Reading Notes | Empty House Notes: Free Freedom

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The author Yang Zonghan went to Croatia as an exchange student during his college days. The procedure for applying for a dormitory went wrong and he had nowhere to go. Local friends scoffed at him: "Dorm? You don't need that kind of thing!", so he was taken to In an abandoned slaughterhouse, several people lived in the large space at the same time, and they followed the Freegan lifestyle. They did not go to work or spend as much as possible, and collected discarded items and food to survive. Compared to Yang Zonghan, Yang Zonghan was even more surprised. Different from the waste of consumerism, a large part of the so-called "waste" in the trash can or on the roadside is actually in good condition, and the packaging has not even been opened. Simply "out of season" will face the fate of being eliminated, consuming all kinds of resources. What could be more pointless than the use of manpower in the junkyard without even being able to use it properly?

Since childhood, people have been taught that they need to make more money to be happy. The current situation is: the more food is produced, the more waste, the more houses are built, the fewer people can afford it, the more advanced technology is, the less leisure time, it seems that the amount of material and happiness are not directly proportional Growing up, "Humans were created to be loved; things were created to be used. The world is so chaotic. It is because we love things and use people. "

It is not to encourage everyone to become Freegan together, but the society should advocate diversified development instead of advocating single value, Yang Zonghan thought, we don't need to wait for a few powerful people to change the world, we need everyone to give and receive, free store , free market, couch-bound class... He successively took the lead in launching the "gift economy": "We definitely have a way to live a better life with less resources" "The modern consumer economy treats human interaction as a transaction. We don't think that There will be people who give labor and money for no reason, unless they want something from you, but it happens, and people enjoy this process of consumption that is not in line with economic theory."

It’s too difficult to become a Freegan without going to work or spending money. Many people convince themselves like this: “It’s not that I don’t want to, but the threshold is too high.” It’s actually an interesting phenomenon. Consumerism is willing to create value for different customer groups. If we can’t reach the highest economic capacity, it doesn’t matter, we have affordable luxury goods! Can we still afford it? We also have petty bourgeoisie goods! On the other hand, when it comes to how to improve the human environment, most people stop immediately if they don’t reach 10%. I didn’t move forward, but I changed my mind to shopping and solved it! If you can’t afford Hermes, you can buy a small ck! If you can’t bring your own lunch box, you can start with your own plastic bag. Who says you have to pursue 100% perfection?

My micro Freegan actions (not forcing myself to be 100%, stress free, willingly):

 1. Train your taste and consume accurately 2. Don’t overwork, keep time for yourself 3. Donate unnecessary items to those who need them4. Give priority to second-hand items & on-demand items when shopping 5. Try to walk or bike or take public transportation 6. Learn simple water and electricity knowledge, and buy it if you can't fix it

How do you feel about the value that Freegan conveys? Have you implemented any great ideas? Share them with me~

Yang Zonghan's FB page

In addition to reflecting on capitalism and environmental protection, and at the same time devoted to human rights and education, if there is a world that does not pursue GDP, Yang Zonghan's contribution should be among the best.

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