Wow, Mrs MM that is a beautiful blog post! I've never seen it before. I reckon MMM has hidden it from the "Random Post" button so that you don't make all his devotees defect!
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Hahaha!! No way, I want MORE people reading Mrs. MM, not fewer.
But as she acknowledges, she is very sensitive to criticism - which naturally drives me bananas because I read about 20 critical rants directed at me each day. Then I take great pleasure in either
a) deleting them if they are just plain stupid
b) replying if there's something I think I can explain better, or
c) best of all, learning something new if the person actually had a point.
Another quote in this discussion really struck me:
If you did not feel anxiety about money, then why were you upset in the car driving to the opposite side of town?
The thing I get excited/furious/inspired to write about is not money, and the waste thereof. It's just that any example of Blatant Inefficiency bugs me. Because I naturally love to optimize things, I see it as a HUGE CRIME whenever something is inefficient, if that inefficiency is causing pain in other people's lives.
Unnecessary driving is a good example: sure, almost everyone drives. But at least there should be some thought given to it. Could I avoid it and do this activity at home? Could I bike there? Could I combine it with another errand? The consequence of driving is mostly not felt in your own wallet - most of the cost is borne by your society in the form of pollution, noise, and more pavement being laid down.
When other people have a lower threshold than you for driving somewhere, that's a great cause of the internal conflict that is the subject of Mrs. MM's article.
"I know this person is nice. I love them. So WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY SO STUPID ABOUT DRIVING!?.".. or some sort of similar internal dialog. Then of course, you must make fun of yourself, because it is you who does not fit in with the current values of US society. Welcome to Mustachianism!