Lol
Each time we think people will learn, they do not. People have short memories and undesire to change. In a few years, people will go back to exact same habits, same life, no change.
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*** Official Corona Virus Thread ***
- Thread starter Planet_Erff
- Start date
Each time we think people will learn, they do not. People have short memories and undesire to change. In a few years, people will go back to exact same habits, same life, no change.
probably be less than a few years, more than likely weeks after we're all let out of our plush luxury open prisons, if that.
I thought a lot of people would have learned about overextended themselves on their mortgages after 2008 but nope
In the book mean genes, the authors explain that humans are wired to overextend themselves.
Really? What about Germany and Japan? What about countries besides those that just seem to get on with life?
Casa,
Did you see patients like this in January and February? I think it's implausible that we're just seeing this in our country now. I had symptoms in February as did many people I've talked to. Doctors have said this has been a bad year for the flu and RSV which have overlapping symptoms with COVID. What are the odds that COVID has been going around long before we started testing for it?
EDIT: See this CDC chart showing a normal flu season. I would think COVID would follow the same pattern unless there is strong evidence to suggest otherwise:
The numbers go up drastically when there aren't enough resources (medication, ventilators, beds, etc.).
Nicely put. I've been living in my van for the past 4.5 years by choice, the goal being to work jobs that i enjoy / are healthy and 'live within my means.' To me, its always been my outlook in my entire adult life that if you aren't able to save, your lifestyle isn't sustainable because sh!t happens. This has built a ton of self reliance as well as 'resiliency,' as i always put it. All my friends that don't live with their parents or work remotely are wondering how they'll pay rent. Meanwhile, I'm over here without a care in the world, living my life the same as always. Been giving myself every haircut for the past decade, I've gotten pretty damn good at it. Workouts has been calisthenics based for a number of reasons, but again - something that doesn't change much working out 'at home.'
The funny thing is whenever i mention my lifestyle to older folks, 95% of the time they say something along the lines of "you're doin' it right / I wish i figured that out when i was your age," meanwhile whenever I explain it to people my age more than half just kinda get uncomfortable and don't know how to comprehend it. The other half I'd say are cool with it, and yea you get the select few who are kinda hippyish or into the hashtag vanlife who really dig it, but even of those - honestly, as much as hashtag vanlife is super 'in' and and popular among hipsters, half of them just save up and take a vacation off work for a year and call it 'full time living in a van' and the other half work remotely, which is similar to my path just more computer based and more socially acceptable. Its super rare that I ever meet anyone who does or would ever choose to work a regular 40 hour job and just go home to a vehicle, and like stay in one place not travelling around or anything. I often joke that its the 'weird kind of living in a van' not the cool kind.
But its rooted in deep, common sense philosophical outlooks similar to what you're posting above. To me it just makes sense, to most others its too weird to grasp. When people ask how long I plan to do it, the answer is indefinitely, its half my retirement plan. And that one gets weird looks too. But there's just so many reasons to live a somewhat frugal lifestyle, and its never been more glaringly obvious - the lack of widespread appreciation or understanding for these reasons than right now during this global recession. It's never struck me so significantly, just how oblivious the general population of the US is to the current state of global affairs (meaning the severity of the situation at hand) as well as how entitled and incapable of making changes without throwing fits like little children we are, at large. Like everyone's pacifiers are being taken away, in the form of all the things you mention - our anxiously active lifestyles which distract us from being aware of, well, pretty much anything.
"These neurotic symptoms are strikingly similar to an increasingly common way of life in Western society. Our ever-expanding populations with their accompanying advertising, mass entertainment, socializing, industrialization, and emphasis upon success, sensuality, and popularity have produced an environment in which we are forever bombarded with an increasing number of sensory and emotional stimuli. The opportunities for solitude and introspection have diminished to the point that now solitude is often viewed as either depressing or abnormal. This is not to assert that the majority of our citizens are involved in a frantic endeavor to escape from their inner selves. Such is no doubt the case with many, but there still remains a sizeable percentage of people who are involved in the same frenzy only because they have conformed to the social norm and have been lured into a habitual fascination for television, jazz, sports, and the countless other forms of readily-available entertainment. Such persons are not necessarily precluded from relative happiness and emotional well-being." - Douglas Burns ~1970
"We get so caught up in this endless thought stream that reality flows by unnoticed. We spend our time engrossed in activity, caught up in an eternal pursuit of pleasure and gratification and an eternal flight from pain and unpleasantness. We spend all of our energies trying to make ourselves feel better, trying to bury our fears. We are endlessly seeking security. Meanwhile, the world of real experiences flows by untouched and untasted...The ironic thing is that real peace comes only when you stop chasing it. Another Catch-22." - Henepola Gunaratana
My view of the general public has been shifted quite a bit in the direction it was already headed through this whole experience so far. I too hope people take this as a wake up call or a catalyst to a shift in values. as others have said though, i think its doubtful. We lack true open mindedness or often even the capability of mere philosophical discourse. The importance of deep thought has never been cultivated in us, instead our value system is all fucked up. It's hard to change the value system of an entire society. trying times, sure, stand a chance. but we're pretty far gone.
