Remember that there are still thousands of normal people still living in FEMA trailers after having had their entire lives wiped away. They are living that life you describe, and I'm sure they wish they had their stuff back, or their homes back. Mike Adkinson
what if you were told you had to leave your home and take only what you could carry (or fit in your car). Your community would be destroyed and everything you know to be true would end.
And I agree Paul. I am perfectly happy earning barely $15,000 a year. But I also know that I am happier, or less stressed out, when I don't have huge bills hanging over my head. Like credit card bills, or a mortgage, or a car payment.
When I spend money, I pay in cash because I don't want to get myself in a position where I owe someone massive amounts of money. The stuff I'm paying off may not own me ... but the people that I owe money to own my peace of mind.
Thanks for your input Phillip. After writing this I did some more research and understood a little better. My dad certaintly deserves the return it was just my ignorance of the situation when I heard of other peolpe my age receiving checks that I got a little envious, angry and frustrated. The entire thing is just so abstract to me but I learned a lesson this tmie. Thanks again for your help.
Get over it. Greed is not a human trait, it's programmed in all living creatures. When things are abundant, all living creatures take advantage. When things are scarce, creatures show their fangs and claws. In other words, greed serves an important purpose. Greed is also known by "taking advantage of an opportunity".
Certainly modern man is overly materialistic, but this is so only because we can. Our ancestors were not so different. Think of some of the Indian tribes of the American Plains before the horse, before the white man. They would start the entire plain on fire to kill animals to eat. Or, would intentionally stampede herds of buffalo over cliffs killing hundreds of animals. The notion of the noble savage as being environmentally correct is a myth.
My point really is this is all part of nature. We are part of nature. Hard to fight inborn instinct.
I find it funny that some think humankind is so divorced from the animals - so above it all. Similarly, westerners think they are so separate from the rest of the world - so above it. We are about to find we are not so different.
We are headed into a very dangerous time, a time when resources are scarce. As a result, don't expect society to stay polite. Within everyone of us is a beast ready to rip each other apart when things become dire.
We in the Western world have had it pretty good for so long only the oldest among us have a memory of really hard times.
I agree with what you're saying here, but Tyler meant more than, "Your credit card and mortgage control your life." He meant that, instead of really wanting something, we've been brainwashed into thinking we do. Instead of thinking, "Hey, I really need something to rest my glasses on," we think, "Oh, that coffee table looks so cool, I just have to have it." We think we own that coffee table, but in reality, it made us buy it; it attracted our attention; it said, "Buy me now!" and we did. So it owns us.
Oh, and also, the narrator's name isn't Jack, unless the book tells you it is. I've only seen the movie, but Jack was just the name the narrator got from those stories written by organs in the first person. "Jack's colon," "Jill's nipples," etc. The narrator's name is just narrator, at least in the film.
Considering the cost of land in Sri Lanka and the conversion rate between the U.S. dollar and the Sri Lanka rupee, I don't doubt that you can have an amazing life making $20k in Sri Lanka.
Live in the real world man. No one can support a family of four on $20k and live a comfortable, enjoyable life. Yes, it is possible to support a family on this, but it will not be a high quality of life.
Whether someone claims you as a dependent or not doesn't matter: what matters is whether or not someone can claim you as a dependent.
You'd have to read the rules to know whether you can be claimed as a dependent. The main rule used to be whether they provided at least half your support, but I don't know if that's still true or not, and there are not doubt many special rules that I don't know.
But, basically, if you support yourself, you're not a dependent; if someone else supports you, you are. (Whether you work or not doesn't mattter.)
If you're not a dependent, but your dad claimed you as one anyway, then he comitted tax fraud. Even if that's true, though, you probably don't want the IRS to find out--it'd cost the household a lot more than $300 to get the IRS involved no matter which way it went. If you are a dependent, then it doesn't matter what your dad did.
Whether or not you "get" something from Obama is not as important as the long term viability of our levels of spending. Neither candidate has a comprehensive plan for spending reduction at the federal level, and I especially don't trust Obama to show any kind of fiscal restraint, what with the like legislative sweep of the Democrats. Sadly, I have to very reluctantly vote for McCain. Gridlock is your friend.
