We had a "parenting night off" last night, as our daughter went to her Mummi and Pappa's place overnight. This is quite a rare occurrence for us and pretty much, we wasted it watching a movie and getting into bed early - it was great. We would have gone to the movies or out to dinner or something, but I don't have a vaccine passport or armband to wear, so am not allowed out in public.
We also went for a walk on the lake to test out our new outdoor winter gear - my first of this type really.
I have lived in Finland for 18 years now and while I do brave the winter weather, I tend to make do with what I have as much as possible and don't have much specialized clothing for the weather. Finns tend to have a whole range of clothes for every possible weather combination and slight variation in temperature, whilst mine are more like warm, cold, fucking cold.
One of the reasons I haven't bought any gear though is that considering how often I would go out, I just couldn't warrant spending the money on it. Yesterday though and with the post-Christmas sales on, we went and bought a couple items - 2x pants, 2x jackets and a pair of gloves - 700€ - and that is with 50% off and a 10% staff discount that my wife gets. So, at full price, it would have been over 1500€ worth!
That is insane...
But, at least on our hour test on the local stretch of lake, I could move well, was uniformly warm without freezing fingers, toes or ears and dry all over. That is a positive change, though I am going to have to go walking a hell of a lot more to feel like the cost was warranted.
I also looked the part - that matters, right?
It is interesting to me though, as I grew up in a very "make do" kind of family, especially for me as the 4th boy, meaning I got predominantly hand-me-downs from my older brothers, who grew up in a different decade and generation. Looking the part wasn't first and foremost on the minds of my parents, nor was having the right equipment for pretty much anything. However, since I didn't think that much of it at the time either, it did teach me how to stretch usecase further, compound abilities and workout ways for items to perform double duties.
I was thinking about this in terms of culture and imagination and I have always felt that Finns in general are pretty unimaginative. This doesn't mean they are untalented or skilled, but they tend to rely on what they learn and are told heavily, consume a lot of "reality" content (rather than fantasy) and are largely homogenous in thought and function.
Some will see parts of this as adhering to tradition like the same Christmas dishes yearly, but I wonder how much of it comes through they way they consume in general, where they are not only all eating from the same pot, but what they are eating is tailored for the conditions to such a degree, that they never really have to think about alternatives. It is the kind of thing where most people would use a butter knife a the absence of a screwdriver, but a Finn will not fix it until they have bought the right tool for the job.
I might be exaggerating a little, but only a little.
In regards to myself, I wonder for example, how much of the way I write has been influenced by my childhood experience, meaning perhaps the reason that I am able to stretch across topics and combine multiple elements or have some aspects do double duty, is because this is what I have always had to do. Perhaps since necessity is the mother of invention, a lack of right tools to fulfil needs, is the killer of convention.
While I am far from the most talented at this, I was thinking about it in regards to other people too, where for example, a great many of the most successful entrepreneurs are school dropouts that didn't fit in with the conventions. Also, many of them come from families where they had to "make do" with a lot, forcing them into innovating through childhood. It was either, invent something, or having nothing to do.
A lot of sportspeople come from poor backgrounds also and while the reason for their dedication often gets attributed to a way out of poverty, I wonder if a lack of "good alternatives" is part of that driving force also, where rather than having "tools" that grab their attention and never allow them to be bored, they have a stick, a ball and a few friends to play with.
Yes, inheritance of wealth matters a lot for wealth creation in the future, but I wonder what the profile would like when it comes to individuals generating wealth, if the inheritance factor was removed. Would it be the people who came from wealth, or those who built from poverty that are the best at wealth generation? This probably can't be calculated of course, but it would then also be interesting to see what kinds of traits on average the two groups had. Are there creativity differences? What about resiliency?
I think that these kinds of skills are key to generating wealth in many instances, but not necessarily for average wealth development. For example, the Finns have been (in general) pretty good at developing wealth to some kind of average standard, but the culture doesn't encourage or support extreme levels of wealth. As a result, there is quite an even (comparatively) distribution of wealth across the entire population, although this is changing also, as the "rules" are being forgotten and it is shifting into the global trend of debt accumulation through instant gratification.
I think that in Finland, this "right tool" mentality has allowed them to build a relatively stable experience, but it is actually relatively new and was driven originally by necessity, with the lack pre and post wars. Now though, that same stability might be becoming a weakness as the world opens up and globalizes, as the competition they face is no longer just between themselves with a culture of homogeneity, it is against the rest of the world and the most creative people on earth.
Competition is good, but it doesn't mean that it is good for everyone equally, as there are always going to be winners and losers. I think that this is part of the attraction of centralization, as once there is a monopoly, there can be more stability in most factors, but ultimately, the majority are going to suffer. But, this suffering is largely across the board, meaning people suffer equally. For a lot of people, they would prefer to be suffering with everyone else, than see their neighbor doing well.