"Through science, technology, and social organization Western man has built a civilization of unprecedented wealth and grandeur. Yet despite this mastery of his environment, he has given little thought to mastery of himself. In fact, his newly-acquired wealth and leisure have heightened his sensuality and weakened his self-discipline. It becomes increasingly apparent, however, that a stable and prosperous democracy can endure only so long as we have intelligent, self-disciplined, and properly motivated citizens; legislation and education alone will not ensure this...No one can cure our neuroses and strengthen our characters except ourselves. " - Douglas Burns
Instead of living in a Van- I bought my own property...no loan. Built my own house...no loan. Planted up a farm...no loan. Wife homeschools kid...no education costs and he is way ahead of peers. One monthly bill...electricity (soon to be offset by solar).
Boats and other watercrafts are my weakness.
COVID-19 can kiss my ass. We can walk to the beach and eat off our land.
Boats and other watercrafts are my weakness.
COVID-19 can kiss my ass. We can walk to the beach and eat off our land.
Oh and in case you were wondering, the house I built has a 50,000 gallon cistern that catches rainwater off the roof that we built ourselves. We also installed a well on the property for farm irrigation as one of the first major projects.
So water is not an issue.
So water is not an issue.
I'd do the exact same thing if i had half a mill+ burnin' a hole in my pocket. A vehicle is much more attainable for most. But im not trying to say everyone should, anyways. If you have kids it would be kind of a bitch, or even a pet. I guess the point is just to welcome frugality into your life sometimes, and be comfortable thinking and acting outside the box.
Haha the last two posts sum up why things are the way they are.
One person says, "until you need medical attention." What would I need medical attention for? Your health should be your #1 top priority in life until you dead. Outside of some major accident, medical attention should not be needed for the vast majority of healthy people.
Another says, "debt used properly can make you a lot of money". Now you see why we are where we are. Capitalism cannot survive without debt. The sheeple are encourage to take debt for education, vehicles, homes, etc. Then the people loaning out the money for these get "lots of money". Not me, no suh.
I'm old school. I prefer to catch, kill or grow what I eat. I prefer to fix my own vehicles, build my own house, plant my own food. One day I'd love to shape my own surfboards and build my own boat.
Its empowering to know you can learn life skills, provide for your family, be self sufficient.
One person says, "until you need medical attention." What would I need medical attention for? Your health should be your #1 top priority in life until you dead. Outside of some major accident, medical attention should not be needed for the vast majority of healthy people.
Another says, "debt used properly can make you a lot of money". Now you see why we are where we are. Capitalism cannot survive without debt. The sheeple are encourage to take debt for education, vehicles, homes, etc. Then the people loaning out the money for these get "lots of money". Not me, no suh.
I'm old school. I prefer to catch, kill or grow what I eat. I prefer to fix my own vehicles, build my own house, plant my own food. One day I'd love to shape my own surfboards and build my own boat.
Its empowering to know you can learn life skills, provide for your family, be self sufficient.
^This. Wealthy people are keen aware of of how to leverage debt to build fortunes. Takes money to make money.
Wait, that life skills stuff cuts into surfing time. Real surfers are trustafarians or drug dealers, obviously your not a real surfer.
Same for me, well surfboards specifically. I can't seem to break that one addiction of buying a new board every 3-4 months. Yes, it's not that expensive, but I would love it if I could stop thinking about buying a new board. I have no other consumer addictions and live very frugally. Would really love to break this last one! First World problem.
I do all of those things.
But I also use debt and leverage to give me passive income. I’m building up my rental portfolio and by the time I’m mid 40s I’m cruising.
I own multiple properties and people pay me every month to live there. I don’t gotta do jack sh!t other then exist and these people pay me to live there.
Nothing against no debt jus don’t understand the major aversion to it where people act like having any is going to bankrupt you.