Though I enjoy your rationalization, and do not begrudge you it. However, you are imprisoned by your fear.
I save nothing, have averaged about 20ish a year US my entire life, and have had a life so much better than yours that I doubt you could understand it.
I currently reside in Colombo Sri Lanka, make about a grand a month US teaching at a university, and suppliment it with the residue of 5 months at an architecture firm in New York last year and the minor proceeds from a bar I accidentally got interest in by doing some work 5 years ago.
I live in a nice 4 bedroom beach house, and spend my time mostly as I choose. It is no different from the mining concern I worked in Zambia, The monastery I built in tibet, or the months I spent watching a boat in the carribean.
I own nothing, live better than you, and generally kick the **** out of life every day.
Enjoy that Lexus, bitch, because if you think it makes you smart, experienced, or knowledgable; you deserve the pleasure of your little fantasy world.
It's interesting how emotional people are getting. I think it's actually okay for some of our stuff to own us if that stuff is important to us. Where we go wrong is letting things that we don't care about own us. Or perhaps in caring about things that don't significantly improve our lives.
I admit that I liked the look of Gordon's place (wan't it all IKEA stuff?).
We consumers have totally bought the idea that, if we have the money, why not spend it? Why not "enjoy life"? What harm is a nice car? A nicer home? Doesn't hurt anybody, right? Well, it doesn't hurt anyone we know...just those anonymous people who get clobbered in the process.
(Oh, and for the record, giving up the phone not at all like giving birth. Yeah, not even close. Take the dang phone, please.)
I was lucky enough to travel overseas last summer with my family and we had the experience of flying Ryan Air. Yes, the flights are cheap and the planes are nice, but be careful of the cities they tell you you'll be going in and out of.
They'll say that you're going to Pisa when you actually end up way south of it. Other than that the only complaint I had was that there are no boarding groups or seat assignments so people practicality sprint onto the plane to get the seats they want. And there are advertisements EVERYWHERE on the plane. And they play super loud obnoxious theme songs when you take off and land.
It won't be my first choice when I travel abroad next, but it is a way to save money overall.
There's a guy at work who is terrified of getting a dent in his Audi. He goes out of his way to park it in a remote spot. The guy who drives the old beater has no worries. Definitely a further extension of the thought.
People were just as selfish, greedy, and status-seeking when everyone was a hunter-gatherer as people are now--and grain farmers were and are just as generous and willing to lend a hand. Everybody has all these impulses, and culture provides a guide for what's the appropriate expression of them.
The part that I find interesting (and the reason that I wrote the post) is how "what's appropriate" varies from culture to culture.
The notion "save to get ahead" looks to be a very successful notion, at least from the perspective of a person living in a rich, western country. That poses the question: Why don't more people do that? There are a lot of answers--some people are happier where they are than they would be if they were "ahead," some people think it's wrong to get ahead, some people think "getting ahead" hurts the planet and their neighbors, some people would rather enjoy their small pleasures now than save for possible bigger pleasures in the future, etc. But one key piece of the answer is that there are whole cultures where "saving to get ahead" simply gets dismissed out of hand--it's not what's done. Sometimes it's even hard to have a conversation about why not, because the question just doesn't make any sense.
That's the part I find so interesting (and is the reason I wrote the post). Of course, I'm just speculating about the reasons for those variations, but I think it's a plausible hypothesis that culture tends to reinforce useful practices and discourage harmful ones, and that such cultural practices don't always keep up with changes in circumstances.
Of course, another useful question to ask is: Why do so many people try to "get ahead," in the face of terrible inequality plus evidence that bigger cars and bigger houses hurt the planet? I expect the answer is about the same--those people are following the exact same impulses, within the range of what their culture says is appropriate. (And, of course, some people everywhere push the envelope on culturally appropriate behaviors.)
You are still missing the point somewhat.
The finacial burden is not the reason why "the things you own end up owning you"
The actual reason is that the detritus that you value, the "stuff" that you rely on, the car you drive the fridge you store your food in and the mobiole phone in your pocket.... anything you value has a hold on what you do with your life.
