong with it? Fix it, dont discard it. so what if your furniture doesnt match or follow the latest trend. you can make it your own; but dont be wasteful; try to re-use old things or think of new uses for them; and only replace things when they really NEED it or become worn out.

take pride in re-using things and eliminating waste/ in recycling.

teach your children about gardening and plants and vegetables. let them learn how to grow their own food and connect with nature and plants. they wil be happier and enjoy life more if they spend time wiht nature and respect it.

schools should not be prisons. or bootcamps. children should enjoy their childhood in a safe happy and pressure free environment which is truly conducive to learning. do you ever feel like you learnt nothing useful at school, other than to be a slave in modern society? this is true - this is what you learned - because this is what you were meant to become.

break the cycle. childhood should be respected and protected as a magical time. children should learn at thier own pace, whatever interests them. children are naturally curious and ask questions and want to learn.

the cycle of slavery is fed by consumerism and greed. stop consuming. stop buying the latest fashion. wear your jumper until its worn out. wear your jeans until they're old. buy functional things and ignore the adds. you wont die if you dont have 20 peach coloured handbags.

also a problem for health is food. eat to live; for health. break the cycle of indulgence. dont feed your kids unhealthy crap. they will become addicts later on. feed them whats good for them; what we were all meant to eat; and limit the bad stuff.

why can't schools teach kids about solar power, green energy, and give practical examples to them of recycling; buildling things of use; how to garden and cook; etc. then for those more academic; they can learn other things as well.. or artistic, or creative or whatever.


values are all wrong too.
having more or newer or more expensive stuff than the next person shouldnt be something to aspire to.
it shoudlnt be every person for itself and the rest get left behind.
even cavepeople looked after the old and the weak of their societies. what sort of society are we creating if we dont even want to do that?
old people should be respected and looked after; not discarded in homes or thought of as useless. their memories are longer, and memories are important to pass on to a species that doesnt live very long and each generation forgets what the last one knew.
thinking 'greed is good' is just wrong. greed isnt good; its dumb.
failing to realise the importance of other animals and the natural environment is dumb too.

animals are more than a source of food or labour or something to experiment with or keep in captivity to study. they have feelings, thoughts, emotions and desires. they are not empty shells.

if you fail to see this, you are living a very self centred and lonely life. you have friends all around you and you dont even know it.

even a chicken can be a loyal friend and intelligent too. yet we treat them as less than dirt. we keep them in horrific conditions; where they will never see sunlight, or grass or peck at a worm. they cannot even move. so you can have kfc. their babies are put on conveyor belts as soon as they hatch; and some are sent alive into grinding machines and de-beaked. days old little innocent chicks. what has the human 'race' become? it is a terrible crime, which the whole human race will be punished for. this and many other crimes towards your animal friends.

many are not 'awake'. they dont know about these horrible things that are happening. and ignorance is 'bliss'. all they know is KFC tastes nice or maccas and think no more. but the horrible things keep happening. and its time to wake up and take responsibility for our part in these things. its time to stop being selfish.

reply to post by rapunzel222

how people should live

I can do this too, except a lot more sensible: people should NOT tell others how to live their lives, end of story. If you want people to live as you dictate well give them some encouragement and reason to make the change.

Nice thread OP I really enjoyed the read and I would give you an applause if I could.

If we all lived within our means and respected the habitats around us the world would be a much better place to live.

The sad thing is that we as a world have been indoctrinated into thinking that material goods are the end all be all of self worth and happiness.

Your just not good enough if your not driving the newest car or wearing the most fashionable clothes.

I also agree that the amount of processed foods and garbage that line the grocery store shelves is sickening.

Convenience has become more important than health for many people who would rather save the time it would take to prepare a healthy meal, so they opt for the empty calorie slop that is fast food.

I could go on and on about the social stigmas that plague us but it gets tiresome.

In a perfect world none of this would be a problem but as you know too well we do not live in such a world.

