On Friday I went into the office rather than work from home with it being a cold and rainy day. I realize some days are going to be that way, but still it’s tough to be stuck at home in my relatively small apartment with not a lot of places to get up and stretch my legs. From a cleaning and maintenance perspective my apartment is too big, and indeed when I own my off-grid property I think I would want something smaller.
As a raw number, 500 square feet sounds big but it’s just 5 foot by 10 ft, in one direction too small for me to lay down. 750 ft is bigger than that, 7.5 ft by 10 ft but hardly expansive space. Even 1,000 ft is considered a tiny house by modern standards. But small is nice as it means less space to clean, less space to heat, and less room for clutter. If it can’t fit inside, it can fit in the burn barrel, the compost heap, the dead pit, the scrap metal pile or the landfill. There is just too much stuff in this world and industry is always pushing more on us.
If I had my way, I’d probably have a single room cabin which by definition is easy to clean, heat and maintain with no internal walls. Just room for a bed, a propane range and and oven, small refrigerator, woodstove, small wooden table and maybe my old rocking chair. A gun rack on the wall, a place for the solar batteries and maybe a dresser. And nothing more. A chest freezer for meat I’ve harvested is best stored outside in a shed with electric fence. Don’t need anything more. I’d rather do my business in a outhouse or external building incinerator privy with quick on propane heater, and likewise the same for showering. Keep the moisture and smells outdoors.
Space for stuff isn’t the issue. It’s space for stretching my legs on particularly cold and wet days that are inevitable in the woods. Wet days in the truck camper as claustrophobic, as the screen tent or under a tarp. I just like to have space to walk around indoors. Even my apartment seems too small to be cooped up all day. Maybe I’m just spoiled by downtown office hooked up to the Empire State Plaza and the half mile plus of tunnels. But I guess on a homestead there is always animals to feed and wood to split even on a rainy day.
While I get there is a lot of profit to be made by the media by covering sad looking victims, juxtaposed against strong military men dressed up as police officers in armor, the truth is such coverage is terribly unhealthy for society. Enhanced corporate profits and creation of additional patronage jobs in local police departments is not a public good, instead it’s harmful. While the television stations may love all the automobiles and laundry soap the are selling on backs of victims, and police departments love being flush with cash to buy fun-looking toys and weapons – along with the ability to hire their high-school drop out uncle billy to their force – it’s so incredibly harmful to society.
What’s the alternative? I don’t know, I always worry about the government getting too much into the censorship business. If government tells newspapers and televisions that they can’t glorify murder and violence on their airwaves, the next step is the politicians cracking down on negative reporting about themselves. A ban of glorifying violence could easily be used to prosecute those who report on corruption or publicly support positions other then the official state party line. Likewise, restrictions on police and authorities talking to the media could foster corruption, as any law that limits disclosure by the police allows government corruption to flourish.
I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe more disclosure and easier opt-outs could be a partial solution. For example, many television sets have the ability to block violent content if so rated. Certain news stories could be blocked out unless people requested such content. Likewise, parental controls could be added to web browsers to provide a similar form of blocking. Such blocking could be seamless – rather then blanking out screens, alternative content also able to sell advertising could be part of the answer. Likewise, disclaimer requirements could be imposed on the media – for example if they are going to promote mass-shootings on airwaves, they’d be required to provide information on mental health hotlines, and actively encourage people who are thinking of engaging in violent activities to seek help. Local police departments, who are flush with cash from existing the excessive taxation placed on individuals and businesses, could fund such mental health programs, so they are free to those interested in participating.
