Most people I know plan their finances in a bubble. Bryan Caplan points out that “normal people say what other people do, but do what other people do”. This is where the concept of Champagne Socialism comes in. When there is a stark disconnect between spoken politics and lifestyle. Consistency is ridiculously challenging. It can be paralysing because the task is tall. If you believe the world needs to consume less (climate change), the median GDP is roughly $10,000. I am not saying that number is a perfect measure, but if you believe we should consume less, do you believe you should not consume (personally) more than USD 10,000 a year? My friend Galeo talks of being a Half-Hearted Fanatic. Martyr’s do not survive. The median adult income in the UK is roughly $24,000 (adjusting for prices), and in South Africa it is about $4,750. If we are all aiming to consume sustainably, how do we nudge towards that goal? Our bubbles bump each other in our bigger bubble.
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