It's not about money. It's about how you feel that you have to look after your car and have a phone that suits your lifestyle.
You wouldn't just dump your car and being torn away from your phone is almost as painful as birth.
and there it is. Shedding all these things you feel responsible is like being born a free person. yes society asks where you are and asks you to pay for it, that is hard to escape.
But to burden yourself with kitchenware that all matches and the assosiated looking after it etc etc etc that is true madness. so well done, but stop and rethink..... it's more than debt owning you. You let inanimate objects hold responsibility over you.
First, I really tried hard to avoid giving away the main points of the story, something which I'm afraid Paul T has done for you. Sorry about that. Second, I chose the name Jack as a way to try and keep that under wraps, too. If I had called his character The Narrator, as is credited in IMDB, then that would have been another big clue.
And finally, I am not saying that anyone needs to live their life as a hobo or buy nothing. But I think we're living in a society that defines our own self worth by how much 'stuff' we have. I watched the short film "The Story Of Stuff" last night (thanks Daniel), and it reminded me of just how much we're manipulated into being the rampant consumers we are. I don't think I need to "harden up" by purchasing a car that keeps me a slave to the repayments. I don't think any of us do.
I made over 3,000 dollars last year and currently work full time. I was not aware of the dependent "scam" and my father did not inform me that if I do not file my own taxes I will not get a stimulus check nor did he tell me that he filed me as a dependent. I do live in his house but I am 19 and work full time. Employees I work with just told me they're getting $300 per child that they have. This unfuriates me for I feel that my father did this purposely. I'm eligible in every requirement except the independent part. Why? Why! It feels like my father used me to get more money when that money should be rightfully mine. I work hard! Why does he get the $300 when I am over 19 and met every requirement? Is it solely based on the fact that he labeled me dependent. Why does that matter! I can understand if you have a child under 17 those parents get the $300 to help support the kids but I'm 19. I need that money! My father makes a salary; I get 8.5 an hour! I despise my father's stinginess. Any coments would be appreciated.
I have to admit I cringe every time I hear "since the dawn of man" generalizations. The article and the comments are interesting, no one is addressing consumerism and competition for wealth and status. (There were feudal lords, heads of tribes, etc for a reason!)
If we are really playing out our hunter-gatherer instincts by not saving, then why are we spending all of our money on ourselves and not other people? Part of the whole hunter-gatherer lifestyle is sharing with people in the community who haven't had good luck. Our society encourages us to spend our money on ourselves and our family and friends... While others starve in our own communities and live in appalling conditions in third world countries.
My point is that when we have more money, we buy bigger houses and fancier cars rather than living modestly so that someone else can do the same. All I can say is that we're lucky we live in a society where the lower classes can't successfully revolt against the higher classes!
I would like to know what your credentials are that give you the ability to write such an article and exactly what kind of research you did? Did you actually go to the Horizon farms to see how the cows lived? What makes you the "know all expert" on Horizon or any other organic product? Do you have a some kind of degree in anti-organic products? Is this a research project? Are you taking things to labs and having them tested? As far as I can see, you are nothing more than another blogger pushing his "opinion" of something on the internet.
I too could create a web page, called it something snappy, and then get on there and blog about how great organic milk and other products are and I would have just as many people believing my opinion as you do yours.
Of all the "Organic" products and companies out there, I believe Horizon and Stonyfield Farms to be the best of the bunch. My family has been to the Stonyfield farm and we have actually taken the tour and witnessed the cows grazing in the fields looking very happy and content. They were not locked in barns or stables staring out at the green pastures as you say they are, they were actually grazing, imagine that! We have also riden by the Horizon Farm on our last vacation but that farm is nothing like you described. Again, cows and chickens roaming free in beautiful green pastures. Perhaps a bit more research on your part before you start spouting out your "facts" and scaring people into drinking that sludge they call regular milk. I personally do not want my 6 year old sprouting breats at age 8 and menstrating at age 9 due to all the steroids given to the cows the produce the "regular milk" you say people should drink. My husband is a teacher in an elementary school and he see's this happen on a daily basis.
