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Archive for category The Recession

The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You, Part 3

May 27

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

And now for the third installment in the series, “The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You.”  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Understand your situation. What this means is that it can help you to understand that this down economy (and however it may be affecting you) is just a temporary state in the evolution of your life and the world around you.  Things will get better.  Economies go in cycles.  Granted, this one is worse than it has been in a long time, but it will go up and improve.

This is also where the concept of acceptance can be very important.  When you accept that the current happenings are just a small blip in the grand scheme of things, and your life, you will start to have more hope and less stress.  You will be a success, no matter what your current situation.  When you accept and realize that what is happening around you is just part of the journey, then you will be able to orient your mind toward bigger and better aspirations.

Furthermore, if your life hasn’t been affected much by the recession, and things are pretty much the status quo, then it can be counterproductive to overly worry about the fearsome things that the mainstream media projects towards us incessantly.  Just because they highlight every detail of every disastrous bit of economic news ‘round-the-clock, doesn’t mean that there is impending doom for everyone.  Yes, the future may be uncertain, but you cannot know what it holds.  As a result, racking your brain with perpetual worries and a barrage of what-ifs will only lessen your quality of life.

But all this doesn’t mean that you should not be prepared if indeed misfortune does happen.

When you understand the nature of the situation, and are looking at the big picture, rather than short-term happenings, it makes it easier to not let your mind overly attach itself to worry, and trying to negate that worry. As we all know, the path of life does not always follow the exact direction we desire it to go.  There are many things that are completely outside of our control.  Unfortunately though, the mind is quite sensitive to looking for total control and certainty, in the respect that it feels we should be in control of everything.  It may project upon us thoughts similar to the following:  “If this happens, it was because of me.”  “If that happened, then it was my fault.”  “If I lose my job in the future, then I will be deemed a failure because I will not be able to provide for my children in the ways that I always have been.”

You see where I am going with this.  When the what-ifs and the uncertainty that fear creates overly manifest themselves in your mind, they can cause you to re-hash scenarios over and over, looking for a way out.  It’s like this, for example.  Say you see some more bad news on TV about how the economy is expected to get even worse.  Your mind may interpret that as an immediate threat that must be countered.  It activates a mechanism of fear, which may cause you to evaluate the scenarios with which you can prevent this fear from happening.

This is a very protective mechanism which evolved as a way to protect ourselves from imminent and tangible harm.

But when there is uncertainty present, and you do not know what can happen, the fear still exists.  The thing that makes its activation different from a situation with which there is indeed imminent and tangible harm (for example, if you are walking down the street and a car is bearing toward you at high speeds) is that when the tangible threat goes away, and you are unscathed, then the fear subsides, because you are certain the threat is gone.

On the other hand, when uncertainty is involved, which can breed a constant state of trepidation, then your innate fear mechanism stays in a low level of activation.  Since the threats are not immediately tangible, your mind may race and look for explanations to counter the foreboding thoughts.

This is where something may go from being a passing thought to a state of long-term stress.  But this is also where you can change this, just by implementing some conscious effort into your subconscious.

When you understand these thought processes, you may realize that what keeps you up at night may actually be an exaggerated threat caused by an overly-activated fear mechanism that is searching for ways to counter the fear.  But since there can be so many variables and uncertainty, your mind doesn’t stop looking for answers, thereby making it more difficult to set these thoughts aside and enter a more relaxed state.

Much of this can seem so real, but it is actually an automated thought process that may lie deep in your subconscious mind.

So what is the key?  One thing that can really help is to let the thoughts that trigger the fear mechanism (feelings of danger, uncertainty, etc.) just merely exist in your mind, but without incessantly trying to counter them, fight them, or explain them away.

how-to-deal-with-anxietyIt could kind of go like this:  Say you’re lying down to go to sleep for the night, and something reminds you of the thought of losing your job.  This causes you to feel a bit uneasy.  You feel fearful, so your natural reaction is to try to find ways to counter and eliminate the fear (danger).  You may then start to analyze the last couple of weeks at your job, looking for signs or evidence that may disprove this fear (in other words, looking for positive happenings that show your company is not thinking of laying people off).  You may indeed not find anything which helps quench the fear mechanism, so you start re-hashing other aspects of recent days at the office.  Did you read any reports that evidence the success of your company?  Has human resources disclosed any recent news that points toward job stability?  Did the last quarterly earnings report show your firm as being profitable?

So while thinking through everything, more and more thoughts of uncertainty may arise, leading you to think through other scenarios.  These subconscious triggers are infiltrating your conscious mind, and after a while, you look at the clock, and realize that you have been lying awake for a couple hours, and its getting late!

Let’s trace back to where this all started.  The first trigger was the subconscious thought that popped into your mind.  Something reminded you of the thought of losing your job.  This may have been entirely generated by your subconscious, but it activated your fear mechanism, which in turn caused you to direct your conscious thoughts to it, in an effort to quell the fear and danger that feels so real.  But since there is uncertainty involved, there is no one thing that can really explain it all away.  What this means is that, whether you spend 5 seconds thinking about it or 5 hours, you may usually find that the end result is the same – no real solution has been accomplished - and you are left feeling drained, stressed, and anxious.

The main point to remember is that you can help prevent yourself from going down this path toward prolonged stress, which leads to fatigue and other issues, just by consciously changing how you react to thoughts of uncertainty, and the accompanying fear that results.

As mentioned earlier, when your subconscious generates a worrisome thought, then purposely just try to let that thought exist and be there, without trying to counter it and without trying to quell the fear it creates by going through the motions.  Make room for it, all the while realizing two things:

1.  You have done the best you can, given the resources that you have, to minimize any negative effects that could be caused by the seemingly present danger at hand.  There is no reason to try to re-hash it all, because it is natural for a person to try to minimize danger and negativity when it comes to situations that impose them.