But, humanity and society are complex, and even when we are largely aligned in what we might want outcomes to be, there are always going to be conflicts in how to get there. This is obviously compounded as we start to interact even more heavily across cultures, and compounded even further once economic interactions are intertwined to create host of new conflicts. Gone are the days where people are "patriotic" and willing to suffer for their country, because what the internet and the business models upon it have done, is erode the nation state to such a degree (already) that people are entering into the competition as individuals.
However, most aren't "built" to compete at this level, since they haven't had to before. Regardless of a practical skillset someone has, if they don't have that "entrepreneurial spirit", they are going to struggle to compete globally. However, this is a good thing, especially in terms of decentralization and the business models that will be built upon it, as it encourages communities to form around business models that offer earning, rather than going it alone.
This will lead to centralized experiences like Splinterlands building communities of "owner/users" who can earn on their activity by working together, without that centralized control of assets. This makes each business its own market place also, where the business has to look after its customer base as both investors and consumers, or risk having their attention lost to the competition. However, this is tempered by the ownership model, as while a consumer can just pick up and leave, an owner has financial components to consider, so has to play a more complex game.
The next decade of the combination of business, economy, consumption and culture is going to be highly disruptive in many ways and is going to bring in innovations that aren't even close to being considered yet. However, for the average individual, I think if there is one skill that will help them cope in the rapidly changing world, it will be resiliency and being able to make the most out of the resources available, which takes creativity. These things can be learned and improved, but unless one is surrounded by the conditions now, it might require "artificially" learning how to reinforce these skills, meaning taking some chances, rising some losses, reflecting on the future and putting some active skin in the game, rather than finding the right tool of avoidance.
I think that we are entering into a phase that is going to see the most rapid changes to our society that we have experienced thus far and as such, it is going to bring about a huge amount of conflict at every level of our experience and is going to disrupt our lives in many ways, impacting our behaviors, psychology and our emotional states. More complexities that will further "break" what we know and how we do things, so that making do with defaults, just won't do at all.
Well, I should go for a walk outside, just to cost average the price of the clothing down against usage.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
I have some friends living in the Canary islands and I always envy them when they tell me the weather is pretty warm all year long so they basically have only summertime clothing :)
The problem comes whenever they have to travel to any Spanish city in the peninsula during the winter and they freeze!!!!
I lived in the topics of Australia for 8 years - It isn't bad! :D
One of my brothers lives there still and once when I was visiting many years ago in the south and they met us - my girlfriend and I were swimmin in +32 temperatures and he was wrapped in a blanket sitting on the beach - and he was once a surfer in the south! :D
It is all about conditioning.
Those who built from poverty, I think a person who comes from poverty knows better about wealth generation. Having experienced poverity, that person appreciates the value of any wealth they create in time.
Knowing where money comes from, and what it takes to make it, definitely gives most some perspective on how to appreciate it.
thank you @tarazkp for sharing this article with us, I also had Same thought was wondering what will happen if people don't inherent wealth how wealth will be measured. It would be that if people don't have skills or not smart they can't make money regardless if your parents are wealthy or not.
You are right this phase is gonna be crazy we are going to be introduced to different things that will give us room to adopt or we will be left out.
Potentially. I see people earning on Splinterlands that might struggle to earn elsewhere.
Exactly that's I'm grateful for blockchain and the @hive community
how much of the way I write has been influenced by my childhood experience
All of it....on a subconscious level we play the same patterns we were taught in childhood. The line of code which made us survive. To this we can add the experiences we have as adults...but still, the first 7 years of childhood are the foundation on which we later feel, love , create, think, write etc.
Ever wonder how much of that pattern can be broken?
All the time. Self observation is a great tool, I take the time to notice my own behavior and thinking and see how it has contributed to my reality. It is a slow tedious process but in time it helps with change. Because the code is within, the outside world only reflects what we put in it.
Taraz I wish you a great 2022 as the New Year is almost here, I hope you will continue to take care of your family and put out great content🤗
The world is changing so fast that we too need to change over time. If we go according to the weather, it will be easier to face difficulties.As we cannot go without warm clothes in winter. And now, with the spread of the epidemic, business activities have changed. We have adapted ourselves to the situation, it takes time.
We all change over time, but I wonder how many of us change for the better orm if the ones who actively change themselves improve.
Good one Taraz. 👍🏿
I didn't grow up with sisters and brothers or anything but I can relate to "normal." I've always moved around, ever since I can remember. Man to this day it haunts me, I can't sit still.
Kid free early night, no arm band and a movie wtf?! You're sick and should quarantine.
Happy new year.
Do you think it has affected your life positively or negatively?
(knowing it is likely impossible to answer accurately)
For sure. I am not fit for society these days at all.
Plans to bring in the NY?
Ima go safe and say impossible to answer accurately.
Oh hell yeah dude! We'll probably make tea and try to stay awake until midnight but like last year and the year before that, only make it to about 11:30. Rawr!
Wild times!!