Whats your point? to me it sounds like your just having a whinge about having to pay back the bank for a loan. its called life man, get use to it. I too wish that i could have the house and car for no money, but youve got to live in reality.
Don't live your life by a single quote. Fight Club is not the be all and end all. The biggest irony of fight club the movie, is the scene of tyler durden on the bus pointing to a poster of a chiseled male model saying "is this what we are meant to look like?", knowing that Brad Pitt would have spend hours with a trainer at the gym to get ripped for the shirtless fight scenes. that for me was too much.
Your advice seems to be, when you want something, think if it will actually save your life, and if it doesn't don't buy it because its not needed. what a boring life.
You make it sound as though wanting things is a bad thing. What ever happened to enjoying life? Sure you don't need to eat a nice meal, but you do it because it's more enjoyable. LIFE IS MEANT TO BE ENJOYED!!
Nice article, some good points raised and it's surprising how profound some things in that movie are if you think about them. But it's worth mentioning (spoiler alert!)
"In Fight Club, Tyler Durden took lack of ownership to the extreme."
In Fight Club, Tyler Durden was the figment of a paranoid schizophrenic's imagination. He didn't have kids, retirement or any of the other things that many of us require or acquire during our lives. Hell, he didn't even have to eat, sleep or drink.
Buy a house and a car, if you can pay them off before you hit old age they're great investments. The central message is vital to remember though: don't be a slave to consumerism.
While Chuck P. can be pretty gruesome and I could barely get through Haunted as it was, I have to automatically shun any reviewer who stupidly contrasts Mark Twain and Stephen King rather than comparing the two. Nobody can deny the King's got some serious literary talent, and I've been studying American contemporary literature for half a decade. He's only the most well-known writer on the face of the planet next to Jesus. Sounds pretty much like Mark Twain to me.
I loved this article, btw. This is my favorite quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, and I have it taped up in my office. :)
Remember that there are still thousands of normal people still living in FEMA trailers after having had their entire lives wiped away. They are living that life you describe, and I'm sure they wish they had their stuff back, or their homes back.
Mike Adkinson
what if you were told you had to leave your home and take only what you could carry (or fit in your car). Your community would be destroyed and everything you know to be true would end.
What would you take?
It happens.
Zombie Repellent
And I agree Paul. I am perfectly happy earning barely $15,000 a year. But I also know that I am happier, or less stressed out, when I don't have huge bills hanging over my head. Like credit card bills, or a mortgage, or a car payment.
When I spend money, I pay in cash because I don't want to get myself in a position where I owe someone massive amounts of money. The stuff I'm paying off may not own me ... but the people that I owe money to own my peace of mind.
Thanks for your input Phillip. After writing this I did some more research and understood a little better. My dad certaintly deserves the return it was just my ignorance of the situation when I heard of other peolpe my age receiving checks that I got a little envious, angry and frustrated. The entire thing is just so abstract to me but I learned a lesson this tmie. Thanks again for your help.
Get over it. Greed is not a human trait, it's programmed in all living creatures. When things are abundant, all living creatures take advantage. When things are scarce, creatures show their fangs and claws. In other words, greed serves an important purpose. Greed is also known by "taking advantage of an opportunity".
Certainly modern man is overly materialistic, but this is so only because we can. Our ancestors were not so different. Think of some of the Indian tribes of the American Plains before the horse, before the white man. They would start the entire plain on fire to kill animals to eat. Or, would intentionally stampede herds of buffalo over cliffs killing hundreds of animals. The notion of the noble savage as being environmentally correct is a myth.
My point really is this is all part of nature. We are part of nature. Hard to fight inborn instinct.
I find it funny that some think humankind is so divorced from the animals - so above it all. Similarly, westerners think they are so separate from the rest of the world - so above it. We are about to find we are not so different.
We are headed into a very dangerous time, a time when resources are scarce. As a result, don't expect society to stay polite. Within everyone of us is a beast ready to rip each other apart when things become dire.
We in the Western world have had it pretty good for so long only the oldest among us have a memory of really hard times.