2.  The world is full of variables and things which you cannot control.  You accept this, and will make the most of whatever may happen.

As much as your mind may try to explain everything and seek absolute certainty, it is not possible.  As a result, it is of much benefit to allow space in your mind for things that are fearsome to you, but which cause your conscious mind to pursue a futile effort of certainty.

But you may ask:  “Don’t these thoughts cause anxiety in and of themselves, therefore warranting a reduction in that anxiety by trying to satisfy their need for a solution?”

Don’t be fooled by this.  Like I have mentioned, this can many times be a futile effort, therefore wasting mental energy searching for non-existent certainty.

“But these fearsome thoughts still cause anxiety?  What to do then?”

This is an important element of this process.  When you accept the low-level anxiety that a sudden worrisome thought produces, and allow room for it to be there, without trying to explain it away, then that thought (and the accompanying anxiety) will pass.  Your mind will naturally shift its attention and focus when you are not drawing attention to the worrisome thoughts by attempting to eliminate them and trying to explain them away.

Give it a try next time.  When a troublesome thought arises, you will likely be able to determine right away if it is a valid, tangible fear that requires immediate attention, or if it is something that does not have a definitive solution or answer.  When uncertainty and lack of immediacy is present, then purposefully try to shift your focus, without having to come to a conclusion and generate an answer to the fear the has reared its head.  Instead, you could go work on a hobby.  You could read a pleasant book.  You could go for a walk, play sports, listen to music, or hundreds of other things that can occupy your consciousness.  Also, if you happen to be trying to go to sleep, then focus on your breathing.  Take some deep breaths, and concentrate on the action of inhaling and exhaling.  Just this shift of focus itself may help you enter a more relaxed state, and keep your consciousness away from the ever-present fear that these times have generated.

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The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You, Part 2

May 26

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

A continuation of this post…

It’s baffling to think about really how much the world does revolve around money.  It really does make the world go ‘round.  This is ever so present by the current economic downturn the world is experiencing.

But the whole scope of it all is really confusing, unless you’re a fine-tuned economist.

It’s almost like organized chaos – everything seems so tumultuous when you turn on the TV and watch the news, when you hear about it at work, or how it is such a common denominator in casual conversation with others.

What’s also quite common is the fear that has resulted.  People are scared, so they are taking sometimes drastic actions to protect themselves.  This, of course, is a natural reaction.  When there seems to be danger looming, our instincts tell us to take action.

But is the danger over amplified?  Of course this is up for speculation, but of course there is danger; hence, there are fearful reactions.

The overall sense of abundance and security that many people are used to feeling is becoming threatened by this danger that we keep hearing about.  Our neighbors are losing their homes to foreclosure.  Our friends are losing their jobs.  The investment accounts are losing their value.  Prices are rising.  Education is becoming too expensive.  And on, and on, and on.  What a mind spin this can cause!  Turning on the news can just give us all a big headache and rush of anxiety.  All this bad news causes us to think “what if it happened to me?”

We don’t know what is around the corner, but we want answers, so our minds conjure up a variety of worrisome scenarios.  What if we lose our jobs and can no longer afford to put the kids through college?  What if we can’t pay the mortgage?  What if we lose our retirement?  What if the economy doesn’t recover soon?  What will we do?

What if we’re thinking about things all wrong?

Fear breeds uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that is creating undue stress for many of us.

When we feel we must be certain of everything, and cannot tolerate any what ifs with regards to the current situation, our minds start to race.  We cannot get it out of our heads, because we cannot find the certainty we need.  Our minds are looking toward the future, and wanting to know when everything is going to get better.  We keep trying to find answers, but they are nowhere to be found.  We keep trying to overanalyze if we have made the right decisions, only to find a myriad of other questions.  We try to find blame for what is going on, but that just adds more resentment and negative feelings.  Everything seems more and more complicated, stressful, and frustrating.  How can we help ourselves?

If you can identify with these scenarios, you can stop this fearsome cycle while still taking steps to ensure that you have your bases covered financially.

Acceptance. Now it is natural to feel a sense of angst with regards to what is going on.  There has been incredible greed and mismanagement by the powers that be out there, so when I say “acceptance,” by no means am I saying that anyone should become complacent.  What I am saying is that, in your own personal life, accepting whatever situation you are in, while committing to weather it to its fullest extent, with a goal in mind of coming through as unscathed as possible, will only help you reduce stress.

Let me explain.  When you try to avoid, escape, or sugarcoat your situation, and look at it with a sense of denial or extreme negativity, then it just makes it harder to live with.  When you are always trying to escape whatever pain is at hand, the process that you may use to assuage it may end up causing you more complications in the long run.  In many ways, it may hinder progress toward a long-term solution, and this hindrance may only exacerbate the anxiety in general.

When you are accepting something for what it is, in many ways, it can help you let go of the negativity associated with it, allowing more room to make the adjustments necessary to live with your situation and make the most of it.  When you perceive something as something you must accept and deal with, while being determined to work toward better days, then your current reality will just become more bearable.

Now this may give you some things to ponder to start with, and as this will be an ongoing discussion that may cover a couple more posts, I will leave off here for now.  Check back soon for a continuation…

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The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You

May 25

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

Before all of this financial calamity, so seemingly present everywhere, did you really think much about “the economy?”  What is it really?  Is the economy something true and real, or rather just a concept?

Let’s look at it this way:  The word “economy” has a wide variety of different usages and variations of definition, but I can’t seem to find one that aligns with the way it is portrayed in almost any medium in recent times.

What I am talking about is the fear that has manifested itself into this concept and encompassing term of the worldwide financial system.

Yes, “the economy” is a real concept, and it is very important.  But just as important is the way it is perceived.

This current perception needs a major overhaul.

Simply defined on Dictionary.com in the most pertinent way, an economy in the broader sense of the word is “the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., esp. with a view to its productivity.”  With excessive fear-mongering, this “management” can get blown way off course.

