Old-fashioned Values

As a rule of thumb, I myself prefer to travel as light as possible, collecting little along the way, but I’m still loathe to throw things away. This is essentially a Buddhist-like non-possession, for fear of being ultimately possessed, but it works out economically also. Poverty is a state of mind, not pocketbook. Buddhist monks take vows to embrace such renunciation, easy for many of them that had nothing anyway, and now get state support and the adoration of society, in Thailand, at least. We American baby boomers are all pampered and spoiled, bemoaning our fate, when things have never been better. The old fashioned virtues of thrift and savings have been long forgotten. I’ve never made much money by modern standards, but managed to save much of it, so can feel like a wealthy man in my fifties. Others weren’t so lucky, nor so frugal, and so are bitter and feel victimized. Certainly it’s nice to enjoy the present tense without stress and have nice adornments surrounding, but I don’t feel deprived, having visited almost one hundred fifty countries and loved many beautiful women, having had good friends and done good work along the way. And I still have family; this is the true wealth of the world. Many people in America’s rump nuclear-family mobile society can’t claim the same.

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