Cleaning up

Things I’ve been putting off but I really should do, in no particular order
– Stop my 401k and max out L’s 529 college fund instead. 4yr college will likely cost close to a million by then, but at least it might cover some small fraction.
– get term life insurance. 10yrs is enough. After ten years the 529 will have something in it, and it won’t matter anymore
– Register as donor
– Write a will, and give the passwords to a friend who lives in another city
– Put a hard freeze on credit. I don’t anticipate borrowing anything new or moving anywhere any time soon.
– Sell or give away that stereo it took me a year to save for and audition, and the projector. R hates it anyway because it takes up space. I haven’t listened to music or watched anything for over two years, I likely never will at this point. And NPR sounds just fine on that beautiful clock radio R gave me in better days.
– Convert air miles to cash, at whatever rate they have or donate them. Whom am I kidding. I will never get to use them again.
– Give away or recycle paper books. There is no space for them, and I will never re-read them.
– Post a ten days notice, then delete Facebook account. I don’t use it, and only kept it for the friends contacts and old pictures. If I haven’t talked to them in the past 5 years I am probably never going to. Pictures from old lives don’t really matter anymore
– Dump the paper photos. They serve no purpose and take up space.
– Sell the Fuji camera. I got it when I thought I’d travel more, but all I use it for is sunsets. We all take too many photos anyway.

atlasobscura:

Hidden within an office building in Munich, a staircase seemingly leads you up… to nowhere. “Umschreibung” is in fact not a staircase at all, but an ominous sculpture by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. The sculpture, which is made of steel and is over 30 feet tall, is a staircase in the shape of a double helix. The bottom of the steps has a small opening, so you can actually climb the stairs yourself. “Umschreibung” is a German word which means “euphemism,” or “circumlocution.” Is it a reminder that no matter how hard we work, we might all be going nowhere? Or perhaps that life isn’t a destination but a journey? Your call. 📸: Photo by @anabel_mmn – thanks for using #atlasobscura!

Could not sleep because of news binging the prior night and resulting anxiety. That Aeon article on moral origins of violence got heavy mind-rotation for some reason. When dreams finally came they were about falling green-and-blue airplanes, and fishing buses out of the harbor with giant cranes.

People resort to violence because their moral codes demand it | Aeon Essays

Violence does not stem from a psychopathic lack of morality. Quite the reverse: it comes from the exercise of perceived moral rights and obligations.

There have been many cultures and historical periods where people did not particularly value happiness, or where they actively sought out suffering because they saw it as morally cleansing.

This is a long and uncomfortable read that is only too appropriate today. But it does offer a way out.

People resort to violence because their moral codes demand it | Aeon Essays