Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:12 pm
Thoughts on Nuking Accounts:
I wanted to avoid posting this in the other thread because I didn't want to engage in any back and forth on this topic. I've only been active here for 5 months so I don't think it is fair for me to be too critical.
One of the reasons I've only had an account here for 5 months is I've never shared any information openly online. DW has a Facebook page and occasionally posts photos from our vacations, but other than that I'm incognito. This is pretty rare for people in my generation. I understand the concerns that other users have about sharing too much information, and I'm sensitive to those concerns. I sometimes worry that I've already shared too much personal information here, and I may go back to edit posts or photos at a later date because circumstances change.
There were a handful of journals here that were particularly inspiring as I was lurking for years. Half Moon, J&G, 2birds1stone, Classical Liberal's, and one from a traveler who lived in Peru, Spain, and Malaysia on a very low sum (can't remember the name). I'm sure there are others but I only have so much time as a salaryman. After stumbling across the Animal's journal last summer and reading about his amazing journey, I decided that I should stop being paranoid and afraid, and share my story. The irony is that the act of trying to give something to the community actually resulted in more benefits to myself. This tends to be true in real life as well. I'm thinking about ERE concepts on a deeper level as a result of actively engaging here. After writing for just a few months, I've rode my bike farther than I've ever ridden before, baked my first loaf of bread, rendered tallow, fermented new foods, pushed myself in terms of guitar, and moved my FI date up multiple years. I'm sure there is a bunch of other stuff too.
I don't have any ill will towards those who have either deleted their journals or all of their posts. I think choosing to delete a personal journal is vastly different than nuking an account.
Jacob's terminology of "nuking" an account is quite apt. A nuke effectively destroys the target, but has lasting impacts on the environment and remaining community. I think some members are underestimating the impact this has on the community, both in terms of the precedent this sets and the ability to glean information for new users. Individual freedom needs to be weighed against responsibility to the broader community.
I think the forums function so effectively because there is a high degree of social capital here. An underlying tenet of social capital is a norm of reciprocity. While I understand the notion that one has the right to delete what they've written, I think there is also an obligation to respect the community here and consider the potential impacts of your actions.
As more traditional FIRE folks evolve, old threads are incredibly valuable in helping them move up the Wheaton scale. This was the case for me, and why I feel strongly enough to write about this here. When I first stumbled across FIRE through MMM, I checked out Jacob's site and thought this was kind of nuts. Living in an RV, lentils multiple times a week, $7,000 per year? I wasn't on the right Wheaton level or ready for the message yet.
On a lighter note - it always seemed to me that @Jason wrote the craziest posts. If he's not too worried about leaving those up, maybe none of us should be.
Thoughts on Looking at Landscapes:
I was on a hike this afternoon looking up at houses spaced out along the top of a large canyon/cliff. Of course, they had fences along the edge because it was the type of cliff that would probably kill you if you fell off. I was thinking about the following:
A few years ago I found myself in the city hall of a relatively small city. It was a new building with a great design and cool architecture. There was a small museum with some public art and an exhibit on the local architect who had designed the building. He was from the city, but had designed buildings around the world and was inspired to pursue architecture while doing a peace corps stint in the middle east. He was quite prolific in the PNW.
The thing that stuck with me from the exhibit was a story about a small, empty picture frame he used to carry around with him wherever he went. He noticed in his work that people seemed to appreciate landscapes and views much more when they were framed, typically by a large window. They would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a house in a remote location because they were inspired and attracted to a particular view. He took the frame with him on walks or hikes to help him remember what he was looking at, and to see it from a different perspective.
This has served as a personal reminder that there are endless amounts of amazing views, and I don't need to spend a bunch of money and throw down some sticks or bricks to appreciate and enjoy those views.
Thoughts on an FI Date:
I added an extra tab to my spreadsheet this week. I looked at my personal accounts and various SWR, separating them from a joint NW. I'm actually quite close to covering my half of our expenses - about 10.5K at a 4% SWR. I really only need the stash to last 27 years, because my pension and SS will kick in at that point. I used to think 42 was a realistic FI date, and that FI by 40 was a stretch. Looks like I could realistically get there by 38. DW would still have a long way to go, so we still need to figure things out before acting on any decisions.
I had a tough week at work, and I could tell because I updated my spreadsheets twice this week after the market jumped up. Typically I try to avoid this, because it can be a bit disappointing when I update my numbers at the end of the month. My work or tasks weren't really that different, it was just my response to some underlying stressors. A good reminder to keep a cool head and appreciate the simple things in life.
