All we want is Comfort, and the Liver King

Why is this "Liver King" so popular?

We have created a society, especially in America, that pleasure and comfort are above all.

Thankfully that isn't all of us, but it is a part of all of us.

While the Liver King shows discomfort and a frictionfull life in a very extreme way, there are many incremental ways to apply the principle that through discomfort and friction (iron produces iron), meaning, purpose, and peace are found.

That seems like a big goal, like this guy's.

But it is not.

It is a daily goal to move forward in some way.

To make decisions over the easy ones.

That's been said.  But we have rejected the idea and moved more towards comfort, especially technologically, let alone physically.

We have advanced so much in these areas while the world around us degrades in so many others.

This degradation is due to many causes but it comes down to comfort.

Comfort for one can be discomfort for another.

Consider, we, hell, I, want cheap prices.

What is the cost of that?  Most likely cheap labor.

That's just a cheap example of discomfort but there are endless.

Comfort has its place, but it is not meant to be the goal.

And it is the goal.

The goal of our society is riches, things, and comfort.

And that will leave you hollow, wanting more, and uncomfortable in the end.

Individualism/sense of self

Social media, society, media has created this push for an age of individualism and sense of self.

What we don't see as people is the destruction of community and communal values when these walls are torn apart.

We must have a sense of understanding and self, but to enhance communal relationships as a community is also built based on need, the need of many talents.

While diversity is preached in the streets and on the corporate networks of this country, we as a people accept more and possibly have a more diverse mindset, but manys lives are indicative of the individualistic mindset.

There's certainly a spiritual component here, but this same identity crisis of self vs community is playing out around us.

As many continue to live lives through screens, as I am actively demonstrating and hypocritically taking part in, we move further away from ideals and learned understanding through community to opinions formed through narratives that play out in the corners of our heads, that then dictate the actions that play out in our world.

We were meant to be individuals to enhance the world, but individualism in 2022 is to enhance our posture or cause, and that sometimes seems it.  Cause and opinion are replacing community and action.

The pandemic did something to me, I can't lie.  But who are we to let it take our societies as it was meant to take our health.

the question is no longer do they need this, it's will they buy this.

Consumerism has certainly, I would assume for now many years in American society, been a major driver of industry.

Well, shouldn't demand and need drive production and supply.

No.  Pure consumerism and pure capitalism do.

Or, at least, more than ever.

There used to be a need.  A gap in industry and market, which would be fulfilled.

Now, industry is a major driver in consumer need.

This is so visible in the drink industry.

It's almost Lorax-ish and selling air.

Talk to 50 Cent about selling water.

Talk to Connor McGregor, or any athlete, star, or YouTuber about selling water with alcohol in it.

Talk to any action star, athlete, or otherwise about energy drinks.

There is a need to drink.  And a compounded need, sometimes to relax.

Water and Alcohol can be a demand curve that is indicative of the population and the basic need.  

Or it can be indicative of the market and the ability to market, distribute, and sell any version of water we can concoct, from coffee, to pop to energy drinks to alcohol to water.

This is consumerism, capitalism and the complete basic waste, and bastardizing, or commercializing, of a need.

Self Help

This phrase seems already almost over used.

And I'm sure oversold and under delivered as well.

But, whatever it is.  It is needed.  We need someone to help self.

And I've 100% always believed in religion for that piece, which other fill in their own gaps.  

But it's apparent that we all need help.

I think when you're fully engaged in church, community can, and is programmed to be, the cathartic gap our souls need.

Self help can be in many forms, expanding past religion, for us a beings to find comfort or peace or purpose.  Again, I look to God, and many have varying views.  But on many levels, our world is so complex, complex and confusing structures and processes are sometimes needed to decipher.  Or we're left to not know.

I've always self helped by self medicating of sorts, nothing serious.

Therapy, psychiatric services, and medication that go along with it are available at an income gap.  Possibly at the tails, possibly for those willing to invest their percentage based on need.

Either way, it can be difficult based on financial constraints, let alone internal constraints.

I'm hoping to start with a light dose of counseling. 

Because, if those of use who raised some of our more formative years on shows like Sopranos and Billions, where the main characters are supported by a very dedicated mental health program.

Modern companies attempt to incorporate those but are still not at pace and eye level with the need.  

Maybe I've convinced to use the company's I work for,  because admittedly they do present options.  Nothing as accessible as Billions but I am not that grossing.

