2019-07-04. I have started to go through my things to find out how to get rid of them. I can either give things to family, or to strangers. I don't want to give things to family that they don't really need, or can be considered a gift. The upside of giving to family and friends is that there is some chance of getting it back, and the social cost of getting it back is inversely proportional to how badly I need it back.
So what things are safe to give away to strangers? Things that can be easily replaced is one good category. Specifically, things that can be replaced without urgency. Example: small side table. Even in the worst case of shortage of places to put away stuff, I can live without it for a couple of weeks, which is the comfortable time to acquire a new one.
2019-07-06. I sorted out a pile of items and gave them away to a christian second hand store:
Small ironing board
Small side table 2x
Waste bin for bathroom
Magazine collecting basket
Shirt hangers 15x (kept 3 or 4)
Hanging closet 2x
Living room curtains
Shower storage hanger
Christmas candelabra
Desktop lamp (kept 1)
Wall clock (had disabled it in my old apartment because it made a noise)
Serving tray
Tabletops 4x
Small weaved storage basket
Pots for plants 5x
Set of screws
Blanket 2x
Woman's woolly winter hat
Spandex pants + shirt
Beach sandals 2x
Woman's backpack
Thermos 2x
Power strip
Microwave oven
All in all, I'd say this list contains a lot of things which are used to store other things. There is a compound gain to getting rid of stuff, apparently!
When I dropped the things off, I saw the rest of their inventory. I wasn't impressed - even knowing that it's junk. Now I feel less bad about giving them more of the things that I want to get rid of. I should have expected this, because in my current mindset, I'm inclined to undervalue Stuff.
Women's things (left behind by my ex fiancee) are difficult to decide on because I don't know how to properly value them.
The toughest things to decide on are gifts that are still in good condition, especially recent gifts. What is the social convention here? I want to be so moral that even if the person who originally gave me item X, would hear about what I did with X, he/she would understand. So supposedly selling the Stuff is bad form. It is a narrow passage to walk between a weird (anti-)material need, environmentalism, and customs in this country.
I am going through the clothes, and other things made of fabric such as bedspreads and towels. I manage to decide on giving away over 70% of it. About one third of the donations is things that belonged to my ex. There is a lot of towels.
When making the decision on which item/items out of a group of items to keep, I always elect to keep no more than two. For things such as bedspreads and shower towel, I wish I had the guts to just keep just one of each. After all, there is no real need for variation in these things, and they can be laundered and replaced within one day. Still, I can imagine a situation where one gets soiled, and I'm not able to go to sleep or shower comfortably before I've done laundry. And if they break, I'm in a pickle until I can obtain a replacement. No, it is good to have one spare of things that are required for sleeping, hygiene, and eating. Doing otherwise can lead to situations which are needlessly uncomfortable, and could make me question this lifestyle internally. So one spare is a good balance.
Every now and then, as I take a look at the pile of possessions that are to be given away, and the shrinking pile of as of yet remaining possessions, my heart makes a little skip of joy. When choosing between two items of the same kind, and picking the one I know I like best, it doesn't feel like I've lost an item. It feels like I've gained one.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Householding
How few possessions is it possible to get by on? That depends on what your living situation requires you to provide. If you stay in a hotel, most things will be provided for. It also depends on what is available as consumables and convenient on-demand services in one's society. Before industrial dairy production and distribution, households needed a special device for separating cream from milk. Today, such a machine is seen as redundant. Likewise, for a young urban citizen, it is redundant to own a sandwich grill as he/she can easily buy fresh toast for most hours of the day. But the sandwich grill is still popular among their parents in the suburbs.
Most of all, the amount of possessions one needs depends on what considers part of an acceptable comfortable life. An acceptable comfortable life is one where one doesn't have recurring minor unmet material needs. It can also not include blatant sporadic unmet material needs. Such conditions leads to internal revolt, and the lifestyle to be abandoned. The challenge of Efemeralism is not about getting by on a small income, when one doesn't have a choice. It is about being able to persistently live like a poor person, while being rich. It is about living way below one's means, and feeling happy about it.
But that isn't the whole truth, that Efemeralism is about living cheaper. Sometimes, owning more stuff is more economical than renting on-demand. That is true. However, the resource that is being rationed is not money. It is attention and mental energy. Getting rid of Stuff and living smaller is just one way for affluent people to save mental energy. Affluence depends on the expenses that one's brain requires to retain its place on the hedonic treadmill. That is the connection between money and mental energy. Since the exchange rate is very subjective, we should expect there to be a lot of possible arbitrage. And the weirder one's taste, the more arbitrage one can make.
Most of all, the amount of possessions one needs depends on what considers part of an acceptable comfortable life. An acceptable comfortable life is one where one doesn't have recurring minor unmet material needs. It can also not include blatant sporadic unmet material needs. Such conditions leads to internal revolt, and the lifestyle to be abandoned. The challenge of Efemeralism is not about getting by on a small income, when one doesn't have a choice. It is about being able to persistently live like a poor person, while being rich. It is about living way below one's means, and feeling happy about it.