I agree with what you're saying here, but Tyler meant more than, "Your credit card and mortgage control your life." He meant that, instead of really wanting something, we've been brainwashed into thinking we do. Instead of thinking, "Hey, I really need something to rest my glasses on," we think, "Oh, that coffee table looks so cool, I just have to have it." We think we own that coffee table, but in reality, it made us buy it; it attracted our attention; it said, "Buy me now!" and we did. So it owns us.
Oh, and also, the narrator's name isn't Jack, unless the book tells you it is. I've only seen the movie, but Jack was just the name the narrator got from those stories written by organs in the first person. "Jack's colon," "Jill's nipples," etc. The narrator's name is just narrator, at least in the film.
Considering the cost of land in Sri Lanka and the conversion rate between the U.S. dollar and the Sri Lanka rupee, I don't doubt that you can have an amazing life making $20k in Sri Lanka.
Live in the real world man. No one can support a family of four on $20k and live a comfortable, enjoyable life. Yes, it is possible to support a family on this, but it will not be a high quality of life.
Whether someone claims you as a dependent or not doesn't matter: what matters is whether or not someone can claim you as a dependent.
You'd have to read the rules to know whether you can be claimed as a dependent. The main rule used to be whether they provided at least half your support, but I don't know if that's still true or not, and there are not doubt many special rules that I don't know.
But, basically, if you support yourself, you're not a dependent; if someone else supports you, you are. (Whether you work or not doesn't mattter.)
If you're not a dependent, but your dad claimed you as one anyway, then he comitted tax fraud. Even if that's true, though, you probably don't want the IRS to find out--it'd cost the household a lot more than $300 to get the IRS involved no matter which way it went. If you are a dependent, then it doesn't matter what your dad did.
Whether or not you "get" something from Obama is not as important as the long term viability of our levels of spending. Neither candidate has a comprehensive plan for spending reduction at the federal level, and I especially don't trust Obama to show any kind of fiscal restraint, what with the like legislative sweep of the Democrats. Sadly, I have to very reluctantly vote for McCain. Gridlock is your friend.
Though I enjoy your rationalization, and do not begrudge you it. However, you are imprisoned by your fear.
I save nothing, have averaged about 20ish a year US my entire life, and have had a life so much better than yours that I doubt you could understand it.
I currently reside in Colombo Sri Lanka, make about a grand a month US teaching at a university, and suppliment it with the residue of 5 months at an architecture firm in New York last year and the minor proceeds from a bar I accidentally got interest in by doing some work 5 years ago.
I live in a nice 4 bedroom beach house, and spend my time mostly as I choose. It is no different from the mining concern I worked in Zambia, The monastery I built in tibet, or the months I spent watching a boat in the carribean.
I own nothing, live better than you, and generally kick the **** out of life every day.
Enjoy that Lexus, bitch, because if you think it makes you smart, experienced, or knowledgable; you deserve the pleasure of your little fantasy world.
It's interesting how emotional people are getting. I think it's actually okay for some of our stuff to own us if that stuff is important to us. Where we go wrong is letting things that we don't care about own us. Or perhaps in caring about things that don't significantly improve our lives.
I admit that I liked the look of Gordon's place (wan't it all IKEA stuff?).
"The Story of Stuff" is great - pass it on!
We consumers have totally bought the idea that, if we have the money, why not spend it? Why not "enjoy life"? What harm is a nice car? A nicer home? Doesn't hurt anybody, right? Well, it doesn't hurt anyone we know...just those anonymous people who get clobbered in the process.
(Oh, and for the record, giving up the phone not at all like giving birth. Yeah, not even close. Take the dang phone, please.)
Loved the article. Keep 'em coming!
I was lucky enough to travel overseas last summer with my family and we had the experience of flying Ryan Air. Yes, the flights are cheap and the planes are nice, but be careful of the cities they tell you you'll be going in and out of.
They'll say that you're going to Pisa when you actually end up way south of it. Other than that the only complaint I had was that there are no boarding groups or seat assignments so people practicality sprint onto the plane to get the seats they want. And there are advertisements EVERYWHERE on the plane. And they play super loud obnoxious theme songs when you take off and land.