Either way, mental health services for all.

Tall

I'd like not to attribute some of my (partial circumstaintial (and minor)]) success due to the mere fact that I'm tall.

I guess people look to those tallest like we may lay to a building or a lighthouse.(?)

Or it's as having more ability due to increased length.(??)

That doesn't sound right, so I'm sure that's not it.

But it can be said, and I have heard, and can be researched, if must, height can factor into this crazy thing we call profession, which was warped from 'life's purpose' to 'life's purpose to make money'.

I can emphatically say that while I'd like to subscribe to any esthetically or physical features led to my current employment, which lacks many, if any, physical requirements, but, I've, like us all, felt a sense of lack.  It doesn't matter where that is.  

What matters is navigating around that.

Filling gaps.  With needed years of experience, wisdom of mentors, self learning there are many ways.

10 years ago I was reading note cards in my MBA class for our weekly discussion and would have to write every word I spoke, to today, I stumble across direction to my 20 person team I co-manage.  No note cards.

fight for the body

It comes down to a loss of freedom of all other areas; the last we feel left is freedom of our bodies.

Who can deny loss of economic freedoms, social freedoms, societal freedoms, simply freedom of choice.

Most of our lives is chosen for us, whether we chose to admit or not.

So those very few freedoms that we, as a sentient species,  can hold onto, especially as the lesser economic class or the disenfranchised or the misrepresented, will hold those freedoms of the body stronger. 

So either side of any debate is hard to pair with as where individuals can fight for their freedoms, we are all looking for more freedom from the current systems and current infrastructure.

there was a time consumerism didn't rule our economy

At what point did society transition to how do we make money over how do we solve problems?

Are any businesses left that consider making a product to fill a need or gap or has the economy slipped so far that there is no longer a thought of if we need something or something is a good product with a good use?  We are left with products and services only aimed at making money.

I'm an avid YouTube consumer, where YouTubers, if they branch out start with clothes, and that makes sense.  Fashion is very maliable and need isn't necessarily as much a factor, as we do all need to cover ourselves.  

The next step is water or alcohol which is a very big celebrity, YouTuber, sport star driven market as we consumers have allowed.

But how can we be sold water and alcohol in so many different ways.  To only fuel the other sides lifestyle?  Or to actually quench a need, with a constant revolving door of brands of the day?

I guess I have to drink to survive, and some drinking is for enjoyment, but our markets have allowed for so much choice that it is a blinding force that forces the question of do we need this, is this of any quality, what is left for value and quality.

Water and alcohol are one thing but this is how all products and services are turning into a pool of unnecessary, unreliable, lower quality that continue to denegrate the consumer through increased cost, decreased quality, and an over saturated market driven more by consumer need and choice but by companies that only concern is profit.  

Profit at any cost, especially consumer preference.  

They would rather control that.

production over consumption

We're looked at and positioned to be consumers, and as Americans, consume more than needed in many senses.

Production is then the only combatant to consumption.  So if we're able to offset our consumption by our production, and even force our production over consumption then we have beat a system aimed at driving our consumer insatiaties.

If the focus is on production, and a continued production, no matter what is reaped, then consumption will at least be battled.  When production starts to gain actual benefit and increased demand, then real consumption can be ignored.

Many times our focus is limiting consumption, whether it's cutting down on carbs, bills, or something more innocuous that we can inevitably consume over focusing our efforts on production.

Focusing on production can be fruitless for a long period where there still has to be an effort on reducing consumption where able.

Life feels very loss mitigating and losses and consumption must be managed.

But if production, and eventually, fruitful production, is the focus, consumption can be maintained.

And I guess I've looked at consumption in this negative way but more so the larger focus on reducing consumption and taking away that need for production.

I although assume consumption, as it is necessary, there can be good consumption.  Consumption that increases production per se.  But still the focus would remain on production.

This may seem a bit theoretical, or even simplistic to the point of mundane and unnecessary, but many do not care or care to understand their role as a consumer and the benefit to being a producer over a consumer.

A consumer is led by everything around us, while a producer can direct production, and consumption.

The Worker Revolution

At many levels, we are seeing the negative effects of "our" collective, corporate actions on society.

The Great resignation I believe it's deemed is due to a workforce having more options.

Many of those options were government driven, a government that has laid the framework to allow workers to be treated secondary to profits and "shareholders", a concept of financial making that takes the meaning of a company from producing a product or service with compensated workers to producing a profit, any any expense and cost, without an association to the worker.

