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Basically... avoid indulging in a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, be very conservative with the debt I allow myself to take on (used strategically, not ju

Basically... avoid indulging in a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, be very conservative with the debt I allow myself to take on (used strategically, not just to prop-up expenses), and choose the machines I bring into my life with an eye towards energy efficiency and repairability. Careerwise, I have avoided going with the pull of migrating to our industry's big centers (the most known being Sillicon Valley), since I consider those places to be unsustainable. If I were young and single, I may have gone for a couple of years to gain a quick buck, and then get out; but I am a middle-aged father or two now, and don't think it is worth it even today to subject your family to that kind of pressure, just for the sake of being one of the cool guys. This will not save the world at all (not that it is the world that needs any saving), but hopefully puts me and my family in a less exposed position for the consequences of resource depletion.

antisthenes 10y ago
It's quite ironic you chose to have children, despite being so concerned for resource depletion.
- crpatino 10y ago
  Yes, I understand that sounds odd. The keyword you probably are missing is middle-aged. I brought those guys into this world before I had any awareness on these issues. But even if that had not been the case, I think in spite of the very hard challenges ahead of us, there's much reason to go ahead and take on the future with a positive attitude. Not wishful thinking, but recognizing that there's both good and bad in this life. And the good makes it worth living, even if the bad makes it harder and more bitter. It is one thing to live your life under the assumption that your every wish is going to be magically granted, and that you are entitled to as much stuff as you want. It is another to turn all crazy and suicidal over some paranoid apocalypse fantasies. I wish more people would understand there's a lot of middle ground between those 2 extremes.

antisthenes 10y ago

It's quite ironic you chose to have children, despite being so concerned for resource depletion.

crpatino 10y ago
Yes, I understand that sounds odd. The keyword you probably are missing is middle-aged. I brought those guys into this world before I had any awareness on these issues. But even if that had not been the case, I think in spite of the very hard challenges ahead of us, there's much reason to go ahead and take on the future with a positive attitude. Not wishful thinking, but recognizing that there's both good and bad in this life. And the good makes it worth living, even if the bad makes it harder and more bitter. It is one thing to live your life under the assumption that your every wish is going to be magically granted, and that you are entitled to as much stuff as you want. It is another to turn all crazy and suicidal over some paranoid apocalypse fantasies. I wish more people would understand there's a lot of middle ground between those 2 extremes.