For the Divers Amongst Us...

[earthfriendly]

Exactly! It is a very harsh way of life. No romanticising from me at all, a girl brought up in an urban environment. However, some people / cultures are genetically hard wired to live that way. They like it for what it is and they just need to live that way. Their way on their own terms.

As for me, a softie. It would be hard for me to trade in my washing machine and modern day conveniences.

I remember this conversation with a Mexican-American teacher who would go back and visit her fishing village in Puerta Vallarta. American tourists who would genuinely feel sorry and said "oh, look at the poor people" , at the poor mexicans who do not have as much (materially). But then, she said, they are not "poor". These people would go out and do their thing e.g. fishing and make a living, and then come back to a large family and a warm community. They are happy. They are not "poor" .

[JR8]

Yes I see what you mean. It's true that 'Money can't buy you happiness', but IME it sure as heck makes life more pleasurable.

I know people from the villages we've lived in that have very little, but they seem completely happy with their position in life. You might almost consider that wealth invariably brings it's own burden. If so isn't that ironic? Beginning with the risk of your losing it...

I remember (and might have mentioned before) the philosopher de Botton's point that medieval serfs were lowly but fulfilled none the less. Simply because they knew they couldn't socially/financially progress any further than they did. They had achieved their maximum lifetime potential and it was never going to get better still.

Maybe that's it? The 'You can have it all' culture means you never get it, you never arrive, and hence you're never fulfilled.

[earthfriendly]

Some of their stories.........

https://vimeo.com/35557321

[sundaymorningstaple]

Boy this thread sure took off on a tangent. lol