Why do we buy junk?

Because the status games we're forced to play. In a fiat economy, the status games are all funded by debt. So-and-so got a new phone, now I do, too. So-and-so got a new car, now I have to as well. So-and-so got a new house, sent their kid to a particular college. All the status games are fueled by bringing consumption forward.

Status games are by nature zero-sum and very high time preference. Yet people play them because they're social animals.

My mother is ok, thanks for asking! She has improved a lot since she is there, because they give medication on time, and the four meals. I paid per month, 172,800 pesos, that would be around 5,700 pesos per day ($8).

Awesome! Congratsss!!! 🎊🎉🥂

Jerrik and Chenoa Sunley wedding August 12, 2023

On Identity and Community

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Identity is not a buffet where you can pick and choose your attributes at will. It is an inherent part of who you are, shaped by numerous factors like your upbringing, cultural background, and life experiences. It does not exist in isolation but is deeply intertwined with the communities you're a part of. Your identity grows and evolves within the framework of this community, influenced by its norms, values, and shared experiences.

This is why the idea of self-defining one's identity in any way one desires can be seen as narcissistic. It dismisses the communal context and suggests that the world should adapt to an individual's chosen identity, no matter how detached it may be from reality. It implies that the individual is at the center of their own universe, and that their personal whims and wishes should override the societal reality around the individual.

Such a perspective demands that the community complies with an individual's self-definition, without considering the collective identity of the community itself. It places the individual above the group, neglecting the shared understanding and mutual agreement that are the building blocks of any society.

Identity, at its core, is a collaborative construct. It's a reflection of our collective existence, not just an individual attribute that one can morph as they please. The idea that we can arbitrarily define our identity disregards the importance of communal coherence and mutual values, debasing the morals that hold communities together.

There were a bunch of Ring-Billed Gulls and Franklin’s Gulls out in the North Saskatchewan River this afternoon. Very active and fun to watch

It frustrates me to see people complain because the Bitcoin isn't being adopted fast enough. Guys, the money is 14 years old. It's not going to take over the world in 6 months. This is a decades long process.

And no, it's not going to be suddenly adopted because your local coffee shop starts accepting it. We've been down that road. That's not how Bitcoin becomes the dominant thing. People that get Bitcoin and stay in it are the ones that understand Bitcoin is better money. The virtue signalers that sell right away are not helping the cause. They're just using you to sell you their junk that you don't need.

Trust the incentives. It's going to happen. But if you act like a high time preference brat, then you're going to do something stupid and rash. Bear markets are when holders are made and if you don't make the cut this time, this fiat attitude is probably why.

The truth will set you free.

And it will make you way more attractive.

Forgiveness is a concept from money. Real forgiveness In a sound money economy required real loss of resources.

Sadly fiat forgiveness, which is getting rid of debt through inflation has muddled the Christian concept of forgiveness. Forgivness is seen as something that's free. It's not.

Even mercy has been debased by fiat money.

I've been trying not to complain for Lent. But man, something about being forced to mask really triggers me.

I've been trying not to complain for Lent. But man, something about being forced to mask really triggers me.