But that isn't the whole truth, that Efemeralism is about living cheaper. Sometimes, owning more stuff is more economical than renting on-demand. That is true. However, the resource that is being rationed is not money. It is attention and mental energy. Getting rid of Stuff and living smaller is just one way for affluent people to save mental energy. Affluence depends on the expenses that one's brain requires to retain its place on the hedonic treadmill. That is the connection between money and mental energy. Since the exchange rate is very subjective, we should expect there to be a lot of possible arbitrage. And the weirder one's taste, the more arbitrage one can make.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
The Tortoise and the Hare
I have a solution to the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Most readers of the story think that the Hare is just being stupid. They believe that in his situation, they would have easily won the race. Here, I present a version of the story where both the Hare's and the Tortoise's actions are motivated.
The key to the solution is to realize that the race that they set out on is long. Very long. It is not a matter of minutes or hours. If that was the case, the Hare would have easily sprinted ahead and reached the end, and then gone about his day. In fact, the race takes years. Now, let's transport ourselves to the moment when the race starts. It is a blistering hot day in a wide open field. Both contestants are standing eagerly by the starting line. When the starting horn sounds, the Hare immediately takes off in a cloud of dust. The Tortoise carefully places one of his front legs in the sandy ground before him, and heaves his body a few inches forward.
Far ahead, the Hare is dashing across the plains at breakneck speed. He leaps over logs and rocks in elegant parabolic trajectories. He can feel the wind gushing through his fur and pulling back his ears. This is going fantastically he thinks. I'm completely crushing this guy. At this rate, I'm on track to finish this race within a legendary time. I guess I'll be famous for this, there will be stories about my quick feet. These thoughts warm his racing heart as he his galloping towards the flag pole that marks the end, unspeakably far away in the distance. The sun sets, and the Hare sets down for the night, drinking water and eating his grass. The next morning, he resumes his running, however not at the same insane speed as the first day. I'm going to have to save my strength after all, he reasons. This goes on for a number of days, and gradually the Hare converges to a trotting speed. He does some counting and realizes that with just his trotting speed, his finishing time will not seem particularly impressive to people. He makes a resolution to run faster, and starts pushing himself to perform better and better. At the end of each day, he lays down, feeling exhausted and a bit displeased. I should really be able to do better, I'm the Hare for crying out loud, he reproaches himself. He passes several other animals in the enormous field. Birds and deer only have time to get a glimpse of him as he rushes past them. Can't stand around forever, he thinks. Still, he is making great progress. One day, he wakes up and decides to take the day off. He's been feeling moody lately, and not quite himself. His racing has been taking up so much time, and he hasn't had time to relax and have fun in a while. Besides, his opponent must surely be way behind. He stands up on his hind legs to see as far as he can, but cannot see the Tortoise anywhere. So, he calms himself that he can afford just one day of relaxation. He spends the entire morning laying in the grass and looking at the clouds. In the afternoon, he walks in to a nearby town to see their fine vegetable market. He runs into a group of people and introduces himself as Mr. Hare, athlete. As he is very confident and outgoing, he quickly makes friends. In the evening, he is invited to a party in one of the better neighborhoods. After having partied all night, he resolves not to exert himself with running this day, and goes for brunch with the townsfolk. His career in sports catches the attention of a couple of people at the table, who proposition him to become their personal gym instructor. A few weeks pass, and the Hare settles in to the cozy life in the town. He starts a personal training service, and soon peddles gym equipment to new eager customers every week. Every now and then, he remembers his commitment to completing the race against the Tortoise, but pushes the thoughts in to the back of his head. I'll get back to racing soon again, however I must also think of my clients that I have a commitment to. When someone depends on you for their health and well-being, you can't just up and leave. I'm not the one to do that to good, honest people, that have treated me as their friend. So, he waits another week.
Meanwhile, the Tortoise is trudging along, patiently placing one foot before the other. When he encounters a log or a pile of rocks, he must turn to make a long walk around it. He feels hopeless at first, and begins to doubt his decision to go up against such a fast opponent. Still, he vows not to let the Hare win so easily, and at least endure for one week. At the end of the first week, he realizes that he has made it much further than he thought he had it in him when he set out. He wakes up each morning, feeling good about himself and excited about what progress he will make this day. The animals that he pass take some time to walk along him. He makes friendly conversation with them. The birds are chirping and cheering him. The deer warn him about obstacles and snakes further ahead. When they invite him to stay for a while, he says politely but determinedly that they are welcome to walk with him as long as they want, but that he really wants to finish this race. In this way, he covers mile by mile. He has a lot of time to think, and to experiment with his technique. He finds that he can lift two of his legs at once and lean over his body, to make a longer step. His muscles grow and his shell starts to shrink, making him more agile. He feels joy every day about participating in this race that has allowed him to accomplish more than he thought possible of himself.
And at last, one amber day in the far future, the Tortoise climbs the grassy knoll with the red goal flag that was set up all those years ago. Of course, he expects to see the Hare sitting there waiting for him. The Tortoise has thought for long about what he will say to the Hare as they meet again at last. Thank you for this, Hare. Thank you for respecting an old Tortoise enough to race him, so that he could have the journey of his life. But of course, the Hare is not there. The Tortoise thinks: The Hare was here, but he was tired of waiting, so he left his mark on the pole and went home. But of course, the Hare has not left his mark on the pole, because he was never there. As the sun sets, the Tortoise dreams about the town far back behind the horizon, where the Hare is still waiting for the day when he will muster the energy to take up the race again and finally beat the Tortoise.
