It was some friend's birthdays and as a group we decided to go out and support another of our friend's new business ventures - which is a vegan pizza bar. And while none of us are vegan - it was pretty damn good! Though, for me who was raised vegetarian anyway, it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary to have a vegetarian pizza. What is surprising though is, how many options there are for vegan cheeses these days.
We had a couple pre-drinks looking over the city first.
I was driving.
Considering the time of year, the weather has been really warm and there is barely any snow visible around the city. It has still been hovering around freezing temperatures, but it has meant for me I am quite comfortable taking short walks in a t-shirt, much to the shock of friends, who are rugged up as if it is still mid-winter. As I said to them,
once the warm weather arrives for real, it will be a proper summer for me.
As I have often written, it is okay to be a bit uncomfortable from time to time if it helps lead to better conditions in the future. Too many people are looking to always be comfortable without realising it leads them into a situation of decreasing quality of experience, as the bar keeps lowering. Comfort is a progression downward, which seems counterintuitive to many perhaps.
For instance, the friend who opened up the small restaurant is a serial entrepreneur, even though he hasn't made much from any of his ventures. He just has this enviable ability to dive into things, even if it is in an area that he has very little experience prior. The vast majority of us just wouldn't have the balls to take these kinds of risks, but he just doesn't care enough about failure, to hold him back from trying.
And I think he values his quality of life.
There is a difference between comfort of life and quality of life I believe, but what most of us are looking for is comfort. We want things to be easier, even if under investigation, easier doesn't equate to better. I think this is why a lot of people spend their time scrolling through various "social" feeds, because it is easier than actually building a social life, or doing anything for oneself. They can sit and scroll, rather than have to make decisions about how to spend their time, or what to learn.
Even the ability to search has taken out a lot of the chance of learning lessons, because we live far less "random" content lives, and instead are directed to what we should consume via algorithm. They are content safe spaces, designed to keep us engaged in what keeps us coming back because it makes it feel like it is interesting to us, even if there is nothing there that helps us at all. Again, I don't think most people take a step back and reflect long enough on this to actually understand what is happening to them.
Everything thinks they are smarter than the apps.
Have you noticed that?
Everyone seems to think that when they are scrolling Instagram or Twitter, that they are somehow immune to the effects of it, that they can see behind the matrix and avoid all of the pitfalls. They keep scrolling saying "I'm not addicted, I know what I am doing here, I can extract value" when in actual fact, that is how the platforms have been designed to make them feel. They think they have beaten the system, like a gambler who has already lost their house.
And family.
I think that while there are many influences that have degraded the family unit, I think that smartphones and social media usage are a big part of what destroys families from the inside out. It is an external force, but it is applied internally, where kids are on phones instead of engaging with parents, and parents are on phones instead of engaging with kids. And of course, the couple themselves are on phones or in front of screens, instead of talking about what each finds important, or fulfilling the needs of the other.
Relationships take work.
And discomfort.
Each relationship is an investment opportunity and while the return isn't guaranteed, if people aren't willing to be uncomfortable with each other, the outcome is like a business venture that gets neglected - The relationship never gets off the ground, or collapses under the weight of mismanagement. And while the relationships degrade further and further, people turn more and more to the alternatives, the pseudo-relationships that they have built with the platform. A place where they can act automatically, on habit, without feeling self-conscious. A space that makes them feel comfortable and at home.
The irony.
As they scroll for another slice that is designed never to fill their needs.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I think the only thing that has stopped me from enjoying vegan pizza is the cheese options I have seen. Not that I have looked too hard or mozzarella has much flavour anyhow. Solid of you to support a friends new business too. Hopefully that is a habit some of those folks can maintain for the good of the business.
I have been thinking lately about Hive in context to social media and its pitfalls. There are no algorithms promoting a doom scroll but I am sitting in my curation chair not focused on talking with my wife and family. Sure there are little financial rewards I can use for my family but it is the relationship and real presence that makes for strong family connections. Because I limit my curation time to my first half a coffee while petting my dog and times when others are not around, am I fooling myself that I am not falling into the pitfalls of social media too?
