This is Part Three of a five part series about how ‘Homesteading Will Make You Question’ the systems and practices in place in the United States. If you missed the first two, see below for links to them!
Changing your lifestyle brings with it many unforeseen challenges, adjustments, and sacrifices. In our efforts to produce as much of our own food as we can, get completely out of debt, and get systems in place to be more self-sustainable; I find myself questioning why we do certain things in our modern society. A question that keeps repeating over and over in my head is, “Why?” Examples would be, “Why don’t people realize that sitting in the same room, but glued to your phone isn’t really spending time with someone?” or “How come no one teaches sportsmanship anymore?” My viewpoint has shifted dramatically. There is no question that I see the world around me with at least some of the filters off now. Things that I used to take as a norm without second thought now makes me pause and not just when it comes to recreation. It has permeated every facet of my life and I find myself questioning how and what we eat, how we work, how we play, and how we treat each other, and how we live overall. This article will focus on How We Play.
How We Play. Recreation and ‘play’ is defined differently for everyone. Some people consider working out really hard a recreational activity. Others prefer to sit on their duffs and play video games. No matter what your definition is, the fundamental idea is one of relaxation, laughter, pleasure, and just overall fun. Recreation is meant as a way to unwind, let the responsibilities go and live in the moment. There are two shifts I find myself experiencing as we delve deeper and deeper into a homesteading mindset: How technology has fundamentally changed how we play and how ‘playing’ when on a homestead is often disguised as something closely resembling work.
Homesteading has fundamentally changed how we play. Things that held entertainment value for us before seems really boring now.
When I was growing up, it was board games and imagination for the most part. Atari and the first Nintendo came out and my younger brother was hooked but we still played board and card games, went outside and climbed trees and generally got dirty from being kids. We knew what it was to ride around in the back of a truck and ride bikes without helmets. In today’s world, safety has fettered our play so much that some of the fun has been taken out of the activity. It reminds me of the kid in “A Christmas Story” who is sent outside with so many layers of clothing on, he can’t move. We have so many rules and accoutrements that go along with making sure little Susie doesn’t get so much as a scrape that she grows up being fearful of being outside. Add in the fact that she likely had a smart phone by the time she was 8 years old and you end up raising a generation of people who are more emotionally attached to their phones than to other people, going outside to play is ‘weird’ or ‘unsafe and dirty,’ and the idea of sitting around and playing Uno is considered uncool, odd, or just plain boring.
When you homestead, all of these trappings begin to go by the wayside bit by bit. I turn my computer on less than I used to. I certainly don’t play the online games I was really addicted to before. Truth be told, I got a little bored with them and wanted to gain levels in “real life” instead of in a virtual world of pixels and bytes that do nothing other than make your arse get larger, health get poorer, and losing touch with the people around you. While you may be super high level with the best gear on World of Warcraft, your daughter or son has grown up with a mostly absent parent or worse, the kids are right there with you learning the same bad habits and not experiencing life! I think that is the largest thing I see with how we play today: a great majority of the games and other activities we do for recreation takes us away from experiencing life. People find more fulfillment in what they see on a digital screen than they do from actually putting the phone down and talking with their neighbor. How many of you out there with kids really “know” you kids? Do you know what they think or their viewpoints on the world around them? Or are you content to leave them be to their screens and chats so long as they stay out of trouble and get good grades? I am not judging, pointing fingers, or calling for everyone to give up their toys. I am merely voicing some of the questions that roll around in my head in the hopes that others may be asking these questions too.
The more we delve into being self sufficient and work toward a homestead-type of life, the more my definitions of ‘work’ and ‘play’ change. I was discussing this topic with Mr. Dreamer last night and we both chuckled about how much we have changed. I painted a picture for him:
ME: “We decide to take the day off and go out and have some fun. It is a warmer late spring day. We have things well in hand with the garden, animals, etc. So, what would we do?”
HUSBAND: “We could go camping in a new place we haven’t been or something. Or go for a hike or visit friends or something?”
ME: “True! But what would we do if we went camping?”
HUSBAND: “Well, maybe we could look for a new place we haven’t been fishing before, or scout out a place for good firewood. If we went for a hike, we could forage for some early berries and greens along the way.”
At this point I began laughing. The duality of it all was just wonderfully ironic to me. Our idea of ‘relaxing’ was to go camping and fish or go hiking and forage for some berries and greens. Really? This is recreation to us now? Used to be a time when sitting down and playing video games or watching movies back to back for 12 hours was our idea of “fun and relaxing.” While there are days that sounds fantastic, my mind instantly kicks over to “how could you accomplish something while doing those fun relaxing things?” I just don’t know if it is in us anymore to simply sit and do “nothing.” Sure, I could enjoy a nice morning listening to the birds and drinking my cup of coffee but you can bet I would be doing more than just that. Likely there would be a notepad with a list of some kind that I was working on. My sitting there doing ‘nothing’ is defined much differently than other people’s definition. And I am OK with that. I am OK with being less reliant on outside stimulation for my entertainment than a great majority of people are today. Yes, I enjoy my surfing on the computer but even that has changed. I no longer look at the latest awesome PC game, I look for the best deals on things like mylar bags and rolled oats. The computer has turned into more of a research and blogging tool than something used primarily for recreation.
Homesteading makes you take a step back in many ways. I daresay it really helps you to slow down. When was the last time you slowed down enough to actually enjoy something? A meal? A good book? And how about a good ol’ game of Monopoly? Suddenly, you may find yourself realizing that it has been 6 months since you went out to the movies and are completely OK with that. The $50 it may cost you for two people to go see a movie including all the extras could be better used to buy 4 bags of chicken feed. That chicken feed may last 2 months for you and during that time, you are getting eggs and healthy, fat chickens that will sustain you. That $50 went much further along spending it that way instead of one evening. Now, I am not saying it is bad to go see the movies, or blow a little money on some recreation! I just want to point out that it all happens slowly, over time. Your priorities change along with your point of view. You may begin to realize, like we did, that an afternoon running around in the woods trying to identify edibles with some friends is more rewarding, exciting, and fun than beating Grand Theft Auto on your XBOX. At least, it did for me. This last weekend, I wasn’t feeling so hot so I decided to try and play some Sims3. I have been playing the Sims since it first came out a couple decades ago and it was a vice for a long time. After about an hour, I ended up turning it off! I was bored, falling asleep bored and when I realized it, I laughed. I got more excited about the idea of going into the kitchen and making some vegetable stock from scraps or crocheting a nice hat than I did about playing a game that once used to take up almost all my free time. It is like the world has flip flopped on me! Work is play and play is work. Video games and television are boring compared to laughing with my husband over a smear of dirt on my nose from working in the garden. There isn’t as much inner reward in the things I used to do as I receive from giving a friend a jar of homemade applesauce (that was FUN to make!). Maybe I am just getting old. Maybe I ask too many questions. Then again maybe…just maybe….I am not alone in this line of thinking. 😉
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If you missed the first two articles in this five part series, links are below!
Homesteading Will Make You Question: Food
Homesteading Will Make You Question: Work
Dreamer, you are NOT alone in this kind of thinking.
Thank you Becky!