Friday, May 28, 2010
I've moved!
If there are any of you who haven't heard, the blog has moved to thenomaddiary.com. See you there!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thing #3
Today's Thing comes from one of my favorite new websites, mnmlist.com, dedicated, as the name implies, to the minimalist lifestyle. If you don't know much about this sort of lifestyle, the basic premise is universal simplification of life. Something about this concept has resonated with me, and learning more has been a fun and rewarding process. Regardless of whether or not minimalism appeals to you, take time to read this. At the very least, I think you will find it to be very thought provoking...
http://mnmlist.com/reimagined
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The future is in YOUR hands
Americans today find themselves amidst the most volatile and unprecedented of circumstances. The development of technology has been blindingly rapid, and we have caught onto the idea that collective human potential is seemingly limitless. However, what is not limitless are the natural resources that we have come to rely so heavily upon. Powerful as our vehicle for progression may come to be, the simple fact is that it will soon run out of fuel if we do not make some major adjustments. In a response to one of my recent entries, my long time friend Josh Kruger made a crucial point on our current state of affairs- "All of our current and looming crises are astonishingly interrelated and could be said to stem from one root cause: the myth of limitless expansion".
I find this simple statement to convey an urgent truth about society. If there is one idea that is salient throughout our culture, it is that we should do everything in our power to foster growth, to advance. However, if there is one lesson to be learned that is essential to our survival, it is that the pursuit of this ideal can only lead to devastation. History has shown us that such attempts at limitless expansion almost always lead to collapse (think Roman Empire). I am reminded of the term "too big to fail", often used to describe the nature of our largest banking entities. I hate this term, because the harsh reality is that failure does not discriminate. All things can fail, and will, if they are poorly operated. The only difference is that when the big things go down, they tend to bring many of the smaller things with them. Continuing to quote Josh, "we need to address the fundamentally unsustainable nature of, well, everything we do". As I mentioned in my last post, a fundamental paradigm shift is needed. Without such a change, I believe whole heartedly that we are doomed.
So, you ask, what could bring about such a revolutionary change? How can we be saved from our evil ways? I would contend that, ultimately, it will require support from America's greatest addiction, the main stream media. Anyone who has watched television in the last decade is probably giggling at this seemingly laughable prospect. Media cooperation, I realize, is a tall order, so lets start with ground level thinking. What can we do RIGHT NOW to inspire responsibility and consciousness among the masses? Simply put, we must find a way to promote the spread of ideas. Luckily, the world today is loaded with opportunity to do just that. Lets take a look at one...
As a few of you know, I have been an avid blogger for a few months now. Despite the effort that I have put into my writing, I have intentionally limited my readership to family and close friends; only recently have I become comfortable with the idea of large audiences. Now that I have deemed my writing worthy of a slight increase in readership, I have begun dual postings on Facebook and, as usual, blogger.com. The result has been tremendous. My ideas are being met with incredibly thoughtful and well articulated responses from many of the most intelligent people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Both friends and mere acquaintances are showing their burning desire to communicate, to have their voice heard, to show that they want to make a difference. I think we are all united by the fact that we have a vested interest in the outcome of this whole thing, though many people seem to deny themselves this essential realization. For those of us who are ready to accept our social responsibilities, let us be free to utilize our potential through the interpersonal spread of knowledge and innovation. The time to be shy and unsure of oneself has surely passed. These difficult times require a strong voice from our generation. American 20 somethings are the link between the old way of doing things and the unforeseen future. What will this future hold? We must decide this for ourselves.
If you agree with this sentiment, allow me to ask a favor of you. Make yourself heard. Write a thoughtful response this or any other post. Or, if you are feeling brave, write a post of your own. If you find yourself questioning your intelligence or the value of your opinions, DON'T. I promise, you have something to say and people will find it refreshing that you are willing to share. Do this and you will soon see that Facebook has the potential to become something so much more, a remarkably powerful engine for social change.
Find inspiration, share your thoughts. Our future depends on it.
Have you built your life boat?
