As any historian can tell you, cultural shifts are usually the result of advances in knowledge and yes, technology. From the earliest days of recorded history, mankind has benefited from advances such as discovering (and finally admitting to!) the fact that the earth is round. While there are still a handful of flat earthers out there, they are few and far between. But, not to digress any further, the reality is that with knowledge comes a new way of life for many, and this is the underlying reason we are seeing a global cultural shift in the new millennium. Let’s look briefly at three trending lifestyles that are prompting a new way of life for so many people, a cultural shift, if you will.
1. Veganism
For years, there has been a growing number of people who began abstaining from meat. This was vegetarianism but now the movement has grown into what has become veganism. Beyond not eating meat products, vegans abstain from dairy, and anything made from animals or animal products. They also refuse to endorse the slaughter of animals for anything made from those animals, such as leather and fur.
This is why vegan restaurants have become quite popular and are cropping up all over the world. One vegan restaurant that was ‘born’ of this new way of life was founded in Palm Springs, California, in 1994. Native Foods features a vegan restaurant menu that has become the benchmark for vegan restaurants around the globe. That was almost three decades ago and since that time, the vegan movement has literally exploded.
2. Minimalism
Another indication that ‘trendy lifestyles’ are prompting cultural shifts is the whole concept of minimalism. Even though minimalism is most often seen in terms of home décor, décor just reflects lifestyle. Minimalism is all about the belief that less can be more. Anything that isn’t necessary for a quality of life is cast aside. Clutter is often seen as waste and unlike previous generations, amassing a plethora of ‘things’ doesn’t indicate what they consider to be wealth. Wealth to Millennials and beyond is seen as who you are and not what you have, and this ties in nicely to the third changing lifestyle, and that would be sustainability.
3. Sustainability
This is a huge focus in today’s world, and with the plundering of our natural resources, most people now recognize the need to observe the three Rs of sustainability. That would be the need to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Even the UK and all of Europe have set a deadline for Net Zero Sustainability by the year 2050. In light of radically reducing our carbon footprint by finding alternative energy to the burning of fossil fuels, sustainability can also be seen as a form of minimalism.
Each of these three trending lifestyles is indeed a part of an ongoing cultural shift. It would be amazing to have a time machine capable of bringing us to our future to see just how the culture of society has emerged from these growing trends. It really would be fun, wouldn’t it?
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