I was really surprised. Sure, a bit different than normal, but not a bad experience at all. There was mozzarella and goat cheese, as well as a four cheese option. The group ordered 2 of everything to make sure we all got to taste. My wife is gluten-free also, and they have a really good base for it - which is very rare.
Maybe to some degree. Yet, there also seems to be more conscious activity for most people on Hive. Maybe it is because people are also financially invested here?
Might just be something we tell ourselves and I like to constantly check myself on those. Because I am financially connected, does that make it worth it to be staring at this thing while my family is doing the same?
Anyhow, I do learn and love the simulated connection I have with like-minded people around the world.
Not necessarily. But, I think it creates a different kind of awareness of the space, as it isn't just consumption for leisure only.
In the past I used to buy pizza from pizza place a few bus stops away. It was good but while I come home it would be almost cold. Now I buy pizza from the shop and we cook it at home.
I it cool that your friend doesn't give up despite not getting the results he was hoping for. Some people would just decide that having a business was not their thing and go work for someone else.
This post made me wonder if my dad would still be alive would he have tried blogging on Hive like me. His english was worse than mine but he did have some crazy ideas and dreams like keeping ostriches or buying a villa in some other country. He did not live long enough to do either of those things but I believe that he did have a good investors mindset and was not expecting immediate results. So perhaps he would have invested into a blog but I would have to write his blog as well as my own...
Have you tried making your own?
I think most do this, without even trying once. He has done many things, which is pretty cool.
Do you think you got some crazy from your dad? Would you be interested in having a villa somewhere else? - You don't strike me as someone who wants ostriches though!
No.
Perhaps a bit. My dad did try things like betting on sports and a bit of currency trading in a page called Oanda(?). From what I remember he did learn about that trading page on his own. And had a good start at it but died before he could achieve real profits. So he likely only got back what he invested. Perhaps I did got some patience from him. Perhaps even desire to work for myself? Useful in both art and blogging. I can't imagine living in some other place. But perhaps I would feel safer if I would live in Spain or Italy. Mostly I just supported my dad's dreams because I thought that it will allow him to keep going forward and living longer but I don't think that I actually expected to move again. As for ostriches I think that chasing them could be a good workout but I think that they can be quite dangerous.
I think I wouldn't want to be a vegan. I remember that my friend stopped drinking soup when noticed chicken broth inside. This would be torture to me.
Yeah. I wouldn't want to be either. I think it is too limiting and the "substitutes" are not necessarily healthy.
Nice Finnish girls. And a place with a very nice view. I hope the level of happiness on this day was higher than the world average.
I don't know those girls - my group was on the other side :D
Your friend jumping into businesses without fear is honestly inspiring, wish I had that kind of guts. And the bit about social media is just spot on. We all think we’re in control, but are we really, nah
But can we get into control?
yes it's very possible however it'll take learning and changing some things that is considered norm
Happy birthday! May you celebrate with joy and grace. You all did well as good friends.
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STOPIt's honestly a bit of a losing battle I think. My nieces parents did a good job of keeping them off devices and screens for most of their adolescence. Now as young adults, they are constantly on their phones. I think it's a bit of a social thing eve though it's about as unsocial as you can get.
After 10 years of running my own business, I do feel all that. It not just another job. It's the base of everything.
One of the things that I see a lot here is people that are "working" in cafés and bars are on their cellphones, all the time. Some do give good service when woken up from their spell, but most don't even care. When I had my restaurant, I told the workers it was okay to check the phone from time to time - if there was nothing urgent to do. If I saw them on the phone and the room as dirty or some dishes weren't taken away, I'd take off one hour of their salary (almost never had to). There's always something to do at work. Dust the windows. Do inventory. Clean the hidden corners.
I'm pretty sure I there is a statistical correlation between phone-starring-businesses and which of them close down quite quickly. The ones I saw survive are usually the ones like mine, where people actually work for their money.