Bread and CircusesJan 2, 2025
Life without consumerism means enjoying...
Show threadAlexander KarnJan 2, 2025

@breadandcircuses

We have a consumer economy that’s mostly built on addiction and dopamine hacks: sports books, alcohol, vaping, caffeine, sugar/salt/fats, porn, one-click purchasing, buy now/pay later, gamification, etc.

I’m FAR from being an off the grid type or a neo-puritan, but every day I’m looking for ways to steer clear and stay free. Sometimes it’s as simple as tuning in to the things that can’t be bought and sold.

#ResistMuchObeyLittle

Show threadXenofact (he/him)Jan 2, 2025
@xankarn @breadandcircuses no I get it. My readings in Taoism have been real unstructive.
Show threadAlexander KarnJan 2, 2025

@RevXenoFact @breadandcircuses

For me, that’s the main insight and value of all “Eastern” philosophy: getting to grips with desire and finding the mental space that’s necessary to be somewhat less of its plaything.

Show threadXenofact (he/him)Jan 2, 2025
@xankarn @breadandcircuses the Tao Te Ching itself calls out how "the five colors blind the eye" and so on - essentially notes on overstimulation. I found it painfully relevant these days.
Show threadKit Rhett AultmanJan 3, 2025
@RevXenoFact @xankarn @breadandcircuses I'd thought the point of "The five colors blind the eye." was that, by categorizing what one sees, one fails to see the thing in its wholeness?
Show threadXenofact (he/him)Jan 3, 2025
@roadriverrail @xankarn @breadandcircuses as it also mentions how hunting and such distracts you, I took at as being about distraction.
Show threadKit Rhett Aultman
@RevXenoFact @xankarn @breadandcircuses You'd surely know better than me. It's one of those things where I read it once and have since heard it referred to out of context, often paired with "the five tones deafen the ear", and since I'm most likely to discuss such things in the tearoom, where we're more likely to discuss the perils of categorizing things too much, I've likely just backfilled a meaning not present in context.
Jan 3, 2025 at 3:32amWeb
Show threadXenofact (he/him)Jan 3, 2025
@roadriverrail @xankarn @breadandcircuses get the Red Pine copy, worth the money ;)
Show threadKit Rhett AultmanJan 3, 2025
@RevXenoFact @xankarn @breadandcircuses Duly noted. As someone who owns like 5 translations of The Art Of War, I take recommendations like that pretty seriously.
Show threadXenofact (he/him)Jan 3, 2025
@roadriverrail @xankarn @breadandcircuses If you want to get DEEP get Original Tao by Roth, it's got some good translation and history notes.