Originally posted by rapunzel222
schools should not be prisons. or bootcamps. children should enjoy their childhood in a safe happy and pressure free environment which is truly conducive to learning. do you ever feel like you learnt nothing useful at school, other than to be a slave in modern society? this is true - this is what you learned - because this is what you were meant to become.

break the cycle. childhood should be respected and protected as a magical time. children should learn at thier own pace, whatever interests them. children are naturally curious and ask questions and want to learn.

Those are basically the only good things you wrote and i hope understand why it is good and i don't need to explain them. Though school overall is not that bad, you learn some things and with good teachers you can have lots of fun. Sadly most teachers are rather bad.


Everything else: Welcome to Planet Hell.

Originally posted by rapunzel222
its time to stop being selfish.

Sounds more like you say it's time to stop enjoying your life.

Really, WHY should we only or nearly only eat vegetables? Animals taste great.
WHY should we live in small houses? I enjoy my place here, i enjoy my big garden were i not only grow some flowers and vegetables but also have a nice swimming pool (and swimming is good, right?) and i also like to have some more rooms where i can put all the stuff i own into.

You say that only freshwater, juices, teas or other stuff shoud be consumed. What about normal milk? Why should i stop drinking Whisky and Beer? I enjoy them.

You may be right that it is stupid to throw away stuff because they're old or not compatible to fashion and i too hate people who throw perfectly fine stuff in the garbage because it's 5 years old, but you make it sound like we should use everything until it is completely broken down.

And have you thought about the consequences? IF earth lives that boring, simple life you want to see and if we stop buying anything, can you imagine what the world would become? I mean, yeah great you can drink water from a well and you can maybe eat an apple, but everything else? Have you thought about what would happen if all people would just stop working? YOU wouldn't be able to post such stupid things here.
I mean, just thinkg about and try to imagine the world you describe, you will see that it won't work out, that people won't be happy (especially if the remember the time before) and everything sounds like a dystopian future right from 1984 or Brazil and that's not a good thing.

I say: Let People live the way they like. Everyone should have the freedom to spend their years on this planet how they want it.
If you want to live like a caveman it's fine by me but don't try to convert other people to your lifestyle or think that only your way of life is the only good one. Because that's my friend is really selfish and you said we should stop being selfish.

Originally posted by Helig
reply to post by rapunzel222

 

how people should live

I can do this too, except a lot more sensible: people should NOT tell others how to live their lives, end of story. If you want people to live as you dictate well give them some encouragement and reason to make the change.

I found this quite funny to be honest.

You do realize that our entire lives we have been told how to live...

It's called social structure and indoctrination and it has been that way since the beginning of civilization.

If TSHTF people may be forced to live like this. All it would take is a large EMP to go off over a heavily populated area and no more electrical, gas stations won't work, even when the power goes out in town, people suddenly have no access to their banks.

People are spoiled these days, and depression rates are highest where things come too easy. Or at least one would think so at the rates that anti depressants are prescribed. I partly blame mass materialism and consumerism.

The world runs right now on capitalism and debt, that only works for so long, before there is no money left and no more room for debt. Are we almost there? Don't know. Also with the world population at almost 7 billion, and people literally living on top of each other, your scenario is hard to picture realistically, unless TSHTF and many people die from whatever the disaster is.

I agree with you on much of your post though, smaller houses would be easier to heat, children would be more open to eating vegetables and fruit if the crappy junk wasn't available, and if they help with the garden they are more likely to eat what they grow. People used to have large families partly so they had home grown farm hands. It was good for them, they grew up strong and healthy, with good family values, instead of the way many of them behave these days.

