The Stupidity of Vulnerability and the Importance of Personal Autonomy and Independence

The greatest danger comes from other people but more specifically people closest to you. 

The problem is that we have a desire not to be alone, to commit ourselves to others and have others commit to us. This is likely a product of biology, an emotional instinct. We have a desire to be vulnerable to others. But this is dangerous. Those closest to us can harm us most and statistically they tend to. 

Most rapists are not strangers but those we know. Most abuse likewise is not from strangers but from those we know, those we let into our lives. 

It is easy to shield yourself from others. Advancements in law and technology allow this. Walls separate us from others. Laws protect us from others. Most legal systems attempt to uphold our privacy, autonomy and property. We are safe from those beyond our walls and beyond our networks. It is those within who can and do harm us most. 

The key to lasting and sustainable happiness is understanding that what gives most happiness is personal autonomy and maintaining a healthy distance from others. Even if we are close to others because we seek warmth or intimacy, we must maintain independence. 

We must never give those closest to us the opportunity to destroy us. Being vulnerable is celebrated and glorified by the media and culture as romantic love, but really making yourself vulnerable to others is dangerous, the most dangerous thing we can do. Those who open themselves up to others and make themselves vulnerable are almost always taken advantage of and betrayed, and as this happens more and more, they gradually become misanthropic. 

Growing disappointment with humanity and misanthropy are signs of maturity. 

What is most important is independence and personal autonomy. You can have people close to you, but never get so close that they can stab you. Maintain a healthy distance. Maintain your independence and personal autonomy. Never fully trust anyone. 

Thoughts about the Similarities between Vegan and Anti-Porn Views

We are born into a culture and there are "normal" things in the culture that we just do without question without thinking of the harm it does to others. Eating meat is one of those things, but another harmful act is porn and specifically abuse porn. I enjoy looking at abuse porn. When I watch it, it turns me on, but I recently watched a Netflix documentary (Hot Girls Wanted) about the experience of the women who participate in abuse porn and then I thought about the parallels between women in the sex industry and animals in the meat and dairy industry. Abuse porn receives so many hits that it is more popular than NFL. 

In my opinion, what all this shows is that humans are naturally oppressive. Oppression is in our DNA and so it is DNA replication that is to blame for suffering and the solution then is to stop DNA replication by ceasing to have children. 

How Being Green can Help you Build Wealth

Being environmentally friendly can help you build wealth. For example, if you live in a smaller property, there is less energy that goes into building the home. Also, the less land you take up with your property, the more land is available for e.g. trees and forests. Living in a smaller property also saves you money on accommodation costs. 

If you drive less or drive a more fuel efficient car (or ride a bike or walk), you save more money and help the environment at the same time. 

If you eat less meat and replace it with e.g. beans then you also help the environment and also save more money. 

If you get solar power, you reduce your electricity bills and also help the environment.

Furthermore, many "green" investments e.g. ESG ETFs seem to be outperforming the broader indexes now. On the Australian Securities Exchange, ETHI and VESG are outperforming IWLD, and FAIR is outperforming A200.

So basically in many areas of life, being green meaing you make more money. Another benefit of being green is the psychological aspect e.g. being green can be a powerful motivator for saving money. Being green shifts your mindset, making frugality something you do not as an act of deprivation but something that you do out of purpose, which means you're more likely to stick with it.