Look out all you land-lovers! In 2029, we're going to have a visit from an extremely close cosmic object - (da da daaa!) The asteroid "aphosis" (1,400 feet in length!) will approach the Earth on the ominous date of Friday, April 13th, 2029, and will come within 40,000 miles of our beloved planet, incredibly close in cosmic-terms. However, initially rated at an unprecedented "yellow alert" level, this mighty space-rock has since been downgraded, and will absolutely not strike the Earth in its passing. However, since it will be flying by at such a close range, its orbit will change due to the Earth's gravitational pull, making any future strikes an unpredictable possibility.
So set your calendars, mark your clocks, and head on over to Africa, Europe, or East Asia, for it'll be viewable with the naked eye, but only from those locations. Unless, of course, it chooses a much closer location, like, say, the continental crust. We shall see, my friends, we shall see!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Living within ones means:
It always kills me when people find themselves ensconced within layer upon layer of debt (purchasing a house, which is ridiculously expensive in American notwithstanding) - why does it happen, when the "secret" to avoid it is literally a four-sentence doctrine: "Live within your means."
Let's be clear about one thing upfront - I have fallen off the wagon as well. I am not some "untouchable" individual avoiding debt's potent grip. Though I own my car, I too carry a balance on a credit card, as well as student loans. Unfortunately, it's all too easy.
However, they are both relatively minimal, all things considered. No, what I'm referring to seems to be a far larger plague upon this Western society of ours - our collective inability to live within our means, and as a consequence, build a life leadened with debilitating debt, instead of successfully navigating the consumption waters of society.
What's so easy about the doctrine? Simple - do not spend more than you have; it's that simple. If you make "x" amount of income per month, whether single or with a partner, then you may spend upwards of "x" in that month. It doesn't matter how much you decide to put towards a savings account, or retirement (hopefully some to both), or car payments, or student loans, or dinners, CD's, entertainment, clothing, baby food, etc - it just simply can NOT go beyond the amount that "x" is. And there you have it - you're living within your means. You are literally living within the boundaries that your income provides to you. It is honestly that simple, and that easy.
What's so hard about it, then? Many external factors, to be sure. There's our own desires and wants, of course (and note the very important distinction between "want" and "need" - our needs are roughly all the same, and it's a very short list - our wants are another beast entirely). There are the ideas and suggestions opined by our closest friends and relatives, informing us that we should/need/have "this thing here". And most dangerous of all, there's the ubiquitous marketing and advertisements of our daily lives that surround us everywhere, demanding we pay attention, and crave said product or lifestyle - this is arguable the most dangerous of all, for it is these advertisements that pull us away from logical thought, and prey upon our internal cravings for happiness and satisfaction. Therein lies the fallacy, of course - we cannot complement internal desire for peace, safety, happiness, and desire with external components; but nonetheless, we try and quelsh those very primordial desires with our external products, and marketers are only too happy to help. This is not to imply these people or corporations are inherently "evil", however (except for various tobacco and alcoholic methods, perhaps) - but they've hit on a good thing, and aren't about to stop.
Think about it - so many people I know simply "must have": cell phones; high-speed internet access; digital cable TV; services such as "Netflix", etc.; high-profile, expensive, new vehicles (usually SUV's); designer clothing; dining out evenings; high-priced entertainment, and so on. These things are not bad, or morally "wrong" - but how many people stop to consider if they can be AFFORDED? That is the rub, and it all goes back to the quintessential point of the maxim "live within your means" - are they in fact doing so, by adding on all these external costly components? If you can live comfortably while doing so, great! I'm pleased for you. But if you CANNOT, then guess what - though you may desire and crave them, if you cannot pay for them from the stash of "x", then you simply cannot have them. Not yet, anyway.
There are other ways to achieve comfortable living within a lower amount of "x", of course, without cutting out all of the "pleasure" additions, but for some reason, they tend to be frowned upon, or scoffed. There seems to be a social stigma to avoid thrift stores, garage sales, smaller houses, or old, used, "not-as-fancy" vehicles. Why? What are wrong with any of these things? If they are functional, nice, and cheap, then by all means - enjoy them. If a vehicle is perhaps older, dented, rusty, or simply not "minty fresh" and new, but has all structural components in the "green zone" for safety, why not purchase that and have it paid for, rather than fork over hundreds of dollars a month for a vehicle with the same safety rating, but that is thousands of dollars more?
Living within ones means is within the reach of all of us - it's right there, outlined in black and white, in our checkbooks and savings records. It's our weekly, monthly, and annual income after taxes, and it shall define exactly what we have at our disposal to meet all our monthly bill requirements, as well as entertainment frivolties (for myself, that would be DVD's, video games, and books). All we have to do is make financial choices, and stick with them.
That, or win the lottery.
Let's be clear about one thing upfront - I have fallen off the wagon as well. I am not some "untouchable" individual avoiding debt's potent grip. Though I own my car, I too carry a balance on a credit card, as well as student loans. Unfortunately, it's all too easy.
However, they are both relatively minimal, all things considered. No, what I'm referring to seems to be a far larger plague upon this Western society of ours - our collective inability to live within our means, and as a consequence, build a life leadened with debilitating debt, instead of successfully navigating the consumption waters of society.
