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I think things changed radically since the mid-90s as well.
You are right people are more scattered, people seem to be doing their social life via the internet. After I moved from my last town, the internet except for my marriage is my main social interaction, this kind of scares me. Trying to change it but poor health makes it hard. Some of the people around here, they seem to think people "visiting each other" is weird. Some of them do not seem to have friends themselves. This reminds me of the lady who told me "I do not need friends, I have my family". Who doesnt need friends?
You and many others would find this essay very interesting. It is from Adbusters. I am hold conservative views that contradict Adbusters [it is too bad they cannot break out of the left/right paradigm in their case choosing the left side] but they do have some good things, about media control, and indoctrination and consumerism. I couldnt find this article on line but it was called the Great Escape by Richard DeGrandpre, that was published in 2001 April issue, it talked about how the internet and other technological developments were leading people to seperate from reality living their lives virtually rather then really living in reality. This definitely has changed society, thinking itself can be changed, where more in the old days, people had their own independent lives and dealing with day to day reality rather then so many technological "escapes"; even thinking itself [not just the big box stores, etc is being homonogenized.
Lots of people have pools or spas in the back that have to be fenced for safety. Also because of the nice weather we do a lot of our living outside. Right now for instance, my patio doors are open and the dogs are free to come and go. People also tend to have nice patio furniture and grills. The back yard is thought of as additional private living space.
That has it's good and bad points. My wall is almost 20ft tall and my back yard is totally private.
Fenced for safety? How many times in Las Vegas have I read of a child who who drowned who wandered into the backyard and fell into the pool. Without those high concrete walls, perhaps an observant neighbor might have seen that child and saved him before he took the plunge.
And, oftentimes, these communities have concrete walls around the perimiter of the community. If you were mugged or stabbed, walking around one of these areas, who would see it? No witnesses. I like to walk at night, and it's scarey, walking down a "tunneled" street with high walls on both sides.
No opportunites to see someone sitting on a porch to say hello from the sidewalk, or compliment them on their landscaping, or strike up a conversation with someone. Many of these communities are gated, and if you don't live there, you're not permitted to enter to chance-meet any of the residents, as they do their walking within the confines of that community.
But I've traveled widely through Latin America, and this concept in housing has been exported down there as well. Walls-walls-walls!
Okay, energy isn't restricted to the physical aspect, passion comes
in many forms TK, love of books, writing, hobbies.....
So posting on CD could be considered a passion, make sense?
Hmm, I consider my leisure activities to be restful, and to not require me to expend any energy. Mental activities come very easy to me, so I don't "expend energy" on them.
Yes, you are right, this applies to us mere mortals^^ However, banks, which are at the center of our lives, are able to create money (e.g. loans) out of thin air (which means banks have no supply limitations) then have the nerve to charge us a steep interest for it.
The fact that they are printing money out of thin air, bodes disaster for America in the long term. There is nothing to back it up.
I wonder how GMO food will affect humanity. I believe it is harmful and have posted against it elsewhere. I ate a GMO tomato and had to take 5 Bendaryls to deal with the ensuing allergic reaction, and I eat regular tomatoes all the time. Google Terminator seeds if you want to see human evil taken to its incredible zenith, they are rendering food STERILE on PURPOSE for profit, that makes me so sick, its not funny and by the way these seeds can infect non-GMO fileds.
Last edited by WheredoIlive?; 11-11-2009 at 08:10 AM..
Good article. I may go buy the latest Adbusters today. {they are right that human interaction IRL} does bring more happiness. I know some of my hardship of last few years, was moving away from place where I could say hello to people I knew in the street to place where people are much more colder and do not talk to each other.
Fenced for safety? How many times in Las Vegas have I read of a child who who drowned who wandered into the backyard and fell into the pool. Without those high concrete walls, perhaps an observant neighbor might have seen that child and saved him before he took the plunge.
And, oftentimes, these communities have concrete walls around the perimiter of the community. If you were mugged or stabbed, walking around one of these areas, who would see it? No witnesses. I like to walk at night, and it's scarey, walking down a "tunneled" street with high walls on both sides.
No opportunites to see someone sitting on a porch to say hello from the sidewalk, or compliment them on their landscaping, or strike up a conversation with someone. Many of these communities are gated, and if you don't live there, you're not permitted to enter to chance-meet any of the residents, as they do their walking within the confines of that community.
