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| Gas woes. |
| 04.29.08 (11:35 am) [edit] |
'I can't believe how expensive gas has become. This is NOT funny anymore!' 'Oh, I know. Isn't it ridiculous?' 'I can't even afford to buy as much food as I usually do!' 'I just spent fifty dollars just to fill up my tank and this is my SMALL car!' (overheard at a local gas station) There are people in the US being impacted adversely by the sharp rise in gas prices. Many folks are having a difficult time making ends meet because of the rise of inflation and the so-called 'necessary downtown,' also known plainly as a recession, despite Bush and Co. adamantly refusing to call it exactly what it is... When the economy plummets, the first things to go are the non-necessary items. So, how much are you paying for cable and Internet again? And how far away is the little corner store? Walking distance? And do you actually NEED what you're buying? Do you ever ask yourself these questions or are you on auto-pilot, only coming out of your stupor long enough to realize that suddenly, you aren't able to do things you used to with the ease that you prefer. Television is NOT a necessity. Cable is NOT a necessity. Internet connectivity is NOT a necessity. And guess what... Cell phones are NOT a necessity. Neither is call waiting, call conferencing, caller ID and call-everything-else that costs more than basic service. Nor is it necessary to DRIVE to every little destination on a whim or spur of the moment. A little planning goes a long way. Stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work means one less reason to take the car out on the weekend. It's not that difficult to buckle down and exercise a little discipline. There are so many little things that can make a difference... like installing ceiling fans, floor fans, window screens, unplugging things from the wall, turning off ghost loads, making sure lights and other non-essential appliances are off... not just when you think of it once in a while, but continually. STOP SHOPPING ALREADY. Good grief, people. Consuming isn't going to fill the bloody void, so just stop trying! It's an extremely temporary quick fix to a much longer term problem. 'AM I HAPPY?' Think for yourselves. Turn off the TV, READ, plant a garden, grow your own food and see how quickly you get good at it, and how fast your garden expands. Even if you have a tiny yard, just plant a few things! Check this out: http://www.fritzhaeg.com/gard... The longer you stay plugged in to the corporate agenda (a subtle, mind-numbing television-utilizing agenda), the longer you remain sheep, swallowing all the crap that's shoveled down your throats by an elite element hell-bent on keeping their pockets padded. Just start over. Simplify your life. You'd be amazed at the fulfillment such a move contains, not to mention the frugality you'd acquire. It's not a difficult thing to start. Just question everything. Do I need this? Why do I want this? Can I buy this used or locally or both? (freecycle.org and craigslist.org free section) But I warn you: Once you do it, you'll never fit in to the stupefying norm that dictates majority societal structure in America today. Now stop complaining and figure out what you can do to alleviate the pressure of rising costs. |
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 04.30.08 (9:33 am)
Reply to: userfriendly
An excellent point, Nate. Of course, we're talking about a lazy, convenience-based society in the first place. I figure... talk to their wallets and the contentment they reap from the implemented changes just might make them realize their on a better path, one filled with autonomy, satisfaction and health, both mental and physical.. but then... who are we kidding? Will anyone really get the message? Forgive my cynicism. :/
posted by: rizi (reply)
post date: 05.02.08 (2:32 am)
Hey Lindy,
Hope you and your family are doing good. I have to admit that I am a more passive observer of what is happening with US economy. While I am interested because my job-offers depend on how good US market grow, I am not directly impacted by it and hence I don't care.
Anyway, from where I see, your post seems totally logical but believe me, I would consider it an extreme if I was suggested to me. Its the way things are around us - we are grown to consider a lot of our own self-created luxury a necessity. You are correct in pointing out that most of these harms come from exposure to the media which is mostly commercialized to exploit us. I remember that you wouldn't have a television at home nor expose your kids to television at school - do you still do it now?
No matter what - I have to admit that you are very different from most people I see and what I am myself.
Have a great day
posted by: Lindy (reply)
post date: 05.02.08 (6:08 am)
Reply to: rizi
Ah, Rizi, funny... I see you in a similar light; very different from most people. But then, we'd need to bring cultural differences into the mix to get a truer reading, I suppose.
Yes, I'm still quite strong about minimizing television programming in my life and that of my kids. Good memory on you. I do own a television, but it gets used for occasional movies or old reruns from a period when programming wasn't nearly as fast paced as it is today. I don't have cable television and I'm glad for it. I can't regurgitate commercials in casual conversation and though that puts me on the outside a lot, I'm okay with what I'm on the outside of (dangling preposition noted).
It's true that my views are considered extreme by many people around here. But you could also say the benefits I receive from it, such as being quite grounded in life (relatively free of the pop culture and consumption shackles that bind most of us), are extreme compared to most of the people who have no idea what it's like to apply critical thinking, to think for themselves and to choose a path based on what is best for them, as opposed to what others think is best for them or what they are led to believe is best for them by Guerrilla marketing tactics.
