Review: The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz. Just go and read it. I mean it. It's not often that I could honestly recommend a book to everyone, but here is a rare exception. The content of this book would stand to benefit everyone. Barry approaches the matter of choices in our lives from a variety of angles, and they all point to an important theme - while some degree of choice is needed for us to feel happy, too much choice tends to make us unhappy. Anyone who lives in a relatively wealthy part of the world, in which supermarkets and stores abound with a baffling amount of things for sale, would benefit from reading what Barry has to say in this book. 

Most of us tend to think that we are rational decision-makers, and the pressure of marketing doesn't sway our choices, but the truth is that we are usually wrong about it. Our lives are an ongoing series of choices, and this book highlights how easy it is to act against our own best interests and remaining ignorant while doing so. Barry also makes some useful suggestions for us to tackle the problems of choice.

Final score: 4.5 / 5

Review: The Light Years

The Light Years, by R. W. W. Greene, is a dystopian science fiction novel which I finished reading yesterday. It was thoroughly enjoyable. 

The story is set in a future in which humanity has fled to the stars and colonised several planets. Societies have continued to deteriorate as the schism between rich people and poor people keeps expanding. Most people live out their lives planet side, but others find work in space and spend most of their lives onboard spaceships travelling between the planets at speeds nearing that of light itself. The novel is presented from the perspective of two main characters, told in alternating chapters. One character, Adem, he is a space trader. The other is Hisako, and she isn't even born at the start of the book. And yet they have been arranged to be married when she is an adult. At first it seems bizarre even though the reader is made aware of the impact of relativity. But as the motives of each character's parents are made clear, it's easy to understand why such a marriage would be sought.

As the story progresses we see Hisako go through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, all while Adem barely ages. As both characters struggle with the internal conflict of the arranged marriage individually, we see the various worlds change around them. Families, people and neighbourhoods come and go in a short span of time for the spacers. But thanks to some excellent storytelling, I never felt that their lives were insignificant; if anything, it made their fleeting lives seem even more valuable. And when Adem and Hisako eventually meet, which is on their wedding day, this novels starts to feel like a good romance novel in which I really wanted the best for the two main characters. 

There are a lot of interesting themes and feelings that came up while reading this book. I won't go into more detail, because I think it's best if you feel the full weight of those emotions as you discover the story for yourself.

Final score: 4 / 5

Unexplained absence

A fair bit of time has passed since my previous blogpost. Obviously, I have been attending to other matters, and I think that's all the explanation I'm going to provide. I hadn't forgotten about this blog, but I simply chose to give my time toward other activities. Maybe I'll write a new post soon. I hope that everyone is doing well. 

Forget that which shines

Of late, I have noticed my thoughts tending toward matters of unnecessary complexity. The pursuit of a simple life of basic needs, along with a few small comforts, has been usurped by cravings of a worldly nature. Money, possessions, reputation and recognition have become dominant thoughts. In essence - greed and ego. This shift in thinking has decreased my happiness a bit. Not a drastic change but enough for me to notice it. I don't like it. 

It has prompted me to return to the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Re-reading the early portion has reminded me of the confusing and sometimes complex pursuits of modern life, always chasing after more of various things, drawing people away from the bare necessities of life. Reading it provides a measure of peace to my mind, calming the turbulent desires and bringing them under heel. 

This morning I spared a thought for the chores at home - cleaning dishes, sweeping floors, folding laundry, dusting shelves, and other tasks of this kind. As I went about these chores I stopped thinking about the things from the world beyond - news, politics, markets, employment, and so on. The outside world was ushered from my mind and escorted back outside where they belong. I simply did the tasks at hand, and that was enough.

Obviously, we cannot ignore worldly concerns forever, but neither should we entertain them for longer than necessary. The same is true for most thoughts and matters. There are times when our thoughts on some topic are no longer useful. When we have moved beyond helpful reflection, and begun to ruminate, rehash and reinforce counterproductive lines of thought, then it is time to lay them aside to go do something. Keep it simple.

Stop trying so hard

I have read the book The Underachiever's Manifesto by Ray Bennett some years ago. I don't recall much specifically about its content, but I do remember the feeling that its core message was important. It was also a message which flew in the face of conventional rhetoric about how we should aim to live. Instead of championing the values of working harder, striving more and trying to forever climb the many vague ladders in life, we might be better served by taking things easy. 

