Downshifting: It is a problem or not?

There are lots of interesting terms in modern language, for instance, Unschooling. Escape (escalism), downshifting and many others. In this essay I would like to point out

1. What does the downshifting mean?2. Statistics of downshifting in different countries.3. The most famous Russian downshifters.4. Origin and historical causes of downshifting.5. Pluses and minuses of downshifting.

What does the downshifting mean?

1) Downshifting – a reduction of work and the opportunity to find the balance between the work and leasure time.

2) Downshifting it is a kind of time managing between the work and leasure according to the consumption.

Firstly, I would like to give an example of downshifting. A married couple Svetlana and Artem had been young Muscovites. He had been a middle –level manager, she had been an accountant in a small company and they had had a bachelor flat near Taganka, had got the average salary on the labour-market, had taken credits for a car and for flat repairing, had created the family budget. They had used overcrowded metro everyday. According to this principle, hundreds and thousands people live today. It is a kind of life without perspectives at all. Finally they decided to go abroad-to New Zealand. They sold the flat and all their belongings and flew to this island country only with two suitecases. Today they have already lived there for five years. Artem works as a guide. «I am not working at all» - Svetlana says. «We are not rich but their quantity is enough for us and I am glad to say that we must nothing to everyone because we are free.We lived in the hell of Moscow but now we are in the paradise on earth».

Secondly, I would like to outline some statistics about downshifting in modern world. Although I don't acquire official statistics, but I'm sure that the hugest population of downshifters is in

Australia and USA. For the downshiftering propaganda the U.S. government made the decision about the week of downshifting during which people leave their work places for a half of the day to spend this free time with their relatives, to plant something beautiful in the garden or prepare good supper. The number of downshifters in Europe is near 12 millions.

The most famous Russian downshifters is Sharik, Matroskin and Uncle Fedor I think.

Now let's talk about the historical causes and the origin of downshifting. In the 1990s this new form of simple living began appearing in the mainstream media and has continually grown in popularity among populations living in industrial societies, especially the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. The deterioration of the economic situation is the main cause for the increasing number of downshifters.

On the one hand, downshifting has its advantages:

1. Health promotion2. Avoiding stress, nervousness3. Healthy food4. The possibility of disclosure creativity of self-actualization5. The possibility of reflection, reasoning about life

But, on the other hand, as any theory it also has disadvantages, and I also enumerate them:

1. Rejection from modern medicine;2. Loss of a substantial portion of income;3. conflicts with family and colleagues;4. reduction in the level of comfort.

For the conclusion, I would like to say that everyone choose their style of life for themselves and we can't justify them for the decisions and each theory of life style has the right to the existence if it has the followers.