Musings Report #6 2-8-14 Solve for X: "Half Farmer, Half X"

You are receiving this email because you are one of the 400+ subscribers/major contributors to www.oftwominds.com.

For those who are new to the Musings reports: they are basically a glimpse into my notebook,the unfiltered swamp where I organize future themes, sort through the dozens of stories and links submitted by readers, refine my own research and start connecting dots which appear later in the blog or in my books. As always, I hope the Musings spark new appraisals and insights. Thank you for supporting the site and for inviting me into your circle of correspondents.

Solve for X: "Half Farmer, Half X"

What is "half farmer, half X?" A growing number of young Japanese people, according to Junko Edahiro, whose 8-minute TEDx Tokyo talk on the "De" Generation was sent to me by longtime correspondent Zeus Y. in an email exchange resulting from last week's Musings Report (What's Behind the Erosion of Community?)

And what is X? X is whatever else the person wants to do with their lives. This stands in stark contrast to the Corporate Japan script that has been the "program" for life in Japan since 1946: work crazy hours in complete devotion to the corporation or institution, sacrificing one's own life in the process.

We have plenty of friends in Japan and so we know this is still the operant model: the male breadwinner works six days a week, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. In some cases, the 7th day is devoted to classes and study needed to advance the breadwinner's career within the institution. Few women are able to work after having children, and their career paths within institutions/corporations are generally stunted. Yes, there are glacial changes in gender opportunity, but these changes are extremely modest.

When I say, "solve for X," it isn't an algebraic problem, it's an expression of human freedom and choice: what interests you? What do you want to learn, pursue, master, share, create, enjoy?

Being half farmer, half X requires a very low-cost lifestyle--no middle-class luxuries here, except the one luxury the middle-class employees of Corporate Japan (or America) can never have: time.

Zeus made a number of excellent points in our email exchange, and I excerpt three here:

"The new price of entry is production, as I said in my book (Transforming Economy: From Corrupted Capitalism to Connected Communities). If you are a parasite of any stripe, you are dispensable."

"Now the only thing that has to happen is for people who have grown dependent on a corrupt and unsustainable (and time-wasting) government, corporate, pop culture, bureaucratic world, to wake up and awaken their genius, contribution, and connection. That is happening as we speak on a largely invisible level."

"Here's the deal between the two worlds right now: the Status Quo is dying but trying to take everything with it and the other is trying hold the old world up enough to avoid complete collapse, buy time, and construct the airplane of the new world, all while flying."

The conventional media and indeed, the entire Status Quo, is terrified of a world devoid of middle class consumers who willingly support debt-based consumption via workaholic devotion to corporations and high earnings/taxes. Being half farmer, half X looks incredibly appealing, given that the one luxury reserved for the super-wealthy--time--is within reach of everyone who jettisons the "middle class" aspirations and lifestyle that mask the harsh reality of debt-serfdom.

Summary of the Blog This Past Week

The New Super-Food: Pizza 2/8/14

When Conventional Success Is No Longer Possible, Degrowth and the Black Market Beckon 2/7/14

The Mafia State of Mind 2/6/14

The Federal Reserve's Nuclear Option: A One-Way Street to Oblivion 2/5/14

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way 2/4/14

Our Two Most Onerous Taxes: College Tuition and Healthcare Insurance 2/3/14

This week's entries (other than the pizza post, which I hope inspires people to make their own pizzas) are all about the vast skimming operation that is enabled by the Status Quo mindset: we love our servitude, as Aldous Huxley predicted, even as it renders us unhappy and ill.

Best Thing That Happened To Me This Week

Home-made pizza with family and Chinese New Year dishes with friends. What can I say but Yowzah!

Market Musings

Take a look at this chart of the Coppock Curve from McClellan and guess what it seems to be saying:

It seems to be saying "mega-rollover within a few months."

In fundamental terms, I see the yen carry trade as the doppleganger of the entire rally from March 2009. As long as the yen-SPX correlation holds, and Japan succeeds in weakening the yen, then the rally can continue.

When the yen carry trade collapses, for whatever reason, then the SPX will be free to fall. And fall it will.

From Left Field

What's wrong with American hospitals? (via Kent W.) - a scathing indictment of for-profit sickcare

Bitcoin Ignites Ron Paul's Parallel Currency Revolution (via Steve K.)

Monsanto - A Documentary on GMO (via Kent W.)

Limits to Growth–At our doorstep, but not recognized (via Steve K.)

On the Other Side of Collapse: Notes from the Island of Cyprus (via John D.)

amazing photos of whale sharks (via CNF and U. Doran) -- now that's a mouth (for a totally harmless creature...)

A Look at Korea’s Culture From the Bathhouse (via Katharine K.) -- interesting account of obsessive focus on beauty... only wealthy nations need apply...

New Analysis Shows Problematic Boom In Higher Ed Administrators -- in other news, man bites dog....
"The ratio of nonacademic employees to faculty has also doubled. There are now two nonacademic employees at public and two and a half at private universities and colleges for every one full-time, tenure-track member of the faculty. The number of employees in central system offices has increased six-fold since 1987, and the number of administrators in them by a factor of more than 34." Garsh, and academic apologists can't figure out why tuition costs are up 1100%...

San Francisco Homebuyers Guilt (Michelle Tea) -- predictably precious account of class-jumping due to mate's stock options in a start-up that IPO'd -- classic tech-wealth generated liberal guilt over being suddenly wealthy....if it was actually earned, why would there be so much guilt? Answer: it isn't earned, and they know it....

22 photos of amazing places-- many look enhanced by filters or digital massaging....

The Seeds of a New Generation (via Steve M., who is himself a farmer)

Are you only as young as you feel?
"Other research shows people who held positive beliefs about getting older lived 7.5 years longer and were healthier."

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity." Ulysses S. Grant

Thanks for reading--

charles