Is a change as good as a holiday?
I am not sure about that, but for a couple days we will have a slight change of view, from home to the sights of the Finnish archipelago. This was meant to be a longer trip in a campervan, but since the one we rented broke down, we are travelling by car and will spend the night at a friend's cottage. A bit different to the original plan, still okay.
We are stopping for lunch and have to wait a hour for the food, as it is so busy here. And while the girls are walking the dog, I can write a little on my phone. As sad many times earlier, I dislike writing on my phone. But in a pinch, I can manage for a little while before getting frustrated at the typos and poor formatting.
We don't have (nor will we ever likely have) a cottage, but if we did I would want it to be by the sea. An easy to maintain, glass and steel structure that stares out to the water and can be used all year round. Something that can take in and reflect the beauty of the surroundings all year. The autumn storms, the winter desolation, and the brightness of spring and summer.
Of course, money is the limiting factor.
But if I did have the money, I would do this and spend my time writing and relaxing, enjoying life in thought and hopefully with good company.
My wife would prefer by the lake, so she might not come.
This dream of a life has probably never felt further away than it does today, and I don't think it will get much closer any time soon. The world is changing rapidly and while a lot of people believe they are prepared, I am not sure what they are prepared for, because it is pretty unpredictable. The things that used to be safe havens are degrading, and our abilities are becoming increasingly useless in a world of automation.
Even the physical skills that we might think are the last to go, will probably get replaced faster than we think. And then there are the conditions of supply and demand, as well as competition to contend with. When there are only a handful of roles available, the competition is going to be extreme. Which then also brings in the demand factor, because when the majority of people aren't earning, the minority is unlikely to be able to support enough.
How much is a content creator expected to get paid, and how much are a handful of people willing to pay them?
The economics don't add up.
The value of everything is changing and what we value is going to have to change if we are to survive as a society. For now though, most people seem to be doubling down on the legacy economy, investing into what was valuable, rather than what will be. Most developed countries are experiencing rapidly aging and declining populations, so who is going to keep property values up? Foreigners? Who is going to pay the foreigners enough to keep property values up?
Hmmm.
We have subdivided and conmpartmentalised property and generated a huge amount of wealth in the process, due to growing populations. Contracting populations require less residential property. So we have destroyed family units and isolated individuals to soak up apartments, but that has led to decreasing populations even further. We have consistently supported the destroying of everything that is important to generate more wealth, and it has given us an impression that that is where the value lays. But here we are, falling apart as a society and it is only going to get worse.
For profit.
Maybe I need a change of scene. A different perspective. Maybe a night or two on a remote island will reset my view of the world, or perhaps it will highlight just how broken it is.
We have no other land.
Taraz
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Haha I read your posts and your mind appears to lead you from notions to feelings, then to vision then to all the obstacles that prevent that vision from the current perspective. I try and temper that to preserve my optimistic and constructive spirit by focusing on another point you bring up: that things are changing all the time. That and admitting that my perspective is not the only one and we have survived decades amid twisting and contorting, uncontrollable realities.
I too envision a shack by the water but don’t delude myself into thinking that income as a content provider will provide all I need. More like an investment and income augmentation with my other body of work paying for lifestyle.
A change definitely does you good. Getting in a rhythm of productivity and stable income is a blessing and a curse. Jumping that rut for a little break changes perspective and moments of joy can happpen when we put down the weight of the world even for a few days.
There is a profound, almost surreal moment in life when the mirror stops showing us just 'ourselves' and starts reflecting the legacy of our parents. It’s a bittersweet but beautiful realization. Thank you for being so vulnerable and articulating that transition into 'another land' so poignantly.
My wife and I are just coming home from a seven day trip up north with our camper. I am waiting until we get home to do a full breakdown of our mileage and how much we spent on food and gas.
Every new place has something to teach us. The more we explore, the more we realize how much there is still to learn. For this, I believe that one should travel as much as he/she can do ;)
you're right to question the 'legacy' metrics of success like property values; in a shrinking population, those metrics become anchors rather than sails
I recommend that you take a vacation to USA :) The population is growing and immigration is still here despite the best efforts of the current administration. The land of opportunity is still the land of opportunity and automation is likely to solve some labor shortages problems we are experiencing in the state of Washington.
I think you really need a major change of scenery ;)
I hope the short trip gives you the fresh mind you are looking for. Sometimes even a small change of place help us see things a little differently.
We have largely lived in a deflationary economy via increased efficiencies in production. But it is hidden by inflation, which increases faster than cost of production drops.
With decreasing populations, it becomes more feasible to return to becoming self-sufficient. Growing our own food, making our own clothes, and such. If we don't spend as much, we don't need to earn as much. And if there are fewer jobs, we have more time to produce for ourselves. This will involve more manual work. But even so, it still produces goods and services at a local level.
For example, you could have paid more for somebody to scrape and paint your stairs, which would have added to GDP. Instead, you did it yourself. You could pay a landscaper to manage your lawn, but you cut it yourself. These are economic activities. They have value. We just don't measure them.
In Western societies, we can't reasonably expect to grow our economies with shrinking populations. Growth is going to have to rely on exports or immigration. But why? Exporting reduces the local supply, thereby raising prices. Immigration en masse is problematic. It does increase the labor force, but it also puts a strain on local resources. Now you have more people to feed and shelter, thereby forcing you to produce more to sustain them.
Why do we measure economic growth? Producing more every year only raises the bar for producing more the next year. We produce more every year and hardly get any of the benefit from the gains.
I like writing on my phone more; on the PC, the accents never appear on the words, I have to put each one myself, it's annoying. I always imagined the idea of a little house by the sea was amazing, until I saw my uncle's house. He was always complaining about the maintenance, the tides, the insects, among other things. That also took away the romantic idea I had of having a little house in that place.