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Ordinary Abundance

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Re: Ordinary Abundance

#91

Post by PantaloonFlames »

xnx wrote: post #3
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

We need a Netflix Chaos Monkey tool for modern life. Each week one modern convenience stops working for a day: indoor plumbing, air conditioning, electricity, wifi, automobile, air travel etc. after one day without, you will again appreciate those things for the next few years

Move to Italy!

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#92

Post by rglover »

Avicebron wrote: post #77
rglover wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. There's (anecdotally) been an increase in "don't look at this mess objectively" type of content being put out lately. Presumably because a chair is about to be removed (or it's just garden variety psychological pressure to force a range of outcomes). It would seem obvious to anybody who lived in the past that the goal of civilizational progress is to...progress. But in our current era, you're gaslit into feeling…

It's probably better to name and shame and make those responsible aware that everyone else knows they are responsible.

Here are a few from just the last six months. Read into it what you will.

[1] High gas prices and inflation are stressing people out — but the economy will be fine as long as they keep spending. - [https://www.marketwatch.com/story/high-gas-prices-and-inflat...](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/high-gas-prices-and-inflat...)

[2] The 'Vibecession' Is Over. The 'Permacession' Is Here. - [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/americans-depresse...](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/americans-depresse...)

[3] The Economy Is Booming. Why Does It Feel Like a Bust? - [https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/the-economy-is-boom...](https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/the-economy-is-boom...)

[4] Why Americans hate the 'good' economy. - [https://www.axios.com/2026/06/25/economy-inflation-democrats...](https://www.axios.com/2026/06/25/economy-inflation-democrats...)

[5] Most Of Us Are Richer Than Ever Before. Why Doesn't It Feel That Way? - [https://www.investopedia.com/most-of-us-are-richer-than-ever...](https://www.investopedia.com/most-of-us-are-richer-than-ever...)

[6] Buying power is up 73%. Why do Americans feel broke? - [https://www.thestreet.com/economy/purchasing-power-in-americ...](https://www.thestreet.com/economy/purchasing-power-in-americ...)

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#93

Post by lanfeust6 »

palmotea wrote: post #87
fasterik wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Propaganda for what, exactly?

> Propaganda for what, exactly? The status quo. Framing things in this way is something I first encountered in libertarian/capitalist propaganda (when I didn't know better and was basically a dogmatic libertarian). The message is basically: people should focus on the goods the status quo provides, instead of the political power, economic security, etc. that it doesn't.

If you know anything about libertarian cranks, this doesn't make any sense and smacks of projection. They're not "satisfied with the status quo" qua political structure or economy.

There's a value in gratitude and recognizing widespread improvements in QoL, in large part fuelled by growth in the past century, and taking advantage of state capacity. That's not tantamount to saying there are no issues today, let alone that you shouldn't care. You can at least criticize accurately and take things at face value.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#94

Post by sajithdilshan »

I love the animation on the website. In a world where everyone is complaining about everything, it's nice to see a post like this. Also it reminded me how grateful I should be for the comfortable life I'm living, thank you for that.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#95

Post by shadow28 »

euroderf wrote: post #78
carlosjobim wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did people kill the commenter who replied to me? What he wrote was my thoughts exactly.

What?? It's somehow now possible to utterly eradicate a comment ?

If a comment gets flagged enough, it gets marked as "dead". There's a show dead option you can enable in your HN profile settings to still be able to see such comments though.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#98

Post by palmotea »

lanfeust6 wrote: post #93
palmotea wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Propaganda for what, exactly? The status quo. Framing things in this way is something I first encountered in libertarian/capitalist propaganda (when I didn't know better and was basically a dogmatic libertarian). The message is basically: people should focus on the goods the status quo provides, instead of the political power, economic security, etc. that it doesn't.

If you know anything about libertarian cranks, this doesn't make any sense and smacks of projection. They're not "satisfied with the status quo" qua political structure or economy. There's a value in gratitude and recognizing widespread improvements in QoL, in large part fuelled by growth in the past century, and taking advantage of state capacity. That's not tantamount to saying there are no issues today, let alone…

> If you know anything about libertarian cranks, this doesn't make any sense and smacks of projection. They're not "satisfied with the status quo" qua political structure or economy.

I didn't say anything about "libertarian cranks." I've only first (and mainly) seen this line of thought in "libertarian/capitalist propaganda."

And I think you can broadly break that propaganda down into (at least) two broad efforts, with somewhat different goals:

1. Preventing movement from the status quo in a non-libertarian direction. That's where this kind of thing comes in, because it can be used to distract from dissatisfaction.

2. Advocating that the status quo to change in a more libertarian direction.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#99

Post by ericyd »

carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

Not trying to shame you but...50 degrees? Do you live in Phoenix and keep your home at 60 degrees?

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#100

Post by skinfaxi »

xnx wrote: post #3
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

We need a Netflix Chaos Monkey tool for modern life. Each week one modern convenience stops working for a day: indoor plumbing, air conditioning, electricity, wifi, automobile, air travel etc. after one day without, you will again appreciate those things for the next few years

Go camping every so often if you can.
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