The past month has been one of drastic change for me. Donna has left for good, I’m putting my house up for sale, I’ve lost a lot of my so-called friends, I’m selling most of my worldly possessions, and I’ve been starving for a month.

Fortunately, I can still whine about my life to a few close friends without feeling bad about myself. They don’t judge me the way that most people seem to be doing lately.

I have made the mistake of confiding in a few individuals whom I assumed were much more open minded than they actually are. I regretted saying anything as soon as the words were out of my mouth. It’s clear that most people can’t fully understand what I’m trying to accomplish. The first response is usually, “What do you mean you don’t want to work anymore?” Or, “You’re too young to retire. How will you survive?”

Well, firstly, I didn’t say “I don’t want to work anymore.” I simply don’t want to work in the traditional sense of the forty-hour-a-week, commuting, cubicle dwelling, ass kissing, wage-slave sense. Is that too much to comprehend? Yes, apparently it is for most.

Yes, I’ve discovered that it’s really a bad idea to talk to most people about things like this, and I promised myself that it wouldn’t happen again. You see, the majority of the working population is very pro-work (or appear to be). They bitch and whine about their jobs, but in the end, they accept the job, and the “prosperity” it brings, as another part of life. They don’t consider any other alternative, since they believe there is none. Anyone foolish enough to think otherwise deserves to wind up in the gutter.

They are programmed through the generations, and that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that, if it’s your thing (well, it was my thing too, up until recently), but please don’t preach to me as though I have taken leave of my senses. They have a hard time grasping what I am telling them because they have never known, or considered any alternatives. Maybe they simply don’t want me to escape. Misery loves company, as they say.

Yeah, that’s it, they’re all jealous.

If you stopped working, had no savings, were unable to pay your bills, and did nothing about it, you would quickly wind up at the bottom of the social heap – homeless.

Homelessness strikes fear in the hearts of most individuals who have ever thought of making a change in their lives by handing in their resignation. It is perceived as the ultimate destiny for those who have mismanaged their affairs to the extent that they have used up all their chances and all their safety nets. It is a formidable force that wields its power in the form of fear.

I encounter homeless people everyday. Most people avoid them like the plague – I’m not sure why. I’ve overheard comments like, “It makes you glad to have a job” and “There, but for the grace of god, go I.” It’s obvious that it makes many people uncomfortable – not because they detest homeless people, but because it strikes a cord with many of us.

Fear like this will keep you on the straight and narrow. It is very real, since there is proof of how lives can be shattered, in the alleyways and park benches of most major cities for all to see, any day of the week. This fear keeps many of us chained to our desks with little options, for we have concluded that there is some unseen force trying to constantly drag us down. How good of the company to give me this great job and spare me the pain of this certain fate.

Well, the reality is that many of us would not end up on the street. There are many other factors involved here. I have talked to many street people over the years, and I could not imagine anyone I know winding up on the street. They simply don’t fit the profile.

First of all, many street people have problems with alcohol and drug abuse. I have seen this first hand. Additionally, many have emotional and psychological problems. I’m not saying that all street people can be painted with the same brush, as I am sure there are exceptions; however, there does seem to be a certain profile with most.

Additionally, many street people either don’t know about, or don’t want help from, the many social programs available to them. I’m not being biased or prejudiced here; I’m only speaking from my own experiences.

I honestly don’t think I would end up homeless. I have family and friends that I can count on in an absolute emergency. Even without that, I still believe that I could avoid sleeping on the street. I would make use of every program available to me. I would wash dishes and sweep floors in order to keep a room and have a little food.

I really feel for the homeless. Through no fault of their own, they have slipped through the cracks. Forced to exist on our leftovers, they exist as a silent minority in a world that is simply too busy to acknowledge their existence.

I don’t think I’m tough enough to survive that.

Where did we go wrong? How did our society become so obsessed with materialistic gain? Why can’t we be satisfied? What drives us to constantly want more?

Look at our lives today. Things have certainly gone past the point of having our basic needs met. There is a constant drive to work harder and accumulate wealth. There is a constant need to improve our standard of living and better ourselves. There is an obsessive need to establish our social status and always strive for as much material gain as possible. We are programmed by society to believe that this is the only road to happiness and self-fulfillment. We are made to feel guilty when we don’t work as hard and as long as possible. We are made to feel bad about ourselves when compared to others who have managed to become more successful then we are, thus, tempting us to work harder.

The need to compete, adds to our daily stress – and it’s so unnecessary! We simply have to look at the big picture and think about what we’re sacrificing to achieve all this material gain. Long commutes, long work days, workplace stress, no family life, more debt, more taxes, and little time for relaxation.

As we climb the social ladder, we may find that we are trading our freedom for an idealized lifestyle – a lifestyle that may never be reached for many, as the need to accomplish more will never be quenched. Very few will reach the point were they will say, “Ok, that’s enough, I’m content.” The need to press on and constantly break through new barriers is a very distinctive human trait. What other species will take so much more than it needs to survive?

I’m not saying that the economic system we have in place is a bad thing. For example, one hundred years ago, a person would be required to have many more skills than we have today – just to survive. You needed to provide your own food and shelter directly. That involved a much more hands-on approach. You had to be able to grow crops, tend animals, and build homes – just to name a few. The physical labor involved here would kill most of us today.

As the economy became more sophisticated, we started to specialize. We were able to choose a career that would be our niche in a complex system. We invented and built machines to do most of the manual labor much more efficiently. We no longer needed to grow our own food and build our own homes. We simply worked at a very specialized job, received a paycheck, and purchased our necessities – simple.

This system allowed us to enjoy products from all areas of the world. It provided medical services and emergency services. The only catch was that each of us had to do our part to contribute our talents and efforts. We could simply do our job and enjoy life.

Somewhere along the way, and I’m not entirely sure when, we were sidetracked. What were once luxuries, now became necessities. We felt an urge to work towards some elusive goal. We needed to keep up with the rest of society. We strived to accumulate more wealth. We were no longer satisfied with having the basics.

We are now at the point where both parents likely hold down full-time jobs – and they would argue that it’s necessary in order to survive. What’s next? It has to stop somewhere. We’ve got the, “if one is good, than more must be better,” mentality. Overindulgence in anything is never a good thing.

We are trading material goods for leisure time. The economic system we have in place could easily allow us to enjoy more leisure time without any hardship whatsoever. Instead, we continue to work even harder. Does that make sense?

The government argues that consumer spending means a healthy economy, and they encourage this. Who cares about global warming, smog, environmental destruction? They care as much about that, as they do about the population burning themselves out with being overworked.

The system is currently one big free-for-all. There are no controls in place. If you can afford it, then you can buy it. How big does a house have to be? How many cars do you need? Do we ever consider that the planet’s resources are finite?

What if we all learned to just get by with less? There would be fewer hours worked, fewer cars on the road, and more family time. There would be more time to create, contemplate and grow as individuals. We could still enjoy the comforts and security of a modern society, and have more of what’s really important – time.

An example of getting by with less, or self-imposed deprivation, as some would call it, might mean cutting down on your work hours, downsizing your home, getting by with a single vehicle, walking more, selling your gadgets, and learning to live more simply and more economically.

We would never allow this to happen, however. We will continue to work flat out, all in the name of social status and material greed. We will continue to be brainwashed by corporations, governments and the media. We will continue to be “shamed” into working as many hours as physically possible – to become a success, as defined by society.

No, thanks, I’ve got my own plan, and I refuse to be influenced any longer.