It won't be my first choice when I travel abroad next, but it is a way to save money overall.
How scary and terrible this was! Thank goodness my dogs weren't effected ...
There's a guy at work who is terrified of getting a dent in his Audi. He goes out of his way to park it in a remote spot. The guy who drives the old beater has no worries. Definitely a further extension of the thought.
People were just as selfish, greedy, and status-seeking when everyone was a hunter-gatherer as people are now--and grain farmers were and are just as generous and willing to lend a hand. Everybody has all these impulses, and culture provides a guide for what's the appropriate expression of them.
The part that I find interesting (and the reason that I wrote the post) is how "what's appropriate" varies from culture to culture.
The notion "save to get ahead" looks to be a very successful notion, at least from the perspective of a person living in a rich, western country. That poses the question: Why don't more people do that? There are a lot of answers--some people are happier where they are than they would be if they were "ahead," some people think it's wrong to get ahead, some people think "getting ahead" hurts the planet and their neighbors, some people would rather enjoy their small pleasures now than save for possible bigger pleasures in the future, etc. But one key piece of the answer is that there are whole cultures where "saving to get ahead" simply gets dismissed out of hand--it's not what's done. Sometimes it's even hard to have a conversation about why not, because the question just doesn't make any sense.
That's the part I find so interesting (and is the reason I wrote the post). Of course, I'm just speculating about the reasons for those variations, but I think it's a plausible hypothesis that culture tends to reinforce useful practices and discourage harmful ones, and that such cultural practices don't always keep up with changes in circumstances.
Of course, another useful question to ask is: Why do so many people try to "get ahead," in the face of terrible inequality plus evidence that bigger cars and bigger houses hurt the planet? I expect the answer is about the same--those people are following the exact same impulses, within the range of what their culture says is appropriate. (And, of course, some people everywhere push the envelope on culturally appropriate behaviors.)
You are still missing the point somewhat.
The finacial burden is not the reason why "the things you own end up owning you"
The actual reason is that the detritus that you value, the "stuff" that you rely on, the car you drive the fridge you store your food in and the mobiole phone in your pocket.... anything you value has a hold on what you do with your life.
It's not about money. It's about how you feel that you have to look after your car and have a phone that suits your lifestyle.
You wouldn't just dump your car and being torn away from your phone is almost as painful as birth.
and there it is. Shedding all these things you feel responsible is like being born a free person. yes society asks where you are and asks you to pay for it, that is hard to escape.
But to burden yourself with kitchenware that all matches and the assosiated looking after it etc etc etc that is true madness. so well done, but stop and rethink..... it's more than debt owning you. You let inanimate objects hold responsibility over you.
Fungacide
First, I really tried hard to avoid giving away the main points of the story, something which I'm afraid Paul T has done for you. Sorry about that. Second, I chose the name Jack as a way to try and keep that under wraps, too. If I had called his character The Narrator, as is credited in IMDB, then that would have been another big clue.
And finally, I am not saying that anyone needs to live their life as a hobo or buy nothing. But I think we're living in a society that defines our own self worth by how much 'stuff' we have. I watched the short film "The Story Of Stuff" last night (thanks Daniel), and it reminded me of just how much we're manipulated into being the rampant consumers we are. I don't think I need to "harden up" by purchasing a car that keeps me a slave to the repayments. I don't think any of us do.
I made over 3,000 dollars last year and currently work full time. I was not aware of the dependent "scam" and my father did not inform me that if I do not file my own taxes I will not get a stimulus check nor did he tell me that he filed me as a dependent. I do live in his house but I am 19 and work full time. Employees I work with just told me they're getting $300 per child that they have. This unfuriates me for I feel that my father did this purposely. I'm eligible in every requirement except the independent part. Why? Why! It feels like my father used me to get more money when that money should be rightfully mine. I work hard! Why does he get the $300 when I am over 19 and met every requirement? Is it solely based on the fact that he labeled me dependent. Why does that matter! I can understand if you have a child under 17 those parents get the $300 to help support the kids but I'm 19. I need that money! My father makes a salary; I get 8.5 an hour! I despise my father's stinginess. Any coments would be appreciated.
his name was not Jack...no name was given for the character in the film.
just wanted to point that out.
