People deserve recreation

Edited to add: This got downvoted REAL FAST. Could it have been the mention of a certain provider of morning drinks being mentioned?

So often in this space and others, it’s encouraged that people reduce their lives to necessity. And ONLY the necessities.

Human beings have complex brains. We crave stimulation. We are wired to be curious and that curiosity deserves to be explored.

The difference between seeking connection and exploration (dopamine) through coffee and through education/art/history is access. We do not give the majority of people access to explore. We don’t fund education. We don’t give people a living wage. We don’t support people living with their parents to support their gifts.

The western world is DYING because of this. Our shared efforts fund militaries.

Being frugal is one thing, being cruel and stingy is another.

Being frugal USED to mean: Knitting your own blankets Cooking meals (specifically with whole grains) Saving money by buying in bulk Mending well made clothes Supporting your local cobbler Shopping at second hand stores

Like, can we as a community realize that these things are no longer “frugal” anymore? Yarn costs a lot of money not to mention the time spent. Groceries are astronomically expensive. Bulk groceries have also at least doubled in price and that requires storage space many of us don’t have. Buying well made clothing that’s worth mending is out of budget for many. Local cobblers and tailors are going out of business even in big cities. Shopping at second hand stores is a gamble at best with resellers.

Like can we all just admit that the systems we have are broken? Together, we can do so much more than shame.

We’re better than this. We deserve better than this.