The encouragement to become an overachiever becomes dominant toward the end of high schooling. There still seems to be a lot of pressure on young people to attend university to get a qualification. But the value of qualifications has decreased over time. As more people completed degrees the qualifications became more commonplace. Some people continue on with post-graduate studies to increase their value in the job market. And there's something interesting about degrees - they don't directly and reliably indicate the potential value of an employee. At best they serve as a proxy. 

We are also expected to look after our bodies. So, many people end up spending as much time working out as professional athletes do, when there's no need for it. Young people want the good looking body which is hopefully desirable to potential partners. But do you really need to workout five times a week? Or would you be better off by doing some basic compound lifts twice a week, a little moderate cardio, and otherwise simply staying active in your daily life? 

Then there is the matter of money. I have read quite a few news articles which share social media posts which complain about the cost of living. But how many people are living within their means? There was an absolutely priceless example recently - a woman took to social media and complained that her $40 grocery spend couldn't create a meal. Look, I'll admit that life is expensive these days, but if you can't create a meal for $40 then you're not seriously trying very hard. ...either that or you have a very, very large family. The lady then showed a picture of the items she bought and they included many convenience items, and some prosciutto. If anyone out there is buying prosciutto, they have immediately lost all rights to complain about the cost of living. Go buy a bulk bag of rice, some vegetables, some dried beans, and along with the fundamental items that are in most people's pantries, you can create many meals quite affordably. It isn't fancy? So what? Stop watching cooking shows on television, or those luscious food pictures on social media, and set some realistic expectations. 

There are many areas of life in which we try too hard. Obsession is the problem. We spend too much time obsessing over what everyone else is doing. And where do we get this perception? Social media in many cases. By now we all know that the way in which people present their lives online is inaccurate. So please, stop believing the nonsense. 

Simple pleasures

This morning I opened a new jar of instant coffee. A nice start to the day. Some people might not see the value in such a simple act, but I'm sure that many of my fellow instant coffee drinkers will know the joy that's found in starting a new jar. I've been a bit of a coffee snob in the past. I have owned some espresso machines, and honed my brewing skills to be able to consistently make coffee the way I like. But I can still enjoy a cup of instant coffee. It requires a little bit of luck to get a good cup. Even when I think I'm getting the proportions of coffee, water and milk just right, I will sometimes end up with a nasty flavour. But there's something about the first few brews made from a freshly opened jar of instant coffee - they just taste better than usual. So, I find some joy in that. It's cheap, simple, doesn't require specialized equipment, and can be tasty. 

Cold showers are another simple pleasure. Now maybe you're reading this from a cold place, or you could have some health reasons that make cold showers a bad idea, in which case you might want to skip the cold showers. I enjoy them though. I like that the water doesn't have to be heated, which saves me some money. I like how invigorating a cold shower is; it's like being supercharged for the next hour or so. The cold water can provide some relief to sore muscles. These are all good reasons. But what I like most about cold showers is the mental discipline required. It's not a monumental challenge, but it is slightly unpleasant for the first few moments. As I get into a cold shower and feel the mild jolt of initial discomfort I think: Okay, so it's cold. Don't complain about it. It will feel nice soon. 

There are a number of other simple pleasures that I enjoy. But I find it interesting that many of those simple pleasures require a small degree of discipline or self-control. Some degree of an expectation of comfort or convenience needs to be rejected. With coffee, I know that I could go buy a tasty coffee from a cafe or store, and it would taste better than my homemade instant brew. With cold showers, I could easily make the water temperature more comfortable initially with the turn of a tap. It's seems like I've become accustomed to seeking quick joy or pleasure in many areas of my life. And the more that I indulge in such conveniences, the more undesirable the alternatives seem. 

When I do push past the almost reflexive urge to seek immediate comfort or convenience, I feel something peculiar - feelings of freedom and deep-seated joy. Maybe the feeling of freedom arises from exerting my willpower and going beyond animalistic cravings. And the joy that I feel seems to be an extension of the freedom; knowing that I'm not compelled to do things a certain way, feels like a weight being lifted from off my shoulders. 

