You so beautifully write what I’m feeling… it’s all so unbelievable yet every day more real. Please keep Sharing your observations and thoughts, as we don’t want or need to live like this.
This piece beautifully captures the overwhelming exhaustion that comes with living in a world that’s optimised for everything but humanity. Your words highlight the tension between progress and preservation—how, in our race for growth, we lose the things that make life rich and meaningful.
I am experiencing Hiraeth not only in a way of life but in who I am or want/long to be. Completely understand the "frustratingly possible" part, as I have too. It feels it's possible, it also feels that it will be very expensive.
Small independant shops, skilled carpenters, even an honest sourdough loaf do not have the same price tags as the things we find in effective/low costs stores. So what should we do?
I have a little indulgence, I make my granola at home. I have a little independent store near where I live, with bio and good quality products where I source most of the ingredients. The store manager always smiles and we engage in polite chit chat. Once, I brought him a jar of the granola I made with his products. He very much liked it he said. I'd like to support him more and have that next door feeling when I do my shopping but I can not afford 98% of his products or I will not make my rent.
The food system in particular is really broken and even the topic of farming is so interesting. I’m reading a book called Rooted at the moment, which is all about farming and regenerative agriculture, and it shows just how hard it is for farmers who want to “do the right thing” to even manage to do it. The system 100% needs reform. Thanks for reading :)
Your writing made my hiraeth rise to the surface…. I wish more ceilings like that were being made! I’m trying to, in my own minuscule way, be dogged about caring about what brings us joy & connection. Thanks for taking the time to write such a beautiful piece.
Feels wrong to “like” this because it’s all so negative and depressing. Nevertheless I think you’re at least partially right. There are some glimmers of hope imo; in our town we have a thriving farmers market for instance. I’m also picking up a growing trend of protest or at least dissent against corporate greed, especially when it’s very visible. One example is the Isle of Wight ferry company whose outrageous pricing and disgraceful service provided by a multinational corporation are being challenged very actively by a fast growing protest group. Older residents in particular (as well as other NHS patients) are unable to access vital cancer treatment on the mainland because they can’t get there. Just shows even oldies get vocal if the situation is bad enough!
You are totally right, there are so many glimmers of hope and I love the examples you gave from the Isle of Wight. That’s exactly why I wrote this. I can feel a change coming, a slow turn of the tide. Collectively, people have a lot of power against corporate greed.
I agree with all of this. I often think about how nothing we are building today is going to be admired or revered by humans in 500 years. No sites to visit, no treasures to be placed in museums.
You articulate my feeling about life recently quite well. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but the fact that everybody shoves a business idea down someone else's throat is appalling to me. I'm a minimalist, and selling a physical item seems against my conscience. Heck, refining my art skills so that an item might be sellable hurts my conscience as well. I don't want to be an empty coach, but many writers eventually sell a coaching business. Craftsmanship and hospitality are on the fast track to becoming long-lost arts.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Sekar. I’m super worried about craftsmanship and the arts, particularly music at the moment. I’ve been hearing from popular musicians with good followings that they are not getting paid enough from the likes of Spotify (not news sadly) but also that they are barely breaking even when touring live. It’s a really sad state of affairs if more and more people decide they can’t afford to be artists.
This article really resonated with me, but I agree with some of the comments here that there is a lot of hope. I moved from the London area to the north of England a few years ago and really appreciate living in a city full of wonky old buildings, where people are generally friendly, chatty and warm. That big, faceless, corporate feeling of emptiness you describe so eloquently doesn't really come into my daily life anymore (even at the supermarket), which I really appreciate. I also love the idea of rebelling against this late-capitalistic vacuousness in the small but powerful way of making art, and making beautiful things, just because you want to and it feels good. Doing a painting or drawing or making a pot or embroidery hoop, not to sell but because the process is so enjoyable and freeing, is a small act of revolution.
“We’ve become so fixated on growth that we lost sight of what is shrinking. I envisage creativity, hospitality and craftsmanship — all the things that are so beautifully, quintessentially human — as thin slivers of soap, getting smaller and smaller by the day.” Love this - truly tragic, but so beautifully expressed!
It's things like this that make me wonder if this is a country problem or a global problem. Human civilizations have always gone through boom and bust cycles of cultural and artistic growth. It seems as capitalism continues to sink it's teeth further into the flesh of this society, we'll see receive less value and less quality, despite the average person working longer and harder than generations past.
You so beautifully write what I’m feeling… it’s all so unbelievable yet every day more real. Please keep Sharing your observations and thoughts, as we don’t want or need to live like this.
Thank you Carole 💜
This piece beautifully captures the overwhelming exhaustion that comes with living in a world that’s optimised for everything but humanity. Your words highlight the tension between progress and preservation—how, in our race for growth, we lose the things that make life rich and meaningful.
