tv show about simple living-7/9 at 9 on PBS
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Hi all,
I found this in a newsletter I get: I thought maybe you all might be
interested.....I hope it is good.
"Escape from Affluenza" [by permission] - Gary Foreman
Your doctor examines you and asks about your symptoms. "Well, Doc, I've
got swollen expectations, shopping fever, chronic stress and
exhaustion." He looks a little more closely and then pronounces, "I know
what it is. It's Affluenza!"
You, too, may be like the patient portrayed in the PBS special "Escape
from Affluenza" (July 7, 9 p.m. EDT). This hour-long special mixes a
light, tongue-in-cheek approach with a serious subject. Can you really
be happier living a simpler, more natural lifestyle?
The show's hostess, Wanda Ubanska, and her husband answered that
question a few years ago by moving to the country and adopting a
slower-paced existence.
Wanda introduces the viewer to a number of people who have come to
simple living from widely varying backgrounds. We meet a personnel
director who earned a "six-figure income." His function? To tell other
employees that they were being "downsized" and losing their jobs.
Finally, it was his turn to join the unemployed. Today he works as a
physical therapist making one-fifth his old salary. He finds that
there's more time to spend with his family. Not only have they learned
to live on less than he makes, they're paying off bills that were
accumulated during his "big income" days.
Along with interviews, the show intersperses some history and even a
light-hearted look at some ads from the 1950's. One section examines how
the frugal lifestyle of the original settlers has fared over the
centuries. Noted proponents including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David
Thoreau and Abraham Lincoln are quoted. Attempts to foster simple living
from those first settlers to the hippies of the '60's are discussed.
Some have turned their passion for simple living into a vocation. Dick
Roy left a lucrative legal career to form the North West Earth
Institute, a private, non-profit organization that provides creative
opportunities for citizens to consider how their habits and values
affect the earth.
Others were motivated by events to examine their lives. Evie was
climbing the career ladder when she was diagnosed with a terminal
illness. She decided that she wanted to be remembered for "understanding
love, understanding service and a feeling of wholeness." Her recovery
has not shaken her conviction in her new-found, simpler life.
Today's simplicity advocates come from a variety of philosophical
backgrounds. Some are environmentalists concerned with the one ton of
solid waste the average American produces each year. Others come from a
religious view that dates back to the Puritans and Quakers. A third
group has decided to turn their backs on the "rat race" and embrace
anti-consumerism.
As you might expect with a movement that's looking for a more
fulfilling, less commercial lifestyle, much of the energy comes from
grass-roots activists. We meet Cecile Andrews, the author of "Circle of
Simplicity", in which she promotes small support groups for simple
living. The goal is not merely a less cluttered life, but rather
"putting positive things in place of negative things". Members meet
regularly to share goals, ideas and success stories.
Not all viewers will be ready to jump into this new way of living. Few
are likely to imitate the gentleman who uses a kayak for his daily work
commute. One 15-year-old exercises the prerogative of every teenager,
the pursuit of rebellion. She openly questions her parents' frugal
lifestyle and spends less time at home because it's "boring."
But, even if you're not ready to sell everything and move to the
country, you'll find this a thought provoking and entertaining hour. At
the least, you'll learn something (that there are 25 times as many
self-storage facilities as there were in 1970). You might be motivated
to change something, like the way you brew your tea (a claimed lifetime
savings of $600). Then again, you might be the one who quits your
high-tech job to pursue a career in acting, as did one gentleman
interviewed.
The biggest problem with "Escape from Affluenza" is that the people who
could most benefit from watching the show won't have enough time to do
so. They'll be working a second job to keep up with their credit card
bills, or wandering the malls looking for a cure for depression.
But if you can spare an hour, this show deserves to be on your
"must-see" list. In fact, you should watch it with someone who is
important in your life. Oh, and don't forget to schedule some time to
discuss it afterwards. You're bound to find some material for an
interesting conversation in "Escape from Affluenza".
__________
Gary Foreman is a former Certified Financial Planner who currently edits
The Dollar Stretcher website <www.stretcher.com/save.htm>. You'll find
hundreds of free articles to help you save time and money. Visit Today!
