yes. I specifically chose that time because it was still modern enough to “get” the music of today

Sounds like a man that is running from his demons

That’s kind of an impossible question to answer because the “they” is unknowable in your question.

But maybe they buy alcohol and drugs with it

Maybe they buy some medication they need to survive

Maybe they have a dog they want to buy food for

Maybe they have a family that could use the $50

Maybe they go to a thrift store and get newer shoes and socks for the winter

Who knows what they do with it but really $50 can help a great deal and unless you know the person well it’s difficult to know what they need it for. This isn’t to take away from what you and your wife have done, that is admirable and needed help too

I had a lady come up to me in the grocery store with her child and ask very quietly in very broken spanish/english to help her buy food for her and her daughter - who looked to be about 2. My first reaction that I acted on was to say sorry and walk away. Then it hit how cold and callous that was. Even if she was a scammer, that is not an easy way to make money. So I found her gave her $20 and walked away. A few minutes later I saw her with a cart and some food with a smile on her face.

My opinion is that if I have a bit of money that I can do without there is someone that could do with it I’ll let them have it. The money may go to a scammer from time to time and I know in the past it has, but if I can help one genuinely needy person I do what I can, not going to let the shit bags (both scammers and politicians) keep me from trying to help

taxes the government steals from us

No it’s not the government that is stealing from us its the Uber wealthy that use our tax money (that should be going to the greater good of the citizens of the country) for their own gain.

I’ve noticed that as well, most cities in the States are all different shades of brown and grey. It’s kinda sad to see.

I always assumed that bland colors were easier to maintain and appealed to more people. But by God let’s not have any color in the world because of resale value…

it’s neither a hobby or a job But the trope that a very complicated, very dangerous situation can be solved by just one person and a gun.

It’s unfortunately so ingrained into the Hollywood story lines that people, especially in the US, think that that’s reality.

The idea of the rugged individual has destroyed the idea of societal support to the point that some people are actually terrified to ask for help in anyway.

That all small business owners are thieves and out to scam their customers - This was part of someone’s argument defending big box stores.

Give it time and there will be the option of Gigantic Corp paying for your teeth if you grow their logo on them.

Just the opposite.

With the potential of medical expenses rising, medication costs going up, insurance becoming shittier (if you’ll be able to afford it at all), staying healthy to continue to earn a paycheck (that is a depressing phrase), the potential of wide spread violence, I think its imperative to be as healthy and strong as you can be.

You may also find yourself in a position where you’re the only one you can count on and if you are sickly, and weak then it will make things that much worse. Or you may find yourself in a position to help someone that has less ability to move and you’ll need to be in good health for their sake.

What are the realistic potential outcomes of everything going on?

Not sure. I don’t think anyone really is.

Part of the reason that there are not big protest yet is that many many people that do disagree with the administration have/had been looking towards the Democratic party to fight back. But that isn’t happening which is adding to the shock and awe of things. Truly Americans don’t really know what to do and without a large organizing presence to help drive a big push back there really isn’t anything being done.

I do hope that someone steps up soon and starts to organize a push back. Haven’t seen it yet.

There are a lot of European keyboard warriors that don’t seem to know much about America (other than social media) that keep trying to call out Americans for not “protesting right.”

It shows that they have no clue about the size of the country or the fact that the shock and awe that started this administration knocked everyone on their heels and only now are we starting to mobilize.

It’s true that politicians don’t usually lead, they look to the voting base to see what they can do. I think the issue right now is that there isn’t (yet) a unifying leader that can mobilize a big enough population of people to make it impossible for the media to ignore. while I think smaller protests have their place they are useless if they don’t move to something bigger. And something bigger - that being millions of people filling the streets of multiple cities - won’t happen without a big charismatic leader like Martin Luther King, jr.

Yet the middle of the road, center right democrats that hold power see this as a challenge to their control. They only have to look to how the GOP was hollowed out by a big charismatic leader in trump. The more “moderate” republicans lost control to the more extreme right - the moderate democrats don’t want that and will do what they can to hold down that yet unknown person from gaining a voice for the left.

Really you are ahead of the curve which is great!

How I see it is that you are meat “matter” right now. When you die your meat matter is eaten by worms and flys (maybe). Some worms and flys then become part of the animal that eats them. Some of your meat matter becomes plant matter. You are not you anymore but you are now other parts of this earth. Obviously there is no consciousness that follows but your energy and your matter live on in different forms.

Edit: maybe there is a spiritual side that moves on a different path from the meatbag side which moves into a different vessel to experience life and the universe in a different way?

Honestly I think a large majority of people would be on board with this system, the thing is how do you describe this to a disengaged voting population in a way that is understandable but brief ? And at the same time, how do you quickly counter the ‘communist’ argument that would come from the ultra-capitalist right?

I don’t think that there is a tactical thought to people wanting to vandalize Teslas. I think that there is a true sense of helplessness on not being able to do anything to stop these fuckers. So in in the place of something more substantial the anger and frustration is being taken out on something associated with musk

Is it right? Probably not. Is it understandable, yes

The number of people that would go to the woods makes me think that staying in a city would be a better option.

My response is:

Good, as long as I don’t think about it.

It’s a great thought experiment to get us to think about what is truly important -

No one is going to answer “work more” or “continue to conform to other’s expectations of me.” or any other thing that we are taught to believe are important.

Sure having some savings is important, your health is important (except maybe not so much in this instance), but really life is about experiencing life not creating shareholder value or working hard to blend into the crowd just to make other people less uncomfortable.

I know I went off on a tangent, I do that often. But I’ve been thinking more about how in the west we are taught aggressively from a young age what is deemed important (work, money, prestige, name brand things, etc) and what is frivolous (hobbies, family, friends, etc) and then people wonder why life sucks. It doesn’t suck, it’s that you are trying to conform to something that goes against your true nature.

To answer the question: travel, spend time with people I love, play video games, eat more cheeseburgers, drink more beer.