Beer, wine, mead, brandy - they should all be still around though, people just have to make their own

Lots of people are starting to get off the grid, and live partly this way, expecting something to happen, they will be the most prepared when the lights go out.

spelling, spelling
[edit on 7-6-2010 by snowspirit]

[edit on 7-6-2010 by snowspirit]

reply to post by rapunzel222


the cycle of slavery is fed by by one thing and one thing only - and that is the mind.

every single person on this planet deserves to live a fabulous, joy filled and abundant life. yes, be respectful and honor the earth. yes, be smart about what we put into our bodies. yes, take a look at our systems that need considerable changing.

but the theme should be about love. about enjoying life, creating, abundance, unity and harmony - having fun and living in absolute peace and joy. loving and enjoying this amazing planet we are all living on. not one of scarcity and lack.

reply to post by ShadowAngel85


, WHY should we only or nearly only eat vegetables? Animals taste great.
WHY should we live in small houses? I enjoy my place here, i enjoy my big garden were i not only grow some flowers and vegetables but also have a nice swimming pool (and swimming is good, right?) and i also like to have some more rooms where i can put all the stuff i own into.

I can give you a few reasons why we would be better off following a sensible diet and not amassing and hording material things.

Because of my past lifestyle I now need a kidney transplant, have COPD, diabetes and gouty arthritis, just to name a few problems.

I felt I worked hard for my money and I could play hard and do and have exactly what I wanted.

I turned a beautiful 1971 SS Chevy into a race car right after I had completely restored it. But I had a new car so why not? Well, I loved that old car and miss it now. It was jam up and jelly tight and would still be moving me on the highways now if I had not been so stupid.

Drinking nothing but the best Kentucky whisky and smoking cigarettes all I wanted had a nearly devastating effect on my body. Quit drinking 15 years ago and stopped smoking 2 years ago.

Now I live and eat as the OP has suggested. I have been able to reverse many of my health problems and even my kidneys are improving.

I still have my huge home but it's used as I have room for grandchildren and friends to visit and enjoy the simple and good life.

When I was told about my possible demise I took a long look at my material things and am now giving away what I don't need or use.

You don't have to live in poverty to live right. I still have my big truck, my big boat and my fast 4 wheeler.

I take the family and friends fishing for seafood and use my truck where I live as it it on a mile long dirt road and gets very muddy during summer rains and storms.

The 4 wheeler I use to round up the cow and goats if they wander off and also use it to hunt wild fruit and berries.

I want you to explain to me how a person can get board if you take time to join with nature and watch it unfold.

Happiness and Love to you. I wish everybody could enjoy life as much as I do. Go out and grab you some...it's really pretty good.

I don't think forcing people how to live is a good thing.

I do agree completely .
I agree with you so much I will add you as my friend.

I think we don't really have a choice actually.

Yesterday I've posted a new thread. In there you will find a good motivation to live like you say. Cause if we do not, we will almost certainly wipe ourselves of the face of the Earth.

The shocking reality of modern day extinction.

Absolutely brakes my heart.

reply to post by dizziedame


Well first of all, i'm sorry to hear about all your health problems, that's always bad and so i can understand why you prefer a differen lifestyle.
But just because some people have health problems doesn't mean that all people should abandon their lifestyle, because not all people are equal. For instance my grandfather smoked a lot, 1 pack a day, since 65 years. He is now 80 and despite that still is in good shape.
Because it was a topic today here on ATS: The oldest women who died with 122 years smoked over 90 years, has eaten lots of chocolate and became that old, she even started fencing with 80 years.

What i'm trying to say it: So called unhealthy stuff doesn't mean that it will kill you, of course there are risks, but i take them because i just enjoy drinking Whisky and so we should allow to every human take risks as long as they want to take them.
I mean if we abandon all things that could possibly be bad for us....what will be left? Cars are dangerous, trains are dangerous, animals are dangerous, even your home can be dangerous and you can lose your life because maybe you slip on something and break your neck or whatever.

And like i said nobody should force anybody to some lifestyle just because they think it is the right one and in my oppinion people should stop to promote their lifestyle on ATS just because they think they're so great and something "better". In the end not all humans are the same and that's a good thing because it would be pretty damn boring if it were different.

