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Simple-living advocates declare October 24 a day of awareness around time and work By Johanna Zetterberg This article first appeared in the October Issue of Southern Sierran, the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter newspaper. Advocates of simple living have organized a new way to celebrate remedies
for the allconsuming epidemic of affluenza, described by author John
de Graaf as a “painful, Take Back Your Time Day grew out of the voluntary simplicity movement, the principles of which are found in wisdom traditions from around the world as well as our own American history. Movement members practice discovering what is “enough” in their lives through thoughtful reflection on lifestyle and values, and discarding what doesn’t add to a fulfilling life experience. For example, members of the movement seek to have a healthy relationship
with time, money, work, family, and all the things that can add to
feeling cluttered, out of control, Take Back Your Time Day is one of the spokes on the wheel of the
simplicity movement,
which focuses on overwork and time poverty in America. It is, in
the words of Time Day It is hard to find anyone these days who doesn’t feel the stress
of working too much and
too fast, without enough time for our families, hobbies, friends,
or ourselves. Does Even the U.S. Senate agrees this is a problem. In early September, the Senate approved a resolution declaring October National Work and Family Month, a time when Americans seek ways to "reduce the conflict between work and family." It may be easy to see the social costs of working too much,
but what does all this have to
do with the environment? Let’s take a closer look at what time
poverty and overwork A workweek that doesn’t end leaves little time for civic participation. We've
all been stunned by dismal voter turnouts and a seeming lack of volunteerism.
Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam's research on the decline
of civic institutions put the Less time encourages a disposable culture. Long hours at work make us more dependent on “convenience” items like fast food, disposable diapers, or bottled water. Plus, in a culture that emphasizes replacing before repairing or reusing and where planned obsolescence is a standard part of business plans, it’s no wonder that our landfills are as big as mountains. Media messages spin consumption as the reward for work. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements encouraging us to buy our way out of the stress of overwork. We’ve got to have something—that new car?—to show for all our hard work. But the more we buy, the more we pollute. According to David Wann, an environmental scientist and former EPA official, for each product consumed, raw materials averaging 20 times its weight were extracted from the earth. Exhaustion and overstimulation resulting from overwork leads to apathy. Returning from our long, demanding
workday, who has the energy to care about Bush’s
Healthy Forests Initiative when all we can think about
is sleep (and waking up and doing There are many ways overwork and time poverty affect the environment. What else can you think of? Time Day is celebrated on October 24, marking nine weeks until the end of the year (that we would have off if we lived in Western Europe). Millions of people across the U.S. will join in activities focusing on reclaiming a work/life balance on this day. Here are some ideas of ways to take action:
For more information on Take Back Your Time Day, visit www.timeday.org or read Take Back Your Time: Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty in America, edited by John de Graaf. Up to Top |
