[MD] How to be Free

Fri Feb 2 18:19:12 PST 2007

Hi Ant,
Inserted ... [IG]

On 2/3/07, Ant McWatt <antmcwatt at hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
> Ian,
>
> Thanks for your comments.
>
> You stated February 2nd:
>
> >I think the positive value of the Hodgkinson message is a no brainer
>
> OK but I don't think you clearly explain why you think this.
>
> >... the world would be a better place if ..... etc. (and as the quotes
> >indicate, this is continuing an age old theme.) before any us of
> >needed to "know why Gavin why was so keen on these movements". Anyway,
> >the problems are pragmatic ...
>
> This paragraph is obscure.  It looks like it was written in a hurry (for
> example, there's a full stop in an odd place) which is one behaviour
> Hodgkinson regards as being of low quality.

[IG] Zzzz. No shit Sherlock :-) (BTW I could point out the
gobbledygook of the two "why"s in your original sentence that I qioted
.... if I was a pedant.)

>
> >We can all do our little bit, that's the point of course, and I think any
> >of us with an ounce of aesthetic and humanity probably already does.
> >
> >The problem is always the one of "freeloaders"
>
> I think you have to define what you mean by "freeloader".  Using
> Hodgkinson's "philosophy", I think it would depend on how much you create vs
> how much you consume (so someone (with their full faculties etc) who creates
> little but consumes a lot would be considered a freeloader).

[IG] See, I didn't have to to define it, you knew full well what I meant :-)

>
> .... we can debate
> >exactly what the ideal long-run outcome is, in terms of "down-scaled"
> >sustainable utopian societies, but in reality, we have to get there
> >through existing systems of governance (political and economic)
>
> Do we?  Is that what the brujo did in LILA?

[IG] The point is IF you can't isulate yourself from freeloaders, your
society has to deal with them ... in a quality way.

>
> >and all the short-term consequences of our choices, and "protect" the
> >interests such a society from all forms of regression, social or
> >bio-physical - if we aspire to goals more than a self-sufficient
> >hippie commune on an isolated (metaphorical) island ?
>
> I think that point is irrelevant.  Hodgkinson is talking more about
> independence of mind rather than isolating one self from the wider world.
>
> >I'm not the person to deliver a lecture on this, but do you believe
> >Hodgkinson answers any of this ?
>
> As I mention in my post (pasted below) Hodgkinson draws on movements such as
> the situationists, romantics and "permaculturists".  Like Pirsig, it doesn't
> mean he has "all the answers" but I do think he is part of the "metaphorical
> elephant" that points toward a generally higher quality of life or what
> Hodgkinson would describe as moving from being a (passive) consumer to being
> an (active) creator.

[IG] I appreciate that. My real point here (starting with the
pejorative "no brainer") is that spotting that these are quality
behaviours is the (relatively) easy bit. The hard bit is the - but how
do we get more than a few committed like-minded enthusiasts there from
here. I was genuinely asking if H had anything to say on this, not
being critical.