I am very concerned about our country. Very concerned, exceedingly worried in fact, that we may be headed for economic collapse. Now you are probably saying to yourself, what does a psychology major know about the economy? And you would be right, sort of, if it were not for the fact that my growing fear has led to many hours of investigative research. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you do not have to be Paul Krugman to understand the very basic and very real indicators that would lead one to believe that our financial system and the cultural climate that fuels it are the ingredients for a time bomb.
Right now, I can't help but feel as though Americans, collectively, are a blonde silicone breasted airhead from a cheap horror movie. Everyone in the theater knows that there is a scar faced ax murderer waiting in the next room, it seems so obvious, but she goes in anyway. And she gets slaughtered. Similarly, it feels as though we all understand the basic concept that a country with a run away train for national debt and an endangered species as a middle class is probably not a prime candidate for long term sustainability. Yet we do precious little to avoid catastrophe. We are knowingly walking into the room to get slaughtered.
We have fully committed ourselves to the pursuit of the American dream- the big house, the cars, the TV's, whatever it takes to make the Johnson's next door green with envy- and we will stop at no amount of debt to get it. Rarely do we ask ourselves, can I afford this? Though we should, because more often than not, the answer is NO.
As the middle class becomes a thing of the past, the unemployment rate soars, and teachers are laid off by the thousands, we come to understand that the magnates of the banking industry are given government sponsored bonuses, paid for with tax dollars. In my opinion, wealth should be directly correlated to productivity and the positive impact our work has on society. "Sure, those Harvard-educated bank CEOs work hard, but do they work 300 times harder than you?"- Sally Kohn.
We allow the thieves of the financial sector to pillage to their hearts content, to the point of unfathomable riches, but we don't understand the nature of the crime enough to even make an attempt at stopping it. By the we finally start to get it, it is far too late.
We eat the foods that not only make us look and feel terrible, but almost inevitably lead to costly health issues somewhere down the road. We think our health care system is a mess now, imagine what it will look like when all of the 300lb. 30 somethings (and there are tons, literally) begin to have the heart attacks they have dutifully earned. Who will pay for this? Gaze into this mirror for the answer.
And who will fix all of these problems? Not the 30-60 year olds. They got us into the mess in the first place. Certainly not my generation. When the promise of the American dream proves to be a farce, a mere relic of better times, we will be too shell shocked to take any sort of action. How about the youth? Ah yes, the youth will save us. Doubt it, our education system sits at a dismal 18th in the UNICEF world rankings. We will be lucky if those kids can differentiate their asses from their elbows. Maybe the South Koreans, perched at the top spot, will lend helping a hand. I'll ask when I get there, but don't hold your breath. We are on our own, and given our recent track record, that by itself should be enough to scare you. It seems the only people alive in our country who ever really got it are now in their final lap. Please grandparents, save us before its too late.
I could go on and on criticizing whining, but you get the point. As a result of equal parts greed, ignorance, and corruption, we find ourselves in an awful mess. For those of you who are a bit older, can you remember a time where so many sectors- financial, housing, health care, education, to name a few- faced such dire circumstances? Am I being overly dramatic, or are we much closer to complete disaster than most people realize? I may not be an expert, but there are plenty out there who seem to share this sentiment. I worry that the recession, bad as it has been, may not have gotten bad enough. Did we learn our lesson? If we do not undergo a major cultural paradigm shift, I fear that things are going to get much, much worse. Arianna Huffington puts it bluntly-
America is like a patient in danger of suffering a massive heart attack. We may be able to postpone things with a bit of outpatient surgery, but we won't be able to avoid it without some serious lifestyle changes. The economic coronary isn't quite here yet, but it's on the way.
As for me, all I can do is try and learn a lesson from the failures of previous generations. Do I feel cheated to be starting my life of financial independence amidst such turmoil? Not in the least. In fact, as bad as things seem to be, my personal path to success seems pretty clear-
1. Buy a small 2 bedroom apartment, not a 4 bedroom house.
2. Continue to drive a Scion toaster car
3. Save 10% of my income, without fail.
4. Stay healthy
5. Pay off credit cards immediately
6. Wait until I am in my late 30s to have children
7. Adhere to the principles of minimalism whenever possible
8. Plan on never retiring, which is fine anyway, because the absence of productivity seems dreadful.
9. Possibly look into trading all of my American dollars for Danish krones.
and 10. Ironically, given the tone of this post, stay positive! The ship may be going down, but that doesn't mean I have to go down with it. In fact, I'm already building a life boat. Are you?
