Unplug yourself, let go and refresh →
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.” - Lao Tzu
Image credits: noimpactman
Imagine living unplugged from the electrical grid, producing no trash, travelling exclusively by foot or bike and buying nothing except food (all of it locally grown).
This would mean:
- no trash
- no paper
- no carbon-fueled transportation
- no shopping
- no dishwasher
- no microwave oven
- no coffee machine
- no food processor
- no TV
- no toilet paper
- no plastic
- no air conditioning
- etc.
For one year, the author Colin Beavan together with his wife, their 2-year-old daughter and their dog attempted to live without making any net impact on the environment. And while at it, they’ve shot a documentary called “No Impact Man” to share their experience with the whole world. I watched and it’s at least thought-provoking.
What drew me in, was the nature of their experiment: their choice to let go of their current lifestyle and reconsider absolutely every consumption habbit they had.
You know, there are parts of our lives that we live like we had no other option. Think about the people that eat meat like meat was the only option to have a consistent meal or simply the people that are violent when they get angry, again, like there was no other option. Letting go creates the possibility to put into perspective the options that we have or simply to generate options that we never thought of. What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What’s the impact of doing this or that?
The act of letting go can be applied to any area of our lives: relationships, career, health, finances, family, character, emotions, daily habits, life purpose, spiritual, you name it. There are areas where the attachment towards certain habits is so powerful that we can’t even “see” what we do, why we do it and the associated impact in a clear way - which can lead to a mindless, dangerous, unfulfilling way of life.
Can you identify some areas of life where you or the people around you could benefit from having, generating or seeing more options?
