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Phony Pragmatism

It was my own fault: sometimes I click on some RV or van-building nomad's YouTube channel, and all they do is piss me off. There should be some upper limit to how stupid and how phony these people can be!

You would think that people in this line of work would 'march to the beat of a different drummer,' but in fact they are just selling the old foolishness of over-spending for entertainment or to raise the customer's self-esteem. These You Tube charlatans are helping to destroy a good lifestyle with their money-making propaganda.

Let's talk about a positive agenda: it is a fine thing to think of ways to get comfort and functionality without getting sucked into all these expensive gimmicky products. Imagine possessions that are inexpensive, mass-produced things available at big box stores, anywhere. Imagine them with maximum versatility. Adapt them.

Why roll up your sleeves immediately with D-I-Y projects. First ask yourself 'why', not 'how.'  Maybe the best way to solve a problem is to give it a twist in your mind and stop seeing it as a problem.

For instance, what fraction of 'practical' details is about pleasing a woman -- that is, somebody who isn't going to like camping no matter how 'nice' you make your rig. Her dreams and wishes are different than yours.

Few of these nomad You Tubers talk about their way of life being a true liberation from modern slavery. All they talk about is one more gadget, one more expensive after-market piece of shit from Amazon that will break in a year...click here... 

The most fundamental slavery of all is chasing other people's and the "System's" definition of Success, instead of your own definition that fits your circumstances and temperament.  

Comments

That last sentence really says it all. Thank you.
XXXXX said…

Even a rich man can be a slave.

Ancient philosophy taught that we are slaves when we are dependent upon social status, power, relationships, money, etc. for our happiness.

Perhaps one may think that having a particular gadget isn't really related to our happiness, but if that person finds himself bitching and complaining because the work is so hard and he doesn't have the gadget to make it easier, then, yes, he is a slave.

George

Barney, well, the last sentence in the post is not a new idea, but as Johnson once said, 'Mankind needs to be reminded more than it needs to be informed.' (more or less)

George, yes unbroken gadgets can make life easier, but I dislike the endless proliferation of gadgets that will be deemed obsolete 6 months from now, even if they are still working.

Those money-grubbing bull-shitters on You Tube act like buying gadgets is 95% of what a mobile lifestyle is all about. Twenty percent would be more accurate.