Yes, there are some pretty depressing and grim financial scenarios happening all over, but the fear that these situations breed has been quite contagious, causing a ripple effect that just exacerbates the state of the current happenings.  When left uncontained, this fear can spread quickly, just like a nasty virus.

When everything is constantly perceived as doom and gloom everywhere you turn, it can subconsciously alter behavior, even if there is nothing imminent around the corner that may affect something personally.

Does this mean that you should not prepare yourself for the unexpected and not worry whatsoever about what is happening around you?  Certainly not.  You may have loved ones who have been seriously affected by layoffs, home foreclosures, excessive debt, etc.  Since these scenarios are so close to you, it may be hard to usher them away without thinking too deeply into them.

Again, there is danger and uncertainty with what is going on with regards to the recession.  But the major difference between being paralyzed with fear and just going with the flow and taking things as they come, without excessive worry, all lies in your perception.

With the 24-hour news cycle constantly chirping away in your ear minutely analyzing every single iota of every bad situation out there, the awareness of it all that subconsciously gets implanted in your mind may get a bit skewed.

fear-and-the-media

Seriously, when awash in bad news all the time, it can really change the way you think about it all.  For example, you may have been going about your day in your regular way, and then you flip on the TV, only to hear that 7,000 more people got laid off, the Dow tumbled by another 300 points, the unemployment rate has went to a higher percentage, and home values continue to plummet.  Naturally, this will bring about fearful sensations.

But what if you didn’t flip on the TV, and just went about your day in your usual manner?  Would “the economy” really be directly affecting you?

Now of course, if you have found yourself in a dire financial situation that was caused by economical factors beyond your control, resulting from the recession, then yes, it may be directly affecting you.

If not though, then you are probably carrying out your daily life in a way that is not much inherently different than before.  So if you subtract the constant barrage of bad news from it that may be skewing your approach to things, then is “the economy” really something that should be at the forefront of your mind?

And even if it has had a negative impact upon you, then the same thing applies.  Take away the things that trigger fear, and the situation is still there.  But it’s how you perceive it that can make the difference between being petrified about it, or for you to be in a calm mindset enough to accept and be at peace with it, and work toward the solution with more of a clear head, which will only increase your productivity.

It really is all about the perception.  Also, it is about how you manage your own “economy,” which is your personal financial world – your income, your expenses, your savings, etc.  When you can make the most of a seemingly bad situation by taking fear out of the equation, and really buckle down in a manner most appropriate for your situation, you may see that your own personal “economy” may really be strong enough to weather the storm, despite all that you hear every day.

Check back soon for a continuation of this, and a discussion of some ways to lessen the fear and anxiety that may be unnecessarily plaguing you during these “economic times.”

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Many Cool Ways to Save Energy!

May 10

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Saving Energy, Society, The Recession, There Are Alternatives To...

There are many ways to survive a recession.  One of these methods is to determine many ways to save money on your electric, gas, or water bill.  Here are some suggestions:

Sometimes we may think that the energy bill just comes in the mail with a random amount on it that we have to pay.  When it is higher than we expect, we may get upset and complain about high energy prices.  Yes, these prices have went up drastically in the recent past, but the most important factor in keeping energy bills low is you.

We have all grown up in a world characterized by cheap, plentiful energy.  We flip on the light switch, and the light turns on.  Most of the time, we may not think of it much past that.  It’s just an automatic part of life.

Or, we may be cognizant that keeping on the lights and heat does cost a good amount of money, but we may only know how to conserve to a certain extent.

There really are so many ways to conserve, many of which may not be commonplace, that you can save a surprising amount of energy!  Here are some ways in detail…

So let’s start with some of the basics.

Be consistently mindful of your AC or Heat settings. And you don’t need a programmable thermostat.  Many times, we may set the thermostat to the setting we find most comfortable to us, and just leave it at that, whether we are home, asleep, or away.  I can tell you that this will gobble up a tremendous amount of money!  First of all, experiment with some lower temperature settings (for the heat), or some higher temperature settings (for the AC).  At my home, I usually keep the AC on 83 degrees during the Arizona summer, and the heat at 69 degrees during the winter.  I would guess that by those settings, I save about $50 - $75 a month on the energy bills.  Yes, they may not be ideally comfortable, and those with sensitive health conditions may need to be careful about what settings they choose, but I can tell you that getting used to them was not all that difficult, and I barely even notice.

But if you like your AC at 72 degrees, you are likely not going to increase the temp setting by 11 degrees, so start off by doing whatever works for you.  I think a good rule of thumb would be starting with a 2 – 3 degree increase, trying it out, and then working from there.  I bet after a few days, you will not even notice, but you will when you get your electric bill!

So when I say “be mindful” of the settings, this also includes realizing the times where you may not need to cool or heat the house as much.  If no one is at home during the day, make it a habit to adjust the temperature to a more energy-efficient setting before you leave.  The same goes for when you sleep.  This will save a tremendous amount of money.

how-to-save-money-on-energyPay attention to the weather, and use it to your advantage. The months of March – May and October – November are great months in my part of Arizona for opening the windows and keeping the AC and heat off most of the time.  My point here is to remember that there is nothing better than some fresh air and a breeze to help cool or heat your home when it is mild enough outside.  You don’t always have to rely on your thermostat to keep your house at an acceptable temperature.

The same goes for sunshine.  If it is cold outside, but the sun is shining, then open up your window coverings and let in the light!  This will help naturally heat your home a bit, and keep those energy bills down.  Something similar goes for a hot day.  Keep the window coverings closed on a sweltering summer day.

Dress for the occasion!  You will feel warmer at home during the winter if you wears jeans and sweaters around the house, allowing you to keep the thermostat at a lower setting.  The same goes for the summer.  Dress light and comfortably, and feel maximum coolness!

