How to Be Free

"I particularly liked the chapter regarding rejecting careers' empty promises; how many times has one gained 'promotion' to find ourselves still lacking fulfilment, or more stressed out than before?
Ok, as one reviewer pointed out, you could omit growing your own food, or baking your own bread, to save money by doing a little overtime, but you don't learn anything new by doing so.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't have all the answers; eg 'give up your mortgage', to do what - rent? "
~ Written on 2008-02-29

"This book is great. I don't agree with everything Tom writes, but Anarchists should carve out their own lives anyway! This is as good a guide to freedom as you can get in capitalist society. Read it, take on board the general idea and then do it for yourself, your way. Anarchy in action. Terriffic."
~ Written on 2008-01-16

"I am nearing the end of this book. I love the style in which it is written. Its kinda like listening to one of your friends in the pub enthusiastically telling you about their world philosophy. In this sense it is spirited and motivating, but sometimes you do have to puzzle over some of the somewhat tenuous links that are used to support a some of the arguments. The name-dropping of the author's illustrious friends (Damian Hirst and Keith Allen et al) kinda winds me up too.

Inspiring though this book is, I do feel that maybe many people arent in such a privelleged position to be able to make the kind of broad-sweeping changes that the author is suggesting. Im sure that not everyone has the kind of job that would translate easily to a freelance/self-employed model, nor one which is mostly based at home. In this sense Tom is quite lucky to be an author and to have had a well-paid career prior to his new life. Yes, I would like to quit my job, pop down to the west country, buy a nice cottage with a few acres and live mortgage free. Yes, I would like to potter around in the garden, do the odd days work in my study and then later trot into town on my horse and meet my bohemian chums in the local village pub for a hearty sing-sing. But somehow im not sure it would be so easy for many of us. If youve ever seen River Cottage on TV and noted a mixture of idyllic simple-living with the uncomfortable undercurrent of privillege, then you may see a parallel in this book.

Nevertheless this book is packed full of ideas to get you motivated, and for me it did turn some established 'facts' on their head. I did agree with a lot of the sentiment in this book and I would recommend anyone to read it, but dont expect a robust well-honed philosophical argument. This book is to inspire only, but it does it exceptionally well. "
~ Written on 2007-12-27

"How to be Free is highly entertaining nonsense, with several grains of truth buried among the contradictions. Like a four-year-old who thinks it would be great to eat nothing but ice cream, the author appears gloriously unaware of the likely consequences should everyone live in the way he proposes. I agree about the value of questioning the power of governments and corporations, yet his ideal society would surely be a descent into miserable and chaotic (albeit colourful!) squalor. One marvellous thing about this book, ironically, is that it has made me more appreciative of our modern world and its benefits."
~ Written on 2007-11-14

"Do you feel that we live in an overly regimented, joyless, conformist, colourless, soulless and work-obsessed society? Do you yearn for a more spontaneous, exciting, and creative life? If you do then this very well may be the book for you! It is another polemic from the patron saint of idlers, the one and only Mr Tom Hodgkinson, who wrote the wonderful `How to be Idle'.

The central premise is that of Jean Paul Sartre's existential philosophy - we live in an absurd, meaningless universe, but we are free to create our own lives and our own meaning. It is our own "mind forged manacles" that condemn us to lives of robotic tedium and wage slavery. Hodgkinson examines the different factors that inhibit our freedom and looks at alternative ways of thinking and living. The underlying political message is essentially that of anarchism. He believes that we should take far more responsibility for our own lives, create mutual support mechanisms, be a lot less materialistic, resist consumerism, and grow our own food. He attacks the current obsession with owning property, making the case that we are in thrall to the banks who really own our homes. He also attacks the soul crushing tedium that most paid employment involves, and the way in which it devours our time on this earth.

He quotes the great critics of industrialised society, John Ruskin and William Morris, who deplored their society's denigration of individual creativity and beauty. Hodgkinson explores the idea that the Middle Ages actually offered comparatively more freedom and fun than the modern, hi-tech society offers today. There were far more holidays and festivals, and peasants did not have to work as hard for their feudal masters as today's wage-slave has to do for the omnipotent multi-national corporations. He makes a very compelling argument, but as with most polemics little space is given to counter-arguments. He downplays the less attractive aspects of this period, such as low-life expectancy, almost non-existent medical provision and horrendous diseases. He also suggests that the general influence of Protestantism has been less benign than that of Roman Catholicism. His argument is that the former has created money orientated, self-righteous, power mad zealots, whereas the latter might have been corrupt, but it was more humane. It is an interesting argument, but again it involves over-simplifications, and Protestantism was initially more anti-authoritarian and helped to foster a spirit of inquiry, which in turn resulted in the growth of the scientific method.

Probably the best way to approach this book, and its predecessor, `How to be Idle', is as stimuli for thought and discussion. I don't always agree with Tom, and there are times when `How to be Free' feels just like a get-back-to-the-land rant. The one big misgiving I have with both books is that occasionally Tom extols the virtues of rioting and expresses admiration for criminality, neither of which I feel tie in with a philosophy of mutual aid and creativity. However, it is impossible not to be won over by the charm and grace of his work. His message is life-affirming and humane, and although I am not sure I could personally adopt all of his recommendations, the underlying spirit is one that I thoroughly endorse. D.H. Lawrence once said that he "did not want life to be a paltry thing", and neither does Tom. He wants all of us to embrace freedom, creativity, risk and joy, so that our lives are as rich as they could possibly be.
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~ Written on 2007-09-27