How our modern lifestyle goes against our nature... Part 1

I had suspected for a while, that our modern way of life (go to school, find a job, work from 9 to 5, go home, watch sports, sleep for however many hours you can each night, and do it all again the next day) goes against human nature. But if you're in the middle of it all, with a husband (or wife) who works long hours, and children who go to school, you don't think about it. Quite frankly, you don't have time to think about it.

That was me back in Phoenix. My husband left the house around 7am, came home at 7pm, played with the kids for an hour, then we'd veg out in front of the television for the rest of the night. Moving to Portland changed things around a bit. Ogre (for you new readers, this is my husband's nickname on my blog) works from home, generally eats all meals together with us, and sometimes takes off an entire afternoon to be with us. It changed our relationship (and yes, I'll be honest, it's sometimes harder to have him home all day long). I think we can honestly say that we know each other better after living like this for 5 years.

My homeschool community plays a huge role in my life. We spend a good amount of time, surrounded by other homeschool families. Our children are not raised by us only. They are raised by our community... our village, you might say. It helps us feel connected in an otherwise fairly disconnected world. We've often talked about how ideally we'd live in some sort of modern commune. Sure, we all like to close our doors behind us, when we're done with the day. But can you imagine the advantages of always having a friend nearby to help out, when you need them? You can eat breakfast at your own place or get together with a bunch of your commune member friends and eat as a group. Can you imagine a community garden, chickens, maybe even a cow... and you are not alone in taking care of it all.

Oh, I know, for most of us, it goes against anything we are familiar with, and the sheer thought might scare you, if you've never considered anything like it.

Fact is, we live completely against what is good and healthy for us. Yes, it's what makes our society work. But are we paying a price, that is ultimately too high? As I was starting to do more research around everything paleo/primal, I couldn't help questioning my way of life... but also that of our society in general.

In Part 2 of this post, which I will publish tomorrow, I will go into more detail about what exactly I mean, when I say we're doing everything wrong. Please don't misunderstand: I'm not promoting to change everything back to the way we lived 10,000 years ago. No living in caves and walking and hunting all day long. I'm simply going to give some food for thought, and I'll encourage you to put things into perspective. I'll be very curious to "hear" your thoughts.

For now, I shall get ready for bed. This primal gal likes to turn in early and wake up early.

Grok on!