One of the things I think many people easily overlook is their landscape irrigation.  These days in the age of automatic timers, it’s easy to just set them and forget them.  In the mostly rare occasion of rain here, it always makes for an interesting sight when I see lawn sprinklers running when it is pouring rain.  If that is not literally pouring money down the drain, then I don’t know what is.  So remember, when you know rain is coming in, turn off your irrigation timers, and leave a note on your refrigerator to turn them back on once you feel that the plants have soaked up all that rainwater, and are ready to be irrigated again.  If I get an inch of rain here, I usually leave the irrigation off for about 7 – 10 days, and everything is just fine.  But of course that varies depending on your vegetation.

So that brings me to my next point – if you are not overly familiar with your vegetation’s watering needs, do some accurate research.  Yeah, your neighbor or your home’s previous owner may recommend one thing, but I am always a person to check for myself.  When I bought my house, the previous owners had the irrigation times set for a total cumulative watering time of 3 hours per week for everything.  I thought that was way too much, so I did some research and experimentation.  I only water everything now for 1 hour per week, and have been doing so for over 2 years, and everything still looks great.  That saves me about 3 – 4 thousand gallons of water per month, and a good amount of money!

Use a heavy blanket in the winter, or sleep with virtually nothing in the summer. No need for much explanation here!

Use ceiling fans whenever possible. This will help you feel cooler during the summer by circulating air toward you, or warmer in the winter by helping circulate the air up and throughout the room.  Just be sure to use the adjustment switch on the fan for the appropriate season and to set your thermostat to an energy-efficient setting.

Consider using a small space heater or AC unit in your bedroom at night. The first rule of thumb here is safety.  Only use a unit that appears safe to you and that you know how to use properly by consulting the owners manual.  We use a small space heater in our bedroom at night during the winter.  It has a thermostat on it, so it will turn on and shut off just like the regular heat, and keep the room at a steady temperature.  This way we can feel warm and cozy there, but can set the thermostat at a lower setting, because the rest of the house can then be much cooler.

Let there be less light in the house! We are all accustomed to having everything well-illuminated, everywhere.  Our streets, parking lots, stores, and especially homes, are bright, bright, bright.  Granted, in some cases, this is for safety reasons.  But ask the question of yourself – is the amount of lighting in my home really necessary?  I bet that most of the time, the answer will be no.

Do you leave lights on in rooms that you are not using?  Do you have too many lights on in one room?  Could the wattage be lowered?  Do you have outdoor lights on, even though there is a bright streetlight shining on the front of your house, giving you free illumination by the city?  These are good questions to ask.

My fiancé and I have an ingrained habit of always shutting off lights in rooms or areas we are not using.  Seriously, it is an absolute habit that we do without even thinking about it.  We use CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs) in as many areas as we can.  They use about ¼ of the energy, and last sometimes 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs.  Even though they are a bit more expensive to purchase up front, they save money over the long run, and are actually less expensive than you think – some now cost around $1.50 per bulb.

There have been some other ways we have been able to cut back on light usage as well.  In our master bathroom, we have a large window, but it is on a side of the house that doesn’t get ample light, so it is still necessary to turn on the lights inside.  The standard fixture in the bathroom has 8 vanity light bulbs.  Even using 40-watt bulbs, this gives off 320 watts of light, and gobbles up money.  And we are not fans of overly bright rooms, so we just put a small lamp on the bathroom counter, with a 40-watt equivalent CFL that uses 11 watts.  This gives us enough light to get ready in the morning, but uses 309 less watts of energy!

how-to-use-less-waterUse less water. This is an area where you can save a huge amount.  Just like energy, we have all become accustomed to having plentiful, cheap water at our disposal.  We turn on the tap and let it run, without thinking much about it.  I think the most important point here is to make it a habit to “be mindful” about how much water you use, and conserve it during every opportunity.  Here is a list of easy ways to do so:

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.  Really, all you have to do when shaving it to turn the tap on to rinse the razor when needed, and then shut it off until the next time.  Period.  I have been shaving this way for years, and it wouldn’t make sense to me any other way.

And while doing this, or using the sink in your bathroom for any other reason right before your shower, use the hot water tap.  This will help get the hot water to your bathroom while using it for other things that don’t require it to be hot, so that by the time your are ready to shower, you won’t have to wait as long for it to get hot!

Don’t turn on the shower, and go do other tasks that take time.  If you are turning on the shower for it to get hot, and then going to start breakfast for the kids, you may be letting the shower run for five minutes unnecessarily.  Turn it on and let it run while you get undressed or use the toilet, and by the time you are done, it will almost certainly be ready to go!

Try to reduce your showering time to 3 – 7 minutes.  You can do it!

If you live in an arid climate, think about getting rid of your lawn!  Plant vegetation that is native to your area, and uses less water (especially important here in the desert).

Don’t use a hose to wash your car.  A sponge, rag, and bucket will do the trick just fine!

When washing or rinsing anything in the sink, don’t run the faucet on full blast.  You will surprise yourself with how much you can do with less.

If your clothes washer was built within the last 10 - 15 years, it will almost certainly have a setting for how large of a load you are washing.  This controls the amount of water used.  Use it!

The same goes for your dishwasher.  It will likely have a setting for saving water.

Check for plumbing leaks anywhere in the house.  This is a sure way to save loads of money, if you find something leaking.

Closely examine your water bill when it comes.  If you think you are being billed for too much water usage, check your meter on the day of the month the bills show the meter as being read.  Then check it exactly one month later, and see if it matches the bill.  If not, contact your water company to get it corrected.  I have heard of many people who have found substantial errors on their bills!

