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In my continued quest to improve my Spanish, I’ve been rereading one of my favorite novels—Outlander—this time borrowed from the Spanish section of the library.
One of the series’ most compelling features is the contrast in living conditions the main character navigates. She is from the 1940s but suddenly finds herself surviving (and eventually thriving) in the 1740s. No electric lighting, running water, or central heat. No appliances, cars, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
And the funny thing is—leaving the 1940s behind feels like a minor adjustment compared to what we’d face leaving today’s world behind. We’d be giving up GPS and internet in our pockets, climate-controlled homes, digital music, and same-day grocery delivery.
It makes me wonder how well I could really adapt to a more “primitive” life. Is that kind of resilience a fantasy reserved for novels—or something still within us?
Because as ease has increased, so has our dependence on it. And so has the cost. The cost of a smartphone far exceeds that of a home telephone, which exceeded the cost of a telegram, which exceeded the cost of a handwritten letter delivered by horseback. The tech may improve, but each step introduces a new layer of reliance and expense.
Ultimately, our post-industrial economy is built around this—an economy that allows us to earn more, spend more, and access more and more of the goods it produces. Henry Ford famously shortened the workweek to ensure his workers had weekends—not so much for their benefit, but to create a class of consumers with time and money to want and buy (his) cars and other goods.
There’s a fine line between relief from need and indulgence. Between advancement and atrophy. And I can’t help but wonder if we’ve crossed it.
This thought has been on my mind more often lately as I consider the ramification of the economic shifts we may experience in the coming months and years. If more goods become out of financial reach, what will the harms be?
For example, most of us couldn’t imagine a day without our smartphones—we’d feel anxious, disoriented, some even panicked. And what about affordable dishwashers, convenience foods, or high-tech cars as standards?
The more ease we gain, the more fragile we become, because we begin to believe we can’t live without these things. As always, a luxury innovation of one generation becomes the standard for the next.
The antidote isn’t to outright reject ease—but to resist dependence. To ask more often: could I live without this? Could I still thrive in the 1940s… or even the 1740s?
What else feels essential but, ultimately, we’d survive without if we had to? Maybe it’s time to find those things out of purposeful moderation instead of waiting to be forced.
After all, the strongest muscle we have is the one we train. And preparation of this kind helps us face the future with more resilience and less fear.
Success breeds softness. It also breeds fear: we become addicted to our creature comforts. And then we become afraid of losing them.
Ryan Holiday is Discipline is Destiny
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Under 2, an email series designed to share quick bites of wisdom to empower your financial journey (while keeping it short). Be sure to sign-up below to get these messages in your inbox.
All for now,
Lindsey