Early Retirement Extreme Forums

The defense industry in the U.S. only accounts for around 4% GDP. The finance industry (inclusive of real estate transactions) in the U.S. accounts for around 20% of GDP. So, I would assume any frictionless model to be flawed. Also, in 1996 there were over 8000 publicly traded companies in the U.S ...

Yeah, it's interesting how it works. I found myself yelling at somebody repeatedly for the first time in over a decade a couple days ago. For me, finding myself angry enough, or angry in a "hot" manner, such that I am compelled to yell is so rare an event I have difficulty determining which "part ...

“I have two small kids and I took time off to mom.”

I usually just short-handed this as Family Obligations with a somber tone and let them imagine the worst.

@bostonimproper:

Have you considered splitting the difference and joining a Unitarian Universalist congregation? The one in my ...

I'm very dubious about this.

Yes, I agree that whether or not AI will take human jobs may already be a question as out-of-date as fretting about the 4% rule or whether New York City will drown in horse manure. If the singularity is going to occur, it will likely occur before humans have time to ...

For Ni, the goal of categorization is more to get the full range---and see the forest for the trees. The logical details are not as important as having the categorization cover the complete space. The greatest sin for Ni is to miss some aspect of reality e.g. believing it's 2-dimensional when it's ...

Aristotle was a male eNTJ, so his friendship framework is next to useless for a female eNTP. It stinks of uber adult-masculine-energy decisively-put-all-your-relationships-in-clearly-delineated-boxes type functioning. Only three steps up from a kid leaning against a wall sorting the women walking by ...

Achieving true differentiation is quite difficult, but eventually one should be able to be fully present with others while not engaging responsibility or authority over their emotional states or behavior that does not directly effect you. IOW, the strongest, most self-aware individual will have the ...

Expect there to be some resistance, especially with the "I might need this someday" until they realize that "someday" might never come. Shoppers/hoarders in particular need to "grieve" the loss of their hoard of stuff.


The problem here is a bit different. My mother suffers from bi-polar disease ...

I would think the trending reality that businesses are having to make hard fork between producing luxury goods or goods for the increasingly immiserated might have some effect. The top 10% of households in the U.S. are now doing more than 50% of current consumer spending on top of whatever they are ...

That every human being or complex entity is uniquely valuable in the face of God's everlasting love. See also, "The Hermit" by Maxim Gorky.

jacob wrote: if so, I haven't found it.

Yes, you have!

Also, note that humans are sufficiently complex that most humans exist on more than one scale. For example, someone might be +1 relative to you on health but a relative -1 on wealth, etc.

Just needs to be expanded to etc. etc. etc. etc. etc...

The problem with simply taking any anti-stance is that you will tend towards shifting/escaping/avoiding/repressing rather than transcending. For example, it seems like a stereotypical social group at the other end of the same level spectrum from your current gang would be something like a group of ...

Yalom doesn’t suggest coming up with a list of values that can become meaningful to us, but that we immerse ourselves in life to become more aware of which values we already have.

Yes, and this is somewhat akin to Jacob's suggestions that one's outcomes must have been one's goals. Also why I ...

@delay:

Yeah, I think John Adams mostly got it right, and this also obviously somewhat applies to the ERE progression, even though our brave leader is a bit "bah, humbug" on the value of arts/humanities education ;) . Although, at this juncture in history, maybe "meta-crisis" and "systems science ...

So I'm seeking a second (test) opinion ;)


Why? The ISTP-A : Confident Virtuoso is probably the type most likely to be considered to be "cool." Although this would also be more the type that an INTJ would be moving towards by acquiring a variety of slick skills rather than by stretching in ...

One of many things I haven't quite resolved in my semi-retirement is a way to satisfy my "work hard, play hard" tendencies.

I am definitely not "work hard, play hard" (E..J) type myself, but for some likely-opposites-attract-type* reason this type frequently attempts to date and/or domesticate ...

I'm still in the game, but I'm dealing more in volume than numbers, because attempting something like Swedish Death Cleaning vs. my mother who is playing at something more like American Consumer Lifestyle Extension. Every day I take some stuff out. Almost every day more stuff comes in. In part, this ...

I think with academic families it's not just a matter of favors traded. There's also a great deal of nurture, and likely some nature (IQ is known to be at least somewhat heritable, although also sporty), and don't forget inter-marriage. There's also overlap with arts community and civil service ...

My description would be that I need a routine to not totally go off the rails, however, I eventually end up resenting whatever routine I come up with or that I am given and then I have to burn it down.


Yes, this runs so deep with me that no matter how much risk/anxiety or heartbreak/guilt I ...

Single guy living in a dismal, under-furnished space seems to be a timeless meme. Even in this modern/egalitarian era I think the majority of men spend absolutely zero time thinking about their living spaces until they cohabitate with a partner.

And it's also the case that the most successful ...