Life is filled with contradictions and paradoxes.
*Society* is filled with contradictions and paradoxes.
Looking back across my almost 65 years on this planet, I have long found it rather baffling how we are often taught to *"question everything"* and *"think for ourselves,"* and yet? Doing those very things that are *recommended* has a way of resulting in life feeling like a constant uphill battle.
In *tangible actuality* it feels far more like we are just supposed to be nice and compliant, and roll over and play dead when faced with things that don't really match up well with our deeper sensibilities.
Perhaps the irony here is that we're encouraged to think for ourselves *as long as those thoughts match up with the court of public majority opinion.*
For example, I am largely a *"non-consumer,"* living in the USA.
That's practically a crime against *"the established way the world works."*
I have no need for all those things I am being bombarded with, in ads; every time I set foot in a store. Many would actually stand up and argue that *need* has nothing to do with it, it's all about the *want* of it.
I don't *want* the things, either... *"things"* meaning the constant parade of consumer goods and upgrades we allegedly *"have to have"* in order for our lives to be better/complete.
I don't even *know* what my phone is, and I certainly don't need the latest version of an iPhone, every time it comes out.
Let's see here...
Ah, it's a Samsung Galaxy A12. I don't honestly know when I got it. It makes calls. The screen has a crack in it. Occasionally I use it for a photo or two. Occasionally a text/message a little. Much of the time, my phone isn't even near my person.
The other day, Mrs. Denmarkguy and I were talking about our rather cramped kitchen, and the fact that we often have to reset a tripped breaker.
Our kitchen is actually about the same size as the one I grew up with. The *difference* is that in my childhood kitchen, the only things on the counter was a 2-slice pop-up toaster and a small jar with stove utensils. My mother also had a rotisserie grill that lived in the utility closet unless it was bought out to actually use, for Sunday roasts.
In our present kitchen, the counters are graced with a toaster oven, a food processor, a blender, a coffee maker, a coffee grinder, a microwave, an air fryer, a rotisserie grill and an electric water kettle. If you run more than *two* of those simultaneously, there's a good chance they will trip the breaker, due to an overloaded circuit.
Our house was built in the mid-1970s, and I doubt the wiring has been updated since then. I'm sure it would be an easy enough fix for an electrician to splice off the breaker that was *intended* for an electric oven/range *(we have propane)* and we wouldn't have electricity issues... but *who cares?*
Just *be mindful!*
And so, I keep coming back to one of my assertions from a very long time ago: Namely that I am a Human *BEing,* not a Human *DOing* or a Human *HAVEing.*
Alas, the world is not *designed* for such a mindset, and — in fact — makes life quite difficult for anyone wishing to follow it.
But that *still* doesn't make me want to follow the herd of sheep!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your weekend!
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Created at 2025.06.21 23:52 PDT*
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