How many of you are tired of the rat race and long to return to a simpler way of life?

Oh my gosh, YES! Another soul who longs for simplicity in life. Thank you, I'm glad to hear it. I'm already happy with less money and I watch the sunset nearly every evening. I'm trying to obtain some land to grow food. I love clothes though, even though they are second hand I like to dress nice but yes, I strive for simplicity more every day.

To your descripion of an escape from the rat race, I would have to say "no."

Growing your own food is not that easy, though, I grant, much easier for a strict vegetarian. Think of the risks of losing crop to pests, the vaguaries of weather, spoilage, etc. If you want to add eggs & milk to your diet, the complications multiply. Raising meat is even more risky. And fresh air? You can forget THAT!

AND, it is a lot of hard, dirty work. Your version of simplicity involves a dawn to dusk workday. About all the leisure time you'd have is those few minutes of sunset gazing.

My version paints a different picture. I would work from home, either telecommuting or, better yet, fully self-employed. I'd like to choose the hours I work, and yes, I'd settler for a smaller income if it meant working less hours.

I'd have my little home/office just on the outskirts of a significant city, with a view of the hills on one side, and close access to theaters, shopping, supermarkets, highly trained and well equipped medical personel and reasonable police and fire protection on the other side.

Right about sunset, I'd stop what ever I was doing and pull up a chair, outside, facing East, and watch the sky turn a full spectrum of colors until the first stars came out.

Then I may (or may not) go back inside to see what my Tivo caught.

I've done both and I enjoyed what they offered me at the time. At this point in my life, I want to have a piece of land for small gardens (flowers are just as necessary as veggies). But, I'd like to live near enough to a metropolitan area (not necessarily a huge city) where I could go to performing arts events, museums, good bookstores, things like that. I guess I want it all, but at my age I figured I've earned it.

I believe it was Newsweek that had an article a few weeks ago that said people are willing to live a couple hours away from their jobs in order to have their own homes with land and better neighborhoods for the family. Sounds like they're still sacrificing everything and gaining nothing--long hours on the road when they could be with their families, and good-paying jobs going for the cost of gas and car maintenance as well as having to eat out while at work. Not much of a trade-off, if you ask me.

I feel that the more technological we're becoming, the more we're digging our own graves. God put us here with only the raw materials to survive. We use very few of the materials today. Our diets are horrible and I feel this is the base of many of the problems we face today.

And what is the so-called simple life? It may not be as simple as you would think. Don't delude yourself. Your simpler way of life can very well be part of the rat race.

The simpler life isn't just laying in the sun and chewing on grass. It's hard work and there is a reason we all left it behind. If it was better no one would have left.

rat race still continue when u still alive