Going back to the village

Homo sapiens are happier in microcosms.

The other day, I was thinking about focus—the focus of friends and family—the focus of the world. Then I saw the above image, and it brought it all home. In order to live happier, healthier lives, we need to return to the village.

Until recently, human focus was concentrated within a few miles of your home. Your only concerns were your family, your job within the community, and the people surrounding you. It was a close-knit cooperative, and nothing else existed as far as you were concerned. Occasionally, a passing stranger would enter your world, and you’d hear stories from faraway places (maybe a town 100 miles from yours). But basically, you were unaware of what transpired beyond your four walls. In other words, you didn’t carry the world’s weight on your shoulders. However, the invention of the printing press in 1440 changed everything. It was a marvelous invention, but it also came with a price. It changed the focus of our world.

But let’s jump in our time machine and enter the world of 2025. In many ways, it’s a much better world. Thanks to modern medicine, people live longer. Thanks to technology, we have everything at our fingertips. However, what have we given up having those luxuries? For me, it’s an easy answer—peace of mind.

Every day, I hear of people in despair. I see depressed people unable to cope with the daily grind. I see people who have given up. Why? Because their focus has left the village, and they’ve taken on the world’s weight. But the human psyche wasn’t meant to deal with modern society. We’ve become overwhelmed because we feel we have to fix things that were never meant to be in our control.

However, we can be choosy, and I have. Number one, turn off the news. That doesn’t mean to stick your head in the sand. You can remain knowledgeable yet limit the negativity 24/7. Number two, avoid social media unless you are a glutton of punishment. However, if you do, control what you see and hear and limit your time. Block, mute, and only tune in to topics that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. I accomplish this by reading topics regarding science, history, gardening, photography, birding, etc., and following those with like mindsets. We feed off each other, and in doing so, we are healthier and happier. Number three, take control of things you can and let the other stuff go. Unless you do, you will make yourself sick because an unhealthy mind leads to an unhealthy body. Number four, be realistic. Three and four go hand in hand.

The world was never a paradise. Each generation, era, and epoch has seen catastrophes: wars, starvation, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, mass extinctions, evil rulers, and plagues. It’s the nature of the beast. Trust me, open up a history book and look back in time. You may feel that it’s never been worse. However, if you were to travel back in time to Europe during WWII, witness the persecution and murders during the religious wars in the 1500s, or endure the hardships of the 100-year war between France and England, you may just change your mind.

But it all comes down to you. Where is your focus? What CAN you do to improve your life? For me, it’s spending more time doing what I love. Writing, enjoying the great outdoors, music, tai-chi, meditation, photographing wildlife, and spending time with like-minded positive people. That meant culling the herd. As my stepfather always said, “Cheechee, you need to weed your garden.” While many might take that literally (he was a gardener, too), he was also a philosopher and a Doctor of Metaphysics, among others. In this sense, weeds are negative people—those who hold us back and don’t help us grow. Or it can be something as simple as pessimism. The feeling that you are no longer in control of your life. It’s detrimental.

Maybe today is the day to travel back in time to the village, thus leaving the “world” behind.