I found this in a newsletter I get: I thought maybe you all might be
interested.....I hope it is good.
"Escape from Affluenza" [by permission] - Gary Foreman
Your doctor examines you and asks about your symptoms. "Well, Doc, I've
got swollen expectations, shopping fever, chronic stress and
exhaustion." He looks a little more closely and then pronounces, "I know
what it is. It's Affluenza!"
You, too, may be like the patient portrayed in the PBS special "Escape
from Affluenza" (July 7, 9 p.m. EDT). This hour-long special mixes a
light, tongue-in-cheek approach with a serious subject. Can you really
be happier living a simpler, more natural lifestyle?
The show's hostess, Wanda Ubanska, and her husband answered that
question a few years ago by moving to the country and adopting a
slower-paced existence.
Wanda introduces the viewer to a number of people who have come to
simple living from widely varying backgrounds. We meet a personnel
director who earned a "six-figure income." His function? To tell other
employees that they were being "downsized" and losing their jobs.
Finally, it was his turn to join the unemployed. Today he works as a
physical therapist making one-fifth his old salary. He finds that
there's more time to spend with his family. Not only have they learned
to live on less than he makes, they're paying off bills that were
accumulated during his "big income" days.
Along with interviews, the show intersperses some history and even a
light-hearted look at some ads from the 1950's. One section examines how
the frugal lifestyle of the original settlers has fared over the
centuries. Noted proponents including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David
Thoreau and Abraham Lincoln are quoted. Attempts to foster simple living
from those first settlers to the hippies of the '60's are discussed.
Some have turned their passion for simple living into a vocation. Dick
Roy left a lucrative legal career to form the North West Earth
Institute, a private, non-profit organization that provides creative
opportunities for citizens to consider how their habits and values
affect the earth.
Others were motivated by events to examine their lives. Evie was
climbing the career ladder when she was diagnosed with a terminal
illness. She decided that she wanted to be remembered for "understanding
love, understanding service and a feeling of wholeness." Her recovery
has not shaken her conviction in her new-found, simpler life.
Today's simplicity advocates come from a variety of philosophical
backgrounds. Some are environmentalists concerned with the one ton of
solid waste the average American produces each year. Others come from a
religious view that dates back to the Puritans and Quakers. A third
group has decided to turn their backs on the "rat race" and embrace
anti-consumerism.
As you might expect with a movement that's looking for a more
fulfilling, less commercial lifestyle, much of the energy comes from
grass-roots activists. We meet Cecile Andrews, the author of "Circle of
Simplicity", in which she promotes small support groups for simple
living. The goal is not merely a less cluttered life, but rather
"putting positive things in place of negative things". Members meet
regularly to share goals, ideas and success stories.
Not all viewers will be ready to jump into this new way of living. Few
are likely to imitate the gentleman who uses a kayak for his daily work
commute. One 15-year-old exercises the prerogative of every teenager,
the pursuit of rebellion. She openly questions her parents' frugal
lifestyle and spends less time at home because it's "boring."
But, even if you're not ready to sell everything and move to the
country, you'll find this a thought provoking and entertaining hour. At
the least, you'll learn something (that there are 25 times as many
self-storage facilities as there were in 1970). You might be motivated
to change something, like the way you brew your tea (a claimed lifetime
savings of $600). Then again, you might be the one who quits your
high-tech job to pursue a career in acting, as did one gentleman
interviewed.
The biggest problem with "Escape from Affluenza" is that the people who
could most benefit from watching the show won't have enough time to do
so. They'll be working a second job to keep up with their credit card
bills, or wandering the malls looking for a cure for depression.
But if you can spare an hour, this show deserves to be on your
"must-see" list. In fact, you should watch it with someone who is
important in your life. Oh, and don't forget to schedule some time to
discuss it afterwards. You're bound to find some material for an
interesting conversation in "Escape from Affluenza".
__________
Gary Foreman is a former Certified Financial Planner who currently edits
The Dollar Stretcher website <www.stretcher.com/save.htm>. You'll find
hundreds of free articles to help you save time and money. Visit Today!