tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post4874951848629841449..comments2023-12-16T05:27:05.041-06:00Comments on mexpatriate — in the key of steve: freedom crashesSteve Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00468378507171761868noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-46702967575014411492011-12-29T14:47:00.231-06:002011-12-29T14:47:00.231-06:00Live big. Spend big.Live big. Spend big.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-74274126685845846992011-12-29T13:06:22.743-06:002011-12-29T13:06:22.743-06:00I think it's noteworthy that, as the amount of...I think it's noteworthy that, as the amount of time we spend online increases, the amount of actual life experiences (including fulfilling relationships) we have decreases. I think the hyper-vigilance toward safety we observe stems from a sense of scarcity regarding life experiences: If your experience of life is meager, you will fixate on preserving the little life force you have. If your experience of life is rich, you—like a very wealthy person—will take more chances with the "money"/life force you *do* have. And your wealth will grow.Al Politonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-19240540891493202922011-12-28T21:17:14.513-06:002011-12-28T21:17:14.513-06:00I knew a guy in law school who would wander around...I knew a guy in law school who would wander around the dining room each morning lecturing people who used "too mjuch" milk on their cereal. Like you, I am happy to escape that type of nonsense in Mexico -- where no one cares how much pork I eat, and where I pay for my own health care.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-51611434717027327662011-12-28T18:12:23.206-06:002011-12-28T18:12:23.206-06:00Stewnal's comment explains exactly why sociali...Stewnal's comment explains exactly why socialism imperils our freedoms longer-term. This is exactly why we don't need Obamacare, et al. I don't want to walk down the street looking at people practicing bad health habits and think, "I'm paying for that." Freedom is also the freedom to lose big. <br /><br />I'd rather live free and take my own chances.<br /><br />This is one of the things I really like about Mexico. No nanny state.<br /><br />Saludos, <br /><br />Kim G<br />Redding, CA<br /><i>Where we're recovering from our own little bout of freedom.</i>KimGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-9615696222989783552011-12-28T07:39:21.177-06:002011-12-28T07:39:21.177-06:00Cave exploring, both wet and dry, both horizontal ...Cave exploring, both wet and dry, both horizontal and vertical (rope work in vertical pits.) We were nuts.<br /><br />Saludos,Don Cuevas Don Cuevashttp://profiles.google.com/warshauer.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-46524520489379176242011-12-28T00:06:15.727-06:002011-12-28T00:06:15.727-06:00Sometimes I am amazed we made it this far.Sometimes I am amazed we made it this far.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-73594816881090669402011-12-27T21:15:49.506-06:002011-12-27T21:15:49.506-06:00Amen.
As you know, I grew up on the Oregon coast. ...Amen.<br />As you know, I grew up on the Oregon coast. I remember clearly and fondly a time in the mid 1950s when my mother took us kids to Cape Arago during a howling winter gale to watch the waves. The wind was so strong we could hardly stand up, especially when we held our arms out. When it was time to go, an especially strong gust came along just as the door of the car was opened, flattening it forward against the fender and springing the hinges. We had to drive home holding the door shut.Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-45177059729905630742011-12-27T19:36:23.012-06:002011-12-27T19:36:23.012-06:00But, of course, that is the danger of reductionism...But, of course, that is the danger of reductionism, isn't it? There is an old line about those who create our wretched state and then use it to malign us. But that is not really the point. Everything in life has a risk. Eating red meat. Driving to work. Going to the theater. Sex. But the benefit far outweighs the risk. Because risk is what makes life worth living.<br /><br />If we learn anything from <i>Don Quixote</i>, it is that attempting to reduce the world to logic and rationalism destroys the very things that make life worth living. Like beauty. And love. And, yes, freedom.<br /><br />Those of us who tilt against windmills know that life is best lived where adults treat adults as free moral agents.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-41938934155540177452011-12-27T18:09:23.437-06:002011-12-27T18:09:23.437-06:00What Libertarian rants against motorcycle helmets,...What Libertarian rants against motorcycle helmets, seat belts and air bags in car, etc. don't consider is that the risk of accidents falls not just on the individual but society in general. <br /><br />If someone goes down the highway on a 750cc Kawasaki and takes a spill, the cost of putting the person's skull back together, or keeping them on a wheelchair for the rest of their lives--not only the medical costs, but other costs like time lost from work and disability insurance--falls on society. <br /><br />If every cyclist who forswears a helmet would also sign a bond, say for a million dollars, to cover any potential costs of not wearing a helmet, I'd be cool with that. <br /><br />But I don't want my government or my insurance company to pay for the costs of someone not wearing a helmet just so he can feel the wind blowing through his hair and get off on some testosterone kick. <br /><br />alStewnalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-5423008184866796602011-12-27T17:32:26.417-06:002011-12-27T17:32:26.417-06:00We've gone high tec these days, we cut a hole ...We've gone high tec these days, we cut a hole with an ax, if the sidewall is over 4 inches, it's good for small groups. 