But I've traveled widely through Latin America, and this concept in housing has been exported down there as well. Walls-walls-walls!
If I won the Lotto and had big bucks, I would never live in a gated community the entire idea is abhorent to me. Dont these people realize they are "caged" in a way as well. One bad development in American society in general is how the different socioeconomic classes are literally being walled off from each other even within the same race. I have met people from the suburbs who seem clueless as to the real economic condition of America, they live in a sealed "world" of sorts. Now we have the rich walling themselves off from the "riff-raff". It is disgusting, talk about failure of social connections in America. I wonder what being a kid is like in one of those places, you want to ride your bike to go explore, but you gotta ask a guard to open the jail bars everytime you want to leave. What if the gate failed during an electrical outage and it couldnt be opened? I never would live in one of those places.
I would hate all those walls too, and the tunneled areas, that seems a perfect set up for criminals.
I don't want to seem overly optimistic about being your own boss. My bf had his own business but didn't have the vision and management skills to take it very far. He folded and went to work for a company that is downsizing as we speak. If you can sing it it can be good but if you can't, hire a manager who can take your company to the next level. Don't be afraid to collaborate.
I think there are few ways to be self-employed. You can either have your own business with employees, or you can be in a network marketing. To me, network marketing is the most ethical, fairest, most efficient way of distribution and money-making. And for those who scream: pyramid scam. Think about it: if you work for the employer, you ARE part of a pyramid, where your employer pays you just enough to keep you there. In network marketing EVERYONE has the same to gain.
Last edited by max's mama; 11-11-2009 at 09:29 AM..
I and a friend of mine were discussing this the other day talking about how people just seem to lack "passion" anymore and they seem so emotionless and shut down. No one seems to care about anything, no causes no nothing. She told me her and sister were talking about this, how people have become so closed down in American society, afraid to open their mouths about anything, afraid to actually have an opinion and no emotions anymore. She said, People just do not have emotions anymore and I agreed!.
I think I moved to the place on the planet with the least emotional people going. I do not think it is just me. Extreme reserved or stoic, even to show too much happiness among these stoics, seems to be threatening to them. By the way this area is far more upper class then where I used to live.
I gotta get out of this place because my personality DOES NOT FIT HERE!~ I actually had this lady here tell me, "I do not need friends, my family is enough" That was weird. She acted as though wanting to be someone's friend was the most evil thing a person could come up with. I do not understand these people!
Why our society values conformity - by Tim Bolton - Helium (http://www.helium.com/items/212939-why-our-society-values-conformity - broken link)
As perhaps the oldest person on here(70+) I can state, beyond ALL doubt, that TV has radically changed the people of the USA beyond all recognition from what they were in the 30's and 40's.
The most profound concept offered in the last century was "The medium is the message" and so it is !
I wonder how GMO food will affect humanity. I believe it is harmful and have posted against it elsewhere. I ate a GMO tomato and had to take 5 Bendaryls to deal with the ensuing allergic reaction, and I eat regular tomatoes all the time. Google Terminator seeds if you want to see human evil taken to its incredible zenith, they are rendering food STERILE on PURPOSE for profit, that makes me so sick, its not funny and by the way these seeds can infect non-GMO fileds.
Yea, I know about the terminator seeds. The problem with those seeds is how they can contaminate other seeds/plants. So, for example, Mexico banned GMO/terminator seeds (due to there strong ties with indigenous culture) but somehow the seeds still got there () and now some of the different species of corn that took thousands of years to cultivate has now been contaminated genetically!!!!!
As far as GMO here in the states, most people don't even know it's here! Furthermore, there are no food labels on packaging to let customers know if there food is modified or not! People need to know this because according to independent research the modified food caused suppressed immune systems, cancer, and death in lab animals.
Anyhow, this is BEYOND greed!!!! This is a situation where collective few (F%%%N Monsanto) want to control plant, animal and human life. And this is exactly why I really don't want to have a family in this day an age because if people don't wake up, we are all going to suffer some MAJOR consequences.
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) and now some of the different species of corn that took thousands of years to cultivate has now been contaminated genetically!!!!!