The key to the solution is to realize that the race that they set out on is long. Very long. It is not a matter of minutes or hours. If that was the case, the Hare would have easily sprinted ahead and reached the end, and then gone about his day. In fact, the race takes years. Now, let's transport ourselves to the moment when the race starts. It is a blistering hot day in a wide open field. Both contestants are standing eagerly by the starting line. When the starting horn sounds, the Hare immediately takes off in a cloud of dust. The Tortoise carefully places one of his front legs in the sandy ground before him, and heaves his body a few inches forward.
Far ahead, the Hare is dashing across the plains at breakneck speed. He leaps over logs and rocks in elegant parabolic trajectories. He can feel the wind gushing through his fur and pulling back his ears. This is going fantastically he thinks. I'm completely crushing this guy. At this rate, I'm on track to finish this race within a legendary time. I guess I'll be famous for this, there will be stories about my quick feet. These thoughts warm his racing heart as he his galloping towards the flag pole that marks the end, unspeakably far away in the distance. The sun sets, and the Hare sets down for the night, drinking water and eating his grass. The next morning, he resumes his running, however not at the same insane speed as the first day. I'm going to have to save my strength after all, he reasons. This goes on for a number of days, and gradually the Hare converges to a trotting speed. He does some counting and realizes that with just his trotting speed, his finishing time will not seem particularly impressive to people. He makes a resolution to run faster, and starts pushing himself to perform better and better. At the end of each day, he lays down, feeling exhausted and a bit displeased. I should really be able to do better, I'm the Hare for crying out loud, he reproaches himself. He passes several other animals in the enormous field. Birds and deer only have time to get a glimpse of him as he rushes past them. Can't stand around forever, he thinks. Still, he is making great progress. One day, he wakes up and decides to take the day off. He's been feeling moody lately, and not quite himself. His racing has been taking up so much time, and he hasn't had time to relax and have fun in a while. Besides, his opponent must surely be way behind. He stands up on his hind legs to see as far as he can, but cannot see the Tortoise anywhere. So, he calms himself that he can afford just one day of relaxation. He spends the entire morning laying in the grass and looking at the clouds. In the afternoon, he walks in to a nearby town to see their fine vegetable market. He runs into a group of people and introduces himself as Mr. Hare, athlete. As he is very confident and outgoing, he quickly makes friends. In the evening, he is invited to a party in one of the better neighborhoods. After having partied all night, he resolves not to exert himself with running this day, and goes for brunch with the townsfolk. His career in sports catches the attention of a couple of people at the table, who proposition him to become their personal gym instructor. A few weeks pass, and the Hare settles in to the cozy life in the town. He starts a personal training service, and soon peddles gym equipment to new eager customers every week. Every now and then, he remembers his commitment to completing the race against the Tortoise, but pushes the thoughts in to the back of his head. I'll get back to racing soon again, however I must also think of my clients that I have a commitment to. When someone depends on you for their health and well-being, you can't just up and leave. I'm not the one to do that to good, honest people, that have treated me as their friend. So, he waits another week.
Meanwhile, the Tortoise is trudging along, patiently placing one foot before the other. When he encounters a log or a pile of rocks, he must turn to make a long walk around it. He feels hopeless at first, and begins to doubt his decision to go up against such a fast opponent. Still, he vows not to let the Hare win so easily, and at least endure for one week. At the end of the first week, he realizes that he has made it much further than he thought he had it in him when he set out. He wakes up each morning, feeling good about himself and excited about what progress he will make this day. The animals that he pass take some time to walk along him. He makes friendly conversation with them. The birds are chirping and cheering him. The deer warn him about obstacles and snakes further ahead. When they invite him to stay for a while, he says politely but determinedly that they are welcome to walk with him as long as they want, but that he really wants to finish this race. In this way, he covers mile by mile. He has a lot of time to think, and to experiment with his technique. He finds that he can lift two of his legs at once and lean over his body, to make a longer step. His muscles grow and his shell starts to shrink, making him more agile. He feels joy every day about participating in this race that has allowed him to accomplish more than he thought possible of himself.
And at last, one amber day in the far future, the Tortoise climbs the grassy knoll with the red goal flag that was set up all those years ago. Of course, he expects to see the Hare sitting there waiting for him. The Tortoise has thought for long about what he will say to the Hare as they meet again at last. Thank you for this, Hare. Thank you for respecting an old Tortoise enough to race him, so that he could have the journey of his life. But of course, the Hare is not there. The Tortoise thinks: The Hare was here, but he was tired of waiting, so he left his mark on the pole and went home. But of course, the Hare has not left his mark on the pole, because he was never there. As the sun sets, the Tortoise dreams about the town far back behind the horizon, where the Hare is still waiting for the day when he will muster the energy to take up the race again and finally beat the Tortoise.
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