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> What are some techniques that folks use to convince themselves to only worry about their shit and not dwell on shit from other people? 1. Just removing the s

by johnfn 8y ago

> What are some techniques that folks use to convince themselves to only worry about their shit and not dwell on shit from other people? 1. Just removing the sources of unhappiness can go far. Block all the websites that make you feel bad. Unfollow people that stress you out. Uninstall apps from your phone. Or go even further, and turn off internet entirely. 2. Mindfulness meditation can help catch these negative thought patterns and redirect them.

dominotw 8y ago
Freedom from something is no freedom. Modeling your life based on things you want to free yourself from is not truly freeing you from them. To be free is to understand the root cause and tackle that. To truly understand why seeing pics of your buddy's hawaiian family vaction makes you feel bad.
asknthrow 8y ago
You're framing this as an internet problem, which it is not. Before the internet it was called "keeping up with the Jonses" and one can not simply uninstall their environment, whereabouts and reception of social status and class telegraphing from others. I honestly couldn't care less and consumerism is deeply offensive to me. I often think I belong in a different time, when commercialism and consumerism wasn't such a thing. There was a time not so long ago that people took pride in saving, repairing and making do.
- danaris 8y ago
  > There was a time not so long ago that people took pride in saving, repairing and making do. That's a myth. Just like pretty much all of the "in the past, it was so much better because people X" constructions. Some people feel that way now. Some people have always felt that way. But many people have always felt a pressure to compete with those around them, in whatever ways were available and socially acceptable at the time. It's possible that if you go all the way back to before urbanisation, the people in a small farming or hunter-gatherer community would feel less of that pressure because there was simply less to compete about, and more mutual support....but I suspect that even then, people would have competed in their own ways. In terms of the specific "there was a time" you mention...OK, yeah, there kinda was. It was the Great Depression. People "took pride" in saving, repairing, and making do because there was literally no other choice besides doing without. Despite the various problems we suffer today, I don't think that's a good model for our society.
- brokenmachine 8y ago
  It's the same solution though, just don't go to the shops. I get my groceries delivered and basically don't go to shops unless I have a specific thing I need. That's not a burden for me because I hate shopping anyway. Also I don't care about what the Joneses have.
- johnfn 8y ago
  Not really. The internet is the primary way we receive information about a large number of people. Turn off that source and the envy must dry up. For the rest, there’s meditation.

by johnfn 8y ago

dominotw 8y ago

Freedom from something is no freedom. Modeling your life based on things you want to free yourself from is not truly freeing you from them. To be free is to understand the root cause and tackle that. To truly understand why seeing pics of your buddy's hawaiian family vaction makes you feel bad.

asknthrow 8y ago

You're framing this as an internet problem, which it is not. Before the internet it was called "keeping up with the Jonses" and one can not simply uninstall their environment, whereabouts and reception of social status and class telegraphing from others. I honestly couldn't care less and consumerism is deeply offensive to me. I often think I belong in a different time, when commercialism and consumerism wasn't such a thing. There was a time not so long ago that people took pride in saving, repairing and making do.

danaris 8y ago
> There was a time not so long ago that people took pride in saving, repairing and making do. That's a myth. Just like pretty much all of the "in the past, it was so much better because people X" constructions. Some people feel that way now. Some people have always felt that way. But many people have always felt a pressure to compete with those around them, in whatever ways were available and socially acceptable at the time. It's possible that if you go all the way back to before urbanisation, the people in a small farming or hunter-gatherer community would feel less of that pressure because there was simply less to compete about, and more mutual support....but I suspect that even then, people would have competed in their own ways. In terms of the specific "there was a time" you mention...OK, yeah, there kinda was. It was the Great Depression. People "took pride" in saving, repairing, and making do because there was literally no other choice besides doing without. Despite the various problems we suffer today, I don't think that's a good model for our society.
brokenmachine 8y ago
It's the same solution though, just don't go to the shops. I get my groceries delivered and basically don't go to shops unless I have a specific thing I need. That's not a burden for me because I hate shopping anyway. Also I don't care about what the Joneses have.
johnfn 8y ago
Not really. The internet is the primary way we receive information about a large number of people. Turn off that source and the envy must dry up. For the rest, there’s meditation.