Appreciating the simple rhythm of life and feeling the natural power of the “primitive ecology” seem to be more and more popular among people. Just like the self-sufficient, quaint pastoral style short video that crossed cultural barriers, Li Ziqi quickly became popular all over the world. The reason why people love her and the praise is so high is that she perfectly shows a kind of “away from the hustle and bustle of the city.” , The living conditions of the “Lohas tribe” who kept the clumsy return to Yuantian.
Lohas is a group of people who pursue a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. They adhere to a natural, healthy, and exquisite life attitude that is close to the origin of life, which is a life philosophy of anti-materialist values. So, what is the inner world they are pursuing? Let us understand together.
Abandon materialistic values
Lohas is a product of the post-materialist era. In 1998, American sociologist Ray Paul proposed the concept of “Lohas”. He believes that when people make consumer decisions, they will take into account the health and environmental responsibilities of themselves and their families, advocate environmental protection and practice a lifestyle of being close to nature and being close to physical and mental liberation. This is the life value concept pursued in the post-materialist era in the West.
After the Second World War, the world economy recovered and developed rapidly. People’s desire to possess material wealth grew rapidly, and a consumption-based way of seeking happiness, namely materialism, emerged. Materialism is a value and belief that emphasizes the importance of having external goals such as money, prestige, and image. Individuals with materialistic orientation value economic success, possession of property, establishment of a good image and acquisition of high social status, and regard economic success as more important than other life goals, ignore social responsibilities, and lack public morality.
In an era when materialism is prevalent, people with materialistic values exhibit four characteristics. One is to value property. Materialists value property and the way to obtain property, and regard material acquisition and possession as the focus and goal of life. Desire for high income levels, pay more attention to economic security, and pay less attention to interpersonal relationships. The second is self-centered. Materialists believe that material is above everything else, they focus on preserving resources and wealth, and they are unwilling to give or share resources with others. They often appear more selfish and ignore social responsibility and public interest. The third is to pursue a luxurious life. Materialists pursue a rich and luxurious material life, show off their gorgeous life, and dislike simple and simple lifestyles. They pay more attention to modern technology, rely on high-tech life, and are indifferent to things in nature or the environment. Fourth, life satisfaction is low. Compared with non-materialists, materialists appear to be more dissatisfied with life and have more negative emotions. Although the pursuit of wealth is the way materialists believe to obtain happiness, the reality is not the case, because endless material desires and a lifestyle that loves the new and dislikes the old make them never satisfied.
For the Lohas people who are relatively rich in material resources, they have the life value orientation of anti-materialists, despise the ostentatious, vulgar, and narcissistic pursuit of life, and explore the natural, elegant, and free realm of fresh life.
Pursue the realm of naturalistic life
In the modern and fast-developing America, there are a group of Amish people isolated from the modern world. They reject all kinds of modern facilities, and they have been living a simple, original, self-sufficient pre-modern life, with low desires and no waste. They advocate nature, harmony, independence and work. Suddenly, urbanites discovered that this may be a long-absent lifestyle in our modern human society, but this lifestyle reflects the harmonious coexistence relationship between nature and people.
Li Ziqi, the most controversial internet celebrity, presents a naturalistic pastoral scene to the public, which not only gives people the beauty of life, but also triggers people’s realistic thinking about the state of life. The idyllic and naturalistic life that she has created has spread all over the world, making the professional groups who are exhausted and rushing to urban life yearn. Li Ziqi spread a new way of life, which is an ideal life state pursued by many people. The dissemination of this cultural value is consistent with the life philosophy of the Lohas people, and has practiced a green and low-carbon lifestyle that loves health and loves the earth.
Although the life shown to us by the Amish and Li Ziqi is fascinating, its practical feasibility is very low. Professionals who are polluted by the hustle and bustle of the city are still trying to change their way of life, practicing the concept of environmentalism and advocating the rules of nature within their abilities. During the epidemic, when humans reduced their outdoor activities, we saw that the natural world was also recovering-rare animals appeared, plants grew luxuriantly, rivers flowed cleanly, and the sky became bluer and bluer.
Returning to nature has become a hope for people to protect the earth, and the pursuit of naturalism by the Lohas people is recognized by more people.
Seek happiness and kind happiness
The early masterpiece of American naturalism, Sister Carrie, is a novel by Theodore Dreiser, which reflects the social images displayed by naturalism and consumerism in the development of human history. The novel describes the social transformation characteristics of the United States from the production-oriented to the consumption-oriented society at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and conspicuous consumption has become a social fashion. The author is keenly aware that extreme materialism has laid a tragic ending for people. This novel has aroused people’s discussion about material and spiritual pursuits, and it also involves the relationship between materialism and happiness: when you get fame and fortune, you may not get happiness. Sister Carrie’s lust for material things is the foundation of her tragic life.
One of the purposes of materialists in pursuit of material is to obtain happiness, happiness and success. So have the materialists got the joy and happiness they really want? Psychological research results show that: regardless of gender, age or income, regardless of different types of groups such as college students, business school students or entrepreneurs, materialists are always accompanied by low happiness. In other words, although the materialists have a short-term happiness due to the acquisition of property, their endless acquisition of hearts will bring negative emotions such as dissatisfaction and anxiety. Therefore, the lives of people with high materialist values are not happy.
However, what the Lohas people pursue is a sense of psychological satisfaction and freedom, and will not be bound by material and monetary benefits. The happiness they pursue is a stable state of happiness, kindness, and freedom. Lohas should not be an excuse for avoiding society and suffering, but for realizing the personality function of harmony, joy, kindness, and diligence.
How to get real happiness? The shaping of healthy mental quality is very important-not to be dragged down by fame, not to worry about comparison, not to sink in greed; to surpass oneself, benefit others, and contribute to society.
