Friday, March 20, 2009

Money and the Crisis of Civilization

Hi everyone — zap over to Rob Windt and read this great essay he's reposted…

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

All over the world people are realizing that the big capitalist party is over. Endless consumption is finite as we devour the world like a cancer with no thought for the future.I have always lived a simple life having grown up in a poverty stricken area of Africa where people did die of starvation. It formed my philosophy of needs and wants and has largely dictated how I live my life and the immorality of mindless consumption that surrounds me. I am a teacher, vegetarian, cyclist and try and produce as much food in my garden with chickens for eggs, vegies and fruit trees.I have been living this life style since I was a child and have always been considered left of field, weird and a hippy.However with the global economic meltdown I find that my life style of only buying with cash that which I needed and saving up for the bigger things, I am in a position where I am now asset wealthy. I own outright a number of valuable properties. It is ironic that friends who have lived with credit cards, new cars, posh houses and large share portfolios (all on credit)are now going bankrupt. These people who thought second hand clothes and slow cooking were retrograde will find the new decade hard to adjust to.My level of happiness has always been based on the fact that my life is plentiful and rich.I have worked all my adult life.My children are valuable anti consumerists who have chosen professions such as medicine and engineering in order to work for society. They do not have credit cards.They will survive the peak oil, global meltdown as simplicity and self sufficiency are not alien
concepts.