I think also, you are in a different point in life than I am.. surly, we must take that into account, yes? When I was in my early 20s, I was more interested in what others thought of my hair than what my hair care products were doing to the environment. :)
'No matter what - I have to admit that you are very different from most people I see and what I am myself.'
I'm going to take that as a compliment, Rizi. ;) And I maintain that the same applies to you.
I hope your day is a good one as well.
posted by: Lindy (reply)
post date: 05.02.08 (6:11 am)
Reply to: rizi
One more thing... I wasn't implying that you are more concerned about your hair than what your hair care products are doing to the environment. My clumsy point is that I think our personal 'world' is relatively small when we are young and that as we get older, it gets bigger.
posted by: rizi (reply)
post date: 05.03.08 (10:37 am)
Reply to: Lindy
I did mention that as a compliment and thanks for considering me "different from most people" as well. Its true that there is a huge cultural difference between both of us but I still feel that you are quite different in your thought process than any other american I have known (and I have to admit the numbers are very less).
Its true whatever you tried to explain with the hair care analogy. I do accept that I care much about myself than what I think about the way I affect everything around me. The difference between you and me is that I do not envisage growing to be as concerned as you are. I don't know how to explain why I won't - perhaps I am selfish, mostly I am lazy. I am not a huge television fanatic but I do watch them and quite obviously influenced by many things that could have been left alone. I still haven't found my inner voice to raise its own concerns against all this - not sure if it ever will. There, that's how weak I really am. I guess I will grow to be a more mature person but its just guessing and hoping that I do at the moment - and thats not good.
There - I have defined my whole life in front of a complete stranger without being asked for it. Its times like these that I really start to wonder if I need to take a break from all things that I love at the moment and lead a sage's life for a year. Its a rage here in India you know :)
posted by: Lindy (reply)
post date: 05.07.08 (8:49 am)
Reply to: rizi
Hahahaa! I love it. You would make a very interesting sage. I think it's difficult to predict how you will feel when you are older; what your actions and thoughts might lean toward, so you may be selling yourself short, Rizi. Experience molds us... having children, relationships, exposure to circumstances we can't fathom happening in the here and now, etc. The ability of critical thinking goes a long way and is sadly lacking in a lot of young people today, so I say with confidence that as you grow, your scope may likely widen, even if you continue to be lazy! ;)
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 05.16.08 (1:24 pm)
Reply to: Thelielikly
Hi.
posted by: mattblack (reply)
post date: 05.20.08 (5:33 pm)
Sorry I haven't checked in here for a while...I've developed a serious aversion to tBlog, I guess. ;)
I'm with you on almost everything you say, Lindy...with the exception of Internet connectivity. That, I think, rises almost to the level of a necessity in the 21st Century.
I say "almost" because of course vast numbers of people can, and do, live without the Net...but I wouldn't *choose* to any more than I'd choose not to read books.
Just a little side note: we do have a TV, which we use mostly for watching DVDs and the occasional exceptionally good TV show. But when it's not in use, it's completely covered by a fringed black-and-tan paisley shawl so it's not a visible presence in our daily life.
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 05.20.08 (5:47 pm)
Reply to: mattblack
I hear you, mb. I tend to come across harshly, I know. I'm not aiming a message at everyone. Only the people who truly believe that their television programs are a necessity. People really do believe that. I like your shawl idea. We've been trying to come up with a way to obscure the tv too. Do you think tossing it in the trash would be too extreme? Heh. No worries on being averse to tblog. Ironically, I happen to own averse 'dot' tblog 'dot' com. *grin* I turned it into a photo stop for my old high school friends. :)
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 06.02.08 (12:17 pm)
Reply to: userfriendly
HAHAHA, good one, Nate. Only problem is, who actually turns off their tv anymore? AND - without a button on the remote control, it probably won't get done.. too much trouble to get up off the couch and actually close the doors...
Now that tvs have gotten so thin, it might be easy to just draw a curtain in front of it - of course, that would need a remote control option as well...
*snicker*
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 06.03.08 (4:42 pm)
Reply to: userfriendly
*snicker* Well, we already know you aren't the usual kind of guy, don't we. You actually can get up, cross a room and generate some kind of activity without it being some monumental feat. ;)
So.. get to cutting.. and take pictures. :)
posted by: akelso (reply)
post date: 06.10.08 (2:24 pm)
Whoa Lindy, you go girl! It's just that those things I already do and those things that I've not yet done, keep screaming back 'n forth across the aisle.
How are you, other than that? I'm fine, and actually doing *really* quite well. Thinking I'm actually as "back" as I'm gonna get - I'll take it! - Andrea
posted by: lindy (reply)
post date: 06.10.08 (2:35 pm)
Reply to: akelso
Andrrea! My grief, it's good to 'see' you! I know.. it's always a push and pull kind of relationship in terms of necessity vs convenience. As long as you are paying attention and doing SOMETHING then that's a great start, or even a great stride. Mind you, the message doesn't get through to the ones who need it most, eh.
I'm thrilled to hear that you're doing so well. I keep you in my thoughts. :)
