A number of the problems stem from young men. Single parents, particularly single moms, can't provide the structure for teens and young adults to control their impulses. A Lord of the Flies society doesn't work well. Dads can provide both modeling and physical controls. While it not good to hit kids, the threat of violence sometimes gets the point across. One time when my son was about 15, he was "mouthing" off at his mother. I walked up to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt. I picked him up and put him against the wall and said in a low, threatening voice: "Don't you ever yell at your mother like that again." He never did.
On wisdom, I'm reading Ecclesiastes (again) as part of my annual Bible reading plan. Ecclesiastes is a poetic reflection on the meaninglessness of life without God, the limitations of human wisdom, and the ultimate wisdom that's found in reverence for God and not our own minds or efforts. The Old Testament book, likely written by David's son, Solomon, reminds me of your posts - most recently the "vacuity of life" Tweet from Samuel Johnson and some of your posts on envy.
Working for influence and money without joy is meaningless, at least without God.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26: "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
Recognizing and rejoicing in our gifts from God leaves no room for envy. Ecclesiastes 5:19-20: "Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart."
The article you linked by Anuradha Pandey, suggested that your luxury belief concept could more accurately be described as 'luxury feminism'. It does strike me that there are a lot of identitarian dynamics and concepts involved, which all derive from 2nd and 3rd stage feminism (per her). As stated, your concept is more general, and more based in class differences, but maybe she is still on to something about the current phenomenon, since class has been sidelined as a way of conceiving social dynamics by elites. Wonder how other see this.
"1. Intense momentary pleasure is more addictive for males. Men generally show much greater pursuit of such pleasures than women, including not just sex but also obsessive involvement in music or sports, and drugs. Men outnumber women in nearly all forms of alcohol and drug addiction."
Question. If a woman does get addicted to something, is it harder for them to shake the addiction? My hypothesis is that if addiction takes hold in a more difficult scenario, it's a more virulent form of addiction.
A number of the problems stem from young men. Single parents, particularly single moms, can't provide the structure for teens and young adults to control their impulses. A Lord of the Flies society doesn't work well. Dads can provide both modeling and physical controls. While it not good to hit kids, the threat of violence sometimes gets the point across. One time when my son was about 15, he was "mouthing" off at his mother. I walked up to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt. I picked him up and put him against the wall and said in a low, threatening voice: "Don't you ever yell at your mother like that again." He never did.
Thanks for the link! Luxury beliefs and your writing in general have shaped me more than most.
On wisdom, I'm reading Ecclesiastes (again) as part of my annual Bible reading plan. Ecclesiastes is a poetic reflection on the meaninglessness of life without God, the limitations of human wisdom, and the ultimate wisdom that's found in reverence for God and not our own minds or efforts. The Old Testament book, likely written by David's son, Solomon, reminds me of your posts - most recently the "vacuity of life" Tweet from Samuel Johnson and some of your posts on envy.
Working for influence and money without joy is meaningless, at least without God.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26: "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
Recognizing and rejoicing in our gifts from God leaves no room for envy. Ecclesiastes 5:19-20: "Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart."
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201&version=NIV
The article you linked by Anuradha Pandey, suggested that your luxury belief concept could more accurately be described as 'luxury feminism'. It does strike me that there are a lot of identitarian dynamics and concepts involved, which all derive from 2nd and 3rd stage feminism (per her). As stated, your concept is more general, and more based in class differences, but maybe she is still on to something about the current phenomenon, since class has been sidelined as a way of conceiving social dynamics by elites. Wonder how other see this.
"1. Intense momentary pleasure is more addictive for males. Men generally show much greater pursuit of such pleasures than women, including not just sex but also obsessive involvement in music or sports, and drugs. Men outnumber women in nearly all forms of alcohol and drug addiction."
Question. If a woman does get addicted to something, is it harder for them to shake the addiction? My hypothesis is that if addiction takes hold in a more difficult scenario, it's a more virulent form of addiction.