Discussion
biggbn said:
Buddhist saying.
Use things, not people.
Love people, not things.
One of my sisters has been a Buddhist nun for about ten years now. They do have some good ideas and a decent outlook on life, even though I personally find any organised belief system a bit cultish. However, tee rub with the whole 'lack of attachment' thing is she could lose stuff in a empty room. Last summer we climbed Blencathra with her. And her car keys are still up there, somewhere on the fell. Use things, not people.
Love people, not things.
Dr Jekyll said:
What does 'consumerism' actually mean other than 'other people choosing to spend their money on things I think they shouldn't want'?
It means the economic and social forces and system that encourage people to buy 'stuff', and then buy more 'stuff' because we're all told that buying 'stuff' is good and will make us happy. It's also about the way that everthing can be packaged up and made into a sellable product. Because capitalism demands continual growth for its very existence, there is no long-term benefit to providing people with 'enough' - they have to be continually prompted to buy new and more 'stuff'. That can be good, in that it drives innovation to give people a genuine reason to buy new things, but it can quickly become planned obsolescence or meaningless 'improvements' that are made desirable mostly through the power of marketing. A key element of consumerism is that it divorces the (perceived) value of a thing from its actual functional utility and material worth. More broadly, it's about a socio-economic structure that is driven by the demands of consumers - i.e. "there is a demand for this so it shall be fulfilled" and that production follows the money available from said consumers. That ties into consumerism as an expression of the free market - that consumers have the power to dictate what does and doesn't sell and that unwanted products will not be consumed. It all sounds very good and democratic, and in many ways it is, but it's widely open to being distorted by badly-, over- or under-informed consumers and consumers who don't actually have a viable choice to buy or not buy products.
The longer this goes on, the lower the extent to which people will return to their old ways. But certain things will return.
If the Government is savvy, they'll use this as an opportunity to hit key policy points such as congestion and pollution reduction and levelling up regions while also boosting the areas of the economy needed for long term prosperity.
If the Government is savvy, they'll use this as an opportunity to hit key policy points such as congestion and pollution reduction and levelling up regions while also boosting the areas of the economy needed for long term prosperity.
Inaprop Riat said:
If the Government is savvy, they'll use this as an opportunity to hit key policy points such as congestion and pollution reduction and levelling up regions while also boosting the areas of the economy needed for long term prosperity.
Let's hope. I suspect that they will be back to relying on the financial institutions of London ASAP.
Traffic congestion and pollution do need addressing and soon. The contrast with "normal" times and now is stark around the Manchester area.
The area where I live is (was) in the early stages of trialling improved walking and cycling infrastructure. I hope that it is successful and rolled out elsewhere.
Lotobear said:
CX53 said:
This is exactly the reason I'm beginning to think working long hours in a stressful job is a false economy.
I'm by no means at PH Director level but earn around 40k on a bad year and 50ish on a good one... and have a long commute, 42hr standard week plus OT
Best mate earns 24k with a short commute and does 37 hours per week in public sector.
Both of our OH's earn similar.
He has a similar house, car isn't much worse although he only has 1 not 2 (I could easily lose the extra car without any tears), goes on more holidays, has managed to save for a wedding and has a bucket load more spare time. He is literally no worse off really apart from eating out less and generally being more careful with money, but of course he has the time to do so.
I would happily do more things myself instead of paying someone else if I had the time.
This crisis really has made me rethink what's important.
Exactly what prompted my musings at the top of this thread. We are going through what is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a period of enforced reflection and, also, the practical experience of what it means to momentarily part de couple from the wage slave model.I'm by no means at PH Director level but earn around 40k on a bad year and 50ish on a good one... and have a long commute, 42hr standard week plus OT
Best mate earns 24k with a short commute and does 37 hours per week in public sector.
Both of our OH's earn similar.
He has a similar house, car isn't much worse although he only has 1 not 2 (I could easily lose the extra car without any tears), goes on more holidays, has managed to save for a wedding and has a bucket load more spare time. He is literally no worse off really apart from eating out less and generally being more careful with money, but of course he has the time to do so.
I would happily do more things myself instead of paying someone else if I had the time.
This crisis really has made me rethink what's important.
I doubt I will change my own ways not least because I'm getting towards the fag end of my career, however there's an opportunity for others to re appraise what is important and this has only been presented as a direct result of this unfortunate set of circumstances.
It would be interesting though if folk simply decided not to 'play' any more!
It seems to me that that some people may have indeed decided 'enough is enough'?
Lotobear said:
I was prompted to revisit this thread after the one about John Lewis and folk dropping out of the world of work following the opportunity to reflect caused by the pandemic.
It seems to me that that some people may have indeed decided 'enough is enough'?
It's why there's a huge hole in the labour market, covid caused alot people aged 55-65 to say "sod this, I'm not playing anymore", they realised how little was actually needed to live and be happy, and removed themselves from the world of work. The government is hoping to 'encourage' them back into work, I don't think they stand a chance.It seems to me that that some people may have indeed decided 'enough is enough'?
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