Bushido and the Grassroots philosophy?

I've known about Bushido for awhile. It's the Japanese philosophy of the warrior-knight. Samurai's followed it in feudal and post-feudal japan. Think of it as the Japanese version of Chivalry.

What I didn't realize until today is that Bushido has an element of frugality to it. From what I've read (Google "bushido frugality" and you'll get a ton of hits) the Samurai were supposed to turn away from material possessions and spending large sums of cash for the betterment of society.

We've talked some about the "Grassroots philosophy". It seems that this boils down to buying the less expensive option and making it equal to the more expensive option via hard work and ingenuity. Turning away from spending large sums on something you can craft yourself from what others might consider worthless. I can argue this is for the betterment of society as Grassroots philosophy followers recycle and reuse to the benefit of all.

What do you guys think of this? I see other portions of the Bushido code that we incorporate as well but I've said enough here.

I reuse and recycle for the benefit of me. If that helps mother nature/my neighbor out in the process, great. If it doesn't, berkeley 'em and feed 'em fish heads.

I do it out of necessity, but I think I would do the same thing even if I didn't have to.

all I can say... aside from recycling cars into DDs.. I make more recycling than I do trash.

I am cheap.

I'm poor, but even if I wasn't – there's nothing that compares to stumbling across a bargain. Simply shelling out money at a store doesn't cut it for me, I've been buying vintage clothing, books and other stuff since I was a teenager. If I was a gazillionaire, I'd probably spend more time browsing ebay, kijiji and junk shops.

Xceler8x wrote: I've known about Bushido for awhile. It's the Japanese philosophy of the warrior-knight. Samurai's followed it in feudal and post-feudal japan. Think of it as the Japanese version of Chivalry.

I'm as fond of that stuff as the average guy, maybe even more so.... ....but I would not recommend taking it too seriously.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18510_6-supposedly-ancient-traditions-that-totally-arent.html

The idea that samurai are either loyal to their country or eager to die in battle is approximately as old as Walt Disney. Bushido as a coherent ideology only dates back to 1905. Who Made It Up? The whole thing started with an honest, if retarded mistake by a historian named Nitobe Inazo, who based his 1905 book Bushido: The Spirit of Japan on rules written for samurai. This is the equivalent of reading a high school handbook and determining that teenagers live by a strict code of attending class, and turning weed dealers in to the cops. Read more: 6 Supposedly Ancient Traditions (That Totally Aren't) | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article_18510_6-supposedly-ancient-traditions-that-totally-arent.html#ixzz1rmA4s83z

As for the the overlap between GRM-do and bushido, I think that the Tokugawa-era emphasis on seijo (清浄, purity or cleanliness) would make the the average bushi unlikely to do things that would involve laying on the floor of a garage with their arms covered in oil/grease/grime.

Take anything I say with a grain of salt. The above is just personal opinion.

I follow the Repo Code.

Lesley wrote: I'm poor, but even if I wasn't – there's nothing that compares to stumbling across a bargain. Simply shelling out money at a store doesn't cut it for me, I've been buying vintage clothing, books and other stuff since I was a teenager. If I was a gazillionaire, I'd probably spend more time browsing ebay, kijiji and junk shops.

You are posting stuff on the internet. Assuming you didn't have to walk from your straw hut to the library to do so, you're not poor.

poopshovel wrote:

Lesley wrote: I'm poor, but even if I wasn't – there's nothing that compares to stumbling across a bargain. Simply shelling out money at a store doesn't cut it for me, I've been buying vintage clothing, books and other stuff since I was a teenager. If I was a gazillionaire, I'd probably spend more time browsing ebay, kijiji and junk shops.

You are posting stuff on the internet. Assuming you didn't have to walk from your straw hut to the library to do so, you're not poor.

Yep, it's all relative.

I read somewhere the other day, if you make $37000/yr after taxes (US) that puts you in the top 1% of the World!!!

I just try to make the most out of the money I earn. I'm definately not poor, in fact I make a pretty good living, but if I didn't do stuff the GRM way, I'd have whole lot less or a whole lot more debt. I still like finding fun stuff at thrift stores or clearance racks.

Can you cite your reference for the $37k after taxes part? I'd like to read the details.

z31maniac wrote: Yep, it's all relative. I read somewhere the other day, if you make $37000/yr after taxes (US) that puts you in the top 1% of the World!!!

That's kind of a ridiculous statistic, since we have some of the lowest income taxes on the planet.

Funny... but I actually did post that from the library.

Lesley wrote: Funny... but I actually did post that from the library.

Holy E36 M3, you ARE poor!

z31maniac wrote: I read somewhere the other day, if you make $37000/yr after taxes (US) that puts you in the top 1% of the World!!!

I've heard that as well, though never attempted to validate.

Digging a little deeper per Wiki... (FWIW)

In relation to total wealth (not income) $60K US gets you into the top 10% globally, but it takes $500K of wealth to earn a spot in the top 1% globally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_inequality

In regards to income...

"The proportion of poor people (with less than US$ 3,470 per year) is 78 %. The proportion of rich people (with more than US$ 8,000/year) is 11 %.[12]"

Since $8K/years gets you into the top ~10% globally (a fairly staggering statistic in itself), I don't doubt that $37K/year is feasible for a top 1% earner on a global scale.

Oh the irony... if a college grad with a $37K/year job were "Occupying" against the 1%. Be careful what you wish for. Poor in the US is relative.

Bush-we-do -n.,- The idea that copious amounts of hope, ingenuity, and overly used discarded objects can be made into peer impressing items worth more than their properly created version, due to the liberal application of creativity, ego, work and alcohol (not necessarily in that order).

There, the GRM version.

Where are you on the global pay scale?

Even by underemphasizing income inequality using local purchasing power, we make a lot more money than most people.

This is more fun, though.

ppddppdd wrote: Where are you on the global pay scale? Even by underemphasizing income inequality using local purchasing power, we make a lot more money than most people. This is more fun, though.

Cooooool!!!!

I'll make what Mitt Romney made in a year in about.... 9 lifetimes!