Why the world is a better place than before

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by BeBro
Then I wonder why people are not trying to live like bushmen in larger numbers

Actually a lot of people are wondering why the hell life is so damn hard today since we have all this technology that is suppose to make things better. They might not all be luddites but most of them are losing their ****ing minds.

[Arrian]

I think people have idealized the life of the bushman.

The grass is always greener...

-Arrian

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Arrian
I think people have idealized the life of the bushman.

The grass is always greener...

-Arrian

It's a fact that they didn't have to work as hard or as long. Certainly, they had a tons less stress, and they weren't ****ed up by advertising and all that crap.

[Japher]

of course. we always want we don't have, if we had it why would we want it?

Personally, I like my reward to be directly proportional to my effort, if not better. My personal satisfaction with life is always based off of this principle, and I think most other peoples idea on whether life is good or not are based off this idea as well. The Japenesse business man can work his butt off, but in the end get little or no reward due to competition, market conditions, bad timing, etc. Similarly, a bushman can hunt for days and find nothing for his efforts except sore feet, a sunburn, and wasted time.

Which is better? The opportunity cost is really up to you.

[Pekka]

Hey, you choose to work hard. There are easy jobs. There are jobs where you turn off your brain and push a button for 8 hours.

There's jobs where you don't have to work for 8 hours straight, like an artist. Sure, you may work more than that in fact, but it is not the requirement. Write a book, paint, sing, dance, I mean you can even make up your own art and do that, as long as someone is interested in it, you can live on it.

Or you can go to certain parts of the world and become a bushman. People don't HAVE to live in a city if they find it too intensive. A lot of them do, but they still don't move. I don't see how expensive it would be to become a bushman. One way ticket, that's all, and maybe pair of speedos and some paint for your face.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Japher
Similarly, a bushman can hunt for days and find nothing for his efforts except sore feet, a sunburn, and wasted time.

Maybe after Whitey came and ****ed everything up. Before that he pretty much lived in harmony with nature and there was plenty for everyone.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Kidicious


It's a fact that they didn't have to work as hard or as long. Certainly, they had a tons less stress, and they weren't ****ed up by advertising and all that crap.

Working less hours doesn't necessarily mean life was easier. There may or may not have been less stress - I think there was plenty of stress, just different stress. Their society & culture is/was different, but that doesn't mean it was devoid of pressure.

The reality is we can only guess at it, because we don't have stress test data from 40k years ago. You can assume that less hours spent gathering food = less work = less stress = easier life if you want. I do not.

-Arrian

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Maybe after Whitey came and ****ed everything up. Before that he pretty much lived in harmony with nature and there was plenty for everyone.

This is what I'm talking about when I say that people have idealized things.

-Arrian

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Maybe after Whitey came and ****ed everything up. Before that he pretty much lived in harmony with nature and there was plenty for everyone.

Oh come on.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Arrian


Worker less hours doesn't necessarily mean life was easier. There may or may not have been less stress - I think there was plenty of stress, just different stress. Their society & culture is/was different, but that doesn't mean it was devoid of pressure.

The reality is we can only guess at it, because we don't have stress test data from 40k years ago. You can assume that less hours spent gathering food = less work = less stress = easier life if you want. I do not.

-Arrian

Come on now. Everyone knows there's more stress now. Lot's more. Life has been getting progressively more stressful for a very long time.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by BeBro


Oh come on.

It's absolutely true.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Arrian


This is what I'm talking about when I say that people have idealized things.

-Arrian

That's very real.

[Arrian]

No, "everyone" does not "know" there is more stress now. That's what you call "conventional wisdom" which, in point of fact, is often incorrect.

Human beings are, it seems to me, by our very nature a bunch of whiners. No matter how good things are, they will whine. This includes me, and I have NOTHING to whine about, when you compare my life to the vast majority of humanity, either present day or past.

-Arrian

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Kidicious


Come on now. Everyone knows there's more stress now. Lot's more. Life has been getting progressively more stressful for a very long time.

In some aspects, yes, but in others not. You seem to think bushmen faced no hardships at all in their lives. Nature is not always a friendly environment.....

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Kidicious

It's absolutely true.

It's probably only partly true. It's likely an idealized version of their existance, created by starry-eyed western researchers who don't like their cubicles.

-Arrian