Be mindful of how much hot water you use. Most of the time, clothes that are washed in the washer do not need to be washed in hot, or even warm water.  I have been washing everything in cold water for years, and my clothes look fine.  And don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks that may make you think you need their special “cold water” detergent.  Personally, I think that the fancy detergents that have all the “bells and whistles” listed on their package make no difference.  I have been using a basic, no frills detergent for a long time, and my clothes come out looking great.

Also, look at other ways you use hot water.  Do you use it to wash your hands, even during the summer?  Do you take steaming hot showers that almost scald you?  Do you use it to rinse off dishes before you put them in the dishwasher?  Think about these and any other areas, and ask yourself if you really need to do so.

Adjust the setting on your water heater.  Most of them only need to be set around 120 – 122 degrees to keep a good, hot supply.

Only run your dishashwer or clothes washer with full loads. This will save on the amount of energy and water used by running less loads.

Line dry your clothes if at all possible. The clothes dryer uses a large amount of energy and money.

Check your refrigerator and freezer settings. Do you have them set on the coldest settings?  It is likely you don’t need them that cold.  Although this may vary by the type of food stored, and you will want to decide on a temperature that will keep your food safe (that is up to you to research and decide), it is very likely that you can get by with having it set on the mid-point or just below.

Do you have a refrigerator in your garage just to store beverages or other items in bulk? Consider consolidating them in your main unit.  I bet with careful organization, you can get it all to fit.  Then, you can disconnect and sell your second fridge!  And as a side note, keeping a refrigerator/freezer in a garage that is not climate-controlled is a definite energy hog.

Turn off your computer, or other electronics that have a stand-by mode, when you are not using them. Your computer does not have to be on 24/7.  Leave it on “stand-by” if you think you will use it again in a couple hours or so, but when you know you’re done for the day, shut it off.  The same goes for your monitor, printer, or other electronics.

Connect your electronics (TV, DVD player, computer, etc.) to a surge-protecting power strip. When you are done using them, switch the power strip to off, and you will prevent them from sucking up electricity.  Many of them will continue to draw a small amount (and sometimes large) of electricity when off or in stand-by mode.

When you see your mp3 player, cell phone, or other rechargeable device is finished charging, unplug the charger cord. This will prevent the transformer in the charger from continuing to draw electricity.

These are some basic things that you can do to save money and energy at home, without really having to invest much on anything!  Make it a challenge for yourself to save a combined total of $100 per month on your energy and water bills.  I can almost guarantee that you can do it.

There are many more ways to really cut back on energy usage.  These typically include making investments in more energy-efficient appliances, or by making some changes around the house in terms of structure or insulation.  I may cover those more in depth at a later time, but this should give you a good start for now!

I welcome comments with any other suggestions you may have!

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Conservation is Automatic, Efficiency Abounds, Wastefulness is Non-Existent

May 4

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

And now for the final post in this series…

One of the easiest and most important things that can be learned from the way the natural world around us uses resources is that frugality is essentially the norm within ecosystems and their realm of species.

It could be said then that within the natural world, conservation is automatic, efficiency abounds, and wastefulness is essentially non-existent.  It is the way the natural world operates, and is what keeps it in a harmonious balance.  There is a use for everything, and nothing goes to waste.

Fast forward to the human-created industrial machine and the commercialistic society where we in the civilized world live.  These principles do not seem to be the norm, and as a result, things have become out of balance, which are having a ripple effect upon the natural world, which has contributed to putting it out of balance.  This has a negative effect upon all of us, much of which is rearing its ugly head during these times of economic and environmental crisis.

But can we extract these simple and effective principles with which the natural world operates and apply them to our daily lives and society to help save money and resources?

By all means yes.  If there is anything which can help direct the economy and environment toward a better balance, these principles can…

Conservation is automatic. Hyper-consumption, which is promoted and encouraged by many factors of our society, leads to large profits by some, but also leads to an extreme amount of waste by many.  Our society has become one that runs on a philosophy that things are disposable.  After all, the more things get thrown away and wasted, the more void there is to fill with new products.  It creates a market for them, which fills the coffers of companies with more and more profit in the short-term.  But what about the long-term?

There is a breaking point, and we seem to be in it right now.

Societies that operate on this principle cannot be perpetually sustainable, period.  There is only a limited number of resources within our world, so there is no room for waste.  That is why the natural world has evolved and adapted around this principle, and that is why it has sustained itself for millions of years.

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Like I mentioned in a previous post, money, in essence, is not natural.  Yes, indeed, it is an important and useful tool, but the inherent philosophy that it drives is not generally compatible with nature.  The economy will become much more sustainable over the long-term if it operates by a philosophy of ensured sustainability, rather than a nearsighted philosophy of obtaining maximum profitability in the short-term.  This nearsightedness allows for waste, because the convenience of taking the easiest route to the most money can cloud vision and block out the long-term effects of this easy wastefulness.

The world will benefit greatly if the general principle of conservation is adopted on a wide-scale.  But so too will your household…

Put in simple terms, the less products you consume in your home, the less money you are spending.  In the future, I will post about many ways you can conserve around the house and save money to help give some ideas, but take a simple examination of the things you use, and you may see many opportunities for where you can reduce the amount of something you consume or where you can reuse something that may otherwise be headed for the trash bin.

A good place to start would be anything related to food, but more on that later…

Efficiency abounds. The biological systems of nature are extraordinarily efficient.  Materials, nutrients, and resources are used in a way that makes them last the longest and in a way where the maximum benefit is achieved.  Applying this principle around the home can save a lot of money, and prevent you from buying more than you really need.  Look for ways where you find opportunities to apply this.  Can you use one paper towel instead of two when cleaning?  Would a 40-watt light bulb have the same end result as a 60-watt, therefore saving 20 watts of energy, but making no noticeable difference?  How about brown bags for lunch?  Do you find yourself using a new one every day, where instead you may be able to reuse an old plastic shopping bag?

You get the picture.  There may be dozens of ways with which materials you use could be used even more efficiently, thereby saving you money.

