Men for firewood, women for cows - the whole truth about Russian downshifting
In the West, downshifting is becoming a philosophy of life - leaving civilization is explained not by resentment and indifference to society, but, for example, by a typically skin-like desire for a healthy lifestyle. The leading role in the phenomenon of Russian downshifting is played by the famous anal vector. Leaving civilization as a kind of revenge …
Give up a job, job, income? Exchange an apartment for a house in the village, or even better somewhere in Siberia? Recently, there are more and more such people. Why are they doing this? What are they looking for in their voluntary exile from civilization? And what actually makes a person of the 21st century, turning to the past, go into the wild?
Downshifting in the West
The word "downshifting" originates from the English concept "downshifting", which means "voluntary refusal from work associated with increased responsibility and stress, which takes up free time, for the sake of a quiet life." Accordingly, those people who deliberately give up life and all the stresses of modern society are called downshifters.
As a classic example of downshifting, they usually cite the life story of the Roman emperor Diocletian, who after a serious illness left the imperial throne and went to live on a small farm near the sea.
Centuries later, some top managers from successful global companies followed suit. So, John Drake, the founder of a well-known recruiting company, after 15 years of successful work quit his business and became a downshifter. Later, he wrote the most famous book to date - "Downshifting: How to Work Less and Enjoy More of Life." All American downshifters to this day read it to the core. Or take another founder and ancestor of English downshifting, Richard Cannon. He quit his job as a top manager at British Rail and went to grow vegetables.
In our country, a whole movement of downshifters has recently formed, many sites and forums on the Internet dedicated to this social phenomenon have appeared. In Russia, downshifting is only gaining momentum and has a mostly negative connotation. According to some psychologists, approximately 3 to 5% of people who are looking for work consider the option for themselves, which provides for a decrease in employment and a decrease in career growth. Simply put, these people are willing to sacrifice careers and money in order to stress less.
The discussions that are taking place today around this social phenomenon in the media truly deserve attention and close scrutiny. Moreover, both in Russia and abroad, this phenomenon has been little studied, and if there was scientific research, it was carried out in Western countries and only within the framework of economics and sociology.
Opinions about this social phenomenon were divided into two camps. Some people consider downshifting to be a positive phenomenon that leads to self-development and self-actualization of the individual, while others call it a "lordly disease" and an epidemic of the twentieth century.
Downshifting Research
According to a 2004 study in Australia, there are four main reasons people want to downshift.
The first reason is the desire of a person to have a harmonious balanced life without stress factors.
The second reason can be attributed to the reaction to the contradiction between personal values and the values imposed in organizations.
The third reason is the search for a more fulfilling life. Downshifters believe that self-realization in a career does not lead to positive results.
And finally, the last, fourth, reason can be attributed to human health. They see downshifting as a direct source of health.
Research in England has shown that the main reasons for downshifting are people wanting to spend more time with their families. People of the older generation perceive downshifting as the main source of health, and the young - as self-realization without outside ideas imposed by organizations.
In the US, this social phenomenon was called in another way - "voluntary simplicity." This term was coined by D. Elgin in the 60-70s of the XX century. By voluntary simplicity, he meant a stable balanced lifestyle.
Here I would like to add that in the West, downshifters are mainly realized people aged 35-40 years and wealthy youth. Therefore, the Western model of this phenomenon has a completely different meaning than in Russia.
Downshifting from the perspective of system-vector psychology
However, it is obvious that the phenomenon of downshifting is incorrect to consider only from the social and economic side. You can really explain it by turning to psychology.
System-vector psychology makes it possible to accurately characterize people who have chosen this path and decided to leave all the benefits of civilization for "real life."
In the west, downshifting is becoming a philosophy of life for people with a skin vector. The departure from civilization is explained not by resentment and indifference to society, but, for example, by a typically skin-like desire for a healthy lifestyle. Fresh air, remoteness from the stress of the city, clean water, natural food - this is what can motivate such a person to leave the civilization he created.
It also happens with analo-skin people who have achieved a lot in this life. By old age, anal desires take over, and I want to finally be with my family, live closer to nature, in peace and quiet.
It is curious that when they find themselves in a village, such people born for the city organize their own mini-business there - something like a mini-farm, starting and building their skin orders there. Their innate cutaneous entrepreneurial ability is also evident there. The built estates, where everyone can relax for a certain amount, is one example of this phenomenon.
In Russia, the situation is completely different. The leading role in the phenomenon of Russian downshifting is played by the famous anal vector. A return to the past, to nature, to subsistence farming, a communal way of life, the creation of one's own miniature patriarchal society "as grandfathers and great-grandfathers taught" - all these are the values of the anal vector.
How much the world is worth, such people say that “it was better before”, ask “where is everything going,” and appeal to the conscience of their contemporaries.
Why is this so? Because in Russia there is a particularly large number of unrealized anal people. Such a person goes into the woods for a reason, but explaining this by resentment against neighbors, city, society, state. The volume and scope change depending on the depth of resentment and frustration.
Distorted perception in this case adds up the following picture: they did not give me enough, did not appreciate, did not recognize - I do not need them. Leaving as a kind of revenge. And burn it with fire!
Downshifting in their understanding is life in a community, in village wooden houses without sewage and heating. In the community "women should know their place", and "men should be men." Games with antiquity cease to be beautiful when the dire consequences of anal frustration come to light.
Separately, it should be said about downshifting as an idea, another idea generated by an undeveloped sound vector. I leave "the world" for a reason, I have a purpose, meaning, a special mission, separate from all other people. No matter what happens around, no matter how the society that I belong to, no matter what the situation is in the country and in the world - I have me and my ideas.
This idea is fundamentally destructive, since it positions the withdrawal from society as a kind of feat, achievement. While it actually pulls the healthy element out of it. This idea, mixed with sound egocentrism and a sense of our own exclusivity, gives us permission to think that I will survive alone, I don't need anyone for this, gives us permission to disregard everything that happens around us, not to be responsible for the safety of the whole.
It is obvious that the phenomenon of downshifting, which is purely psychological in nature, is fundamentally doomed in our society.
Whatever the goal of downshifting in Russia or in the West, it will never be the solution to our problems. It is time for humanity to grow up and realize the consequences of their actions not for one individual person, but for the whole. A world in which everyone depends on everyone becomes a reality.
