Build it and They will Buy!
Ever stop and wonder why everything costs so much? It is a fair question that has a somewhat simple, yet complicated answer. “Corporate greed”! you may say, but no. The answer offers a much-needed glance back in history.
The thing about base “natural” commodities is that they are ALL FREE! You read that right, free! It isn’t until man adds in all the other costs of Non-Natural, aka, “man-made” items that serve to extract the natural resource on a much faster and larger scale. Once you take the human away from the process the cost rises, and it is more than a monetary cost at this point. Since anything that is not natural (humans are natural) adds to the cost of everything, everything else has a price! That being said, why does life cost so much? I have used this example before: I once heard and old wise man say, “You know all that oil everyone is fightin’ over? It don’t cost any more now than it did when they first found it. It is still free! The cost is from all them greedy hands it passes through to get to your machine!” (car, truck, mower, etc.) Sadly, that story is true for almost everything we have in today’s world.
We humans have a knack for wanting everything to be easier. Most people still want to live a freer lifestyle and be more self-sufficient, here is where the complicated part starts. If you want to live an “off-grid” lifestyle, you can! But, there is a cost to that too. For starters, you need property and around 30 acres is what it would take for a family of 4 to be self-sufficient (land is free, it’s all natural by the way). Now for the expensive part. First you need a saw to cut the wood for your house, then you need a shovel and rake to dig the ground for the seeds to plant for your food. After that, you need to find a water source close by (that isn’t contaminated) since that is what will keep you alive more than the previous items. In the meantime, you have to keep yourself fed and watered (that’s what most natural things need to survive), and to do that, you must rely on others to provide those things until you can do it yourself (you need money).
With that example in mind, lets take a look at where everything went askew. From my perspective it looks like around the time of the invention of the fuel powered engine. Once this smoke belching machine came to power, we as humans have been relying on it for our comfort and ease of life ever since. For those of you who are certain that global warming is going to kill us all, you can put your mind at ease knowing that the human population will wipe itself out first (humans have multiplied almost 4 times in population since the engine was invented). Civilization may end from starvation (much of the population lives over fertile soil suitable for the food we need). Maybe the lack of clean water (there are so many chemicals in the water we drink from manufacturing and growing food unnaturally, think chemical fertilizers, it is frightening). What about the chemicals you consume every time you eat processed, and even some varieties of “natural” food (most store-bought food is chemically sprayed “for bugs and/or preservation” or processed in some way). Then again it could be the air we breathe (Airbourne chemicals from industry are not “cleaned” because there is a lack of trees due to urban sprawl, structure building, and the timbering of forests for “other” warehouses and food production). Don’t discount the latest life threatener, nano plastics in the human body)! But hey, who am I to say for sure what it will be, I’m no scientist “but I can play one on TV”! (more 80’s humor).
And I would be lying if I said that I was against the creature comforts we have today! It is difficult to live in this world without getting soft from the products that “make our lives easier”. Even the “off gridder” can’t say they are completely cut off from society! If they did, then we wouldn’t hear them anyway…. People can live without the creature comforts we have in today’s world, but why? If you are “modern” you have electronic gadgets of all kinds that you use in your daily life (all of which we do not need to survive a normal life). You use an automobile for transportation, and you live in a house that was built after 1900. All of these items would not be possible without the fuel powered engine. Although we would all be in better physical shape and eat healthier because we were the ones who did the hard labor and put in a greater effort to make our lives more complete (not to mention the population would be lower since people would have less time for “makin’ babies” and wouldn’t be “paid” to have them).
Back to the point of this writing, why is everything so expensive? First consider what has been accomplished since 1900. We made unions and the workplace safer for workers. Machines do almost all of the heavy lifting. We eat mostly processed food that has no real value to our bodies (but is cheap to make). Owning a home seems like a foreign concept for folks who like a “nomadic” lifestyle. Most people living in cities are unaware of how “life” is meant to be lived (go to work to buy everything you need, and not know where it came from). If you want to be “somebody” you have to make a lot of money and be “powerful” (otherwise you have failed as a provider and consumer). Owning a gun is pointless since the government will “take care” of us (never mind being able to defend yourself from those who “want what you have” and don’t mind to just take it). If you grow your own food, it is “more dangerous” than what you can get from the store (even though you took care of it from a seed). And finally, the more money you make, “the better” your life will be (sadly that is what most people think). Most of the one liners above are sarcastic in nature to show the point that what we are told from a young age, is not how it should be. If you are conditioned to buy, someone else is making money (Unless you own the manufacturer). So, by all means, buy to your hearts content, add to the world pollution, add to someone else’s wallet, and don’t complain about it because then you will become the problem!