Now i guess most people can live for example without alcohol and i can it too. But why should i? Like i said, i enjoy it and so i don't see any sense in stopping to drink. I know it's not as healthy as the fruit juices or water i drink most of the time, but i just don't care because the Whiskey belongs to my lifestyle and ehances my quality of life.

Originally posted by dizziedame
I take the family and friends fishing for seafood

Just imagine if some vegan guy comes to you and tries to forbid you fishing or fills you up with propaganda about how bad fishing and seafood is. You wouldn't be happy about it, right? Propably even annoyed.
That's basically the feeling i get from the Topic Starter, he thinks his way is the only right one and we should all change because he says so.

Originally posted by dizziedame
I want you to explain to me how a person can get board if you take time to join with nature and watch it unfold.

Well just imagine the way of life the topic starter suggests were everything deemed bad or unnecessary is thrown away: No more Airplanes for example, we wouldn't be able to easily trave the world, to see all the beautiful things they got there. For example have you ever been to Sweden? A Wonderful country, lots of forests, lakes and basically one of natures most beautiful places. I will fly to Sweden tomorrow, not only for the Sweden Rock Festival but also to once again enjoy this nice place.

And i guess we as humans just need all the things we got, we invented. I can tell you a story about a vacation i had in Sri Lanka. We met a fisherman and his family, they lived in a house without a real bathroom, they basically showered through a garden hose in their garden. The fisherman always goes to work in the arabian emirates during winter to collect some more money. Now, like i said they basically had a house with 3 rooms, no bathroom, a small kitchen but one of the first things they bought was a big stereo system. Why? Because they said "We love music". And i ask them about not having a bathroom and why they didn't spend money to build one and they said "It's not something we really need, we're happy with out it".

Now imagine a "natural life" without everything that is considered unnecessary or not important. That for example means no more stereo systems, no more music. Wouldn't that be a pretty sad and boring life?

And basically i also just wonder why those nature fans, they say that everything is unnecessary and you can live without using an unnecessary Computer, stupid Internet and waste time writing an article on a website they certainly won't need

Rapunzel, I agree with you, except for the should. I try to shy away from words like should, ought, must, because what might be very right for me is not what is always best for others. Besides, how do we get the chicken back into the egg again? I totally believe in keeping things as simple as possible, because it means less problems to me. It might well take a complete meltdown of Society before what you postulate could come about. At that point we might all become 'survivalists".

I really do not like anyone telling me I should do this or that. I am a free
person and will make up my own mind as to what "should" will be.
I have to ask the OP if he/she actually lives to the T what is on that list?
Do you practice what you preach? Or do you live in some kind of la la land
fuzzy warm feeling all over type of existence? You would make a good
politician. We surely need some more thinkers like this.

We are generally born into a certain lifestyle, and either try to maintain it, improve it, or discard it altogether in favor of something different.

I too have a fairly large home and a great many things, and like dizziedame, I share. That makes it okay in my book.

It does not, however, ever hurt to entertain thoughts of a different lifestyle, and the life you described sounds very pleasant and wholesome to me. I try to simplify my life, and also have stopped acquiring "things" like I used to.

A store where I sometimes shop has a sign that says "Keep something because it is useful, or because you find it beautiful". I like that.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts, and appreciate the encouragement to be more independent and healthy and less commercial.

reply to post by Helig


im not telling you you have to do it; im saying this is what i think people should do.

however i did expect to get flamed for this thread..

[edit on 8-6-2010 by rapunzel222]

Originally posted by ShadowAngel85

Originally posted by rapunzel222
schools should not be prisons. or bootcamps. children should enjoy their childhood in a safe happy and pressure free environment which is truly conducive to learning. do you ever feel like you learnt nothing useful at school, other than to be a slave in modern society? this is true - this is what you learned - because this is what you were meant to become.

break the cycle. childhood should be respected and protected as a magical time. children should learn at thier own pace, whatever interests them. children are naturally curious and ask questions and want to learn.