Wastefulness is non-existent. As a result of the principles above, virtually nothing in nature goes to waste.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  It really is.  All it takes is keeping these principles at the forefront of your decision making.

When it is fully understood that the less resources used equals money saved across the board, then eventually, things can help get back toward more balance.

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A Locally-Sourced Economy Can Create Jobs and Independence

May 2

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

As a continuation of my previous post…

Natural systems utilize resources to their maximum possible benefit. Now there is a lot to be learned from this example.  Species are creative as to the varied ways they use the materials in their local environment.  Virtually nothing goes to waste.  We can do the same.

And in many ways, you may do so already.  But are there some ways you can make better use of what is around you?  Instead of treating certain things as waste to be discarded, is there something productive you can use them for, which will prevent you from buying something in their place, thus saving you money?

It is really amazing as to what can be achieved from this overall philosophy, which will also be discussed in more detail in a later post.  But how can this principle help create jobs and independence?

Let’s take alternative energy for example.  In my opinion, there is no way that it is not possible for the United States to become energy independent in the next ten years.  It’s just a matter of making the most out of what is available and utilizing these resources to their maximum possible benefit.

And I am going to drive home this notion to emphasize this point.  No matter what those who oppose the notion of “green” or alternative energy say, I feel that a combination of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass generated power can produce all the energy we need.  Period.  Frankly, I am tired of the debate about this.  Let’s just come together and work hard toward the solution.

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Fossil fuels make for an easy crutch.  The internal combustion engine, which our transportation systems still entirely rely on, was invented in the 1800s!  Granted there have been modifications made to increase its performance over time, but the basics of it are still in place.  So think about it this way – we are still utilizing a technology that was invented well over a century ago!  I think it is because it is easy, and a hugely profitable system has been developed around it.

But in a current-day application, with all the challenges facing the world and the economy, can’t we think beyond an 1800s technology, utilize readily available and plentiful resources to their fullest extent and benefit, and work toward the achievable goal of developing new 21st century technologies!?!?

To me, that’s a formula to help create jobs and achieve energy independence, and I will not let anyone else tell me different.  And it’s not just rhetoric.  If we take these natural principles, and utilize what we have to its maximum possible benefit, then it can happen.  Human ingenuity is far too creative to say that we can’t do it!

So to sum up the application of these principles in an example using the simplest terms possible…

Solar radiation (sunlight) is readily available just about anywhere in the world.  In our own country, this is, of course, a locally-available resource.  We can make the most of it.

How? By utilizing all of our related resources to their maximum possible benefit.

What are these resources?

Money. Look at the government bailout?  What if $500 billion of it was instead devoted to the development of solar technologies that could be made affordable for everyone and satisfy all of our energy needs?  I’m sure that within just a few short years, they would be developed.

People. What about engaging our home-grown talent?  Motivating them to study and learn the sciences needed to develop such a thing?  Yes!  Our people are our #1 resource.  There are some brilliant minds out there that, with the proper nurturing and education, have the capability to develop the ideas that can drive the technologies of tomorrow.  The same goes for the trades people, skilled labor, and hands-on workers who can be put to work developing and manufacturing the “nuts and bolts” of it all!  Now there’s some job creation!  Energy is one of the absolute largest industries in the world.  Everyone uses it as a product, and it is needed everywhere!

Natural resources. Sunlight is everywhere, and it takes no effort to mine, drill, or obtain it.  We’re literally bathing in it every day, but we are most certainly not utilizing it to its maximum benefit.  When we unlock the secret of efficiently and easily obtaining maximum energy from it, then the possibilities are endless!

And what about the raw materials needed to provide the vehicles for this energy delivery.  I’m sure too that with the right technologies, we can make the most of what we have available to us.

The time is at hand to look at these things seriously and with an open mind.

More to come…

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Making the Most Out of What Is Available

Apr 30

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

As a continuation of this series…

In the setting of nature and the species that live within it, food, water, and the resources used to provide shelter are sourced from the local environment.  These species utilize what is available to them in their local habitat.

Now, as humans are a vastly more complex species than others, our lives are no longer really as simple as only being guided by the pursuit of basic food, shelter, water, sustenance, and happiness.  We have created endless supply chains for items that sustain us and contribute to the building of our shelters.  Even some of the most elemental of products that we consume are shipped from thousands of miles overseas.

Let’s start by breaking this down a bit.  Are our needs really that much more complex than those of other species, when you hash them down to the most fundamental level?

In a general sense, I don’t feel that they are.  We are driven by the same needs, desires, and instincts as many other mammal species.  We need food, water, and security; love, and contentment.  Those are the essential driving forces that make us tick.  They are entirely evident if you peel back all the layers of the human condition.

The thing that does make us different from other species is that we have been able to harness our creativity and the power of ideas.  This has only been enhanced throughout time by our unparalleled ability to communicate with each other with precision.  We have evolved into incredibly intelligent beings who have essentially been able to create a complex world around us that caters to manifestations of all of the above needs, desires, and instincts.

Now I won’t go too deep here into this sort of philosophy on a money blog, but I will extract some things that can be learned from our inherent origin as species who emanated from nature.

And again, I am looking at the natural world and its origins in a general sense which is not intended to be exclusionary.  I feel that religion and evolution can go hand-in-hand and are compatible.  I do not disbelieve in one or the other.  Each is an interpretation of the world we see around us and each has its own validity.

There are a couple important things that I feel can be learned from examining the natural world and how most species utilize resources from their local habitat…

making-the-most-from-what-you-haveMaking the most out of what is available. Going back to the example of birds.  They utilize the natural resources available to them.  They build nests out of whatever they can find, and they certainly make the most of it!  So reflect upon this a bit in relation to your household in general.  Are there resources around you with which you can be creative and use to your advantage?  How often do you find that you no longer want a certain item that is perfectly useful or in good condition?  Is your first thought to just discard it in the trash?  Is there something useful that could be gained from it instead?

