One of the reasons that a few US expats give for moving to Denmark is that it allows them to live in a less materialistic, simpler way than they used to. Why do you need to uproot your family and move thousands of miles to a different country in order to do this? While I knew people who lived for the latest gadgets and toys and status symbols, I also knew a lot of people who lived 'a simple life'. One in which they had time to spend with their families. A house that may not have been the biggest and fanciest, but provided shelter and was filled with laughter and love. A life in which children learned responsibility by doing their chores, and not by having a maid to pick up after them. Family vacations to the local amusement park were more fun and satisfying than trips to a Caribbean resort. People learned to be creative when it came to holidays, gifts or even everyday life. Many of these people lived this way by choice - not by necessity.
My life before I came to Denmark was one that certain people would consider boring. My family placed value on time spent together and learning to do things for yourself, even though my father had an executive position with a Fortune 100 company. I made a lot of my own clothes, cooked from scratch, enjoyed crafts such as candle making and crocheting - all this while living in the US. I've also turned down promotions that would have given me the fancy title, office and huge paycheck but would have left me no time for enjoy family and life. So there was no need to leave my home in order to live differently. This is probably why it seriously irritates me when people say moving to Denmark was necessary in order for them to live this way. You have a choice in how you live - don't blame the culture that you chose a hectic, materialistic life with no time for the ones you love. Millions of Americans have lives that put family and love first ahead of careers and 'things'. And they don't need to move to another country in order to do this.
4 comments:
Absolutely! And you just know that the stress-monkeys will find ways to introduce drama into their new lifestyles.
A-fucking-men! I always lived off the grid, so to speak, when I lived in the US. Oh sure, sometimes it was out of necessity during the early days, but later on, I actively sought out more simple solutions to how complicated people tended to make their lives.
Those suck-up expats are just trying to console themselves while things bite the big one for them in terms of careers, decent food or human friendships. (Well, pretty much, I suspect. Yeah, it's nice to take it easy, but as you said, no one was holding a big American gun at their heads while they made asses of themselves in the US ratrace!)
It is interesting to hear this. I have not come into contact with any Americans who say they are here to live a simpler life, so it's an eye-opener to hear this happens at all.
See, my opinion is that Denmark has a lot of the trappings of a modern competitive life. And as a rule, families don't spend a great deal of time together because it is expected that both parents work, and they do this to ensure they can eat the latest trendy organic foods or have the latest plasma or similar.
One of the reasons we chose to move to the DK was because, at least from the outside, there seemed to be an opportunity to be more family orientated. We'd heard that school here didn't start until the age of 7 for example, and imagined lots of home spun domestic bliss by the fireside with our kids around us.
Truth is, babies are put into daycare here, and the pace is industrious.
'Opting' out of the rat race here is only really an option to those who do have that exec job, for many people on middle to low wages the only option is to work and work and work, hardly seeing the kids and buying in hectically at the supermarket at every given opportunity.
Myself? I am a homespun lover myself, I love to sew and bake and garden. We love making our own music and writing. Life is not without stress, but I do believe that whatever down-scaling we have done with our lives, we have done in spite of the system that already exists in Denmark. In no way is life in Denmark more conducive to stress free living.
Nice blog, by the way. Tell us more.
I liked this post. I think people feel they need to be 'forced' into this lifestyle to fully embrace it. They cant help being part of the rat race if one existed. Thats how it was for me back home- I worked all the time because I just couldnt say no to opportunities coming my way. DK forced me to stop that crazy pace because there was no other alternative. But honestly, those who like living on the edge get bored quite easily after 2 years or so. This places loses its charm. There should be choices.
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