<eugene.leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de> writes:
> (((>H connection more than strenuous, but sounds like good advice)))
I think we are seeing here another application of the transhumanist
approach to living. We want to live consciously designed lives, where
we question the common assumptions about what and how things should be
done.
As for myself, I seem to be living like this lifestyle too. I started
living rather frugal during my studies simply due to lack of money,
and when I got a salary I almost did not know what to do with the
money. I could afford a larger flat than my current one room, but I
don't *need* it and have no problems (except for where to put my book
piles). By not having expensive hobbies and vices I get a lot of spare
money to invest or spend on worthwhile stuff like books, good food,
computers and going to transhumanist conferences.
There is a difference between materialism and consumerism. A
materialist enjoys the material world (not necessarily exclusively; I
regard myself as a materialist in this sense but I value intangibles
like knowledge and information even higher), a consumerist follows a
pattern of behavior imprinted from the surrounding culture. I think
that to reach true transhumanist materialism you have to get rid of
consumerism and find what *you* value the most, be it good service,
food, design, state of the art equipment or anything else.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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