Our commercialized society has conditioned us and ingrained in many of us the notion that we must always have new and “upgraded” things, and that we should not settle for hand-me-downs, repaired items, or things that are older.  And of course that makes sense from the view of the manufacturer or producer – they must create a continual market for products somehow!

And this insatiable thirst for the latest and greatest is essentially the antithesis of the notion that we should make the most out of the resources around us.  In our homes, we are trained that things are disposable and to be used only once.  In many areas, we basically have little choice about where the things we buy originate from.  A huge percentage of household wares are manufactured in other countries.  Just a random stroll through a department store makes it evident that there is a low number of items available for purchase that were made in the United States.

In my opinion, from a household level, practicing frugality in general is a very large contributor toward a possible remedy to these habits, which can only help toward a more sustainable economy and environment.  This sense of frugality will be discussed in my next post in this series.  But what about society and the economy in general?

We have shipped hundreds of thousands of jobs overseas, since somehow the corporations figured that instead of utilizing the skilled workforce it already has within the borders of the country it does business in, that it can profit even further by utilizing labor in other countries.  That is not making the most out of what is local.

And the same goes for the raw materials needed to produce the manufactured items.  Most of the time I would guess that the least expensive materials are utilized in the manufacturing process, using elements and substances from foreign lands.  Now of course, saving money isn’t a bad thing, but in many ways, I think the overall concept of that becomes a lazy crutch for many corporations seeking to take the easy way out and not making the most out of what is available nearest them.

So am I saying that corporations and the way our economy works is entirely bad?  No.  Should we eliminate global trade?  No.  We need exports to help flourish.  What I do feel though is that corporations, investors, and businesses need to step back a bit from outsourcing jobs to other countries, and also need to utilize resources local to them and make the most of them.  Why can’t we employ more of our own citizens?  Why can’t more products be manufactured here?  I don’t think it’s for a lack of resources…

Check back soon for the continuation of this post, and a currently applicable example of how using the principle of how natural systems utilize resources to their maximum possible benefit can potentially create jobs and independence.

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Interdependence

Apr 27

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

In these modern times, many of us in the industrialized and civilized world are quite disconnected from being truly interdependent on nature itself.

Many of us live in cities or towns in a house built to protect us from the elements, but also to provide a comfortable, convenient existence. And I certainly won’t complain about that.

But it is a bit unfortunate though that, since we have created a modernized, mechanized, and material society around us, and have made money the primary means as to how to obtain sustenance, we have, in many ways, lost sight of a true reality.

That reality is that we are a part of nature, and not above it. The natural world does not revolve around us, nor is our natural environment here only for us to use with reckless abandon.

Without getting into an ideological debate with this, it is important to remember that this notion is not incompatible with religious faiths, whatever your belief is, so my intention is certainly not one of exclusion. I feel that evolution and religion are compatible, and belief in one does not necessarily mean that you have to disbelieve or discredit the other.
So with that being said, let me get back to my examination of this notion that we are a part of nature, and realizing our place in it to the fullest extent possible can help us become more of an interdependent society, rather than a dependent one.

And this will be done in a more philosophical sense, with which you, depending on your situation or environment, may be able to extract and apply things to your specific situation as you see fit. Obviously, we all may not have tillable land to start a garden in our backyards, or live in proximity to an area with which farmers’ markets thrive. And that’s fine – the most important thing to keep in mind is that the simple realization of our place in nature can help bring about positive change, no matter how small, and a collection of small changes equals much larger ones!

In many ways, we have built a society that relies entirely on money to function. If the money were to all of a sudden become scarce or lose its value, then many people would not know what to do.

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, we have lived in an era of relative abundance. Due to technological advances and the motive of profit, entities have been developed that make a business of production for the sake of making as much money as possible.

Now granted, there have always been businesses throughout modern history, but never on the scale of the corporations that have come about through the evolution of the Industrial Revolution. This sense of wide-scale production and transportation has created methods to put the production and dissemination of goods in the hands of large manufacturers and distributors, thus making it easier and less expensive to obtain whatever goods a person desires, as long as he or she can afford them. What has resulted is what we could call “the economy.”

interdependence

Instead of making things for ourselves, from resources at hand and local to us, we have become reliant on going to “the store” for everything that we want or need. Most of us no longer plow our own fields to grow our food, make our own clothes, dig our own wells for water, and so forth. Without this hands on approach to nature, we lose sight of what it really takes to bring about our own sustenance. We do not see what it takes to grow a bushel of wheat. We do not see what it is like to raise a herd of sheep to bring about wool for our clothing. We have not built our own shelter.

Now again, I am not saying that we should all abandon our way of life and go out into the woods and live off the land. But I am suggesting that we at least remember that the world around us is not all about cars, streets, stores, airplanes, TV, and such. We are interdependent with nature.

Now there is a large degree of interdependence within in the current-day economy, but that interdependence has shifted from a true back and forth relationship with nature, to one where it is entirely dependent on nature, and interdependent on other industries, all of which are mostly only dependent on nature as well.

To me, this sort of relationship can easily get out of balance, because in general, it does not fully heed the principles discussed in this post. Our economy has become out of balance, possibly and partly because of a disproportionate measure of handling of resources among different entities, whether that be money itself, raw materials, natural resources, and more.

When we try to make the most profit possible, for the quickest gain, while spending the least amount of money and effort, the result can many times be a degradation of the resources required to produce the product in the first place.
A good example of this would be a corporate farm that produces only one type of crop in its fields. Over time, without rotating different crops on the same field, which can help maintain the right balance of nutrients in the soil, the soil can become infertile and essentially useless, therefore deeming that area of land no longer tillable.