Our daughter will be in bed by 8 probably, so will watch the local fireworks through the windows like last year :D
It's good you took some parenting night off, sometimes the break is needed.
Unfortunately, the emergence of covid-19 has drastically changed the situation of things and we now have to get vaccinated before stepping out of our homes.
I tell you, the change is only just starting, because we will have technology sprouting forth from places where we least expect, a new generation of wealth is also about to be born. Enjoy the holiday @tarazkp
They will soon be coming into our homes to vaccinate us.
So you think the new gen wealth will use it any wiser than the old?
That is a question I cannot really answer, because it appears this new generation might be more crazy but again we might need to see things happen before we can come to a reasonable conclusion.
Interesting insight about a link between creativity and the steepness of a wealth distribution curve. Never thought of it that way before.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Outliers where he said it takes most people 10,000 hours of practice to find mastery. I wonder if we will see this in decentralization land, as the more skilled and knowledgeable people become at earning their stake in a community, the more value they can accrue for the entire community.
That could have serious compounding effects if true.
I am not sure if there are studies into this or how accurate they would be, but it is worth considering.
I do think that we will se at least some readjustment of who and what earns. Currently, it is driven by pay-per-click algorithms that are developed to reward those who bring the most advertising revenue, regardless of actual value. That is why the Kardashians are "influencers". What happens when actual skills are needed to earn?
That could be very refreshing.
“ Yes, inheritance of wealth matters a lot for wealth creation in the future, but I wonder what the profile would like when it comes to individuals generating wealth, if the inheritance factor was removed. Would it be the people who came from wealth, or those who built from poverty that are the best at wealth generation?”
I guess the factor of growing up with wealth often means that one grows up with the right education as well. Not only what is learned in school but if the family made money this trick of the trade is probably passed on to the kids, so there are two direct advantages.
But having said that, the above does not mean much if you don’t have the drive.
Sometimes I like to use hunger instead of drive. A hunger to want something better.
When China opened up to “capitalism”, with a history of poverty in the country, you had so many people that had no real education, but that had an enormous hunger to improve their situation, and I would dare to say that the countries economy is built on those very people.
Yes, this is often the case. But I wonder, without the "necessity", is the drive there? I know many people who's parents built successful businesses and in the end, their children weren't interested in any of it at all - though they wanted to inherit the wealth from it. As you said, they didn't have the hunger, as they were always full.
China, the most capitalist communist country ever :)
This is the dilemma between wealth and providing the main needs, the most important of which is clothing, but I think there are very much lower price categories to meet all requirements for normal people, but no matter how high the price, you will find a rich buyer for it.
Supply and demand is a loop.
Glad that you two got a night without the little one! We have yet to have one (many years in..), but not going to complain or go down that route lol. I think it's great to do things that we used to before kids, like go out for a nice walk with our partners!
I think it's great to have the "make do" attitude with things we own. I try to make do with what we have instead of going out to get something new all the time. Granted, I have collected a lot of things over time from when I was younger and spent some more money than I do now but I have things that I still wear, albeit not as often, 10 or more years later! I would much rather enjoy what I have and save the money than go out and buy the latest and greatest stuff.
There is going to be insane changes in society and will fuck people up mentally for a long time. It's a double edged sword for sure though! How much of that alteration is good for long-term progress versus it being bad? Very difficult to know right now but we can only hope that it's going to be positive. Lots will be negative but we should try to ensure we keep positivity in there as well.
The last pair of real winter pants I bought no longer fit and my wife complained, as i am getting fat. The thing is, I bought them when I was still with my ex, sometime back in 2006 - being a little tight after 15 years isn't too bad. :D
This is always the question. I think long-term, more good comes from change, but the harm from staying the same is like the frog in warming water that didn't jump out. Though, that frog was lobotomized.... Society today is too.
Hahah yeah, I have pants that I bought when we lived in the big city and walked everywhere. They were snug back then but they do not fit in the least now lmao. I will get rid of them when we move for sure! I have a little bit of the holiday pudge left but thankfully getting rid of it over time. I threw away all the sugary shit that we definitely don't need to eat. My winter pants/jacket though still fit, 10 years later!
Yeah, the frog analogy is certainly ripe for right now! I've tried my best to gently alert people we know and care about some of the stuff but sadly many don't want to hear any of it because it wasn't told to them by the TV or the idiots on The Young Turks.
There is so much I need to get rid of, it might just be easier to exercise more... ;D
I haven't seen any of TYT for a long time - have they lost the plot like so many of them?
Ugh TYT is awful! They are just as bad as CNN and their ilk. It really annoys the shit out of me! I enjoyed them a little bit years ago but over time they got just as bad as the groups they are trying to rail against like Fox and others. It got progressively (pun intended lol) worse over time! I cringe when I see clips of their propaganda now.
A lot of them seem to sell out pretty fast.
It is good to keep warm in winter, so you bought jackets and other warm clothes.
yes.
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