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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Watching the game

Ideally, I'd have my house paid off and a tidy pile of silver and gold set aside. It was a good plan. Should have happened 7 years ago. Instead, I'm looking at another decade of house payments before it's all cleared up. Stuff happens. No big deal. Decisions were made and I don't regret them. Life moves on.

I can't but help be amused by the game. Will my state pension outlast the mortgage? It could happen. The mortgage illusion could be canceled out by the pension illusion. Every year my pension loses value. Raises don't keep up with inflation and medical insurance is expensive. Fortunately, the mortgage is at a fixed rate and is fairly small.

The loss of purchasing power has been made up by lifestyle changes. Having significant solar electricity, wood heat, and running vehicles on waste vegetable oil provide huge savings. My next big gains will be in food production. Inflation is supposed to be tiny -if you exclude food and fuel expenses. I'm well on my way of doing so.

My guess is that as long as the whole shaky financial system is held together with duct tape and bailing wire, the pension cancels out the mortgage. It is possible that the financial system will keep on keeping on. It's also possible that the moon will fall into the ocean. Which is more likely; I wonder?

For me, it's all a game. Having once let go of all my physical possessions, I'm blessed with the serene knowledge that life still goes on -and can be good. That knowledge makes me a rich man.
Good thing I'm happy with that, as I've never amassed a pile of money. The pursuit of it seemed like a horrible waste of one's time on earth. Money can be a good thing, but only so much as it allows a person to experience new things and learn. Piling it up just to pile it up is sad.

Money is often used as a substitute for other things: status, love, sex, power, or just about anything else. Instead of substitutes, I'll just have to settle for the real things.

From that vantage point, the financial game can be fascinating. For me, it's more entertaining than sports. Of course, I'm like all those fans who watch on TV; I like to watch, but I don't play the game.

-Sixbears

7 comments:

  1. Hello...found you thru Hermit Jim and enjoyed your post. Due to losing my job 2 1/2 yrs ago, I lost 98% of my earthly possessions and was betrayed. Your right life does continue and after the losses I realized I did not need all that "crap" after all to be happy. Still don't have much of anything and still I am happy.

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  2. Great analogy Sixbears! Just watching the game.

    China
    III

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  3. The game is fine. It's those referees in body armor with automatic weapons that disturb me...

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  4. have met many "living out of a backpack" whom get along by on only basic tools, clothing, and so fort.

    and yet met others whom travel in rebuilt buses freak out over a blown fuse or worn washer unable to cope with the problem.

    K.I.S.S. keeps your problems to a minmal.

    Wildflower

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  5. "Money is often used as a substitute for other things: status, love, sex, power, or just about anything else. Instead of substitutes, I'll just have to settle for the real things."

    You're one fortunate man if you have real status which comes from within not talking heads, banksters, style makers & other assorted morons.

    And if you have real love and sex they're not dependent on any of the silly aforementioned craziness either!

    And real power? Of course you have that! You're capable of taking care of yourself!

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  6. I don't play the game either. Watching it however sometimes gets me riled up. The rest of the time, just glad I don't play.

    My plan is to die completely broke. If I die with a dollar to my name, I've made a big miscalculation.

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  7. My dad's well on his way do doing that. Dying broke is just good planning.

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