Recently, downshifting has become a very popular phenomenon, around which there is a lot of controversy. Who are downshifters? What does downshifting mean in the life of different people and society as a whole? How did downshifting originate and in what forms does it exist today?
The history of the birth of downshifting
To understand what downshifting is in its modern meaning, it is necessary to recall the ancestors of downshifting, which is rightly considered to be “Generation X”, which appeared in America about 3 decades ago. It was an educated intellectual youth who left a profitable job, career growth, life in luxury apartments for the sake of a much simpler and more modest life. When questioning friends and relatives about their mental health, they quite reasonably and logically explained that they did not want to waste their best years on a lifestyle imposed by the system and the pursuit of material wealth, as well as the illusion of so-called success.
Famous Downshifters
Perhaps the first downshifter known to the world was the emperor of Ancient Rome, Diocletian, although he, of course, did not know what downshifting means in the modern sense of the word. During the heyday of his empire, the ruler unexpectedly left the throne and retired to his estate to grow cabbage. Members of the Senate subsequently came to him more than once to persuade him to return to power, but he was quite happy and, despite all the persuasions, did not back down from the decision.
A certain idea of what downshifting can also be obtained by the example of the life of Leo Tolstoy. He refused the privileges and princely title that his origin gave him, and instead of a comfortable life in the capital, he preferred living in a rural outback.
Downshifting Definition
Understanding what downshifting helps is the fact that it emerged as a natural response to the yuppie lifestyle, in which career, image and social status are most important. A real yuppie often abandons hobbies and hobbies, since in his eyes it is an inadmissible luxury and a waste of time. With great pleasure, he will stay at work for a few extra hours, if this, of course, will contribute to his career growth. The needs of such a person grow along with his capabilities, and he becomes a hostage to the constant pursuit of them. The desire to break this vicious circle, which for the majority has become the norm, is what downshifting is.
The definition that can be given to the downshifter in some reference books sounds something like this: this is a person who consciously refuses to work hard and prefers to live modestly, but at the same time have more free time. The main thing that the downshifter refuses is the wishes and goals of others.
What causes downshifting?
Often people choose this way of life for themselves, because due to the economic crisis, they are convinced from their own experience that material values are unreliable and deceptive, and the wealth and position in society achieved through hard work can disappear at once. Others just get tired of stress at work and the ever-accelerating stressful pace of life. Some rethink life after a tragedy, for example, the loss of a loved one. There are, of course, many other reasons why a person decides to go beyond the existing value system.
Types of Downshifting
The meaning of the word downshifting becomes clearer with the literal translation of this concept from English.Shifting is switching, and down is down, so downshifting is a kind of philosophy to simplify life or, in other words, voluntary simplicity. Two main types of downshifting can be distinguished, depending on the reasons that prompted it. These are the Creator downshifting and the Loafer downshifting.
If a person or family moves, for example, from a large industrial city to a village with the goal of starting a farm there, doing crafts, gardening, raising children in an environmentally friendly environment, in a word - living closer to nature and working on the earth, then this is the Creator downshift. A person who chooses this path of life, as if returning to his ancient roots, he is moving away from the bustle of the city, but does not cease to benefit society, reviving agriculture.
But there is a different lifestyle: moving to resort places for a long rest, as well as destroying the old system of values for the sake of that in which only one's “I” matters. Loafer downshifting is a movement that is often followed by people who have accumulated a certain amount of capital. They stop working and devote all their time to traveling and all kinds of entertainment, for example, surfing, skiing or even just relaxing in a hammock. Sometimes even poor people become such downshifters. Moving from major cities and not working anywhere, they live, for example, by renting out their urban housing.
What does the downshifter refuse?
The common feature of these two types of downshifting is that these people abandon the consumer value system, where material prosperity is at the forefront and according to the laws of which the vast majority lives. Sometimes the downshifting movement is compared with the hippie lifestyle, but in fact there are practically no similarities between them. Downshifters have neither codes, nor hymns, nor general preferences regarding appearance and clothing. A variety of people who are unlike each other refuse universal consumer values. Some of them do not even suspect that their choice corresponds to the fashionable philosophy of our time. What is downshifting, the definition of this concept and how popular it is, hardly worries them. Often they do not oppose the social system itself, but the slogan “faster, higher, stronger”, in accordance with which the society lives, is alien to them.
Substitution of values
It is practically impossible to completely get out of the consumption system and do without money, and those who really understand what downshifting is, and not just follow fashion, do not set such goals. In addition, by abandoning old values, a person inevitably acquires new ones, therefore it cannot be said that he becomes absolutely free, his life guidelines simply change dramatically.
Creator or Loafer - who will win?
As for the Loafer downshifting, such a selfish life for its own sake does not bring long-lasting deep satisfaction. Man exchanges the race for material values in pursuit of pleasures and fun, and instead of filling life with real meaning, he simply burns it. A person may think that he has begun to “live for real,” but many psychologists say that it is more like an imitation than life in the full sense of the word.
A person is much more satisfied with useful activities when he develops himself and helps others to develop, creates something new and works for something important. Then the rest and fun in his life becomes comparable to seasoning, the use of which in reasonable quantities makes the taste of food more diverse and richer. Largely for this reason, the downshifting of the Creator is a life position that seems reasonable to an increasing number of people.
