Subj : Re: New to this
To   : Gamgee
From : boraxman
Date : Sat Apr 19 2025 10:04 pm

 Ga>  bo> My mum is a Boomer, and she said people can just "Scrimp and Save" li
 Ga>  bo> she did.  I asked her how long it took to pay off the mortgage.  We
 Ga>  bo> grew up in a decent suburb.  The house wasn't a palace, but decent
 Ga>  bo> enough standard middle class suburban house, not too far from
 Ga>  bo> everything.  She responded "5 years".
 Ga> 
 Ga>  bo> Keep in mind that neither of my parents finished school, so they
 Ga>  bo> weren't professionals on high salary, nor did they pick up skills.
 Ga>  bo> Just entry level jobs.  Five years...  She said she had help.  Even
 Ga>  bo> then...  Keep in mind, she had me when she was 22, and must have paid
 Ga>  bo> the house off before turning 30.  Imagine being able to pay off a
 Ga>  bo> house, near good jobs, in your 20s, while supporting 2-3 children.
 Ga> 
 Ga>  bo> I did the math, and compared MY salary with the price of the house th
 Ga>  bo> sold across the road from her.  I'm a working professional, a Manager
 Ga>  bo> and if I put 100% of my salary, 100% of it, I'd pay it off on 10.  Sh
 Ga>  bo> would have had no hope at all buying a house today, with the kind of
 Ga>  bo> work she and my dad did.  I did the math in front of her, and well, I
 Ga>  bo> not sure the penny sunk...
 Ga> 
 Ga>  bo> The problem is that many just don't understand how things have change
 Ga> 
 Ga> Ahhhhh!  You may have hit the nail on the head here!  Of course things 
 Ga> have changed.  Yes.  Things have changed.  So.......... in order to 
 Ga> succeed, we must change too!  Nothing new about that.  It's the way the 
 Ga> world works.  Lamenting about how bad it is now doesn't actually help 
 Ga> anything.  Those that succeed are those that change with the times.  
 Ga> IMHO higher education is the key to success today.
 Ga> 

I agree, however I suspect we may be thinking differently about the change needed.  I think we need almost a spiritual change, a change in values where we reevaluate what is good and what is bad, and change our priorities.  I think this is beyond simply individual choices.

The key to success, in my view, is being able to adapt.  Western Countries will be outcompeted by other nations which are more committed to providing a solid future for themselves.

I think what has changes, is the values of the 20th century have served their useful purpose, and now need to be reevaluated, in fact, turned on their head in some cases.

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