CHANGING DIRECTION
Based on the film African Jim, the phrase ‘Jim comes to Joburg’ has come to refer to a common trajectory in which people seek the fortunes believed to be found in cities, rather than in rural areas. Acclaimed for being the African feature-length film released in the Republic of South Africa, this 1949 offering tells the story of Jim who leaves his tribal homeland in search of the gold in Johannesburg. But things don’t go as he’d hoped or planned.
Jim survives a mugging, and the stress of relocation and adjustment to city life. He gets a job in a nightclub as a waiter, and then in a wonderfully fortuitous confluence of events, he is offered the chance to sing on stage with the club’s female star. Shortly before he’s due on stage, Jim overhears the gangsters who mugged him plotting a robbery. His personal history makes it difficult not to get involved, so Jim faces a tricky challenge of how to stop the crime while still being on time for this dream opportunity to perform.
With a starry line-up of talent such as Dolly Rathebe, the African Inkspots, Sam Maile and Dan Twala, the fictional narrative of Jim likely reflected the real life scenarios of many people the actors actually knew.
Decades have passed since the film came out, but urban migration hasn’t changed much.
Human beings still want to create the best possible lives for themselves. However, this age-old desire is manifest in different ways in our modern society.
Over the past few years, the promise that material possessions lead to more happiness has been unyielding. Non-material factors such as social connections and hobbies physically carry less weight than the newest gadget; but when the scale of joy counts only what can be measured or priced, it doesn’t reflect the lightness of happiness.
A typical aspect of this material pursuit is constant movement where the direction must always be up and the pace must always be fast and faster. Upgrades are regular; from neighbourhoods to mobile phones to friends to spouses. Speed is preferred; from career growth, to food orders, to travel, to investment returns.
It may differ in nature and geography, but many people who arrive in their version of Joburg realise that it wasn’t all they’d hoped it would be; and that the Jim they need to be in order to stay on top isn’t always the Jim they like.
Responses to this displeasure and disappointment come in two forms: leave or adapt.
For many of us, leaving isn’t an option as we need the jobs and income that places like Joburg provide.
We can however adapt by changing direction – by choosing down instead of up at times, and by preferring slow instead of fast more often.
DOWN INSTEAD OF UP
In order to live, and to do so comfortably, we need certain goods and services such as food, transportation, clothing, housing, energy and technology. Some – such as what we eat – are perishable and therefore not always easy to store and use again. But modern society is increasingly trapped into overconsumption where the reflex response to a need is a purchase. Constantly thinking: ‘If I need it, I must go buy it’, we don’t stop to check existing products, supplies and cupboards and fridges first.
Social scientists attribute this to two factors: planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence.
Planned obsolescence is a policy of designing products with an artificially limited lifespan. This strategy increases sales for manufacturers because repeat purchases need to be made regularly. Purposefully building products that aren’t durable or that are too expensive to repair, traps consumers into always having to buy the new and improved version.
Perceived obsolescence is when designers amend the style and aesthetics of new products so that the old ones no longer seem as beautiful or fashionable, even if they are still functional. Clothing and consumer electronic products are most susceptible to this. Manufacturers constantly update with ‘new generation’ items giving the perception that anything not within this category is old and therefore not usable.
Instead of responding to this strategy by upgrading to the latest status symbol, we can choose to stay downgraded with products that are still functional even if they’re not the trendiest. Doing this will not only grant increasing freedom from the rat race, it can foster a life that is simpler. And it can save you a lot of money!
Conservationists and sustainability advocates have a framework of ‘refuse, reduce, reuse’ that lessens consumption and protects the environment. It’s one that can be transferred to downshifting your spending and being an infrequent and more conscious consumer. Here’s how:
Refuse to upgrade unless it’s absolutely necessary. Your car doesn’t stop working after three years or once it’s been paid off. Many regular household gadgets such as TVs, washing machines and microwaves don’t need to be replaced regularly. Some of these can remain fully functional for up to a decade and more.