This is the US.  Better than some in the treatment of the workforce, certainly.  But not world leading where other workforces are granted more at the bottom half of the workforce. 

And while I allude to the workforce as a class, this is also taking place on larger scales.  One of the more visible worker transitions is in the highest levels of professional golf, where outside, and not conforming, money is providing "better", more lucrative opportunities for the workers, ie golfers. Even those at this elite level, industry representing individuals are being chased away by years of corporate culture focused on profits but lacking the creativity to put efforts back into those that make the product and service.

Obviously this happens at the lower ranks than elite professional sports, but until recent years, the company seemed to have the upper hand.   Maybe, at the hand of the times and circumstances, not necessarily union or institutionally driven, workers will see their day, and their keep, and society will reep the benefits of a people that are compensated in a fair, and agreeable, for both the worker and the company, manner.

Until then, the people will always sway the industry or the landscape, but the individual is responsible for what they can control and do and produce, and where they do it.  To an extent.

we can all prosper

Does it have to be a race?  A contest?

In this game, we can all prosper.

I have a team of 30 and I'm gonna make sure we all prosper.

what's missing - a humbleness to say I'm flawed

The number one thing most people lack is to understand they are flawed, and to use that as an advantage and understanding to drive them to become better, or, alas, less flawed.

Somewhere, someplace, someone is doing something.

We, as a people in developed societies, have moved from hunter/gatherer to industrial to technological where the technological wave moves into AI and our experiences continue to be simulated.

As an advanced society, the number one activity is sitting, watching others do things, on innumerable devices, platforms, programs, stations, and topics.

We will continue to grow into mindless rats in some social experiment while some world happens, it has to right?  

Somewhere, someplace, someone is doing something.

Unnecessary , but awesome

I have so many unnecessary, but awesome things, which can probably be said in the reverse, depending on your priority.  Awesome, but unnecessary,  things.

I was holding a novelty golf ball.  Cheap in value but a part of my collection.

We spend money, any money, great or small, on collections, whatever that is, when people are hungry, sick, and dying.

Maybe it's our reach, we deny that due to an excuse of reach.

More so, it's probably selfishness, but more so humanness.  To gain.  To have dominion.  Even over something as minimal as golf balls.

Life is about passion.  (And that's my take)

But it drives us.

However it can't be driven unchecked, and this attempt at gain, or thought of many's purpose (an idea I've taken from Mr Beast of all folks) being to obtain a bigger box, just fuels this realization of capitalism, 100k plus, the day to day 9-5, only being a struggle of our making.  A daily production to only move the tangible that the same system has brought us to need.

Starting to ramble, as we all do.

But to have a purpose is to live, and to be capitalism's purpose, through all but asking to be by borrowing such an agregious amount to then work for that same system, is either irony, ludicrousy, or lunacy.

And I don't  think much else.

But that's what many do.

That's what I did.  Am doing.  And will continue to do until the mindless, blind spelunking of a person looking for a purpose, through direct payment for that purpose, makes another, strike that, a better, plan.

Purpose comes from a plan. (A plan is necessary, whether awesome or not)

Given

100k plus indicates I wasn't given at least the basic rights of a secondary education to guide through the actual preparation to being something.

I wasn't given it but I damn sure wanted to be given it, amongst many other things and situations.

When I was young, I wanted to be given a spot in a band with minimal dedication to an instrument or a dedicated craft.

Now, a bit older, I want a good round of golf, or dare I say, make that my living, which is laughable, but I want to be given that ability.

I believe kids should be given innate rights, like a path to affordable, life appropriate secondary education, amongst many other things.

But I want given much.

Earned is much sweeter, and concrete.  But given is easy.

By wanting easy, by being given, we diminish our place on this earth and who we were meant to be.  Our souls don't reach the heights they were meant to through being given 100k, but through blood, sweat, and tears, earning it.

I'm not sure if I believe that or if I'm trying to convince myself out of the pain of 100k plus vs the other options.

I still hope for the givens, whether that's from the government or a relative.  But that's not right.  That's not a life fulfilling way to go about each day.

I'm not Dave Ramsey.

I'm 100kplus.

Goals

In lieu of New Years resolutions, I have kept yearly goals for some time.

