rebelpleb

“People, so the thought runs, ought to be discontented, and it is our job to multiply our wants and not simply to increase our enjoyment of the things we have already.” George Orwell, “Some Thoughts on the Common Toad” (1946) For the past twenty five years or more, I generally have not celebrated holidays, at least not in any traditional sense. There are a variety of reasons that I opted out of these festivities, some deeply personal. Mostly, I could not abide the existential emptiness of trying to connect with others or achieve happiness through consumerism. But more, in committing my life to the causes of ecological sustainability, environmental health, and justice, the maintenance of any modicum of integrity precluded my participation in the conspicuous consumption of resources and energy as well as the needless generation of excessive waste that all holidays entail. I found solidarity with those who had withdrawn before me, who promoted Buy Nothing Day in respo

A man, just a few years into his retirement, wakes up one day to notice some peculiar health symptoms. While he has always been in generally good health, something feels abnormal. He has severe lower back pain as well as an odd cough and a bit of difficulty breathing. He can’t seem to find a comfortable position to sleep, and he just does not feel right at all. Deciding that he is not himself and that his symptoms are definitely unusual (even alarming) he heads to the local emergency room. From there he is admitted to the intensive care unit and, after a barrage of tests, finds out that he had a pulmonary embolism. He is stabilized, monitored, and given a course of anti-coagulant (blood thinning) medication. Within a few days, he is on his way, prescription in hand and back to his normal routine. Man number one lives modestly but comfortably with a pension and comprehensive health insurance. He does not think twice about heading to the hospital when he feels he needs care