Right now, I can't help but feel as though Americans, collectively, are a blonde silicone breasted airhead from a cheap horror movie. Everyone in the theater knows that there is a scar faced ax murderer waiting in the next room, it seems so obvious, but she goes in anyway. And she gets slaughtered. Similarly, it feels as though we all understand the basic concept that a country with a run away train for national debt and an endangered species as a middle class is probably not a prime candidate for long term sustainability. Yet we do precious little to avoid catastrophe. We are knowingly walking into the room to get slaughtered.
We have fully committed ourselves to the pursuit of the American dream- the big house, the cars, the TV's, whatever it takes to make the Johnson's next door green with envy- and we will stop at no amount of debt to get it. Rarely do we ask ourselves, can I afford this? Though we should, because more often than not, the answer is NO.
As the middle class becomes a thing of the past, the unemployment rate soars, and teachers are laid off by the thousands, we come to understand that the magnates of the banking industry are given government sponsored bonuses, paid for with tax dollars. In my opinion, wealth should be directly correlated to productivity and the positive impact our work has on society. "Sure, those Harvard-educated bank CEOs work hard, but do they work 300 times harder than you?"- Sally Kohn.
We allow the thieves of the financial sector to pillage to their hearts content, to the point of unfathomable riches, but we don't understand the nature of the crime enough to even make an attempt at stopping it. By the we finally start to get it, it is far too late.
We eat the foods that not only make us look and feel terrible, but almost inevitably lead to costly health issues somewhere down the road. We think our health care system is a mess now, imagine what it will look like when all of the 300lb. 30 somethings (and there are tons, literally) begin to have the heart attacks they have dutifully earned. Who will pay for this? Gaze into this mirror for the answer.
And who will fix all of these problems? Not the 30-60 year olds. They got us into the mess in the first place. Certainly not my generation. When the promise of the American dream proves to be a farce, a mere relic of better times, we will be too shell shocked to take any sort of action. How about the youth? Ah yes, the youth will save us. Doubt it, our education system sits at a dismal 18th in the UNICEF world rankings. We will be lucky if those kids can differentiate their asses from their elbows. Maybe the South Koreans, perched at the top spot, will lend helping a hand. I'll ask when I get there, but don't hold your breath. We are on our own, and given our recent track record, that by itself should be enough to scare you. It seems the only people alive in our country who ever really got it are now in their final lap. Please grandparents, save us before its too late.
I could go on and on criticizing whining, but you get the point. As a result of equal parts greed, ignorance, and corruption, we find ourselves in an awful mess. For those of you who are a bit older, can you remember a time where so many sectors- financial, housing, health care, education, to name a few- faced such dire circumstances? Am I being overly dramatic, or are we much closer to complete disaster than most people realize? I may not be an expert, but there are plenty out there who seem to share this sentiment. I worry that the recession, bad as it has been, may not have gotten bad enough. Did we learn our lesson? If we do not undergo a major cultural paradigm shift, I fear that things are going to get much, much worse. Arianna Huffington puts it bluntly-
America is like a patient in danger of suffering a massive heart attack. We may be able to postpone things with a bit of outpatient surgery, but we won't be able to avoid it without some serious lifestyle changes. The economic coronary isn't quite here yet, but it's on the way.
As for me, all I can do is try and learn a lesson from the failures of previous generations. Do I feel cheated to be starting my life of financial independence amidst such turmoil? Not in the least. In fact, as bad as things seem to be, my personal path to success seems pretty clear-
1. Buy a small 2 bedroom apartment, not a 4 bedroom house.
2. Continue to drive a Scion toaster car
3. Save 10% of my income, without fail.
4. Stay healthy
5. Pay off credit cards immediately
6. Wait until I am in my late 30s to have children
7. Adhere to the principles of minimalism whenever possible
8. Plan on never retiring, which is fine anyway, because the absence of productivity seems dreadful.
9. Possibly look into trading all of my American dollars for Danish krones.
and 10. Ironically, given the tone of this post, stay positive! The ship may be going down, but that doesn't mean I have to go down with it. In fact, I'm already building a life boat. Are you?