Review: The Great Depression - A Diary

The Great Depression - A Diary, by Benjamin Roth. I decided it was time to learn something about the Great Depression, and this book is what I went with. Roth was a lawyer in Youngstown, Ohio. From the market crash in 1929 he started to write a diary. His entries describe the local, domestic and international events. Observations range from the shopping habits of everyday people, stock market movements, political news, and everything in between. Over the span of the book he paints a vivid picture about what life was like in America from 1929 to the conflict of WW2 reaching Hawaii. Roth continued to make diary entries for the rest of his life, but this book doesn't cover that latter timeframe. 

Reading about the severity of The Great Depression was shocking. I hadn't studied anything about that period of history, and my encounter with this first-hand look at it was revealing. The levels of scarcity, unemployment, and malnutrition were hard to imagine. The fortunes that many people lost along the way were equally horrifying. This book sheds light on a lot of details and challenges of the time. 

While reading this book I reflected upon the challenges faced in our present time. Here in Australia we have many people struggling with the cost of living, and a lack of affordable housing. And as tough as things are these days, they pale in comparison to what life was like during The Great Depression. In a way, it was comforting to read the book, knowing that life these days could be an awful lot worse. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to read about The Great Depression. It might also appeal to diary or journal enthusiasts. This book provides a view of world changing events, but through the eyes of the individual. 

Final score: 4 / 5

Reflecting upon summer crops

I have heard it said that many people expect to be able to buy common fruits and vegetables all year round. I wonder if that's true. I personally don't have such expectations. Maybe that's because I'm a vegetable gardener, and that experience has shown me the difficulties of growing good crops. There's the obvious problem that a lot of species don't grow well at all times of the year. But there's also the multitude of other problems - pests, diseases, drought, too much rain, rain at inopportune times, low temperatures, high temperatures, and so on. Sometimes I can give my best efforts toward growing good food but it just doesn't work out because nature has other ideas. 

I was recently considering the differences in yields from this summer compared to last summer. 

Summer of 2022-23. That was a good season for cucumbers, beans, maize, millet, watermelons, carrots and sweet potatoes. But my pumpkins, tomatoes and capsicums (sweet peppers) all struggled. 

This present summer of 2023-24. Nearly everything struggled except for tomatoes and pumpkins. The sweet potatoes seem to be growing well, but I haven't harvested them yet. And I have grown two new crops this season, ginger and peanuts, which have good growth so far but are yet to be harvested. My watermelons had started well, but most of them split after some very hot weather alternated with many days of heavy rain. 

So I've begun to wonder what I might do differently next summer. I think that I might reduce the number of varieties that I grow, and instead focus on the strong performers with high yields per square metre. I tend to want to grow as many different crops as I can because of my curious nature. But it might be better to change that habit. The more that I can grow well and in good quantities, the less I will have to buy from the shop. This should allow me to dedicate more growing space to each crop, stagger the plantings more, and providing for a longer harvesting window. 

Another opportunity is to trial some more resilient varieties. I have already started moving away from growing Roma tomatoes toward growing cherry type ones. And I might move away from Golden Nugget pumpkins toward a different one. 

Whatever the coming year of gardening yields I'm looking forward to learning from it and trying to adapt the best that I can. 

Review: Dirt Music

I just finished reading the novel Dirt Music, written by Tim Winton. I have enjoyed a couple of his other novels - The Shepherd's Hut, and Eyrie. I particularly liked Eyrie, and I might have read it twice but I'm not sure though. Anyway, I'll put Dirt Music right up there with Eyrie.

In the three novels that I've read by Tim Winton, I'm always enchanted by two things - the landscapes, and the male characters. 

The landscapes and locations that he writes about always seem to transport me to them. The way he describes those places makes them feel like they belong to some faded memory of my past. They feel lived in, a little sad, but leave me with a sense of longing for some place that I've never been. 

The men that he creates for his books feel relatable, often in shameful ways. They're not perfect; not even close. But that makes them feel realistic. The men in Tim's novels feel like they're from a bygone era. A time when men were men, but not quite fitting into a world of changing sensibilities. These guys feel truly human. 