We consider the price of everything, the value of nothing…
I am experiencing Hiraeth not only in a way of life but in who I am or want/long to be. Completely understand the "frustratingly possible" part, as I have too. It feels it's possible, it also feels that it will be very expensive.
Small independant shops, skilled carpenters, even an honest sourdough loaf do not have the same price tags as the things we find in effective/low costs stores. So what should we do?
I have a little indulgence, I make my granola at home. I have a little independent store near where I live, with bio and good quality products where I source most of the ingredients. The store manager always smiles and we engage in polite chit chat. Once, I brought him a jar of the granola I made with his products. He very much liked it he said. I'd like to support him more and have that next door feeling when I do my shopping but I can not afford 98% of his products or I will not make my rent.
I loved this piece! Thank you
The food system in particular is really broken and even the topic of farming is so interesting. I’m reading a book called Rooted at the moment, which is all about farming and regenerative agriculture, and it shows just how hard it is for farmers who want to “do the right thing” to even manage to do it. The system 100% needs reform. Thanks for reading :)
Your writing made my hiraeth rise to the surface…. I wish more ceilings like that were being made! I’m trying to, in my own minuscule way, be dogged about caring about what brings us joy & connection. Thanks for taking the time to write such a beautiful piece.
The only power we have is to not lose our humanity. Thank you for reading, Jenny 💙
Feels wrong to “like” this because it’s all so negative and depressing. Nevertheless I think you’re at least partially right. There are some glimmers of hope imo; in our town we have a thriving farmers market for instance. I’m also picking up a growing trend of protest or at least dissent against corporate greed, especially when it’s very visible. One example is the Isle of Wight ferry company whose outrageous pricing and disgraceful service provided by a multinational corporation are being challenged very actively by a fast growing protest group. Older residents in particular (as well as other NHS patients) are unable to access vital cancer treatment on the mainland because they can’t get there. Just shows even oldies get vocal if the situation is bad enough!
You are totally right, there are so many glimmers of hope and I love the examples you gave from the Isle of Wight. That’s exactly why I wrote this. I can feel a change coming, a slow turn of the tide. Collectively, people have a lot of power against corporate greed.
I agree with all of this. I often think about how nothing we are building today is going to be admired or revered by humans in 500 years. No sites to visit, no treasures to be placed in museums.
I also think about this ALL the time
You articulate my feeling about life recently quite well. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but the fact that everybody shoves a business idea down someone else's throat is appalling to me. I'm a minimalist, and selling a physical item seems against my conscience. Heck, refining my art skills so that an item might be sellable hurts my conscience as well. I don't want to be an empty coach, but many writers eventually sell a coaching business. Craftsmanship and hospitality are on the fast track to becoming long-lost arts.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Sekar. I’m super worried about craftsmanship and the arts, particularly music at the moment. I’ve been hearing from popular musicians with good followings that they are not getting paid enough from the likes of Spotify (not news sadly) but also that they are barely breaking even when touring live. It’s a really sad state of affairs if more and more people decide they can’t afford to be artists.
This article really resonated with me, but I agree with some of the comments here that there is a lot of hope. I moved from the London area to the north of England a few years ago and really appreciate living in a city full of wonky old buildings, where people are generally friendly, chatty and warm. That big, faceless, corporate feeling of emptiness you describe so eloquently doesn't really come into my daily life anymore (even at the supermarket), which I really appreciate. I also love the idea of rebelling against this late-capitalistic vacuousness in the small but powerful way of making art, and making beautiful things, just because you want to and it feels good. Doing a painting or drawing or making a pot or embroidery hoop, not to sell but because the process is so enjoyable and freeing, is a small act of revolution.
Yes! Not everything has to be about profit all the time. Our hunter gatherer ancestors worked just 20 hours a week 🤣
Ahh those ceilingsssssss
I feel this in my bones. Thank you x
Thank you for reading, Chantelle 💕
“We’ve become so fixated on growth that we lost sight of what is shrinking. I envisage creativity, hospitality and craftsmanship — all the things that are so beautifully, quintessentially human — as thin slivers of soap, getting smaller and smaller by the day.” Love this - truly tragic, but so beautifully expressed!
Thanks Caoimhs 💗
It's things like this that make me wonder if this is a country problem or a global problem. Human civilizations have always gone through boom and bust cycles of cultural and artistic growth. It seems as capitalism continues to sink it's teeth further into the flesh of this society, we'll see receive less value and less quality, despite the average person working longer and harder than generations past.
This essay is everything I’ve been thinking about but couldn’t articulate. Thank you.
Thanks so much Ana 💕
This really resonated with me today. Thank you :)
I feel this everyday and I didn’t think it was possible to put these feelings into words but this was gold!!
Thank you so much Amal 💙
Great, heartfelt piece. And this doesn’t include the hefty downward ratcheting of AI!