The Virtue of the Ordinary

[Blues Man]

What's wrong with the ordinary?

We seem to be stuck in this mindless pursuit of being more than, being better than, being richer than.......

It's a societal sickness that has been sold to us by our so called leaders in government and business and has resulted in an unprecedented level of anxiety, depression, stress induced diseases and a general sense of dissatisfaction.

Why is it an ordinary life by today's standards such a maligned thing? The ordinary person has a warm, dry place to live. Many ordinary people own their own homes and many more could if they didn't believe they need a a bigger house than their neighbors.

The ordinary person has access to far more food and comforts than they could ever partake in in any single day, month or year yet we have millions of people doom scrolling through the fake lives of so so called influencers and wishing they had that life that doesn't exist.

The ordinary person has access to all the knowledge he cares to pursue for little or no cost at all and yet believes he must spend tens of thousands of dollars to get an education.

So What's wrong with an ordinary life today?

 

[1srelluc]

I did OK for me and mine and am enjoying a comfortable retirement......You don't get to do that just being ordinary in your productive years.

Being ordinary seems more of that "equal outcome" BS.

 

[Blues Man]

I did OK for me and mine and am enjoying a comfortable retirement......You don't get to do that just being ordinary in your productive years.

Being ordinary seems more of that "equal outcome" BS.

I disagree.

Even a person who makes an average income can retire comfortably. I could run the numbers but that's getting off track.

And there is no equal outcome BS in my position.

 

[pknopp]

I did OK for me and mine and am enjoying a comfortable retirement......You don't get to do that just being ordinary in your productive years.

Being ordinary seems more of that "equal outcome" BS.

I disagree. I did nothing out of the ordinary to be able to retire.

 

[Lisa558]

I disagree. I did nothing out of the ordinary to be able to retire.

What was your job and your educational level? If you were a professional, or earned more than $59,000 a year, you are already more than ordinary

Also, what if EVERYONE was ordinary? We would have no computer technology, no antibiotics, no beautiful music or art, no skyscrapers, no air travel, no cell phones.

You are enjoying the quality of life you do because other people were well above “ordinary.”

 

[Lisa558]

I disagree. I did nothing out of the ordinary to be able to retire.

P.S. did you save at least 10% of your salary to be able to do so?

 

[pknopp]

What was your job and your educational level? If you were a professional, or earned more than $59,000 a year, you are already more than ordinary

High School graduate. I worked in production. What I did was not any more out of the ordinary than someone who made less.

Also, what if EVERYONE was ordinary? We would have no computer technology, no antibiotics, no beautiful music or art, no skyscrapers, no air travel, no cell phones.

You are enjoying the quality of life you do because other people were well above “ordinary.”

I never argued that everyone should be ordinary. I said there was nothing wrong with being ordinary.

 

[Lisa558]

I did OK for me and mine and am enjoying a comfortable retirement......You don't get to do that just being ordinary in your productive years.

Being ordinary seems more of that "equal outcome" BS.

Yup. It’s justifying the lowering caliber of the masses.

I remember that I once got a C in a subject when I was about 10 or 11. You would think I got an F by the way my parents carried on. When they said, “you didn’t tell us you were having problems in math!!!,” I said that I was NOT having problems….that I was just average.

To which my father said, “Do you want to be AVERAGE?”

I’ll never forget that,

 

[pknopp]

P.S. did you save at least 10% of your salary to be able to do so?

No, but with the company adding to it, I ended up fine. That used to be pretty ordinary. Before people thought they had a right to live off the hard work of others to make a living what I did was quite ordinary.

 

[Lisa558]

High School graduate. I worked in production. What I did was not any more out of the ordinary than someone who made less.

And did you ever earn more than $55,000 a year!

I never argued that everyone should be ordinary. I said there was nothing wrong with being ordinary.

OK.

 

[Blues Man]

What was your job and your educational level? If you were a professional, or earned more than $59,000 a year, you are already more than ordinary

Also, what if EVERYONE was ordinary? We would have no computer technology, no antibiotics, no beautiful music or art, no skyscrapers, no air travel, no cell phones.

You are enjoying the quality of life you do because other people were well above “ordinary.”

You're looking at it the wrong way.

People vary in intelligence and skill. Do you really think a person with a talent for anything will not pursue that talent in the marketplace?

 

[Lisa558]

No, but with the company adding to it, I ended up fine. That used to be pretty ordinary. Before people thought they had a right to live off the hard work of others to make a living what I did was quite ordinary.

It also depends on your definition of a “comfortable“ retirement. Where I live, you need at least $70,000 or $80,000 a year. You don’t end up in that position by being ordinary, unless you worked for the federal government.

 

[Lisa558]

You're looking at it the wrong way.

People vary in intelligence and skill. Do you really think a person with a talent for anything will not pursue that talent in the marketplace?

That’s not pertinent to the topic.

 

[Blues Man]

P.S. did you save at least 10% of your salary to be able to do so?

Even a person of average income can save enough to retire.

But if that person is always chasing a bigger house, a new car, a boat, lavish vacations, and then running on the hamster wheel to try to keep earning more and more and more all he'll get is a coronary

 

[Blues Man]

That’s not pertinent to the topic.

It's my topic so yeah it is pertinent.

 

[pknopp]

It also depends on your definition of a “comfortable“ retirement. Where I live, you need at least $70,000 or $80,000 a year. You don’t end up in that position by being ordinary, unless you worked for the federal government.

Millions and millions retire after an ordinarily led life. As I noted, it is getting harder because of too many who believe they deserve the wealth more than those who actually do the work.

 

[Blues Man]

Yup. It’s justifying the lowering caliber of the masses.

I remember that I once got a C in a subject when I was about 10 or 11. You would think I got an F by the way my parents carried on. When they said, “you didn’t tell us you were having problems in math!!!,” I said that I was NOT having problems….that I was just average.

To which my father said, “Do you want to be AVERAGE?”

I’ll never forget that,

Wrong.

You can be what you want to be. But what is the point where it's enough? What is the point that your striving to be better than everyone actually reduces the quality of your life?

 

[Blues Man]

Millions and millions retire after an ordinarily led life. As I noted, it is getting harder because of too many who believe they deserve the wealth more than those who actually do the work.

Actually it's more like many people believe the hype that they have to buy buy buy more and more and more stuff and that will make them happy.

 

[Lisa558]

Even a person of average income can save enough to retire.

But if that person is always chasing a bigger house, a new car, a boat, lavish vacations, and then running on the hamster wheel to try to keep earning more and more and more all he'll get is a coronary

A person of average income who lives very modestly his entire life in order to save enough to retire somewhat comfortably - let’s say $500,000 - is NOT ordinary.

 

[Blues Man]

A person of average income who lives very modestly his entire life in order to save enough to retire somewhat comfortably - let’s say $500,000 - is NOT ordinary.

Sure he is.

It's the people who spend more than they make that are not ordinary