11-19-2020, 04:59 PM
1. Ditch the status symbols. They convince nobody, and they are often expensive to maintain while creating no more effect than clutter (which itself is tacky).
2. Paying for stuff in storage (unless you intend to sell it or use it, as in a business, or the item is simply an object of seasonal use) indicates that you have too much stuff.
3. Start saving. By not buying status symbols that impress nobody you will have more funds. Saving allows the creation of wealth and jobs through investment in plant and equipment. You don't need the latest electronic goodies when the older stuff will do (or is even available or serviceable). I'm not telling you to stick with something grossly obsolete such as a computer that no longer has technical support, a VHS recorder, or a CRT TV.
4. If you are young, then limit your possessions (for now at least) to what you can keep in a car. For now the tend toward even tinier apartments and having to share those with unrelated people to meet the high cost of renting in the Landlord's Paradise that is any part of America with a semblance of vibrancy... well, what you can keep in a car might be as much as you can keep with you until America starts becoming less regional in wealth and poverty.
5. Because we are not yet out of the Crisis Era, it behooves all of us to learn to make the best out of bad situations. COVID-19 is a genuine Crisis event, and it could still kill twice as many people as it has killed already.
6. Ditch all fads which originate in the Unraveling. If it is good, as in cultural attainment as in cinema, then fine.
7. Prepare for a life in which most entertainment comes online. That means music, books, and even art.
8. Live for experiences -- not possessions. A possession will have to be extremely interesting in itself (maybe an objet d'art, a fossil, or an artifact) to draw attention. You will be more interesting if you can talk about your vacation experiences, especially if those come with interesting video effects. It is great to not be a bore. (OK, I don't want to hear about how plastered you got in Chicago, especially since there are far better things to do in Chicago, and I don;t care to hear about slot machines in Vegas).
9. Choose a life pattern that relies less upon fossil fuel (unless you are a truck driver, auto mechanic, refinery worker, etc.) .
10. Be a good listener. You can't learn much from talking unless you can get others to respond with something interesting or enriching.
11. Recognize the virtue of small business, at least in retailing. Manufacturer's Suggested List Price is higher than Wal*Mart , but if you dislike what you get at Wal*Mart because buying it makes you think yourself an astute shopper, the 'bargain' is likely to end up in a landfill. Liking what you get matters more than getting it on the cheap.
12. If you hold tight to religious or ethnic bigotry -- then give it up. You will lose nothing.
2. Paying for stuff in storage (unless you intend to sell it or use it, as in a business, or the item is simply an object of seasonal use) indicates that you have too much stuff.
3. Start saving. By not buying status symbols that impress nobody you will have more funds. Saving allows the creation of wealth and jobs through investment in plant and equipment. You don't need the latest electronic goodies when the older stuff will do (or is even available or serviceable). I'm not telling you to stick with something grossly obsolete such as a computer that no longer has technical support, a VHS recorder, or a CRT TV.
4. If you are young, then limit your possessions (for now at least) to what you can keep in a car. For now the tend toward even tinier apartments and having to share those with unrelated people to meet the high cost of renting in the Landlord's Paradise that is any part of America with a semblance of vibrancy... well, what you can keep in a car might be as much as you can keep with you until America starts becoming less regional in wealth and poverty.
5. Because we are not yet out of the Crisis Era, it behooves all of us to learn to make the best out of bad situations. COVID-19 is a genuine Crisis event, and it could still kill twice as many people as it has killed already.
6. Ditch all fads which originate in the Unraveling. If it is good, as in cultural attainment as in cinema, then fine.
7. Prepare for a life in which most entertainment comes online. That means music, books, and even art.
8. Live for experiences -- not possessions. A possession will have to be extremely interesting in itself (maybe an objet d'art, a fossil, or an artifact) to draw attention. You will be more interesting if you can talk about your vacation experiences, especially if those come with interesting video effects. It is great to not be a bore. (OK, I don't want to hear about how plastered you got in Chicago, especially since there are far better things to do in Chicago, and I don;t care to hear about slot machines in Vegas).
9. Choose a life pattern that relies less upon fossil fuel (unless you are a truck driver, auto mechanic, refinery worker, etc.) .
10. Be a good listener. You can't learn much from talking unless you can get others to respond with something interesting or enriching.
11. Recognize the virtue of small business, at least in retailing. Manufacturer's Suggested List Price is higher than Wal*Mart , but if you dislike what you get at Wal*Mart because buying it makes you think yourself an astute shopper, the 'bargain' is likely to end up in a landfill. Liking what you get matters more than getting it on the cheap.
12. If you hold tight to religious or ethnic bigotry -- then give it up. You will lose nothing.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.