Beauty

Those of us who live here in upstate New York are fortunate to live amidst such beauty.  The day is calling, a gentle breeze, plenty of sunshine, singing birds and maybe I'll catch sight of the chipmunk who lives in the apple tree.  Taking time to soak up the day is such a gift.  Oh that every day could be a vacation day, filled with adventures and reading and rest.  But I suppose we would grow callous to them then.  We need work to balance things out. 

I was reading about some agrarian cultures...a few that still exist, where people basically forage for what they need, and their society is egalitarian rather than hierarchical like our own.  They share the land.  And essentially work about half the day, and spend the rest of the day "being."  I think I was born in the wrong place...or maybe our society is simply way out of balance.  Sixty years ago, people could live on one person's salary, own a house, take wonderful vacations.  These days, our lives are so out of balance.  Two salaries are necessary for a household to exist, and even then, owning a home is out of reach for a large percentage of the population.  Owning a car is a necessity in this neck of the woods, but only 10% of the world's population do own a car.  We were never meant to have such stress filled lives.  And I wonder if it is even possible to think about returning to simpler ways.  Our lives would have to undergo such a radical shift I wonder if they would be recognizable afterwards? 

The dividing line between  the wealthy and the poor seems to be wider...a chasm of sorts.  What if money didn't define us?  Philosophically, we'd like to think it doesn't.  But the truth of the matter is that it does.  People with money hold power over those who do not.  How do we change this?  I often wonder.