Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Sanity is the Future of Wealth

The following is an excerpt from what I and others consider my best post of all time.  I spent three days writing it and it ended up being about 16 pages long, but I think 4, maybe 5 people read the darn thing.  Thus I put it behind a patreon paywall, in part because I've always been curious about how pricing something makes people psychologically want it more, but also in part because I wanted to experiment with paywalls.

"This introduces a very interesting truism about humanity.  That the vast majority of value in our lives is not exchanged through money, but via humans voluntarily bartering their time, attention, and excellence with one another.  I would argue this has always been the case about humanity/economics - where monetary exchange, though necessary, only accounted for a small minority of the total value of the human experience.  But with income inequality gone, with wealth unlimited, THE ONLY THING remaining is the value of human interaction.  But it can't just be "any" human interaction.  It's going to have to be valuable, quality, and sought-after human interaction.  And this will pose a problem for leftists."

16 comments:

Alt London said...

Absolutely bravo, sir.

For my part, two scenarios come to mind. One is as per Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut - a story I'm sure was mentioned to you by TJ or DT on an Older Brother podcast.

The other is total immersion virtual reality, where people spend their entire waking lives in there, and ultimately the economy is submerged therein, rendering real world attributes and qualities increasingly meaningless.

Cappy Fan said...

Great article.

By the way, I think a ferrousoxidesexual and an aluminumshavingssexual could have a very hot relationship.

Cheers

Deliberatus said...

Superb; save this for your next best of book.
PS: the prior comment about an iron oxide sexualist and an Aluminum dust sexualist being very hot together really gets me off, but only when someone starts them off with a few really hot sparks.

Now as for minimalism: Rush once proposed to tax the poor. I think he meant it as a taunt to the left. HOWEVER, might the left take him up on it? After all, the minimalist citizen is one of the very few not being taxed under most situations. They can't go tolerating THAT... can they?

sassed1 2many said...

Cappy should have me proof read his long articles as I would correct all those little errors, How about $1 per error? It would be an easy and entertaining way to earn $10. LoL

If I were king, I'd decree every worker be taxed at the amount of no less or more than 10%, no deductions, no exceptions. Every person who votes for a tax increase should be an equal target of their own greed.

Marc said...

Came here to post Harrison Bergeron and I see that someone has beat me to it.

If intelligence, talent, and sanity cannot be stolen and transferred, they can at least be destroyed.

Un Americano said...

"Iphone 3907Xi-Tx-1."

That right there is some funny shit.

A Texan said...

That link about Seattle and poo on the side walk is amusing and sad at the same time. However, once gain, it's gotten to the point I can't tell the difference between real news or The Onion.

leeholsen said...


you have to divorce yourself from mass consumerism. if you cannot do that, you'll never have freedom. once you can do that, you just have to determine what you want in life. if you want to travel, you can do that and not drop $1,000 a day. you can still have a mcmansion if you want but there's no need to drop 6 figures filing it up.

Anonymous said...

I believe the copy of Enjoy The Decline I read said don't try until you're in your 30s. ;)

CBMTTek said...

Absolutely spot on analysis, however...

Not only do I see the left redefining things like success, gender, etc.. as a way to elevate themselves above others, they also have to tear down the very thing they are competing against.

It is not enough to be "transgender." Not being transgender must become a problem. It starts out with a simple message, "Don't discriminate against someone because they are trapped in the wrong gender body." Then it grows into, "if you are a straight man that does not find transgenders attractive, you are a bigot." Pretty soon, it becomes illegal to actually remain your birth sex for your entire life, switching genders will be mandatory.

Same with any other trait, talent, or behavior. Want to be loyal to a single spouse, prepared to get vilified. Because not everyone has a happy marriage, NO ONE can have a happy marriage.

Leftists believe that they can build themselves up by tearing others down. And, that is a leftist trait that needs to be further explored as you develop this post into a book.

Anonymous said...

Most people think in terms of:

Rich or Poor
Broke or Not-Broke
Haves or Have-Not

Rather than what $20USD actually buys. Or $100USD actually buys, etc. This coupled with a lack of cognitive empathy is why so many work environments are toxic cesspools.

Neal said...

I haven't gotten around to reading it all but I'm sure it'll be worth the effort. Not a fan of podcasts though...is transcription a cost issue??

SEA Cowboy said...

While I agree with your article in general, I have an Autistic 4 1/2 year old. Some folks might fake it, but the condition is real. He doesn't speak, he's still in diapers, and I have the bills from doctors, therapists, and special education centers attesting to the condition. Fortunately for us, his older sister is bright and industrious.

Keep up the good fight.

Sigma Dave said...

Socialism appeals to those who believe that they'll have the most to gain from others, with the least amount of effort from themselves.

Or as Aaron would say, they're a bunch of lazy fucks.

willethill said...

Long, long, slow clap Brother.

The best piece you have ever written.

We are there now. I consider it the Challenge of Utopia.
Will you rise to the pinnacle of Maslows hierarchy or waste your time watching Kardashians?

Apex Predator said...

+1 on Harrison Bergeron. Your article is great but just like we are moving deep into 1984, Brave New World territory, a guide book for 'equalization' has also been written.

If you think HB can't become reality you haven't been paying attention. You will be made equal one way or another. Kneecapping, frontal lobotomy, whatever it takes. I put nothing past these devils on earth these days.