Recently I noticed there’s a lot of talk going on about fair trade coffee. Is it just me or does this sounds remarkably similar to Victory Gin from Orwell’s 1984. In fact, even the fair trade logos (there’s heaps) share some subtle similarties. I think I really need to read 1984 again, as it’s been many years and even though it might have been written a long time ago in a totally different world to which we live today, maybe Orwell could see what was going to happen, perhaps it was already in motion for some time when he wrote.

Although I have recently watched another conspiracy documentary. All very scary, all very how could we let this happen. Sure take it with a grain of salt and all, but I still don’t like the way so many things are heading. The writing on the wall isn’t great (though I do appreciate artistic graffiti) and that makes you wonder if there is some grand plan being followed (religion or alien perhaps) or if it’s just the illusion of power at the top that drives us all. Orwell touched on that, Equilibrium did too. Hopefully as in both, freedom and freewill will prevail. Without freedom what is the point?

Has anyone else noticed the gradual dumbing down of the workforce and population. It seems most people really are sheep and just do as they’re told, think as they’re told and essentially live their whole lives as someone/something else intended them to. I think we’re losing the ability to make decisions and we’re just stuck in a loop of a routine. At work people have even lost the view of the whole, maybe they never saw/understood the big picture, but I’ve seen a lot of “work” being done because higher up said so, despite it negatively impacting others work or even causing loss of service to the customers. No wonder IT in general has a bad image in most (if not all) workplaces. There’s a total lack of consideration/compassion. To be part of this mess makes me feel bad inside. I pride myself in doing quality work, and when the powers that be dictate otherwise it actually hurts me.

That segues nicely into some great news. Recently I quit my job of 6(+2) years to focus on mental clarity and meaningful work. After some weeks doing stuff I’ve needed to do for ages, I’ve now entered the job search game, and hope to have a new, meaningful job sometime soon. With all this time on my hands I’ve actually achieved so much. I’ve finished some programming projects that have been shelved for ages, I’ve completed some other time consuming tasks that needed focus and time to achieve. Above all though is the process of clearing my mind. Part of this mental purge is to clean up the house. I’ve accumulated way too much crap, and a lot of it has to go. So I’m going to sell some stuff on ebay and reduce. Looking back it’s easy to see what you use and what you don’t. Even if you think you’d use something or would like to use something, if you haven’t in years, what’s the chance of you using it in the next few years and by then is it even still relevant. I’m not yet factoring in how much keeping things costs me in terms of volume occupied or mental effort to maintain it, that might be the tipping point from a good exercise to going somewhat crazy.

I’ve read a lot about Minimalism lately and most of it sounds great to me, I’m not sure how to apply all of the ideas to my life. Or warp my life around it to make things work. Sure it might just be a phase, but it does make sense to me, and I’ve been writing that less is more and the more you have the more problems you have, for quite some time now. It’s just now I have the time to put it into practice, and it’s making me feel really good. Forcing yourself to justify things seems to make you realise so much about yourself and how you even think. All very deep and meaningful, and the other benefit is the house has never been cleaner. I’ve been keeping notes on what I’ve been doing, and who knows I might even turn it into an ebook (to follow in the path of the other great successful minimalists).