ideology - Penalizing Prudence - infantile thinking at its most basic - [PEACE]

[Karl]

On Thu, Oct 1, 2020, 7:09 PM Zenaan Harkness <zen at freedbms.net> wrote:

> Many in the West are infantile in their often consumeristic and
> essentially narcissistic self centered thinking/ doing/ believing/ living.
>
> This is a fundamental problem.
>
> Perhaps we can riff on "we don't control our lives" to something like
> "many people, infantile consumers, do not realise that they do not control
> their lives".
>
> This too is a problem.
>
> A favourite line below: "The word ‘prudence’ is not trending very high in
> the public’s vernacular these days".
>

I spent 6 years resisting anti-prudence mind control after Occupy, lost the
battle, am in contact with another who experienced this, and have seen it
spread to others further.


>
>
>    Penalizing Prudence
>            By
>    Cognitive Dissonance
>
>    2020-10-01 - 15:17
>
>    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2020-10-01/penalizing-prudence
>
>       “Economy, prudence, and a simple life are the sure masters of need,
> and
>       will often accomplish that which, their opposites, with a fortune at
>       hand, will fail to do.” – Clara Barton
>
>       “Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit; and it is but common
>       prudence to see our way out before we venture in.” – Aesop
>
>    One of my conceits, of which there are many, is the belief that because
> I have entered the third trimester of my life, I am now in possession of
> great volumes of wisdom and perspective. Thankfully Mrs. Cog is always
> nearby to efficiently and surgically remove any such thoughts of grandeur
> and omnipotence. That said, at some point during the flight of life, even
> birds of prey eventually turn their thoughts to the comfort of a nearby
> nest rather than their next fearless fight.
>
>    Even the most reckless among us begins elevating to greater importance
> the preservation of resources rather than mindless squandering, especially
> when we are closer to the end than the beginning. This is a good thing, by
> the way. It adds balance to the socioeconomic system, both personally and
> collectively, as well as countering the self-destructive tendencies of
> those obsessed with endless consumption.
>
>    There’s a reason we’re no longer referred to as ‘citizens’ in
> mainstream media or political speech, but rather the more
> personal-responsibility-evading ‘consumer’. If given even a minimum of
> thought, one quickly realizes this subtly propagandized term (consumer) is
> a significant, if not the only, component of the obvious agenda to
> infantilize the US (and global) population.
>
>    Like the one year old who eats, sleeps, plays, defecates, eats, sleeps,
> plays……with no personal responsibility other than to be self-indulgent and
> consume food and attention, we are being reduced (distilled down might be a
> better term) to our most base impulses. I suspect most people, if told this
> to their face, would not react well to my observation, assuming instead I
> was being critical of them personally.
>
>    Like mama always said…if the shoe fits, wear it.
>
>    The word ‘prudence’ is not trending very high in the public’s
> vernacular these days, at least not until recently and still only by a few.
> The massively disruptive socioeconomic changes thrust upon the population
> in the name of saving the world from the COVID boogie monster reminds me of
> a famous quote from the Vietnam War.
>
>    "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." – Peter Arnett,
> New Zealand-born journalist, quoting an unnamed Major during the Battle of
> Bến Tre.
>
>    I’m not exactly the bastion of fiscal, emotional and professional
> prudence. Not by a long shot. If anything, over the last seven years Mrs.
> Cog and I have ramped up our spending when cash flow permitted in order to
> improve, expand and maintain our little homestead up here on the mountain.
> While we do indulge on occasion, our work is our play and we rarely spend
> frivolously on consumer treats.
>
>    Except, of course, when we do.
>
>    Overall, our focus has been squarely centered on sustainability, in
> essence the exact opposite of consumerism just for the sake of consumption.
> A prudent person considers the exit long before entering, knowing full well
> in advance (or at least making an honest effort to do so) what is, and is
> not, within their control. A mindless consumer thinks little of the exit,
> assuming it will always be there simply because it has always been there in
> the past. The very act of mindless obsessive consumption precludes any
> probing deliberation and thought.
>
>    This is infantile thinking at its most basic, putting any naval gazing
> toddler to shame with our own audacity and hypocrisy. Today’s ‘adult’ is
> little more than an overgrown child with a credit card and an oversized
> sense of righteous entitlement.
>
>    While we all love to point to this or that ‘authority’ as the entity
> responsible for our own self debasement (a typical infantile response) it
> takes two to tango. Just because we can purchase something doesn’t mean we
> should. Somewhere along the line “We the People” lost the ability to
> understand the difference between needs and wants. Or more accurately, we
> lost the desire to understand.
>
>    Prudence and thrift were, not so long ago, considered admirable traits.
> Cultural phrases such as “A penny saved is a penny earned” or “A stitch in
> time saves nine” demonstrated the value assigned to conservative thought
> and practice. The viral spread of consumerism over the last several
> decades, turning exponential since social media exploded onto the scene,
> has branded conservatism (criminally conflated with the Republican
> political party, which long ago abandoned its core conservative roots)
> persona non grata in society.
>
>    The cultural, political and financial pressure to disregard prudence
> and thrift, essentially abandoning time-tested practices by the side of the
> road, endlessly bombards us via every glowing screen we own or encounter.
> Today’s freshly minted crop of children have never been introduced to
> conservative thinking and practices unless their parents and guardians
> deliberating and consistently pushed against the overwhelming tide of
> profligate squandering promoted by everyone everywhere all the time.
>
>    It is now considered a matter of national security that “We the People”
> (individuals, corporations and governments alike) continue our spendthrift
> ways, less the economy crater and the depression boogieman emerge from
> under the bed. In a finite world, infinite expansion and consumption lead
> to only one exit.
>
>    National (global) bankruptcy and social disaster.
>
>    As anyone (or any corporation for that matter) who has gone bankrupt
> can attest, one simply cannot spend themselves out of imminent bankruptcy.
> And yet this is precisely what we as a nation and as individuals are
> confidently told can, and will, occur from various conflicted and corrupted
> authorities and entities. A perfect example is Modern Monetary Theory or
> MMT, just the latest rationalization for unrestrained spending at all
> levels well beyond our means.
>    https://www.investopedia.com/modern-monetary-theory-mmt-4588060
>
>    Sadly, tragically, we believe what we want to hear and there is no
> shortage of con artists, propagandists and politicians who will leverage
> our collective denial for their own personal benefit.
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>    It is said that any government can do pretty much whatever it wants for
> as long as it can shield the population from the consequences of its
> actions. The longer the shield holds, the harder the eventual fall. At some
> point, when the general population is mostly dependent upon the government
> for basic services, distribution, protection and order, those most
> vulnerable to personal disaster will defend and support the very entity
> that is destroying them.
>
>    While reading about historical events that led to individual and
> collective disaster, I often wondered how and why they didn’t see it
> coming. From my historically distant and disinterested point of view, it’s
> obvious to me what was rapidly approaching for those who would soon be
> pancaked between a rock and a hard place.
>
>    I think I understand now. Life experienced from within the boiling stew
> pot is not the same when viewed from an external perspective. Our tendency
> to rationalize and justify even the most insane conditions is beyond
> logical explanation. This psychological pathology, the so-called human
> condition, is precisely why while history doesn’t repeat, it most certainly
> rhymes.
>
>    Welcome to the insane asylum.
>
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