Thus, the crux of my point: Without the realization that we are indeed part of nature (interdependent), instead of masters of it manipulating it for our sole benefit (dependent), then imbalance follows, which wreaks havoc on our world and economy as a whole.

When you realize our place in nature, you realize the importance of nature’s principles, more of which will be discussed in updates to come…

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It’s All About The Balance

Apr 25

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

Natural ecosystems are all about balance.  Due to the factors that play a role in this - most importantly, the interdependence of all species – the ecology of the earth in general keeps itself in check.

In the most simplistic interpretation of how an ecosystem operates, everything essentially relies on other things within its environment for sustenance.

Look at birds for example.  They live entirely from resources found in their natural environment.  They get their food from eating insects, fruit, seeds, plants, and other sources, depending on where a particular species has evolved and adapted to.  Water is obtained from rivers, lakes, the ocean, or even from food, depending again on the species and where it has evolved.  Shelter, when needed, is created from resources local to the area as well.

Considering this, one important point to keep in mind is that most species in the natural world use only the resources they need to survive, and no more.  So that brings a further point to emphasize…

In natural ecosystems, virtually nothing goes to waste.  There is a remarkable sense of efficiency apparent when a variety of interdependent biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of a given environment are studied.

Although there is much to learn from our natural earth as a whole (but without going too much further into the vast complexity of it), I want to extract the most important principles of what keeps ecosystems in balance, so as to examine how they might be applied to our households.  This can potentially benefit the economy and environment as a whole by helping keep our human-created systems and infrastructures in better check.

So what are these principles?

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Interdependence. – We all play a very important part in the economy and human environment as a whole.  How we use resources in our households, in our businesses, in our corporations, and in our countries directly or indirectly affects each other in one way or another.  For example, a large majority of the American public relies on grocery stores as their food source.  The grocers rely on farmers and corporations to produce the food.  The food producers rely on the natural environment to produce the food sold to the grocer.

Natural resources are sourced locally. – Using the example of birds, they utilize resources from the local environment with which they are currently in.

Frugality is the norm. – In general, species in the natural world use only the resources they need to survive, and no more.

Conservation is automatic.  Efficiency abounds.  Wastefulness is essentially non-existent. – Many species plan for scarcity.  Instinctually, they use resources with this in mind.  Whether this means gorging themselves to build up their fat stores to get them through a winter with relatively no food, or the fact that there may not be much food currently available in their environment (so they have to consume sparingly and to maximum benefit), in either case, they are essentially following the ideal of conservation.  The concept of wastefulness doesn’t come to mind, because resources generally don’t come easy.  The concept of interdependence integrates into here as well, since some species also may conserve so as to save more to share with their immediate groups, for example.

Now of course there will have to be interpretive applications of these concepts to many areas within a household or area of the human environment, but much can be derived from them.

Check back soon for an examination of each of these principles and how they can be applied to your household, which can not only create more balance within your finances and well-being, but within society as a whole.

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Money, In Essence, Is Not Natural

Apr 23

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

There are basic elements of life that must be met in order to ensure survival.  Once these needs are met, then in general, the next things of importance can be embraced, and a sense of fulfillment met.

So how does money fit into this picture?

Before I delve into a bit of philosophy about that, I wanted to take a moment to examine the natural world around us.

In the natural order of things, money plays no part.  There is no other species of life that uses it, nor is their a true ecosystem or natural pecking order that revolves around it.  But yet, there are hundreds of thousands of species among us that live out their existence without the use of a unit of trade or legal tender to bring amount their means of survival or fulfillment.

From a naturalistic point of view of the world as a whole, the human species does not take precedence or superiority over other species; rather, it fits into the natural balance of the earth’s ecology.  In this naturalistic sense, which is essentially non-existent in our civilized world, humans would have an ideal habitat with which to thrive and be fulfilled from the environment around us.  There would be no need for money, because everything needed would be at hand, and our instincts would guide our survival, just as is so for every other living organism.

Although I am not an adherent to the overall philosophy of naturalism, I do think there are some very useful things that can be learned by looking at the world through that lens from time to time.

money-is-not-natural

Now the human species is entirely too complex to hypothesize that it would be possible to have a society that does not utilize money; hence, it only makes sense that our civilization requires it to function.  But I do feel that at one point, it came to a crossroads where it has went far beyond a locus where money can be viewed as a useful tool, to a place where we have become overly reliant on it, so much so that if it were to become suddenly scarce or lose its value, then we would be left stranded in ruins.

One can only look back to the Great Depression to see the effects of such a scenario.

We have transcended to a point where we have let our creations overcome our true place in nature, and as a result, we are losing touch with the true reality.

Now I’m not saying let’s all take a “let’s get back to our roots” approach to living our daily lives.  We are at a given point in time where our society is built how it is built, and all we can do is move forward.

But we can make adjustments in our thinking and behavior that allow for “progress” to take a different direction.

Our economy is built on a model of continued, sustained growth, and if that doesn’t happen, it seems that issues result, as evident by the current economic crisis.  But can our civilized world perpetually “grow?”

When it comes to big picture economics in general, like the ones that you learn in Macro- or Microeconomics classes in school, I am certainly no expert.  Those concepts seem entirely too complicated for me to comprehend with logic, as I tend to view money in more simplistic terms, so I will leave that up to the experts.

But one thing I can assume is that as an economy grows, so does overall consumption, and the resources needed to support it.

I do feel there is a problem to this model though, in that there is only a limited number of resources to utilize to fuel this consumption and growth.

So should a change in approach be integrated into our society and economies in general, so as to develop a more sustainable and balanced economy that can last for generations?  Should we examine natural systems and see what can be learned from them?

There is a lot to be learned from observing the natural world around us.  Now it will be far too complex to try to examine this looking at the big picture of the world as a whole in this blog, but what about taking some simple ideas and integrating them into your household philosophy?

Check back soon for a start to this discussion…

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