Last post I discussed some ways to do "digital prepping"—basically getting your computers/devices to be useful to you even when you are offline. ¹ Being prepared to move and work in different environments is a way to transcend being locked into any one particular arrangement that can compromise things that are important to you. ² If you found yourself working for a large corporation in a big city with very high living costs—you may become a very unfree person if you have savings and other preparations ready so that you can relocate at will. ³ With shifting political tides, dramatic economic ups and downs, etc. what guarantees do you expect in such an environment?

Except for the most invaluable specialist (e.g. expertise maintaining some essential system running some arcane technology; being a licensed professional in a high-demand area), becoming overly embedded in a system of which you exert little control is a dangerous gamble of indentured servitude.

Property ownership and building stuff

On the other hand, once you own property or have a network established in area, you have an interested to sink your roots maximally deep there. It becomes more efficient to settle and develop oneself in some area and not be concerned with the many costs of moving around and dealing with urban politics/logistics.

This is one reason why the internment of Japanese people (including US citizens) in the US was a big deal; particularly for agriculturally minded people, being settled in a "homeland" is important for building up lots of stuff.

It is no surprise while we see many different groups interested in defending their homelands, whether this is ethnic neighborhoods or religious freedom.

Nomadic, Diaspora Thinking

I realize that this sort of thinking I opened this post with is characteristic of someone without a relatively fixed community or home base to build up.

Not having land (or a family) to build stuff on encourages an itinerate lifestyle and non-committal attitudes towards the well-being of "the commons"—you can see this for yourself by visiting university dorms at least midway through an academic term. Students are paying high prices to stay at these dorms, but are expected on being kicked out in a timely basis and charged for whatever damages management can find. Students likewise can expect to extract themselves from any bad living arrangements within the terms of their lease. So if there are hostilities with other people in dorm/apartment complexes it can be more time efficient to not solve problems since there is little "long run" to worry about.

Reciprocity and Asymmetrical Arrangements

Expecting reciprocity (a "symmetrical" arrangement) is a feature of a high-trust society. If you treat others well, do you expect them to likewise treat you well? Relatively trusting, kind natured people will expect that their concessions, symbolic deference (e.g. kowtowing) and other actions inviting reconciliation will make things better.

This is conditional on the other parties involved. For example, a tenant and a landlord may very well be incentivized to work out some dispute about a payment because the landlord has other things to attend to and would prefer to not go through the trouble of eviction and likewise a tenant would rather not accrue legal costs and other badness in addition to whatever issues they are facing. On the other hand, we would call it simping if a man contunally tried to win a woman's favor with repeated non-reciprocation of affection.

Looking around the neighborhood

Walking down the street, I see written in chalk in front of someone's house,

THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER

...I see tons of rainbow flags (probably more than US flags), and many BLM sympathetic signs of various sorts. And I perceive hostility in all directions—people bunkering down in their houses repeating slogans and symbols fed to them by the media. What do you want me to think? That I am in a tolerant neighborhood surrounded by a bunch of good folks?

What do I think?

I bet most of u are pretty okay to hang out with most of the time; but I think you'd be better off just shutting off the news and being concerned with taking care of the things right in from you (e.g. caring for interpersonal relationships with the people in your households; doing some exercises...)

I feel more connection with the fellow jogger near me who has to cross to the other side of the street to avoid an out of control barking dog than I do with these media slogan repeaters. Working from home?! Laid off from your job? It is invigorating to see people using this opportunity to make things better for themselves and by extension those they maintain contact with.

My unsolicited advice to many people would be to

Study and analyze the news as propaganda (you can even agree with many of the messages) or shut it off. Don't passively absorb it or you will be miserable.

But I'm not about to give unsolicited advice to strangers in the middle of a race war which some are trying to escalate into a Marxist class struggle involving everyone, everywhere.

This Corona Virus Diary (unfortunately) continues!