If you really want to cut the cost of products, quit making someone else rich by purchasing the “latest and greatest anything”. If you want to “stop global warming” quit buying things to “make your life easier”. If you want to live a more fulfilled life, “grow a garden”. Hard work never killed anyone, but a steel beam falling from a skyscraper can. What most humans fail to conceptualize is that living with less is more beneficial to yourself, and the world around you. Lower your dependency on “modern” gadgets and rely more on improving your “skills” to become more efficient as a person and to humanity.
*****Ever stop and wonder why everything costs so much? Fair question—with a simple, yet complicated answer. “Corporate greed!” you might say. But no. The answer starts with a glance back in history.
The thing about base natural commodities is that they’re free. You read that right—free. Costs explode when humans layer on the non-natural—man-made tools and systems that extract and move resources faster and at scale. Every step we add (machines, fuel, logistics, financing, regulations, marketing) stacks cost. The oil in the ground? Still free. As an old wise man put it: “You know all that oil everyone’s fightin’ over? It don’t cost any more now than when they first found it. It’s still free! The cost is from all them greedy hands it passes through to get to your machine.” Sadly, that’s true of almost everything we use today.
Humans have a knack for wanting everything easier. Lots of folks still dream of living freer and more self-sufficient—but here’s where it gets complicated. Want to live off-grid? You can. But there’s a cost. You’ll need land (nature is free; land ownership isn’t), and for a family of four you might target ~30 acres. Then tools: a saw for lumber, a shovel and rake for planting, seed, a safe water source. And while you build that life, you still have to eat and drink—so you rely on others until you can provide for yourself. That takes money.
Where did things go askew? From my seat, around the invention and rise of the fuel-powered engine. Once that smoke-belching machine arrived, we hitched comfort and convenience to it and never looked back. For those convinced global warming will end us, take a breath: humans may wipe ourselves out first. The population has more than quadrupled since around 1900. Civilization could crack from food stress (we paved plenty of fertile ground), water quality (chemicals from manufacturing and “unnatural” growing), what we eat (processed and even some “natural” foods sprayed or preserved), or the air (industrial emissions plus fewer trees thanks to sprawl and timbering). Toss in today’s nano-plastics showing up in the body. Who knows which fuse burns fastest—I’m no scientist, but I can play one on TV (’80s humor).
And I’d be lying if I said I’m against creature comforts. It’s hard not to get soft when products “make life easier.” Even off-gridders aren’t truly severed from society—if they were, we wouldn’t hear from them. We could live without modern comforts, but why would most people choose that? If you’re modern, you’ve got gadgets, a vehicle, and a house likely built after 1900. None of that exists without the engine. Sure, we’d be stronger and probably eat better if we did the hard labor ourselves (and yes, the population might be lower—less time for makin’ babies and no one getting “paid” to have them).
Back to the point: why is everything so expensive? Look at what’s been built since 1900. We organized labor and made workplaces safer. Machines do the heavy lifting. We eat mostly processed food (cheap to make, not so great for bodies). Owning a home feels foreign to folks chasing the nomadic vibe. City living often means buying everything and knowing almost nothing about where it came from. Want to be “somebody”? Make big money and be “powerful,” or you “failed” as provider/consumer. Own a gun? “Don’t worry, the government will take care of you” (until someone who wants what you have shows up). Grow your own food? Somehow that’s “more dangerous” than store-bought—even if you nurtured it from seed. And the classic lie: more money automatically means a better life.
Most of those one-liners are sarcasm to make a point: what we’re told from a young age isn’t how it has to be. If you’re conditioned to buy, someone else is cashing in (unless you own the maker). So go ahead—buy to your heart’s content, add to pollution, pad someone else’s wallet… and maybe don’t complain about prices, or you’ll become “the problem.”
If you really want to cut costs, stop making other people rich with the “latest and greatest.” Want to “stop global warming”? Quit buying things just to make life easier. Want a more fulfilled life? Grow a garden. Hard work never killed anyone—falling steel beams do. The part most humans miss: living with less often benefits you and the world around you. Lower your dependency on modern gadgets, and raise your skills. Become more capable as a person—and more useful to humanity.