Those are basically the only good things you wrote and i hope understand why it is good and i don't need to explain them. Though school overall is not that bad, you learn some things and with good teachers you can have lots of fun. Sadly most teachers are rather bad.

oh, well at least we agree on something.

Everything else: Welcome to Planet Hell.

Originally posted by rapunzel222
its time to stop being selfish.

Sounds more like you say it's time to stop enjoying your life.

no, altho i agree, its hard to start with.

Really, WHY should we only or nearly only eat vegetables? Animals taste great.

they taste great, but there is a lot of evidence eating a lot of them is making us sick. look at all the obese people walking around these days. they weren't there in the 70s; everyone was thin. people are eating MORE than ever before. and what are they eating more of? meat, dairy, sugar, fat.

a predominantly vegetarian diet is healthy. your mouth might hate it but your body will love it. if we were meant to live for pleasure, chocolate cake would be healthy. look, i sympathise. i did in fact try to live on chocolate cake for a number of years. but it doesn't work. you may want to take this up with the source/ 'god' or whatnot. i didnt make the rules unfortunately. your body wants you to predominantly eat veggies.

also i think its pretty unnecessary to eat so many animals when we'd be healthier if we didnt. i suppose if we had to kill them ourselves we might eat less of them.

WHY should we live in small houses? I enjoy my place here, i enjoy my big garden were i not only grow some flowers and vegetables but also have a nice swimming pool (and swimming is good, right?) and i also like to have some more rooms where i can put all the stuff i own into.

because the planet we live on isnt infinite in space. your choice to live in a big house has knock on effects for other people. it ultimately means some people will have to live in tiny places or have no house at all. and that more forests will be cut down; more animals put out of a home etc.

You say that only freshwater, juices, teas or other stuff shoud be consumed. What about normal milk? Why should i stop drinking Whisky and Beer? I enjoy them.

im not saying you have to stop whisky and beer; i am saying you'd probly be healthier if you did; but its your choice. im just proposing an ideal diet for those interested in health. milk; many cultures drink it; but in this day and age there are links to dairy and obesity and cancer. dairy is implicated in cancer growth in several studies. i just think you'd be safer if you didnt drink it all the time. dairy also can cause migraines in many people and many people dont tolerate it but dont realise they dont. if you want to be thin and healthy, i think it involves cutting out red meat; dairy and sugar. its that simple.

You may be right that it is stupid to throw away stuff because they're old or not compatible to fashion and i too hate people who throw perfectly fine stuff in the garbage because it's 5 years old, but you make it sound like we should use everything until it is completely broken down.

well even if everyone consumed less than they do now it'd be a start. i just think changing people's attitudes is important. like priding ourselves on reusing stuff and not wasting it etc. i respect people who reuse old stuff and turn it into something useful.

And have you thought about the consequences? IF earth lives that boring, simple life you want to see and if we stop buying anything, can you imagine what the world would become? I mean, yeah great you can drink water from a well and you can maybe eat an apple, but everything else? Have you thought about what would happen if all people would just stop working? YOU wouldn't be able to post such stupid things here.
I mean, just thinkg about and try to imagine the world you describe, you will see that it won't work out, that people won't be happy (especially if the remember the time before) and everything sounds like a dystopian future right from 1984 or Brazil and that's not a good thing.

no no; the idea is that everyone will be comfortable and have relaxed enjoyable lives, still with creature comforts but just with different values = i.e. looking after the environment; not overconsuming; being eco friendly; minimizing our impact on the planet and others; etc.. people will still work at what they enjoy becuase they WANT to; not cuz of money. so the world wont stop because people will still want to do things and make things and create things. i dont believe people are innately lazy at all.

