Solipsism Gradient

Posted by Rafael Fischmann:

Rainer Brockerhoff wrote:

We’re back, extremely tired but otherwise OK. 1784 e-mails are downloading while I type this. More soon…

Welcome!

We’re back, extremely tired but otherwise OK. 1784 e-mails are downloading while I type this. More soon…

Posted by Rainer Brockerhoff (away):
At the public library in Verona (Italy).

The cruise was excellent all-in-all and on the 20th we rented a car in Milano, driving eastwards towards Venezia (Venice). For the first time on our trip the weather was bad, so we had to pause more frequently than planned.

Anyway, we found an excellent bed&breakfast place in the hills near Verona, so we’ll be staying there for at least 3 days, using it as a base to make day trips to Verona, Venezia (tomorrow), and perhaps Padova to the South.

More anon…

Posted by Rainer Brockerhoff (away):
From a small Internet Café in Limassol, Cyprus…

…there’s little time, so I’ll have to be brief. Starting from Savona near Genova (Italy), we passed through Naples – where we visited the digs at Herculanum – then Messina on Sicily and a brief trip to the Etna; then, yesterday, a whole-day trip to the Pyramids in Giza (Egypt).

The weather’s been excellent, and all’s well. There is an Internet connection on the ship, but at the usual abusive pricing (30 Euros per hour), so I won’t use it for now. Hopefully next week I’ll have the opportunity to post more.

Posted by Guest:

Anonymous wrote:

Rafael Fischmann wrote:

Following your way of thinking, we might suggest neilio and others that, if they want to make money for travelling, they should NOT:

– have children;

– buy Macs, PCs are also computers and way cheaper;

– go to the movies so often, once in a month is alright;

– buy expensive cars, anyone cheap that will take you wherever you want is fine;

– talk on the phone more than 30 minutes a month;

To my surprise and endless amazement, I found that having a child has actually made me save money. This happens because I no longer have any time at all to spend on any of the money pits of my previous life – movies, shopping, travel, and so on. The cost of diapers is negligible compared to these, though I understand that this might change once she goes to school…

Well, there it is – Rainer WAS right. His advice for not having children so as to enable one to take two or three trips a year has been evidenced …. besides, you might even HAVE the money saved by having them but you would not have TIME to travel (unless you want to tote them around with you just like any other small baggage item )

Posted by Guest:

Rafael Fischmann wrote:

Following your way of thinking, we might suggest neilio and others that, if they want to make money for travelling, they should NOT:

– have children;

– buy Macs, PCs are also computers and way cheaper;

– go to the movies so often, once in a month is alright;

– buy expensive cars, anyone cheap that will take you wherever you want is fine;

– talk on the phone more than 30 minutes a month;

To my surprise and endless amazement, I found that having a child has actually made me save money. This happens because I no longer have any time at all to spend on any of the money pits of my previous life – movies, shopping, travel, and so on. The cost of diapers is negligible compared to these, though I understand that this might change once she goes to school…

Posted by Rafael Fischmann:

Rainer Brockerhoff wrote:

Wow, a philosophical discussion while I’m trying to finish packing… 😆

Rafael Fischmann wrote:

Rainer Brockerhoff wrote:

– Don’t have children. If you do, teach them all those things, and kick them out at 18.

…Well, you might be right if you want to say that it’s easier to get rich if you don’t have children. I have no doubt it’s the most expensive “good” you’ll ever “buy”.

But I also think people can get richer not by increasing the number of dollars in their bank account, but from the inside, mentally, physically, socialogically ? you know what I mean.

Well, the original question was “how to make enough money to travel a lot”, so I naturally said it’s easier to do so if you don’t spend money on children. Which are extremely expensive.

Nothing per se against people who have children – none of us would be here otherwise. But I also think that very few people are competent to have any. I certainly am not; it’s a black art which my own parents, who are otherwise very competent people, were unable to transmit to me.

Following your way of thinking, we might suggest neilio and others that, if they want to make money for travelling, they should NOT:

– have children;

– buy Macs, PCs are also computers and way cheaper;

– go to the movies so often, once in a month is alright;

– buy expensive cars, anyone cheap that will take you wherever you want is fine;

– talk on the phone more than 30 minutes a month;

– have air conditioning in their houses;

– and so it goes.

Just admit that item wasn’t very well put in your list. If people could follow all the other advices (or maybe half of them, would be fine), they can get rich enough to travel to any place in the world.

Wow, a philosophical discussion while I’m trying to finish packing… 😆

Rafael Fischmann wrote:

Rainer Brockerhoff wrote:

– Don’t have children. If you do, teach them all those things, and kick them out at 18.

…Well, you might be right if you want to say that it’s easier to get rich if you don’t have children. I have no doubt it’s the most expensive “good” you’ll ever “buy”.

But I also think people can get richer not by increasing the number of dollars in their bank account, but from the inside, mentally, physically, socialogically ? you know what I mean.

Well, the original question was “how to make enough money to travel a lot”, so I naturally said it’s easier to do so if you don’t spend money on children. Which are extremely expensive.

Nothing per se against people who have children – none of us would be here otherwise. But I also think that very few people are competent to have any. I certainly am not; it’s a black art which my own parents, who are otherwise very competent people, were unable to transmit to me.