notes on overconsumption and instead of a self help book
I had an acquaintance explain to me that his current income of $200,000 a year salary is insufficient to travel whenever he wants, let alone purchase all the luxuries (two mansions, a Bugatti, a supermodel wife) he needs to be happy. This is a truly sad (let alone misogynistic) perspective on life, but it's a hyperbolic version of the typical argument for every product in modern American capitalism. "Buy my product and you'll feel
The pathetic nature of luxury overconsumption does not seem to extend, however, into the kinds of things that people assume "make us better." Friends may give sideeye to a 29-year-old when they lease an Audi they can't afford, but the same is not necessarily true for dubious supplements, self-help books, or overprescriptive planning tools. Only in America can multinational companies explain to people that their true self-actualization will only arise via the purchase additional consumer goods.
I will not rewrite here all the work of Peter and Michael over on "If Books Could Kill", but needless to say the self-help book is an incredible example of how someone can take semi-useful advice and bloat it up to book length. In lieu of every self help book you could purchase, here is a brief list of things that makes my life better than it used to be.
Instead of a Self-Help Book by A Man Too Busy to Write One (and frankly couldn't be bothered)
1. Find a Job that's Tolerable
Finding a job that is within a reasonable number of hours that pays the bills is lexically prior to anything a productivity or wellness grifter could sell. Financial precarity under late neofeudalism is no joke, and until basic needs are met, no special secret productivity tool will cure longing. A company does not love its employees, and looking for cosmic meaning and justice from employment is a fool's errand. The same logic applies to the overworked finance bros, who should get a real job that isn't ruining the country and allows time for non-work pursuits.
2. Actually Care for Yourself
Drink sufficient water. Consume plenty of protein. Eat Vegetables. Take a one-a-day. Sleep 7-9 hours a night. Drink sparingly. Get exercise.
Wine nights, gratitude journals, and ice cream dinner (because "I deserve it") are at least orthogonal if not counterproductive to the simple shit. I spent too much of my life fantastically overweight, and decided I didn't want to treat myself all the way into adult diabetes. Probably widely applicable advice.
3. Do Things Offline
Read. Play board games. Host a cocktail party. Learn how to make good coffee at home. Woodwork.
The specific hobby is irrelevant, so much as it is disconnected from the internet. The real-world is lovely, go do something in it.
4. Buy Less Shit
People get used to luxuries quickly and it is a pain to maintain piles of stuff. For more information, see You Have Too Much Shit.
5. Be Good to Others
Purely selfishly, it feels good to take care of other people. Take your friend out to lunch for their birthday. Give the homeless person some cash. Plan an event for your friends to get together. The guy who does things for others is awesome.