What's so easy about the doctrine? Simple - do not spend more than you have; it's that simple. If you make "x" amount of income per month, whether single or with a partner, then you may spend upwards of "x" in that month. It doesn't matter how much you decide to put towards a savings account, or retirement (hopefully some to both), or car payments, or student loans, or dinners, CD's, entertainment, clothing, baby food, etc - it just simply can NOT go beyond the amount that "x" is. And there you have it - you're living within your means. You are literally living within the boundaries that your income provides to you. It is honestly that simple, and that easy.
What's so hard about it, then? Many external factors, to be sure. There's our own desires and wants, of course (and note the very important distinction between "want" and "need" - our needs are roughly all the same, and it's a very short list - our wants are another beast entirely). There are the ideas and suggestions opined by our closest friends and relatives, informing us that we should/need/have "this thing here". And most dangerous of all, there's the ubiquitous marketing and advertisements of our daily lives that surround us everywhere, demanding we pay attention, and crave said product or lifestyle - this is arguable the most dangerous of all, for it is these advertisements that pull us away from logical thought, and prey upon our internal cravings for happiness and satisfaction. Therein lies the fallacy, of course - we cannot complement internal desire for peace, safety, happiness, and desire with external components; but nonetheless, we try and quelsh those very primordial desires with our external products, and marketers are only too happy to help. This is not to imply these people or corporations are inherently "evil", however (except for various tobacco and alcoholic methods, perhaps) - but they've hit on a good thing, and aren't about to stop.
Think about it - so many people I know simply "must have": cell phones; high-speed internet access; digital cable TV; services such as "Netflix", etc.; high-profile, expensive, new vehicles (usually SUV's); designer clothing; dining out evenings; high-priced entertainment, and so on. These things are not bad, or morally "wrong" - but how many people stop to consider if they can be AFFORDED? That is the rub, and it all goes back to the quintessential point of the maxim "live within your means" - are they in fact doing so, by adding on all these external costly components? If you can live comfortably while doing so, great! I'm pleased for you. But if you CANNOT, then guess what - though you may desire and crave them, if you cannot pay for them from the stash of "x", then you simply cannot have them. Not yet, anyway.
There are other ways to achieve comfortable living within a lower amount of "x", of course, without cutting out all of the "pleasure" additions, but for some reason, they tend to be frowned upon, or scoffed. There seems to be a social stigma to avoid thrift stores, garage sales, smaller houses, or old, used, "not-as-fancy" vehicles. Why? What are wrong with any of these things? If they are functional, nice, and cheap, then by all means - enjoy them. If a vehicle is perhaps older, dented, rusty, or simply not "minty fresh" and new, but has all structural components in the "green zone" for safety, why not purchase that and have it paid for, rather than fork over hundreds of dollars a month for a vehicle with the same safety rating, but that is thousands of dollars more?
Living within ones means is within the reach of all of us - it's right there, outlined in black and white, in our checkbooks and savings records. It's our weekly, monthly, and annual income after taxes, and it shall define exactly what we have at our disposal to meet all our monthly bill requirements, as well as entertainment frivolties (for myself, that would be DVD's, video games, and books). All we have to do is make financial choices, and stick with them.
That, or win the lottery.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Where in the hell have I been?
Wow - it's been well over one month since my last post - so much for keeping up any semblance of exhibiting prolificacy. Well, that just means I keep my fans waiting with baited breath at my next literate release of erudition. Wait, fans? I mean fan, of course - you know who you are.
Today finds me sitting around the ol' casa with ample amounts of distractions to keep me busy, all the while avoiding any true commitment to actual work. Instead of researching and applying to various Korean business to teach English at next year, I find myself preparing to play various Star Wars video games, compose elegant emails, and "hunker down" (a scholarly Midwest term, to be sure) with a good book. Ah, but heck, is that not what weekends are for?
It is my aim and goal to establish a pattern of composition with greater frequency than has been displayed here as of late, so please do not abandon this humble author just yet, ok folks? I promise I shall wrestle various existential gems loose from the very fabric of time and space itself, burnish them to a veriable sheen, and then extrapolate the pragmatic wisdom for the masses and post them here upon this very site, this quixotic arena of philosophical musings, for one and all.
And I'll do it without too many references to Star Wars to boot.
Today finds me sitting around the ol' casa with ample amounts of distractions to keep me busy, all the while avoiding any true commitment to actual work. Instead of researching and applying to various Korean business to teach English at next year, I find myself preparing to play various Star Wars video games, compose elegant emails, and "hunker down" (a scholarly Midwest term, to be sure) with a good book. Ah, but heck, is that not what weekends are for?
It is my aim and goal to establish a pattern of composition with greater frequency than has been displayed here as of late, so please do not abandon this humble author just yet, ok folks? I promise I shall wrestle various existential gems loose from the very fabric of time and space itself, burnish them to a veriable sheen, and then extrapolate the pragmatic wisdom for the masses and post them here upon this very site, this quixotic arena of philosophical musings, for one and all.
And I'll do it without too many references to Star Wars to boot.
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