I say: Let People live the way they like. Everyone should have the freedom to spend their years on this planet how they want it.
If you want to live like a caveman it's fine by me but don't try to convert other people to your lifestyle or think that only your way of life is the only good one. Because that's my friend is really selfish and you said we should stop being selfish.

thats very nice; but if everyone lived the way the average westerner does it would take 4 planets to support us with resources and space. our planet cannot support this wasteful consuming lifestyle; and our planet and nature itself will stop us because we are not respecting the power of nature in our lifestyle and choices. we won't HAVE a choice to make pretty soon. nature and this planet will make it for us. if everyone could live the way they want do you realise what will happen to the brazilian rainforest? it'll go. its going now. soon there will be no forests left. that is not going to work as far as nature is concerned. there will be consequences.

no one is telling you what to do; i am just saying what i think people should do; everyone has free will and can choose the consequences.

reply to post by snowspirit


to the poster that was saying everyone would be miserable in the world im suggesting; are people happy now?

suicide rates are sky high; people work form dawn to dusk; they take anti depressants and go to counsellors and medicate their children. they eat until they get an eating disorder, western disease, or obesity then have to go through the hospital system, surgery and drugs to deal with it; people's recreation is shopping - is that really healthy? people wander around looking for the latest handbag to make themselves feel better after the crappy slavery at work driven week they just had...

or call me pessimistic; but when i walk around the city; people dont look happy to me, for all the big houses and luxury cars they have.

reply to post by nltkn


i think you are getting me wrong. i am not proposing bare floors, sackcloth and ashes, no food; scarcity and lack at all.

i am proposing a beautiful natural environment to live in with wild areas and countryside and forests; the best natural water to drink; clean air and healthy rivers, animals and plants.

i am proposing a comfy cottage or house big enough for the needs of a family but not wiht huge wasted expensive spaces. kept warm in winter with green energy heating and - there is nothing wrong with technology - i am not in a war with technology - but it should only be used in a way that complements and accords with nature. what i mean is what victor schauberger described - he was an austrian inventor who even built a flying saucer during the war with the type of energy he discovered. so long as its green and a lot of thought has gone into the technology to make sure it doesn't go against nature's principles; then you can still have creature comforts. im just against excess. things people dont need/and waste.

im not suggesting everyone go back to the dark ages, horses and carts or candles. you dont have to get water from a well; you can pipe it; just check out the way to pipe it properly; and don't pollute; etc. if we put enough effort in i think we can have technology and still not offend nature's laws.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


why thanks. just so you know, i would never force people to do anything.

but i think nature might; she is not so forgiving.

but it will not be force it'll be free will. it'll be choose the chocolate cake if you want; but you're gonna get sick if you live on it.

choose to cut down all the trees if you want, but without them, all humans will perish.

choose to amass more stuff than others if you want; but you'll have to watch kids starving to death in other countries on your tv at night...

and so on generally.

i guess the title was a little provocative; but sometimes provoking people is a good way to get their attention - i'll admit; i can be a bit of a stirrer sometimes.

[edit on 8-6-2010 by rapunzel222]

reply to post by ShadowAngel85


re: your second post; see my post on technology; i have no problem with it if its done right; or with music either.

im not telling you how to live; in spite of the title; altho i can see it has quite annoyed you; which is kind of funny because i knew it would piss people off...

and i could personally care less what people's diet is. i have no interest in what people eat. but if people want to be healthy; and plenty do; then they may be interested - all i think is people shud be told how to be healthy; if they then choose not to be, its their choice...

altho i do feel sorry for the animals that suffer unnecessarily as a result of people's choices.

[edit on 8-6-2010 by rapunzel222]

reply to post by endtimer


Happy to be a politician if people would support me.

i'd give you green power tomorrow; and better schools for kids; better health system.

think of the title as 'my opinion on how people should live' if it makes you less irritated. that is what i really meant to convey.

sometimes when things make me angry i get nazi-ish; particularly where it involves cruelty to animals etc. then i do feel like forcing people.

but generally, i haven't the slightest care what other people do with their lives...

the only way to get people to read things sometimes is to piss them off.