Tag: principles
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build a life you like
Action Design and build a life(style) that you like. Discussion If you like your life, you can’t be sold to. If you like your life, you can’t be convinced that you need to buy XYZ bullshit product in order to finally be happy. You’ve heard of FU money? This is an FU lifestyle. If you…
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cultivate autonomy
Action Seek to increase your personal freedom-of-action over time, which can be roughly understood as the freedom to decide for yourself how to spend the bulk of your time per day, per month, per year, per decade. Discussion The primary reason to cultivate autonomy is so that you can align your work, actions, thoughts, effort,…
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draw reverse fishbone diagrams
Action When deciding whether to do something or not, draw a reverse fishbone diagram of it. First, write down the action and draw a box around it. Then, draw the primary Why – the goal, desired outcome, objective, reason, etc for doing the Action – out to the right, and connect the two with a…
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put your own oxygen mask on first
If being useful to other beings in this confusing, complicated era is important to you, then first get your own systems up and running smoothly. Bias decisions towards increasing durable personal autonomy and cooperative self-reliance. Get as free as possible as quickly as possible. You can’t do much good if you’ve still got handcuffs on,…
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a very low cost of living is magic
The Issue Spending money requires earning money, which requires exchanging labor in a job of some sort. The Response Aim to spend very little money while maintaining or increasing your subjective quality of life. The less money you spend, the less time you need to spend earning money, the more time you have available to…
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do the math
Do the Math is a general pattern. Lots of areas of our lives seem mysterious or difficult until you just do some simple math on it, and look at the numbers, and go “oh, this isn’t that mysterious or difficult after all, I just didn’t understand how it worked.” For example it might seem impossible…
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stimulate the informal economy
Action Seek ways to bring the activities of your life back into the informal economy, the ad hoc person to person web of reciprocal relationships whereby people simply do the things necessary for living in ways that don’t involve the exchange of money. Discussion The Machine would like all labor and activity to fall under…
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reject purity culture
The Issue Few things are as off-putting and othering as a smug holier-than-thou attitude. If your vibe is one of arrogant righteousness it is unlikely you will directly or indirectly positively influence other people or garner support. Additionally, since it is borderline impossible (and a fool’s errand) to make your lifestyle a) completely harmless and/or…
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pareto reject modernity
The Issue We live in a society defined by industrial consumerist logistics. Our food, shelter, transportation, information, and governance systems all exist within a system that runs on the logic of industrial consumerism. Those of us who see the terminal problems of industrial consumerism seek to build/cultivate a different, post-consumer lifestyle and society. It seems…