6 inches we clean the snow off with a tractor-don't see much 6 inch ice anymore... Kwallelnonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-30507279282085637692011-12-27T16:47:18.435-06:002011-12-27T16:47:18.435-06:00Top Gun seemed to be just the right metaphor. Esp...Top Gun seemed to be just the right metaphor. Especially, the jet.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-35593948472621555682011-12-27T16:46:39.350-06:002011-12-27T16:46:39.350-06:00And that may be what I am looking for. The me I o...And that may be what I am looking for. The me I once knew.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-56966162282160448912011-12-27T16:42:10.152-06:002011-12-27T16:42:10.152-06:00The problem with the latte-drivers is they are obl...The problem with the latte-drivers is they are oblivious to risk. Fun comes only through the adrenalin rush of knowing death may reside in the next second.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-69987904649673881632011-12-27T16:40:09.222-06:002011-12-27T16:40:09.222-06:00Each generation has its own memories. My concern ...Each generation has its own memories. My concern is the loss of freedom that seems to accompany America's (or, at least, the government's) mania for safety -- and our ovine acquiescence in it all..Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-12901822524864781992011-12-27T16:37:48.679-06:002011-12-27T16:37:48.679-06:00If I stay here much longer, I am going to be your ...If I stay here much longer, I am going to be your next ice tester.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-72723874157652603182011-12-27T10:49:47.200-06:002011-12-27T10:49:47.200-06:00My favorite line in the article was,
"Me? I ...My favorite line in the article was,<br /><br />"Me? I wonder not how it's going to end, but how I got this far "<br /><br />Funny you used a photo from Top Gun. I just watched it again yeaterday.Darrel Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-85136107483443869542011-12-27T08:59:15.667-06:002011-12-27T08:59:15.667-06:00Insert Kawasaki, Rayban Aviator sunglasses, the fo...Insert Kawasaki, Rayban Aviator sunglasses, the foothills west of Denver and way more hair than I've got now, both literally and figuratively. I do worry that I've forgotten how to be me without the training wheels and helmets and button down collars and SUV.Rushappraisalsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-51856159889761969282011-12-27T07:54:45.460-06:002011-12-27T07:54:45.460-06:00Ah, but this same generation that is over-concerne...Ah, but this same generation that is over-concerned with seat belts and bike helmets, will drive down the freeway at 80plus with a latte in one hand and a cell phone in the other. I think there is still a little risk taker in people it's just relative to the times. Some lawyer will rip all of that off too..Nwexinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-85951138411496493212011-12-27T07:42:03.908-06:002011-12-27T07:42:03.908-06:00I think back to climbing the water tower in Alexan...I think back to climbing the water tower in Alexandria, La.. Well, I was the guard, but the other girls went up and came down safely....Or the drag races at night like Blackboard Jungle. Or..........well you get my drift. GREAT memories, but I think my grandkids are making their own memories. All I hope is that they aren't all about "texting"!Babsofsanmiguelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-1829018706780172272011-12-27T06:10:22.508-06:002011-12-27T06:10:22.508-06:00We had a system for checking to see if the ice was...We had a system for checking to see if the ice was safe... We would make the guy who had the weight problem go first, if he went through, we knew it was not safe. His mother hated that system.<br /><br />And he was dead at 35 from overeating, 650lbs as I remember.<br /><br /> The state here in Ohio took a little boy out of his home and put him in foster care because he weighed too much for his age this past quarter. Even knowing about my friend's fate, I still think it stinks.Kwallelnonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-38946750678565684752011-12-27T02:29:51.535-06:002011-12-27T02:29:51.535-06:00I keep hoping there is still a large remnant of Am...I keep hoping there is still a large remnant of Americans who enjoy the joys of freedom.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-5210232567028808442011-12-27T02:28:50.725-06:002011-12-27T02:28:50.725-06:00And fond they are.And fond they are.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-58151253431410591282011-12-27T01:57:36.579-06:002011-12-27T01:57:36.579-06:00I am amazed that we all survived the fun of growin...I am amazed that we all survived the fun of growing up. We just need someone to fondly tell of those adventures.....Tanchonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-78313816933087014022011-12-26T20:10:00.549-06:002011-12-26T20:10:00.549-06:00Ah, so it's a word to describe the vast majori...Ah, so it's a word to describe the vast majority of Americans these days, at least the first part of your definition. Felipe Zapatahttp://unseenmoon.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-32593758017984959672011-12-26T19:49:55.735-06:002011-12-26T19:49:55.735-06:00Mature adults who retain juvenile characteristics....Mature adults who retain juvenile characteristics. And, in some cases, never having enjoyed a childhood.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.com