Downshifting Downunder: Byron Child: Deep Downshifting, a life of no regrets

Downshifting Downunder: Byron Child: Deep Downshifting, a life of no regrets: "Byron Child: Deep Downshifting, a life of no regrets
From Byron Child Magazine By Kali Wendorf
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not , when I come to die, discover that I had not lived.

Henry David Thoreau

Everywhere we turn today, if we have our eyes half-open, we are faced with the consequences of our collective actions on the planet. Capitalism, endless war, famine, the disintegration of families, global warming, a mushrooming corporatocracy, skyrocketing debt�the list is long. So long in fact, that few have the courage to really see and acknowledge what is going on. Part of our reluctance is because there are no easy solutions and from the perspective of our singular lives, the task of making a change appears utterly daunting. Just the simple act of recycling my glass becomes an inner battle as I consider the environmental cost of my washing the glass before placing it in my bin. Does anything we do really make a difference? These were my doubts until recognising the collective impact of the downshifting movement.
Downshifting, also known as voluntary simplicity, is the act of directing your life so that it truly reflects your values. Anything that is not a part of those values is gradually teased out. It also includes reducing the personal footprint on the earth: living on less, consuming less and spending less. Though the term was first coined in the 90�s in the US and has only recently spread to Australia, people have been downshifting for years before then. What�s exciting is that an entire movement is flowering which is increasing awareness of the possibility to jump off of the consumer "