I have to admit I cringe every time I hear "since the dawn of man" generalizations. The article and the comments are interesting, no one is addressing consumerism and competition for wealth and status. (There were feudal lords, heads of tribes, etc for a reason!)
If we are really playing out our hunter-gatherer instincts by not saving, then why are we spending all of our money on ourselves and not other people? Part of the whole hunter-gatherer lifestyle is sharing with people in the community who haven't had good luck. Our society encourages us to spend our money on ourselves and our family and friends... While others starve in our own communities and live in appalling conditions in third world countries.
My point is that when we have more money, we buy bigger houses and fancier cars rather than living modestly so that someone else can do the same. All I can say is that we're lucky we live in a society where the lower classes can't successfully revolt against the higher classes!
I would like to know what your credentials are that give you the ability to write such an article and exactly what kind of research you did? Did you actually go to the Horizon farms to see how the cows lived? What makes you the "know all expert" on Horizon or any other organic product? Do you have a some kind of degree in anti-organic products? Is this a research project? Are you taking things to labs and having them tested? As far as I can see, you are nothing more than another blogger pushing his "opinion" of something on the internet.
I too could create a web page, called it something snappy, and then get on there and blog about how great organic milk and other products are and I would have just as many people believing my opinion as you do yours.
Of all the "Organic" products and companies out there, I believe Horizon and Stonyfield Farms to be the best of the bunch. My family has been to the Stonyfield farm and we have actually taken the tour and witnessed the cows grazing in the fields looking very happy and content. They were not locked in barns or stables staring out at the green pastures as you say they are, they were actually grazing, imagine that! We have also riden by the Horizon Farm on our last vacation but that farm is nothing like you described. Again, cows and chickens roaming free in beautiful green pastures. Perhaps a bit more research on your part before you start spouting out your "facts" and scaring people into drinking that sludge they call regular milk. I personally do not want my 6 year old sprouting breats at age 8 and menstrating at age 9 due to all the steroids given to the cows the produce the "regular milk" you say people should drink. My husband is a teacher in an elementary school and he see's this happen on a daily basis.
Whats your point? to me it sounds like your just having a whinge about having to pay back the bank for a loan. its called life man, get use to it. I too wish that i could have the house and car for no money, but youve got to live in reality.
Don't live your life by a single quote. Fight Club is not the be all and end all. The biggest irony of fight club the movie, is the scene of tyler durden on the bus pointing to a poster of a chiseled male model saying "is this what we are meant to look like?", knowing that Brad Pitt would have spend hours with a trainer at the gym to get ripped for the shirtless fight scenes. that for me was too much.
Your advice seems to be, when you want something, think if it will actually save your life, and if it doesn't don't buy it because its not needed. what a boring life.
You make it sound as though wanting things is a bad thing. What ever happened to enjoying life? Sure you don't need to eat a nice meal, but you do it because it's more enjoyable. LIFE IS MEANT TO BE ENJOYED!!
Nice article, some good points raised and it's surprising how profound some things in that movie are if you think about them. But it's worth mentioning (spoiler alert!)
"In Fight Club, Tyler Durden took lack of ownership to the extreme."
In Fight Club, Tyler Durden was the figment of a paranoid schizophrenic's imagination. He didn't have kids, retirement or any of the other things that many of us require or acquire during our lives. Hell, he didn't even have to eat, sleep or drink.
Buy a house and a car, if you can pay them off before you hit old age they're great investments. The central message is vital to remember though: don't be a slave to consumerism.
While Chuck P. can be pretty gruesome and I could barely get through Haunted as it was, I have to automatically shun any reviewer who stupidly contrasts Mark Twain and Stephen King rather than comparing the two. Nobody can deny the King's got some serious literary talent, and I've been studying American contemporary literature for half a decade. He's only the most well-known writer on the face of the planet next to Jesus. Sounds pretty much like Mark Twain to me.
I loved this article, btw. This is my favorite quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, and I have it taped up in my office. :)