What do you do that goes against your ideals?

Martynt74

Martynt74

Martynt74

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Joined
20 Feb 2004
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
I was listening to a podcast this morning which has a Trail Runner saying he hated the influx of big commercial style companies spending huge money advertising at events but not being there in person actually helping at the event, and generally being against the monetisation of the sport he loved which up until a few years ago had remained at a pretty grassroots level. He then offset that by accepting he was slightly hypocritical because he was a sponsored athlete and so partly funded by the same corporations he disliked (albeit he chose a smaller more independent company as a sponsor).

It got me thinking about the parts of my life where i have a certain ideal yet the reality couldn't be further from that. The biggest one is probably the minimalist lifestyle. I love the ethos of having little and just enjoying life and experience. However, at the same time i love "stuff". I'm forever buying gadgets i don't need or upgrading a perfectly bike/amplifier/tv for something new and shiny. I think part of that is the love of researching things and then once you buy it you move onto the next, but it definitely goes against what i'd like to do.

Similarly i love the idea of just relaxing in nature, i'm always envious of the people who can just sit on a rock by the beach for hours just staring out into nothing, but i sit there for 5 minutes and get bored. I see people sit in a cafe and slowly nurse a drink enjoying the surroundings, but i order a drink, finish it and then quickly order another and it makes the experience expensive or just overly alcoholic (yes i know non alcoholic drinks exist). I don't nessecerily need stuff to be entertained. I love nothing more than hiking/running/cycling in nature and that doesn't really require any equipment bar what you need for the activity itself. I loved running in mountains and switching off music and taking it in, but i could never just sit there enjoying it without the movement element.

My wife says i have elements of ADHD and reading that back it's probably not far off and i'll use that as my excuse to not be the person i'd like to be :p
 
For me it's that I care about the environment. But because I love the outdoors I actually do more damage to it than the average person.

I fly to places for adventure holidays.
I drive to remote spots to hike/kayak/bike/camp.

Its by far the biggest "hypocritical" thing I do.

But I'm not having kids which somewhat justifies it? Carbon credits and all that? :D
 
@Martynt74

Im same. I definitely have ADHD elements in me. Especially focus on boring tasks and "doing nothing".

When I'm on kayak on sea and sun is setting its probably about 15 mins max watching thr sunset. Before I need to paddle.
Or sitting by a waterfall for 15 mins. Then I need to be up and going again.

Totally understand the inability to just "be".
One of the weirdest things for me is seeing people on sunbeds on the beach for hours. Sometimes not even with a book. Just can't understand why you'd go on holiday for that.
My holidays have to be intense. I feel I'm wasting time if I was to just sit for hours. I can do that at home.
 
413x said:
For me it's that I care about the environment. But because I love the outdoors I actually do more damage to it than the average person.

I fly to places for adventure holidays.
I drive to remote spots to hike/kayak/bike/camp.

Its by far the biggest "hypocritical" thing I do.

But I'm not having kids which somewhat justifies it? Carbon credits and all that? :D
Click to expand...
Don't feel bad, nature is meant to be enjoyed. Leave nothing but your footprints and all that...
 
Zatoichi.uK said:
Don't feel bad, nature is meant to be enjoyed. Leave nothing but your footprints and all that...
Click to expand...

Ah I don't feel bad about it. Otherwise would just sit at home miserable. It's just a shame we don't have alternative fuels etc for airtravel.

I'd say at least I don't commute for Work. But not sure if having heating on at home cancels that out.
 
Uther said:
I care about the environment deeply, but I also want an Aston Martin V8. I don't think the environment is going to win this one.
Click to expand...

For sure.
Some of us care about it.. But still can't make the sacrifice.
And most don't care at all.

RIP
 
I always supported physical media because it helps preserve older games.

But partly because of health circumstances changing I'm now buying everything digital.
 
413x said:
@Martynt74

Im same. I definitely have ADHD elements in me. Especially focus on boring tasks and "doing nothing".

