It is raining here in Iraq and has been for much of the day. I typically like the rain, but here it is a bit of a drag for a lot of reasons. For one thing, there is the restroom situation...we live and work in places that don't have a toilet, so when you need to go, you need to walk through the rain for it. Also, there is the mud...the whole camp is dirt, so during the rain large swaths become puddles and the rest turns into mud that gets everywhere, so not only do you need to leave your room to take a leak, but then you end of tracking mud in when you return. They don't believe in mats here, which is strange considering the heavy focus on HSE...you would think you wouldn't want people to slip. The forecast calls for rain for the next four or five days it appears...sort of sucks, but I guess it beats hordes of mosquitoes in the room at night.
In work-related news we are acquiring our data in excellent fashion and work has settled into a pleasant rhythm. Me and Radwan seem to be working well together, and that is good, as it is tight quarters out here and personality issues can become a problem very fast.
So, I have gotten myself to the point where I have completed all of the outstanding items that I was covering in the blog here, so I am afraid that now it may get a bit journal-like. I want to apologize up front for what I might write, as I am just going to write about the things that I am thinking or feeling or whatever.
Lately I have been giving a lot of thought of the idea of consumerism and materialism...I think that I hinted at this issue a little when I was talking about what it would take to be a better father this upcoming year. I wish that I could write clearly about what it is that I have been thinking about and feeling in regards to my own issues with consumerism and materialism, but I guess that I am having some trouble getting my head around it. I should start by saying that I hate the notion of both...I don't like the fact that I know that I am manipulated into purchasing things by the advertising, popular media, and peer pressure. I hate even more that I care about the things that I own in terms of brand or whatever...I want to purchase purely based on the inherent quality of an item, not because it is what everyone thinks is cool to own. I don't like the notion that we in the West are to a degree judged by our possessions, our spending potential, and the brands that we associate ourselves with. I mean everything in America is branded, right down to education...tell someone you have a Harvard education and heads turn, but what IS a Harvard education? Is the information that is basically unchanging better when it is learned at Harvard? Do they have access to more information in the Ivy League? Of course not...you can have a talented educator at any university and what a student takes away from a course is a function of the student, not the school. But the brand matters...and I hate that about our society. I really want to live above these sorts of things, but I honestly don't know how to get out of it...every time I feel like I can escape everyone pushes me to buy back in, and it is hard not to. We all want to be respected and valued by our families, friends, and peers. When you start to question fundamentals of our society (please don't kid yourself and believe that consumerism and the materialism that comes with it are not foundational to our culture) people get very defensive...fast! They act like you are judging them or denigrating them and the life they lead by questioning the way that we are expected to live.
I don't have any problem with people living however they want to live, even if I don't personally agree with it. Earn your little hearts out if you want to, and spend that money on whatever frivolous crap that you want, but don't believe it validates your life or makes you a good person. I genuinely want less and less to do with it all the older I get...I just don't want it for myself or for my kids. I want to collect experiences rather than possessions. I want to live free, not be tied down by the things that I own. I am hesitant to buy a house for just this reason...I understand the economic benefits of home ownership, but I don't know that I want to be beholden to a mortgage for the next 30 years. As a renter you can move easily if your situation changes, you don't have to worry about maintenance on a property, or property taxes, or devaluation if you happen to make a poor decision on where you purchase your home. I don't know...I guess this is one of the things that I am still working out right now. Honestly, I don't know why I started questioning this stuff over the last year, except perhaps that I have heard so many people complaining about how they "don't make enough money" for whatever (insert lifestyle)...I don't believe it. The medium FAMILY income in America is just over $45,000. A family of four with earnings of $80,000 are in the top 12% or something like that...obviously there are many people out there living whatever life you might want to live, it just takes some choices to make it happen. I am on the verge of completely changing my own life, I think...I want more satisfaction, real satisfaction, from my life. My possessions haven't done the trick, so maybe I will be able to find contentment with less. It is something to consider at least.
That's it for now...I have work to do, and it being Sunday, none of you were reading anyway.
In work-related news we are acquiring our data in excellent fashion and work has settled into a pleasant rhythm. Me and Radwan seem to be working well together, and that is good, as it is tight quarters out here and personality issues can become a problem very fast.
So, I have gotten myself to the point where I have completed all of the outstanding items that I was covering in the blog here, so I am afraid that now it may get a bit journal-like. I want to apologize up front for what I might write, as I am just going to write about the things that I am thinking or feeling or whatever.
Lately I have been giving a lot of thought of the idea of consumerism and materialism...I think that I hinted at this issue a little when I was talking about what it would take to be a better father this upcoming year. I wish that I could write clearly about what it is that I have been thinking about and feeling in regards to my own issues with consumerism and materialism, but I guess that I am having some trouble getting my head around it. I should start by saying that I hate the notion of both...I don't like the fact that I know that I am manipulated into purchasing things by the advertising, popular media, and peer pressure. I hate even more that I care about the things that I own in terms of brand or whatever...I want to purchase purely based on the inherent quality of an item, not because it is what everyone thinks is cool to own. I don't like the notion that we in the West are to a degree judged by our possessions, our spending potential, and the brands that we associate ourselves with. I mean everything in America is branded, right down to education...tell someone you have a Harvard education and heads turn, but what IS a Harvard education? Is the information that is basically unchanging better when it is learned at Harvard? Do they have access to more information in the Ivy League? Of course not...you can have a talented educator at any university and what a student takes away from a course is a function of the student, not the school. But the brand matters...and I hate that about our society. I really want to live above these sorts of things, but I honestly don't know how to get out of it...every time I feel like I can escape everyone pushes me to buy back in, and it is hard not to. We all want to be respected and valued by our families, friends, and peers. When you start to question fundamentals of our society (please don't kid yourself and believe that consumerism and the materialism that comes with it are not foundational to our culture) people get very defensive...fast! They act like you are judging them or denigrating them and the life they lead by questioning the way that we are expected to live.
I don't have any problem with people living however they want to live, even if I don't personally agree with it. Earn your little hearts out if you want to, and spend that money on whatever frivolous crap that you want, but don't believe it validates your life or makes you a good person. I genuinely want less and less to do with it all the older I get...I just don't want it for myself or for my kids. I want to collect experiences rather than possessions. I want to live free, not be tied down by the things that I own. I am hesitant to buy a house for just this reason...I understand the economic benefits of home ownership, but I don't know that I want to be beholden to a mortgage for the next 30 years. As a renter you can move easily if your situation changes, you don't have to worry about maintenance on a property, or property taxes, or devaluation if you happen to make a poor decision on where you purchase your home. I don't know...I guess this is one of the things that I am still working out right now. Honestly, I don't know why I started questioning this stuff over the last year, except perhaps that I have heard so many people complaining about how they "don't make enough money" for whatever (insert lifestyle)...I don't believe it. The medium FAMILY income in America is just over $45,000. A family of four with earnings of $80,000 are in the top 12% or something like that...obviously there are many people out there living whatever life you might want to live, it just takes some choices to make it happen. I am on the verge of completely changing my own life, I think...I want more satisfaction, real satisfaction, from my life. My possessions haven't done the trick, so maybe I will be able to find contentment with less. It is something to consider at least.
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| That is me working in the afternoon... |
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