Many other activities which people used to do themselves have also been turned into products. Consequently, people spend time working to buy products rather than learning and doing the activity themselves. The result is a downward spiral of fewer skills -> greater need for technology -> more work -> less time to practice the remaining skills ->

Slowness can be achieved through delayed gratification. In a world of scarcity, instant gratification is the optimal strategy. In a world of abundance, delayed gratification is the optimal strategy.

Don't worry about whether you can eventually become an expert (see Gauging mastery). Rather, try to constantly improve on the subjects you already know and seek out useful things to learn.

For an investor, the start of financial independence includes a strong vision of one day creating a metaphorical forest and living harmoniously with the forest. It starts by planting seeds. These seeds grow into saplings and the mind starts connecting the vision to the upcoming reality of a mature forest. When you live for the future, your present

Over time, this approach automatically develops several diversified streams of cash, as well as many more means to save money and keep that cash. Yet, cash flow is not the only measure of independence. Some develop a social network so large that they can travel anywhere with little cost (look into courier services and couch surfing), and others

Plato's Cave.4

Everything I own is for sale. In my mind, I'm only holding it temporarily. If I need something else for a while, I can always buy it on eBay or find it on Freecycle or Craig's List. In this way, these become like giant libraries of stuff I can "rent" for a while at the cost of depreciation. With

This endless working and paying is called "making a living," yet people are so busy "making a living" that they have no time for living.

Many people associate their ideas and thoughts with who they are as a person. This is a significant barrier, since admitting that an alternative is better is perceived as a personal failure.