Free-Range Living

With financial follies, politicians' expenses fiddles, media manipulations, big firm selling pressures and and what's been called a 'fat cat' culture, or so it may seem to many, perhaps there's every reason for so-called 'ordinary' individuals to take whatever legitimate measures they can to protect themselves and their loved ones - to take self-responsible 'feerange' measures in fact.

Practically, many are - the strong trend in 'growing your own' may well be such an indication. Another key area could be that of effective energy use management, helping not only the self, but also under pressure 'Mother Earth',

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If western-style cultures are over-geared to money making, it's reasonable then to surmise that other potentially key areas could by default get too little attention. Various commentators have in recent times pointed to the 'demise' of community and community spirit for instance, possibly aided and abetted by the seeming 'downgrading' of things 'social' in current and recent past times. Work systems and management styles appear to have changed significantly in favour of high control regimes and away from motivationary leadership styles and adhesion to trust and belief in peoples' capacity for self-motivation and self-responsibility, a trend maybe not best suited for 'freerangers'.

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Cooler, 'catchy' weather over the last few weeks here in the UK midlands has produced a profusion of flowers but mixed results in the veg patch here on the eco micro-holding, where a measure of frugality suits. Mainline culture, though, seems more tuned into the 'pots of dosh' philosophy, with seemingly a 'greed is good' mantra. Maybe the economists' message, which could have been misunderstood, of peoples' 'profit maximisation' standard behaviour, has then overly influenced the western-style culture, and creating an 'it's all about money' climate.

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Husbanding', 'husbandry' - old-fashioned terms no doubt in modern tech-e life, and considered 'old hat' by some. The Chambers dictionary definition of a husbanding person include 'a thrifty manager', 'a conserver' and 'one who manages with economy' , the longer-term  nature of which may help to explain the role's decline in today's 'borrow now-have now' super-consumer mainstream culture. Some, though, it would appear, are concerned with longer-term possible realities, taking the 'husbanding' stance, whilst quite a few seem to be pretty busy 'super-consuming', giving presumably quite a schizophrenic element in society. 

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Starting and running a 'freeranger'-type lifestyle enterprise can be an attractive way of 'freeranging', but there can still be potential pitfalls such as over independent thinking, lack of 'heart/head' balance and adoption of generalistic, assumed objectives rather than 'freerange' objectives suited to the enterprise.    Lifestyle enterprises can be seen as the vehicles which deliver the satisfaction of an array of multi-dimensional 'freeranger' needs,  and as such need a more encompassing system of assessment than a purely financial assessment might deliver.

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The ‘big’ free-range idea is to give animals such as egg-laying chickens and dairy cows a natural (to them) environment which then allows them to express their innate, unique behaviour patterns, for their own sakes, and to facilitate their natural proclivities and productivities. The ‘spiritual’ foundation to this appears to be a feeling that as ‘top animal’ man should be working ‘in partnership’ with them and recognising their needs, rather than just trying to dominate and control them; husbanding and caretaking rather than merely exploiting, paradoxically though often leading to good sustainable levels of productivity. There’s just something so satisfying, too, about seeing those chickens scratting busily and contentedly about in the paddock.

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‘Delicious dosh’

No, of course it’s not the money that’s consumed, though, it’s really just a medium -  it’s what it can give access to that really counts: survival, security, exclusivity, social standing, clout, protection, conviviality, pleasure, personal development, philanthropy to name but a few.

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