Four Alternative Ways of Life

In a world where almost all people live in a similar way: They go to school, get a job, get money, be with someone they love, retire and die. Some people actually bother to think about the typical life, as they watch almost everyone else move together in one line going through the same six steps over and over again they question it.

They question a world where almost everyone lives like insects enslaved to their societies habits and they question why having more pieces of paper (that seem to have no value unless adults play pretend)  actually matters. And then they question why they would acquire a mass of things only to lose them all when they die. But then they wonder "But is there really a different way?" A minority of people throughout history said yes to that question.

Here are four of the most alternative life styles:

1.) Christian Asceticism: Some Christians have chosen to live a private life and go into the wilderness because they are seeking to live in the eternal depth of Truth--which in Christianity is embodied in the person of Jesus Himself. (John 14) This is considered extremism because it goes beyond what any known first century Christian did, but going into the wilderness for a set time isn't unfounded--Jesus Himself spent forty days in the wilderness fasting. An example is St. Antony from Egypt.

2.) Living in the Wild: Sometimes people go to live the wilderness not mainly to meditate, worship and pray sometimes it's because they're tried of living in a society where they have to constantly depend on other people or they see the world as corrupt. So they go somewhere alone. They grow their own food, cook their own meals and live their own lives happy to not depend on others for things they can do themselves. An example is Masafumi Nagasaki of Japan. 

3.) Living in a Commune : Some people want to try sharing--working for their community not themselves personally. They may go to school and work but all the money they make goes towards the needs and wants of every member of the community. An example is the Judean Christian community (Acts 4:32-37) who did so in love of God and their fellow believers.

4.) Choosing poverty: Some people recognize the vanity of wealth and the corruption it can lead to the soul--but they don't want to leave society as a whole. So they give up everything they have and become beggars. An example is St. Francis of Assisi.