So, Ireland is entering a Celtic Tiger II phase? Economic growth is looming and will allegedly bring further improvements to our standard of living. In other words, we will have more opportunities to buy stuff or pay people to look after our day-to-day responsibilities so we can work even harder, earning the money necessary for paying them.

Caught in the race of working long hours in order to repay the mortgage of a house that is barely lived in, pay for the holiday that will be soon forgotten, the clothes that will be out of fashion next month, the crèche of children that see us as night guards. We are caught in a system where questioning this frantic lifestyle is either discouraged or seen as "subversive". An intense feeling of loneliness and isolation may result. Events that used to be enjoyable (going to a wedding, Christmas, birthday) are now spoiled by the associated financial constraints, the stress of extra shopping in an already heavily scheduled week and the resulting complete lack of meaning.

Instead of being occasions to celebrate and have fun, those have become events "we have to go through", like another obstacle in a never-ending assault course.

People wonder: "Am I the only one struggling to go through this? Am I a misfit?"
Signs of widespread latent and growing unease can be seen through the degradation of physical and mental health, the breakdown of relationship, family structure and communities, rocketing debt and record level pollution.
All these point out to a society that is sick and for which material wealth has not brought happiness as promised.

Dependent on an economic system obsessed with growth and high standard of living but contemptuous of quality of life, how can we engineer a transition to a more sustainable living?

Whilst the end result might seem simple, a simple life free from stress and clutter, the process of getting there requires a very deep review of some of the values and preconceptions that modern society has imposed on us. Quite often, individuals that undertake the journey come back to their old ways, disappointed and humbled.

This disillusion is linked to the fact that faced with a life of selfish individual reward based on material success or a more altruistic outlook nurturing more natural values, they chose the latter as a reaction to the previous proposition. Unfortunately the brain cannot be reprogrammed from wanting "success" to "simplicity". We want what we want, all of it. Instead of defining "success" and "simplicity" as two opposite lifestyles, successful transition rests on defining "success" in relation to "simplicity".

Redefining the two terms in relation to each other is what will create a platform where our natural psychological needs can be reconciled rather than being pulled from one direction to another. And one way to redefine these two terms is, for us, to face our own mortality in order to be able to live more deliberately, intentionally and purposefully. Dodging the issue and feeling caught in the rat race is not living, it is about not being dead. As such it is our responsibility to take the necessary steps to define what we can do to re-instillate some meaning to our life. Only by taking those steps can we move from feeling trapped and vulnerable to being emotionally independent. This emotional independence will be the foundation by which we can overcome the effect of our adrenaline-charged and fast-paced former lifestyle, two elements that are addictive. It will also give us the courage to investigate alternative lifestyles freer from some of the exacerbated psychological fears and desires that consumerism and meritocracy exploit so well.

As the redefinition of our personal values should integrate "success" and "simplicity" as one overall goal, this becomes the ground on which we feel strong enough to stand. In effect, instead of "giving up" elements of our lifestyle we can then simply discard unnecessary clutter. By redefining the basis by which we want to live, we are also treating the causes of our restlessness instead of fire fighting the symptoms.
Stronger in our beliefs and what we are, we can then open ourselves to others and switch from the competitive mode we are cornered into by modern economics, to a more natural and sustainable collaborative one. As time becomes the main asset instead of money, economic activities can be based on making a living (instead of making money) and spare time dedicated to enjoyment (instead of recovery from making money).
The transition cannot be done overnight and no transition will be similar to another. Neither will be the end result since it is all based on personal aspirations and values. There is also no end to the journey as values need to be nurtured and reviewed regularly. However the journey will be like a upward spiral embracing even more of life as it unfolds…

I would be delighted to read your comment and feedback, my email is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Workshops "Transition to Emotionally Sustainable Living" will start in February 2005, for more information please contact above address.