Assumption °1, “Do they have a job?”

Albert Einstein once said “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value”. We live in a world in which success is not measured by how much we inspire or help people. Success is rather often based on the type of job you have, how much money you make or how big your house is. One assumption we sometimes come across when it comes to a simpler way of living is that these people would quit their jobs and take advantage of unemployment benefits. Within our small network of alternative living we notice quite the opposite. We see how people don’t need these benefits because their cost of living is kept low with off-grid structures, plant-based food and an overall minimalistic lifestyle. Their main currency is not money but time. Time to interact, fail, learn, grow… They still work but for some of that work they earn money and for some of it they don’t. The extra time they receive is often used to do volunteer work or to organize a non-profit event for the community. The idea that working a fulltime job is the only way to be successful is outdated. How can we expand our conception of what it means to be successful and recognize the value that lies in unpaid community work?

Text: Stef Lemmens