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I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

theguardian.com

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Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#531

Post by xtracto »

tromp wrote: post #362
milchek wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the reasons that this is quite beautiful is that it portrays the ideal of having just enough, living simply, and being grateful. There is something also stoic about the character described. I imagine the farmer you're telling us about doesn't want attention, material possessions, or any kind of excess at all. This person is happy to build something slowly over time, in small increments. They're happy with what…

This man exemplifies the saying A rich man is not he who has a lot, but he who needs little.

This tenant is true at so many levels. In the everyday ratrace that we are all living, the "financial freedom " we all strive for is nothing but our passive income being enough to cover our expenses.

Most of us race to increase our passive income, when maybe the healthiest choice would be to run to decrease our expenses.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#533

Post by leetrout »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #501
FartyMcFarter wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the "powers that are" would care much about what this dude does, they probably have a lot on their plate already.

Have you seen what China did to all their farmers in the last few decades?

I’m not too lazy to search but is there something specific?

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#534

Post by lostcolony »

berkes wrote: post #365
natmaka wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a huge satisfaction, or maybe even a need, to do something then feel the patent and "finished" result of our action. In most occupations we are a cog in some huge machine working in a way forbidding us to enjoy this feeling.

It is not always possible, but as a senior software developer, I try to keep the feeling of 'finished' in my team. It is, by far, the most important piece in keeping a team happy, productive, cooperating and improving. Definition of done, demo's, releaseparties, well-defined delivery requirements, chopping up tasks, user stories, etc. All help a lot here. But all require effort to maintain, establish and improve. Con…

So I've actually never cared much for release parties. I think because by that point the work is 'done', and I'm ready to move on. Plus, if upper management is involved, it feels very parasitical ("let me attach myself to this launch"), and if they aren't it feels unnecessary (we know we did a good job). And the timing is always problematic; if it's literally as we release it feels disingenuous just knowing that if anything goes wrong the team has to step away from any sort of party (but not upper management, or others who glommed on), and if it's after the fact I've mentally moved on.

That said, all the other things are must haves, not just because of morale but because of effectiveness. Things don't get done without definitions of done, things don't get proper feedback and iteration without demos, etc.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#535

Post by patentatt »

milchek wrote: post #341
telesilla wrote: post #266

"This valley is cut in the shape of my heart". I've known farmers like him, bachelors who are mild mannered and love their lives and the extended family that comes with living an entire life in one valley. He maybe goes to Sunday service for socialization and the local pub to watch the game, and as long as his sheep are healthy and the sky does what it promises (because he knows the day before always if it will rain)…

One of the reasons that this is quite beautiful is that it portrays the ideal of having just enough, living simply, and being grateful. There is something also stoic about the character described. I imagine the farmer you're telling us about doesn't want attention, material possessions, or any kind of excess at all. This person is happy to build something slowly over time, in small increments. They're happy with what…

I love this comment, but also had a chuckle at the contrast between “not wanting attention” and having a newspaper article about yourself being discussed worldwide on hacker news. I understand you were referencing someone else’s story they were telling in another comment, but still found it amusing.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#536

Post by thisCtx »

kebman wrote: post #399

Ah, the simple life... My grandfather would take me along and we'd go to the neighbour to fetch eggs. He had a plastic bucket that he put them in with some old newspapers scraps in the bottom. I heard that before the war they didn't even need money. He'd simply bring a bucket of milk, and he'd get a bucket of eggs in return. But it was of course a lot simpler to bring money. It was far cheaper than in the store too.…

I grew up rural.

I buy into a lot of the “bird” wisdom. Science is discovering dogs can smell disease.

Our modern world isn’t more complex, just more distracting with asinine theory chasing. It’s always been ridiculously complex in ways we can’t imagine, we’ve just started realizing it in detail.

Turns out animals with their “lesser” cognitive powers are tuned into the hidden complexity in ways we barely understand.

Yet we deem ourselves the more advanced species.

Humans will surely kill themselves off and the specifically evolved for their ecosystem “dumb” animals will remain.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#538

Post by StavrosK »

Wh1zz wrote: post #525
StavrosK wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If happiness is a lobotomy then credit to us who don’t choose it. Why not? By definition it would leave you happy, what does it matter?

You seem to make of happiness some sort of end goal of life. It is not, and should not be.

Why not, and why not?

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#539

Post by jrochkind1 »

brokencode wrote: post #200
diehunde wrote: post #180

Trying to eat something different everyday is an American obsession that I'll never understand. It's just so stressful and inconvenient. I grew up in a small town where eating the same for dinner everyday was extremely common. Tea or coffee and bread. The only variable would be what you put in your bread. Some days it would be butter, some days it would jam. Some days it would be honey, some days it would be avocado.

I think eating the same thing every day is fine, though you need to make sure to have a balanced diet with good nutrition. The author mentioned his uncle who just ate bread, butter, and cheese for every meal, and I’m not sure how you can even survive off of that. Surely it’s lacking something important with no fruit or vegetables. I’ve heard that humans had a long period of time after we became sedentary and started…

I had the same thought. And yet he seems to be doing at least okay... I would assume that as a farmer he gets plenty of physical activity.

Perhaps diet has much less to do with health compared to physical activity than Americans tend to act as if.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#540

Post by ckdarby »

Sounds like a much simpler life that for a lot of the readers here is doable.

I purchased 3.3 acres of land this year to begin the process of simplifying. I'm leaving the software world over the next couple years to have a life of homesteading.

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