I'm having trouble in 2022 as coming off 2020 where the penned goals were to survive physically and in my current position.  2021 was a bounce back of sorts, with goals and accomplishments at the start of the year.

But 2022 has started with a spudder, and an almost blank page of goals for the year.

Whether thats motivation, or mood, or inspiration, the goals then shift to smaller, more achievable goals.  Monthly goals, goals for the weekend.

This helped signficantly when I was working 7 days a week, trying to keep sanity.  The goals tethered my resolve while giving hope through the goal line.

I've always looked at the results without understanding there's a process.

I.e. I still look at the result and ignore the work to get to the result.  There are some analogies to the feeling but my mind only went with golf.  I.e. if I want to break a certain score, only focusing on the number and not on the micro tasks to get to the goal.

So, as I digress in writing, I also digress in goal making.

Hoping to pen some weekly goals, in lieu of yearly goals.  Until the motivation and the inspiration arises.

Doing what we love vs Doing what we have to

At some point, all of us do what we have to.

This takes away from what we want to.

Whether this is at the macro, or micro, level, this focus on Production in our everyday lives, whether thats at the 9-5 or through support of our relationships ie parenting or in partnership with another.  That, in a sense, is the Production we want but its also the necessary daily Production, that can easily turn into consumption.

The desire to Produce in a more macro level with Production that is driven from desire and forward thinking diminishes...and we create a world that is not focused on Production but consumption to get to the next day.

I read an article today about a man a couple years younger who was able to dispel his student loans through the public service program and he immediately felt the need, and runway that wasnt afforded him in indebtedness, to run for local political office.  He then stressed the student loan relief directly allowed him to have this path, and that diminishing amount of civil servants or those looking to serve in the comminity is dwindled by the inability, and weight, that comes with large debt burdens in result of student loans.

It is rather ironic, as with many things, that we move forward by indebting our lives to creditors to not be able to move forward to the positions and careers we're paying to forge.

It's not irony.

Its capitalism.

An angry, hungry, unregulated (or unregulated to protect the mark and allow the rich to get richer) animal looking to devour any life for its marginal gain.

Production isn't an easy daily proposition, but with burdens outside the normal, consumption continues to the same harrowing levels.

Possibly this is where the separation happens, to unzip the middle class and allow the upper to oversee the peasants, to rinse and repeat history and a storyline we've written ourselves.

Extra Production

I guess its in the margins where we win.

But if its in the meat that we'll spend most of our time, is it worth settling for negative production.

Consumption is what our economy is presicared on, the necessity to crear capitalism.

But, very much in the same way, is the production side.  The empitomate yin and yanf of each other.

However, what occurs in a capitalistic society is capital rules.  So, production is in fact worth much more economically as that is where the extra comes from.  While a consumer uses their extra for consumption and creates a loss of economic "wealth" to fund a necessity.

If fair price is exchanged for the good, then capitalism does not play as significant a role, however, capitalism puts a cash premium on production, so either way, the consumer is going to lose economically to gain a good/service.

Consumption is a necessity to get us through the day: basic food needs, shelter, clothing, these are needs of all at a minimum.   But the consimption of extra is where the margins are lost and won.

I am very bad at feeding my family takeout for most dinners.  For the most part, there is usually a fair exchange for the good, a necessity for human living, however the premium exists and is scalable to the good/service.

To not be one of these 100k plusers, whether that be by college, health, life or otherwise, consumption should not be life' plan, goal, or daily pursuit.

Production.

But production in a vast sense, while these daily musings are my poor attempt at production.

Consumption is easy, albiet exhausting.

Production takes care and thought.

Consume Less, Produce More

I've not had an inspiration to write any goals for 2022, a practice Ive probably done for 15 - 20 years, maybe less on paper.

But with thought, Consume Less, Produce More was the only thought I had as a goal.

The writing I've wanted to put out there was to lean towards this subject, but I've continued to Consume More, and Produce Nil, or production for other parties, mainly work, which has to take a level of our production, if our systems are built that way.

Consumption is easy, and what the world would have us be, especially as the cog in a capatilstic driven society.  With capatilists, there must also be the demand from the consumption.

My consumtpion continues to evolve, as ours do, but that should not outweigh our production so signficantly.  It is very evident where those who have been able to produce versus consume, albiet much less as the system that capatilism has created has a consumer need, so our lives our innudated with feeds to be consumers.

So, my goal for 2022.  The only one I can muster, or Produce, is Consume Less, Produce More.