When I'm on kayak on sea and sun is setting its probably about 15 mins max watching thr sunset. Before I need to paddle.
Or sitting by a waterfall for 15 mins. Then I need to be up and going again.

Totally understand the inability to just "be".
One of the weirdest things for me is seeing people on sunbeds on the beach for hours. Sometimes not even with a book. Just can't understand why you'd go on holiday for that.
My holidays have to be intense. I feel I'm wasting time if I was to just sit for hours. I can do that at home.
Click to expand...

I am quite happy doing a few hours on a rock or looking down the Camel estuary, sort of a mindfulness, I have a shipping app to id the boats ect can just watch the seagulls doing seagull things , tbh I end up in a trance like state sometimes , other times just read the kindle there and post weather reports on here.
 
moon man said:
I am quite happy doing a few hours on a rock or looking down the Camel estuary, sort of a mindfulness, I have a shipping app to id the boats ect can just watch the seagulls doing seagull things , tbh I end up in a trance like state sometimes , other times just read the kindle there and post weather reports on here.
Click to expand...

Just can't do it. If I'm at the beach I have to be in the water. If I'm on bike/walk I'll stop for lunch and carry on.

I mentally make the effort to "take in the moment" rather than just get a pic. But my natural stance is to... Plough on.

That said watching the sun set on a calm sea, with sound of gentle waves aginast the kayak with no human noise is my purest and best mental health aids. Close as I get to pure serenity.

I look back at pics and remember the best times every now and again
 
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413x said:
@Martynt74

Im same. I definitely have ADHD elements in me. Especially focus on boring tasks and "doing nothing".

When I'm on kayak on sea and sun is setting its probably about 15 mins max watching thr sunset. Before I need to paddle.
Or sitting by a waterfall for 15 mins. Then I need to be up and going again.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sounds like you're similar to me. I've actually got bored of paddle boarding as it felt too slow/motionless in the sea because the scenery just never changes. At least in the Lake District you felt like you made progress.

I've been out a few times and as you say, you sit and watch the sunrise/set but then there's always a point where i want to plough on again.
 
Martynt74 said:
Yeah, sounds like you're similar to me. I've actually got bored of paddle boarding as it felt too slow/motionless in the sea because the scenery just never changes. At least in the Lake District you felt like you made progress.

I've been out a few times and as you say, you sit and watch the sunrise/set but then there's always a point where i want to plough on again.
Click to expand...

So that's why I moved to Wales.
In Lincolnshire the scenery never changed. The beach here and a mile away was exactly the same. The woodlands were flat and monotonous.

Here in Wales you get headlands, weird currents, coves where you can kayak and no one else is there as they aren't accessible apart form water.

Woodlands sit on hills.
Only last week I went off the beaten track (as I always do) and found a gorge (probably old quarry). Just by chance.

Its that "what's around the corner" that grabs me. And here in Wales you don't ever have to walk the same route twice as there are so so many places.

I'll move house when I get bored. Once I've done the majority.

But you can add variable weather too. Same walk in summer vs in snow is different enough to be different.
 
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413x said:
For me it's that I care about the environment. But because I love the outdoors I actually do more damage to it than the average person.

I fly to places for adventure holidays.
I drive to remote spots to hike/kayak/bike/camp.

Its by far the biggest "hypocritical" thing I do.

But I'm not having kids which somewhat justifies it? Carbon credits and all that? :D
Click to expand...
I think that's somewhat the case for me too... I love being out on the hills when no one else is about... But me going out means it's now more crowded for everyone else :p.

I drive up to the Lakes etc for outdoor recreation (because realistically that's the only practical option to get to the places I want to go most of the time), but in doing so I contribute to climate change which is bad for those places.

I don't like it when certain spots go viral on tiktok or whatever and end up with hundreds of cars and people descending on them... But I still tell people where I go and sometimes share things on social media so might contribute to that happening one of these days.
 
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