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I know this comment invites disaster but.....what is heaven other than the ultimate delayed gratification? i.e. don't worry about your miserable life as a serf

by t43562 2y ago

I know this comment invites disaster but.....what is heaven other than the ultimate delayed gratification? i.e. don't worry about your miserable life as a serf toiling for the lord of the manor 6 days a week because if you're good now you'll be happy after you die. You can imagine the aristocracy laughing to themselves about that idea. Nowadays we get told to save money...but I'm from Zimbabwe where saving money was a total disaster. Instead it was important, when I was still there, to spend it at the earliest possible time on anything physical. The prize for discipline was to be robbed. ... and yet of course if nobody saved money we'd all live an inflationary hell and if some people didn't believe in heaven there might be nothing else to retard their atrocious behaviour.

cylemons 2y ago
Did things get better after dollarization?
- t43562 2y ago
  I wasn't there but I think dollarization brought stability. There was no need to rush off to spend your money. The "elite" don't really benefit from dollarization though. The currency was a way for them to rob everyone without even trying. All the big black market money dealing companies were ultimately owned by the big players in ZANUPF. So they profited from the difference between the official exchange rate and the black market one. They were able to use their influence to get dollars at the official rate and sell at the unofficial one. So for that and other (more reasonable) reasons they have tried to reintroduce a currency. The place is so humped that I don't know if it can ever be fixed. This is what you get for electing demagogues. I say that as a warning to those of you who think national pride is a substitute for intelligent behavior.
dennis_jeeves2 2y ago
>I know this comment invites disaster but.....what is heaven other than the ultimate delayed gratification? i.e. don't worry about your miserable life as a serf toiling for the lord of the manor 6 days a week because if you're good now you'll be happy after you die. You can imagine the aristocracy laughing to themselves about that idea. You are correct. This is the delusion that peasants feeds their kids so that life appears to be worth living. In the west it's the similar rigmarole of mortgages, debt, divorce, unstable jobs etc that their parents did. Not saying that there is no value to discipline, but it has to be intelligently applied ( not easy) else you will loose. For example saving for a house (vs taking a large mortgage) will not do you good if the inflation is high.
Der_Einzige 2y ago
Sorry for being born there. It seems like North Korea, Haiti, Zimbabwe, or Eritrea are where you are born if god hates you.
- t43562 2y ago
  NOO! Zimbabwe is the best **g place on earth. I had an incredible childhood and was beyond lucky to live there. The problems are horrendous and there are a lot of powerful evil people there but there are also wonderful people. It's also gut-wrenchingly beautiful. When I leave I burst into tears. In a way the emotion of it is just too much. It's easier not to visit and to stay numb. When you look at how people act in the US now, I stopped feeling inferior. It's the same. Some people are just the ones who decide to kill the golden goose in hopes of getting 1 more egg for themselves. Some people are willing to ignore all the other signs and bend over for a politician who says the thing they want to hear.

by t43562 2y ago

cylemons 2y ago

Did things get better after dollarization?

t43562 2y ago
I wasn't there but I think dollarization brought stability. There was no need to rush off to spend your money. The "elite" don't really benefit from dollarization though. The currency was a way for them to rob everyone without even trying. All the big black market money dealing companies were ultimately owned by the big players in ZANUPF. So they profited from the difference between the official exchange rate and the black market one. They were able to use their influence to get dollars at the official rate and sell at the unofficial one. So for that and other (more reasonable) reasons they have tried to reintroduce a currency. The place is so humped that I don't know if it can ever be fixed. This is what you get for electing demagogues. I say that as a warning to those of you who think national pride is a substitute for intelligent behavior.

dennis_jeeves2 2y ago

>I know this comment invites disaster but.....what is heaven other than the ultimate delayed gratification? i.e. don't worry about your miserable life as a serf toiling for the lord of the manor 6 days a week because if you're good now you'll be happy after you die. You can imagine the aristocracy laughing to themselves about that idea. You are correct. This is the delusion that peasants feeds their kids so that life appears to be worth living. In the west it's the similar rigmarole of mortgages, debt, divorce, unstable jobs etc that their parents did. Not saying that there is no value to discipline, but it has to be intelligently applied ( not easy) else you will loose. For example saving for a house (vs taking a large mortgage) will not do you good if the inflation is high.

Der_Einzige 2y ago

Sorry for being born there. It seems like North Korea, Haiti, Zimbabwe, or Eritrea are where you are born if god hates you.

t43562 2y ago
NOO! Zimbabwe is the best **g place on earth. I had an incredible childhood and was beyond lucky to live there. The problems are horrendous and there are a lot of powerful evil people there but there are also wonderful people. It's also gut-wrenchingly beautiful. When I leave I burst into tears. In a way the emotion of it is just too much. It's easier not to visit and to stay numb. When you look at how people act in the US now, I stopped feeling inferior. It's the same. Some people are just the ones who decide to kill the golden goose in hopes of getting 1 more egg for themselves. Some people are willing to ignore all the other signs and bend over for a politician who says the thing they want to hear.