Thing #2
Just now I put up a post about the concern I have for the economic stability of our country. If there is a single issue that I think all people should take the time to understand, it is this one. However, ours being such an intricate system, attempting to make sense of it all can be incredibly frustrating. So, for todays Thing, I am posting a talk given by Harvard law and economics professor Elizabeth Warren on the disappearance of the middle class. I think this is a great place to start getting a sense of how dire our situation truly is. Despite her Ivy League background, Warren does a remarkable job of putting a complex issue into common language. Check it out here-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Internet Treasures
I do virtually the exact same thing every morning- brew coffee, make a big breakfast, shower, and read blogs/articles on the internet. This is my morning ritual, and it suits me quite well. Something I have begun to notice is that spending as much time as I do on the internet almost always results in the discovery of something truly awesome. I'm not talking about "Charlie bit my finger" type stuff, but the sort of thing that can inspire and have a real impact on your life. So, my gift to those of you who may not have as much time to browse the www is this- EVERY DAY, for your benefit, I will post the most useful/magnificent/life changing thing that I find. So lets get started-
I actually found Thing #1 a few months ago, and it changed my life. It comes from Raptitude, the blog of an up and coming self-help leader by the name of David Cain. This article, titled "88 Important Truths I've Learned About Life" was my first exposure to the world of blogging, and I have been hooked ever since. Set aside about 20 mintutes to read through this list and I think you will find it to be an eye opening experience... And if you find this to be the case, I encourage you to dive deep into Raptitude, a site that continues to guide me every day in my journey of personal development
http://www.raptitude.com/2009/07/88-important-truths-ive-learned-about-life/
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A formal apology
I am the ultimate consumer. Capitalist extraordinaire. I have many THINGS, most of which were purchased with the intention of making me look better, feel more confident, gain respect, or establish my social status among my peers. I have a watch with dead batteries, but I wear it anyway. Why? I haven't a clue. Does the shiny thing on my wrist make you hold me in higher esteem? For your sake, I certainly hope not. I have a walk in closet overflowing with expensive clothing that I never wear. The shirts, pants, jackets, and sweaters will continue to hang until I decide to get rid of them in order to make room for more ill-fated attire. If there is a burial ground where technology is laid to rest, my personal plot it rather sizeable. It is filled with items I deemed were too big, too slow, or simply not cool enough. What do I do with this antiquated garbage? I throw it away, buy some more, ad-nauseam. It's the American way. Do you like all of my awesome things? I certainly hope so, because my confidence and sense of self is dependent on your opinion. If you don't approve, just give me some time to earn money and I will go buy all new stuff until you finally accept me. STOP. How did it come to this? Where was my moral compass as I traded thousands of hard earned dollars for all of this senseless trash, meanwhile knowing full well that I live in a world plagued with needless suffering. At one point in my life did I buy into the disgraceful lie that my importance as an individual is so fickle as to be defined by the accumulation of possessions? It is all so very sad and pathetic, but there is hope. I am 23 years old and the time has come for a long overdue change. This is my official announcement to the world that I have woken up from the dangerous coma of force fed consumerism. I shudder to think what would have happened had I stayed asleep. In 16 days I will move to the other side of the world and I will put my entire life into a single suitcase. My new minimalistic lifestyle will require that I take with me only the things I need to reach full potential. Everything else, all of those THINGS that do nothing but clutter my life and fill my heart with guilt, they will stay behind. They are symbols of my social irresponsibility, reminders of my unforgivable vanity, and for these reasons I am expelling them from my life. This night I offer to the world an apology for my mindless greed, as well a pledge (and hope its not too late) to consume from this day forth with restraint and consciousness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