I wanted to avoid posting this in the other thread because I didn't want to engage in any back and forth on this topic. I've only been active here for 5 months so I don't think it is fair for me to be too critical.
One of the reasons I've only had an account here for 5 months is I've never shared any information openly online. DW has a Facebook page and occasionally posts photos from our vacations, but other than that I'm incognito. This is pretty rare for people in my generation. I understand the concerns that other users have about sharing too much information, and I'm sensitive to those concerns. I sometimes worry that I've already shared too much personal information here, and I may go back to edit posts or photos at a later date because circumstances change.
There were a handful of journals here that were particularly inspiring as I was lurking for years. Half Moon, J&G, 2birds1stone, Classical Liberal's, and one from a traveler who lived in Peru, Spain, and Malaysia on a very low sum (can't remember the name). I'm sure there are others but I only have so much time as a salaryman. After stumbling across the Animal's journal last summer and reading about his amazing journey, I decided that I should stop being paranoid and afraid, and share my story. The irony is that the act of trying to give something to the community actually resulted in more benefits to myself. This tends to be true in real life as well. I'm thinking about ERE concepts on a deeper level as a result of actively engaging here. After writing for just a few months, I've rode my bike farther than I've ever ridden before, baked my first loaf of bread, rendered tallow, fermented new foods, pushed myself in terms of guitar, and moved my FI date up multiple years. I'm sure there is a bunch of other stuff too.
I don't have any ill will towards those who have either deleted their journals or all of their posts. I think choosing to delete a personal journal is vastly different than nuking an account.
Jacob's terminology of "nuking" an account is quite apt. A nuke effectively destroys the target, but has lasting impacts on the environment and remaining community. I think some members are underestimating the impact this has on the community, both in terms of the precedent this sets and the ability to glean information for new users. Individual freedom needs to be weighed against responsibility to the broader community.
I think the forums function so effectively because there is a high degree of social capital here. An underlying tenet of social capital is a norm of reciprocity. While I understand the notion that one has the right to delete what they've written, I think there is also an obligation to respect the community here and consider the potential impacts of your actions.
As more traditional FIRE folks evolve, old threads are incredibly valuable in helping them move up the Wheaton scale. This was the case for me, and why I feel strongly enough to write about this here. When I first stumbled across FIRE through MMM, I checked out Jacob's site and thought this was kind of nuts. Living in an RV, lentils multiple times a week, $7,000 per year? I wasn't on the right Wheaton level or ready for the message yet.
On a lighter note - it always seemed to me that @Jason wrote the craziest posts. If he's not too worried about leaving those up, maybe none of us should be.
Thoughts on Looking at Landscapes:
I was on a hike this afternoon looking up at houses spaced out along the top of a large canyon/cliff. Of course, they had fences along the edge because it was the type of cliff that would probably kill you if you fell off. I was thinking about the following:
A few years ago I found myself in the city hall of a relatively small city. It was a new building with a great design and cool architecture. There was a small museum with some public art and an exhibit on the local architect who had designed the building. He was from the city, but had designed buildings around the world and was inspired to pursue architecture while doing a peace corps stint in the middle east. He was quite prolific in the PNW.
The thing that stuck with me from the exhibit was a story about a small, empty picture frame he used to carry around with him wherever he went. He noticed in his work that people seemed to appreciate landscapes and views much more when they were framed, typically by a large window. They would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a house in a remote location because they were inspired and attracted to a particular view. He took the frame with him on walks or hikes to help him remember what he was looking at, and to see it from a different perspective.
This has served as a personal reminder that there are endless amounts of amazing views, and I don't need to spend a bunch of money and throw down some sticks or bricks to appreciate and enjoy those views.
Thoughts on an FI Date:
I added an extra tab to my spreadsheet this week. I looked at my personal accounts and various SWR, separating them from a joint NW. I'm actually quite close to covering my half of our expenses - about 10.5K at a 4% SWR. I really only need the stash to last 27 years, because my pension and SS will kick in at that point. I used to think 42 was a realistic FI date, and that FI by 40 was a stretch. Looks like I could realistically get there by 38. DW would still have a long way to go, so we still need to figure things out before acting on any decisions.
I had a tough week at work, and I could tell because I updated my spreadsheets twice this week after the market jumped up. Typically I try to avoid this, because it can be a bit disappointing when I update my numbers at the end of the month. My work or tasks weren't really that different, it was just my response to some underlying stressors. A good reminder to keep a cool head and appreciate the simple things in life.