Forum Post: An example for all of us
Posted 12 years ago on Jan. 9, 2012, 6:49 p.m. EST by Phanya2011
(908)
from Tucson, AZ
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Check out how this woman has lived without any cash for 16 years, proving beyond a doubt that it can be done and done well.
http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/german-grandmother-lives-money-free-never-happier-173900934.html
I agree with the spirit of this post. It's similar to mine about my experience in Mexico at http://occupywallst.org/forum/observations-from-mexico/ .
Much of what we talk about here has to do with equalizing the amount of wealth. Maybe the real problem is that we've elevated it to such importance.
It is possible we're addicted to the same thing as the 1% and simply want more ?
I believe most of us are addicted to "stuff"; if we weren't, none of this economic mess would have happened because so many of us wouldn't have been using credit cards and "equity" to acquire more and more. I believe one of the major lessons we all should learn from the movement is that we really don't need much stuff to be happy; what we need is more community, more caring for one another, more sharing. Living together in protest is one way of learning this.
Exactly. There's ample evidence that wealthy people aren't any happier than anyone else. They just have more stuff they don't need cluttering up their lives and distracting them from what would make them happy.
I wonder if the capitalist/consumerists aren't snickering at us a bit. We think we're fight a war with them, but what we're really doing is promoting their system by complaining we aren't getting enough of their drugs.
They probably don't recognize that, but if we start to see it, that can make a real difference really fast. An OMG moment (or aha, depending on how old you are) that could change the focus of the movement from "getting our fair share" to "how to get what we need by sharing and cooperating". If that should happen, I believe they would soon discover that happiness arises out of the sharing and cooperating.
I know. I'm 55 and in the 3-5% (depending on how you calculate it). I've spent 30 years amassing wealth and "stuff" and two weeks in Mexico made me question all that. I'm thinking of retiring there. The people were all so nice to one another, fast to laugh, and helpful. My wife and I miss it dearly. We look around at all the people we know and they're so darned busy running around they never really spend time to engage with one another. Twitter may be the ultimate expression of what we've become. I didn't see anyone zombied out in Mexico texting. They were engaged.
Imagine if you had known 25 years ago that you only needed to earn a fraction of what you earned to live a full, rich life, what your life may have been like. It is a lesson to pass on to younger generations, if only to plant the seed that you don't need a lot of stuff.
I know. I should be careful not to be too annoyed with myself, I've been lucky to have a job I really love. One of those where you'd do it as your hobby even if they didn't pay you. Still, I wish I had done Mexico earlier in my life.
Over at my Mexico post ( http://occupywallst.org/forum/observations-from-mexico/ ), I had a good discussion about the value and importance of travel so we can see how other cultures live and bring those lessons home. Perhaps we could pay for our kids college, but only after they've done the old peace corp gig or something ?
I've also been annoyed for a very long time at our country for treating the Mexican immigrants, and that trip to Mexico made me even more frustrated. I realized it's not only bad for them, it's bad for us. We need our immigrants to come in and renew us now and then with their fresh perspectives, you know what I mean ? Heck, Mexicans have better "American Family Values" than most Americans I know !
I read your article when you first posted it. My life has been good, too; probably why we didn't pay attention to what was going on. But now we are, and I'm sure we can help this movement with what we have learned about the truth/untruth about "conventional wisdom" we were raised to believe and abide by. I would be interested to hear with you expected to find in Mexico, since you apparently were quite surprised. I was raised on the Mexican border in Texas, so Mexico was the only place we could afford to go on vacation. Our society has lost its true moral compass. As soon as it becomes risky or even uncomfortable to defend a belief we profess to have, we simply abandon it...like habeas corpus and declaring illegal wars. As for immigrants, many of them come to this country with a strong willingness to work; they start small local businesses and work their butts off to make them succeed. Some of us more fortunate folks might learn from that ethic, since it appears to have gone away. I ramble, preaching to the choir :) Peace Corps or other diplomatic service, preferably away from any news media broadcasts, is a superb idea; anyone who volunteers for two years should get two years of college paid for. Not everyone needs a four year education, but most trades and crafts require that much. Good thought. If you want to read about a truly innovative voting structure, read In The Wet by Nevil Shute. It's an old book, but a good read, I think.
I grew up in El Paso and have lived near the border most of my life. For most of my life, the Mexicans were invisible to me, just as they are to most American's today. They're all around us quietly doing things that need to be done, but we seldom connect with them. This trip was the first time I was forced to connect.
I spent plenty of time in Juarez and other border cities, but only in the places I was supposed to go. I never actually went out among the people. I suspect if I had, they may not have been the same as those further from the border.
You are right, of course. The border towns tend to attract criminal elements from both societies. I was raised in the Rio Grande Valley, and Matamoros and Reynosa were the "sin cities" -- legal prostitution, under age drinking, etc. They still weren't so bad you couldn't go there for a really good dinner, though :)
Yea, or some good high school drinkin' ;o)
Yep. I had my first Singapore Sling when I was 16 :) It was really good and I hardly felt a thing until I stood up :)
SO she lives without money. Its great because it would give you a sense of confidence but what about any drugs she has to buy to treat symptoms of old age?
The point I wanted to make is that it is possible to live in ways that we have been brought up to believe are impossible. None of us know how we'll deal with symptoms of old age; personally, I plan to die when it's time to die rather than prolong an unhappy existence.
Ok fair point. Me personally, I want to die skydiving naked during the halftime show of the super bowl when I'm 150 to 200 and you can hold me to that.
Yaaaaahooooooooo!
And what about the 99.99999% of us that have to SEE that? huh? :P
Well to be honest I meant that you could hold me to aging to be anywhere from 150 to 200 years old.
Yes, but you said you wanted to die skydiving naked during the Super Bowl....no one wants to see that....even if you turn out to be a relatively cute "little old man" sweetie. No one. :)
Very true. When I do reach that age I would also have incredibly excessive arm flab on the scale of having my own squirrel suit :P
But if you don't anchor it somehow it's not going to catch the wind like a sail....it's going to beat the crap out of you before you hit the ground. But I imagine it would make one HECK of a loud noise! Kind of like a human whoopie cushion! LOL
Very true but it could very well be the intention. Make noise in order to draw the attention of the crowd a long way before I actually hit the ground.
This could just end up SO much worse than the Janet Jackson thing....shudder
No it would end up so much worse than any fashion disaster.
Agreed.
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That is interesting
great woman. this is look like one of yahoo stories. ha ha
It is; I figured it was worth posting for non=Yahoos :)
i don't understand that. i very skeptical about western media. you never gona find anything controversial or provocative. Only entertainment and celebrities to make your mama happy =)
I see it differently; bad or unpleasant news is everywhere; this is a counterpoint to all that. I trust stories like this a whole lot more than most of what I hear on the news, since these stories have no ulterior motive. After all, not everything in life is provocative or controversial.