Regards
Ian

>
> Best wishes,
>
> Anthony
>
>
>
> On 1/2/07, Ant McWatt <antmcwatt at hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Dear all,
>
> I don't know whether anyone else (other than Dean Summers who contacted me
> about it) checked out BBC Radio 4's series "Books to Change Your Life By" in
> January when ZMM was featured (on Tuesday 2nd) but another useful book in
> the series was "How to be Free" by Tom Hodgkinson (which was the book
> featured on Friday 5th).
>
> Due to the rather intriguing clip I heard of Hodgkinson's book, I bought a
> copy.   The first line reads "This is a book about good living…" which, of
> course, is a good start!  Anyway, the key point is that consumer society
> (especially in the UK and US) has not led to a widening of freedoms but
> entirely the opposite; that the key to a free, higher quality life is to
> stop consuming and to start being creative (whether that's painting, making
> your own music or growing your own vegetables).   The situationists and
> permaculture (now I know why Gavin why was so keen on these movements!) are
> drawn on with a good dose of anarchy, medievalism, Romanticism, G.K.
> Chesterton, Ken Kesey, Oscar Wilde, Whitehead and Bertrand Russell.
>
> Hodgkinson's Freedom Manifesto includes:
>
> FIND YOUR GIFT
> CAST OFF YOUR WATCH
> FORGET (CENTRAL) GOVERNMENT
> MAKE MUSIC
> BAKE BREAD
> QUIT MOANING
> STOP CONSUMING
> START PRODUCING
> HAIL THE CHISEL
> GET BACK TO THE LAND
> LIVE FREE OF THE SUPERMARKETS
> EMBRACE BEAUTY
> LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
> BE CREATIVE
> BE MERRY
> BE FREE!
>
>
> And here are a couple of reviews I found on Amazon (notice the emphasis on
> Quality rather than Quantity in the second one!):
>
> This book beautifully rides the zeitgeist of self-fulfilment.  Tom
> Hodgkinson has written a lovely little book that attempts to help you
> reassess the world we all take for granted. In life we blindly accept the
> 9-5, rules, laws, even the local council telling us that we put the wrong
> rubbish in the bin! Its time to say 'ENOUGH!' This book ask the right
> questions and tries to stop you from blindly stumbling through life. As
> traditional beliefs in religion matures, people want more from the life they
> lead today…  If you have had enough of society telling you what to think,
> and want some original thoughts, then this book is a brilliant buy.
>
> Reviewer: Jenna "Jill" (Ealing, London) - Jan 6th 2007
>
>
> What can I say??!! EVERYONE should read this book. My sister bought it a
> couple of months ago and her enthusiasm encouraged me to buy a copy to see
> what all the fuss was about. Am I ever glad I did!! I cannot praise it
> enough. It is written in adequately sized chapters to enable you to delve in
> randomly for snippets of information. The range of point of view is vast,
> but so well written and inter-woven that I guarantee that everyone will be
> able to find something that speaks to them - you just pick out what you
> need/agree with and apply it to your life. These small changes can alter
> your life in a big way!
>
> Tom covers all sorts of topics but the underlying themes are similar these
> all point toward a simpler life of less work, and more freedom, with a focus
> on quality rather than quantity. To me one of the most important things Tom
> promotes - that everyone should be made aware of - is taking back your own
> freedom of choice in life. We are lulled into a false sense of security that
> we have freedom of choice, yet there are more rules today than there has
> even been. Not just in a legal sense, but also societal rules, not to
> mention the powers of money! These ideals are so realistic and simplistic
> that small efforts make big differences - this is the author of "HOW TO BE
> IDLE" after all.
>
> Check out www.idler.co.uk
>
> Reviewer: Katie Nolton  (York, England) - Jan 5th 2007
>
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Free-Tom-Hodgkinson/dp/0241143217
>
>
> And in reference of "How to be Idle" (Hodgkinson's first book):
>
> This is a great book. At heart it shares the ethos of books like 'In Praise
> Of Slow' that champion a rejection of high pressure high speed modern
> lifestyles in favour of a calmer more contemplative approach. However,
> Hodgkinson's tack is more radical and polemic, suggesting that a lot of the
> things that people naturally do and society labels as idle or lazy are
> exactly the things we should be doing to take life more slowly and
> paradoxically become more alive... The book has made me more determined than
> ever to pursue a freelance lifestyle, working when I want to and devoting
> more time to life affirming pursuits like playing music, reading and
> spending time with friends and family.
>
> By the way, reviews such as 'I only read two chapters then I 'got it' and
> couldn't be bothered with the rest' and 'buy it if you can be arsed' have
> totally missed the point - idle and lazy are not the same thing, the book it
> about reclaiming your right to do what you want. Spending a long time
> savouring a good book to its finish is exactly what the book is about, and I
> recommend you do just that.
>
> Reviewer: N. Canham "whistful skeptic" (Guildford, UK) – Jan 16th 2006
>
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Idle-Tom-Hodgkinson/dp/0141015063/ref=pd_sim_b_2/202-6323147-1698242
>
>
>
> .
>
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