I have closed my Facebook account (well deactivated- they are hoping that you will return and will resort to emotional blackmail to try to ensure this.. Robyn will miss you...Danielle will miss you.. etc). This has been a great relief to me as I feel it is one step too far in the degeneration of human communication. (Whoops being a bit militant here- I am hormonal so you shall have to forgive and maybe also give me cake and icecream) ok maybe not that bad but I don't like the cynical targeted marketing on the side. The insular selfish quality makes me uneasy-for some reason- I should love that side of things! But at least in rabbiting on in a blog or discussing on a forum I am forced to be creative rather than just tick a box- here is my personality I "like" the following things. It seems to reduce us all to the level of 14 year olds raving about the latest Ke$ha song(oh no don't get me started) and consenting to further bombardment of advertising for things we don't really want or need. I don't like the fact that none of our info is really secure, it sort of gives me the feeling that I am owned by Facebook. And lastly 2 million new users sign up every week and it made me feel too conformist "Baa I joined Facebook, Baa, I got an iPhone, Baa I am wearing what is in fashion and bought far too many owl ornaments" (Ok some of the owls are cute but you go onto Etsy and type Owl into the search I dare you- were are suffering from Owl saturation here soon we will reach Peak Owl! That was a pun you see on Peak oil which is bad- even though is sounds good). So no Facebook for me. If you would like to read another rant against Facebook I recommend reading this by Tom Hodgkinson whose works I have been reading lately and does raise some interesting points in his books- although he is rather more enamoured with smoking, alcohol and ukuleles than I am.
We are slightly at the mercy of seasonal income having our own business but I don't think we could go back to full time work for someone else- not in the same soul crushing working for the Government way we used to, we are too addicted to the flexible lifestyle we have. I wouldn't give up that much of my time for meaningless work for any money- it is not fulfilling and not enriching and your life can just slip away before you know it. money spent on trinkets and alcohol etc to try to make up for the fact your life is being sold pointlessly. well that's one perspective anyway.
Working full time in an unfulfilling pointless endeavour whether it be call centre or Public Service can be so draining that you find your creativity stifled and your motivation sapped so you find yourself too tired to cook good food, too apathetic to enjoy your garden and experiment and create. well that's what we have found anyway- I suppose it must suit some people or it just wouldn't be the done thing!
If it sounds like you have the same empty feeling from working full time at an unfulfilling job I thoroughly; recommend reading Tom Hodgkinson books, they really touched a nerve with me!
In the mean time I have been harvesting some volunteer potatoes, eating purple podded peas, experimenting with kefir, finding doors people have thrown away (the right size for our house with lovely brass and ceramic hooks as well!) making random Christmas things (a stocking and a choir of angels made out of gumnuts- crude but I hope endearing!) not being able to control our "spirited" "interactive" children (read between the euphemisms there) and being thankful for my life.
we had a great riverside picnic for our Sir talks A lots fourth birthday with a cake made out of what was on hand- a surplus of eggs and a pint of low fat cream (can't be whipped) which was on special- this turned out to be a chocolate pavlova topped with vanilla bean creme patissiere. Absolutely wonderful and I will make it again!
I'm considering deleting my facebook too, I don't really speak to my so called 'friends' on their anyway and I was offered the option of 'friending' my 11 year old daughter the other day when we had specifically told her she wasn't allowed an account! She had told them she was 18! ARGH! So I don't really think it's a good thing,especially when people seem to live their lives through it rrather than as you say having to be creative and actually saying something rather than ticking an I like box.
ReplyDeleteYou pavlova looks delicious too, I've never tried on before, but I might have to give it a go.
xxx
Oh no! Your cheeky daughter! I hope when my boys are older that Facebook will have just blown over. I think there are so many more productive ways to waste time online than facebook, like forums and recipes and hunting for bargains!
ReplyDeleteMy Pavlova was a bit flat because I didn't cook it for long enough the first time and it kind of sighed and flattened out before I realised it had to go back in to the oven but i will know for next time!
Yes I'm a government worker and my life is just going too fast for me. I feel I don't have time to smell the sea air. It's soul destroying and my goodness is being striped away as I become another bitching sour robot.
ReplyDeletePlaying with Ebay, working a couple of hours a week for an online travel company, do a bit of babysitting and toying with a market stall, all in the hope of finding a solution.
I hardly ever jump on my Facebook - maybe once a month. I find it invasive. But I like the old nostalgic photos people put up.
Yes don't let it happen to you! Get out- people ike you thrive outside of the government jobs- I can't imagine how I actually did it. Be all eco-Frugal makes it s much easier to survive (well) without the awful *hah* career!
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