Money (part 1)
This is a dump of thoughts about investing, money,
and how it fits into life, plus a book review.
>From an ecological standpoint money doesn't have much
interest. Local barter systems and local currencies fit
better than our global economics. The problem here is that
most of us are not willing or interested in trying to survive
by barter or local commerce. We were born into cultures
which rely on money and give it high priority. Trying to
reverse this on the individual level is very difficult and
even more difficult at the cultural level.
1. We are a product of a money culture and can not
change our conditioning easily.
For most people their retirement is tied into money because
our society demands it to pay taxes and provide basic needs.
Other options have been eliminated. Land based culture is
long gone as are hunter/gather cultures. Even if they existed
locally we would have trouble adapting to this lifestyle.
The concept of ownership has taken over most of the earths
resources. Land, water, plants, animals, and minerals all
have rules about ownership. Even water and air are now
partially owned. Thus, access to resources is tied to
money.
People have resisted this trend in various ways and tried to
connect back to nature. I plan to explore some comfortable
ways to resist in another post, but first the rule i'm
testing is this:
2. We will never be perfect or be able to define the ideal
sustainable lifestyle. We are trapped in history and can
only move forward from our starting point. To be both happy
and responsible it is necessary to find balance and view
change as slowly diverting a huge river.
Next, ideas about mindful investing.
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jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko
underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape
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