Dirt Music covers a lot of bases. There's romance, tragedy, emotional and literal journeys. The locations are beautiful, but the people... not so much, and that's a good thing. Their pasts, their flaws, their raw humanity is what makes them relatable. If I had read it on Kindle I would have highlighted numerous segments of artful prose, many of which could stand on their own. But this was borrowed from a library so I wasn't about to deface the book with highlights or underlines. 

If you have never read one of Tim Winton's novels then I would say that Dirt Music might be a good one to start with. I really liked this novel. The ending was clever, but it also left me craving a little more certainty about what future might lay ahead for its characters. 

Final score: 4 / 5

Welcome to 2024

Happy New Year, and best of wishes for the year ahead. 

I was thinking about going out last night to see a fireworks display. Watching fireworks in person always feels special. It puts me back in touch with the child-like part of my brain. For a few minutes I can suspend all concerns of everyday life and just be amazed at something and not think about it too much. Pretty colours. Bright lights. Ooh shiny! I didn't go. I stayed home and watched some episodes of Billions, which is a great series by the way. 

To be fair, it wasn't easy to find information about local fireworks displays, even with the power of the internet at my disposal. Besides, I've become a morning person, so I probably wouldn't have gone anyway unless I could find a display that happened earlier in the night. I like going to bed early and waking up early. And even one late night hits me pretty hard these days. 

What about the year ahead? 

As 2023 started rolling to a close I began to wonder what might happen in 2024. So let's see what I came up with. 

Conflict in the Ukraine

I can't see this coming to an end any time soon, but the extent and nature of the conflict might change. A number of countries are discussing ways to reduce the financial support in the conflict. If money gets pulled out of the war, then less equipment, weapons, munitions, and so on can be brought to the fight. Maybe this will result in less deaths and injuries.

The Australian economy and markets

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. 

Now that I've covered my backside... I think an increase in business confidence is likely. 

Unemployment is already increasing and it might keep going up by a small amount. 

The value of housing in many major metropolitan areas will probably keep increasing at a steady rate. The housing crisis probably won't disappear in 2024, but it might start to improve slightly if new dwelling approvals continue to increase. 

Overall, my guess is that the pressure-cooker that was 2023 will start to let off a little steam and people will continue to adapt. So this year might feel a little easier for many but not by much. 

Technological integration 

Technology such as smart devices and artificial intelligence will likely become more integrated into our daily lives. It will become harder to opt out of such integration, and anyone wanting to live more simply will find it becoming even more challenging. 

Addiction to the inefficient use of smartphones and the internet will continue to wreak havoc in many people's lives. And even with a growing awareness of those problems people will still struggle to use those technologies in disciplined and productive ways. 

Sociology

Stability in relationships and families will still be a problem. There's been no shortage of research into the problems in these areas. A growing awareness of the harms of online dating will not lessen people's reliance upon it. Less people leave the house and interact with others directly, thereby decreasing the likelihood of potential couples meeting in other ways. 

The decline of the long-standing family unit won't disappear, and the consequences of that will continue to harm the outcomes of children in years to come as they gain their independence and engage more with the broader society.

The aforementioned lack of face-to-face social interaction has been largely replaced by app-centric friendships, which often lack substantial value or resilience. People, especially men, often have a weak social support network, so when hard times hit people find that there are less folks to turn to for help. 

Overall, a weaker network of relationships leads to a weaker society. This isn't a new set of problems for 2024, but I can only imagine that it will get worse. 

This blog

I can see the future of this topic as clear as day. I will eventually neglect this blog and post less frequently to it. This is likely to be motivated by a desire to spend less time online and less time using computers. My desire to spend more time on the immediate real world and people around me will win out. 

Okay, that's rather bleak. But I have created quite a few blogs over the years and I soon gave up on most of them. I promise that I'll try to avoid quitting this one so easily. Let's call it a resolution. If I stick it out for at least a year then I can write a post checking how these predictions turned out. Look at that! Already planning articles for 2025. There's some hope for this blog after all. 

In closing, those are my predictions for 2024. I know that they're not very optimistic. While I don't like being negative, I also don't like unfounded pie in the sky thinking. I do think that as a broader society there is hope. Humanity has a remarkable ability to adapt to the challenges it faces, but it can take a while for us to get there. So stay strong, look after your health, be kind, and don't give up. See you in the next post.