Reduce expenditure on things and redirect those funds and that energy to experiences. If you derive your sense of worth or value from items, there are always going to be better things that must be acquired. It’s an occupation with no limits or respite. Mountains, beaches and parks however don’t come in newer fancier versions every year. So make a packed lunch and head to the beach or go visit those relatives who live too far away to see regularly or spend long lazy days watching movies and TV series. These memories are priceless. But also making them is likely to be cheaper than buying that newest model phone or branded sneakers.
Reuse as much as possible and when you can’t or don’t want to, hand over to a willing new user. From clothing to gadgets, many products have a lifespan beyond our interest in them. Some people are not the type to cut and resew old clothing. Some work in offices where you can’t wear a shirt with a replaced button or pants that no longer crease as crisply as they used to. If you can’t reuse or rewear or restyle it, let it go rather than leaving it to be eaten by moths at the back of your cupboard. By then, it’ll be of even less use to anyone.
SLOW INSTEAD OF FAST
Some things, like the internet, are better faster. But we’ve come to associate fast as better too often. Life is too fast, we cry, all the while choosing vehicles and gadgets for their speed, and setting expectations that those around us and in our employ keep up with the very momentum that is wearing us out. A common proposed solution to this state of being overwhelmed is more – money, staff or time. But there is another option – slowing down.
Slow Food
There will be times where you need to grab a quick sandwich, but not every meal needs to be made or eaten fast. Some meals should be laboured over either in the preparation time such as slaughtering and plucking a ‘hardbody chicken’; or in the cooking time such as with samp and beans which can take four to six hours to soften. These types of dishes are a cornerstone of the Slow Food Movement. As described in their manifesto, adherents to slow food believe this:
To escape the tediousness of ‘fast-food’, let us rediscover the rich varieties and aromas of local cuisines.
In the name of productivity, the ‘fast life’ has changed our lifestyle and now threatens our environment and our land (and city) scapes. Slow Food is the alternative, the avant-garde’s riposte.
Real culture is here to be found. First of all, we can begin by cultivating taste, rather than impoverishing it, by stimulating progress, by encouraging international exchange programmes, by endorsing worthwhile projects, by advocating historical food culture and by defending old-fashioned food traditions.
Slow Food assures us of a better quality lifestyle.
Another consequence of Slow Food is that it’s often more nutritious and cheaper to prepare. Eating good food that doesn’t cost a lot is a way to enjoy a more simple life; and because it’s more financially viable, this delicious simplicity can be easily and widely shared with guests.
Slow Money
Slow Money refers to how we use and invest our finances. It’s about making choices that foster the economic sustainability and resilience of a community, town, or geographic area.
According to the Slow Money Institute, slow money catalyses the flow of capital to local food systems and connects investors to the places where they live. Positioned as an NPO, they’ve formulated these Slow Money Principles to guide fiduciary responsibility for both individuals and organisations:
1.We must bring money back down to earth.
2.There is such a thing as money that is too fast, companies that are too big, finance that is too complex. Therefore, we must slow our money down – not all of it, of course, but enough to matter.
3.The 20th Century was the era of Buy Low/Sell High and Wealth Now/Philanthropy Later – what one venture capitalist called ‘the largest legal accumulation of wealth in history’. The 21st Century will be the era of nurture capital, built around principles of carrying capacity, care of the commons, sense of place, diversity and non-violence.
4.We must learn to invest as if food, farms and fertility matter. We must connect investors to the places where they live, creating healthy relationships and new sources of capital for small food enterprises.
5.Let us celebrate the new generation of entrepreneurs, consumers and investors who are showing the way from Making A Killing to Making a Living.
6.Paul Newman said, ‘I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out.’ Recognising the wisdom of these words, let us begin rebuilding our economy from the ground up, asking:
•What would the world be like if we invested 50 per cent of our assets within 50 miles of where we live?
•What if there were a new generation of companies that gave away 50 per cent of their profits?
•What if there were 50 per cent more organic matter in our soil 50 years from now?