If You Could Zone the Mainland, What Would You Do?

[ChinRey]

2 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

What I was starting to examine though, is the underpinnings of the Western World's obsession with 'things' -- the commercialization, mass production and the like which began in Europe with the industrial revolution

If you really want to see commercialism, there are some places in East Asia you ought to visit.

Commercialism may actually be one of the biggest differences between Europe and USA, maybe especially northwestern Europe and USA. We may not be less materalistic but it's a different kind. Don't ever flaunt your riches here because if you do, you'll be the joke of the neighbourhood. If you want to show off your belongings at all you have to do it very discreetly. This is very important for architecture and furnishing: No flamboyance please.

There are many other differences too of course and it's not only about the house itself but also the surroundings. Here's one example I've already told Luna about. I was trying to help an American friend of mine to find some good trees for her home (this was on a different grid btw). We found some really nice ones but she didn't like them because they were just birches. I didn't reply, not because I was lost for words but because to me it was so far out of context in an nice pleasant chat it didn't register in my brain until much later. Why? Here's a hint: Telling a Scandinavian that a tree is "just a birch" is similar to telling a Canadian it's "just a maple", only much, much worse. I honestly find it very hard to imagine a Norwegian, Swedish or Finnish dream house that doesn't have a single birch in view.

People may think it's silly but it isn't. Marianne talked about fullfilling childhood dreams and that's important of course. But all those things we did have back when we were smalelr, the world bigger and both more innocent are important too. We're rarely conscious about them but they evoke fond memories and they leave a hole when they're gone.

Edited December 5, 2019 by ChinRey

[Luna Bliss]

14 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

Scandinavian

I've been researching the Sami recently:

 

[Luna Bliss]

16 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

We may not be less materalistic but it's a different kind. Don't ever flaunt your riches here

That's what I like about your corner of the globe, there is an internality in general that is often lacking here...

[Luna Bliss]

18 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

People may think it's silly but it isn't. Marianne talked about fullfilling childhood dreams and that's important of course. But all those things we did have back when we were smalelr, the world bigger and both more innocent are important too. We're rarely conscious about them but they evoke fond memories and they leave a hole when they're gone.

In indigenous culture there was less importance placed in past and future, it all existed in the present. A bit difficult to comprehend this with a Western World mind, and describe it,...but I have experienced it...and it's beautiful (after my Shamanic healing).  Strangely, the closest comparison to it is my first experience in VR, where the sense of presence and being in the present is almost overwhelming.

[Luna Bliss]

It was back when Oblivion was popular that I first began to explore music from this part of the world, although not Sami there are similarities...

 

[ChinRey]

53 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

That's what I like about your corner of the globe, there is an internality in general that is often lacking here...

I'm not sure about that to be honest.

But anyway, I was just trying to use my own background to illustrate how the concept of a "dream house" might be very different even between two cultures that seem very similar on the surface.

Edited December 5, 2019 by ChinRey

[Qie Niangao]

5 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

This will sound tautological, but a major reason (maybe the only) I try to see what's good in others is that, if I don't, I'll be living in a world where I see no good in others. There's probably no point in having self-esteem if you're the only one in the world you think deserves it.

What if all the rest of us also think you're the only one in the world who deserves it?

[Luna Bliss]

51 minutes ago, ChinRey said:

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

That's what I like about your corner of the globe, there is an internality in general that is often lacking here...

I'm not sure about that to be honest.

But anyway, I was just trying to use my own background to illustrate how the concept of a "dream house" might be very different even between two cultures that seem very similar on the surface.

Regarding internality, I've only gleaned this from some of the music I've heard, and perhaps a few movies.  I've really only known people from the big Scandinavian cities aside from you. Maybe the people who decide to move north have more of an appreciation of nature that facilitates going within, or do the open spaces induce this?  I would like to think places in the world exist that contain a love of nature to a greater degree...don't let me down ;0
 
That's an interesting point though...that yes all people have differing ideas of their ideal childhood home, depending on where they lived and their culture. And in your area a dream home would likely need to have birch trees?

It makes me wonder about your friend that didn't want "just a birch". To me, this indicates she viewed them as too common. Were they growing wildly in her area and considered almost like a 'weed', and so she wanted something more unique? Whatever the case, I'm just glad those in your neck of the woods value the beautiful birch trees!

Edited December 5, 2019 by Luna Bliss

[Madelaine McMasters]

32 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

What if all the rest of us also think you're the only one in the world who deserves it?

Then I have one more reason to wonder that the hell is wrong with all of you.

[ChinRey]

5 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

There's probably no point in having self-esteem if you're the only one in the world you think deserves it.

I don't have it and I don't deserve it. But it's OK. Everybody else know how absolutely brilliant I am and that's enough for me.

[Luna Bliss]

Well, conditional love is not really love, so they say.

[ChinRey]

58 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

I've really only known people from the big Scandinavian cities aside from you.

There isn't that much difference between urban and rural culture in Norway and Finland. There may be a little bit more in Sweden and Denmark but still less than what you'd expect to find in most other countries. There are very strong urban influences even in the most remote corners and equally strong rural ones int he middle of the biggest cities.

 

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

Maybe the people who decide to move north have more of an appreciation of nature that facilitates going within, or do the open spaces induce this?  I would like to think places in the world exist that contain a love of nature to a greater degree...don't let me down

Appreciation and love are difficult words here. No matter where you live in Norway, you're never more than half an hour of driving away from forests, mountains or the sea, usually it's within walking distance. I don't think I can imagine how it would be not to have that. I'm not an outdoors person by Norwegian standards. I used to be but nowadays I stay inside my house most of the time and maybe take an hour's walk or so every day. But just knowing it's there makes a huge difference.

Lindybeige once made a video about hunter gatherer society that is slightly relevant here. I'm just posting a link since we're really way off topic already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41xEYrgpjWo. It may shatter an illusion or two though.

 

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

That's an interesting point though...that yes all people have differing ideas of their ideal childhood home, depending on where they lived and their culture. And in your area a dream home would likely need to have birch trees?

Keep in mind that I only used it as one example of the many minor details that define a scenery as familiar to somebody.

 

1 hour ago, Luna Bliss said:

It makes me wonder about your friend that didn't want "just a birch". To me, this indicates she viewed them as too common.

On the contrary, she didn't associate it with anything familiar at all.

[Bitsy Buccaneer]

6 hours ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

This will sound tautological, but a major reason (maybe the only) I try to see what's good in others is that, if I don't, I'll be living in a world where I see no good in others. There's probably no point in having self-esteem if you're the only one in the world you think deserves it.

There is much freedom in living this way, whatever the physical circumstances are.

[Luna Bliss]

3 hours ago, ChinRey said:

4 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

It makes me wonder about your friend that didn't want "just a birch". To me, this indicates she viewed them as too common.

On the contrary, she didn't associate it with anything familiar at all.

I think I better track down this wayward birch-prejudiced woman and confront her..   ;0

[ChinRey]

14 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

I think I better track down this wayward birch-prejudiced woman and confront her..   ;0

Sadly some people were not born among birches. It's tragic of course but remember it's not their fault.

Each to their own I guess. She loves aspen trees and to me they are just birches with low self-esteem. Then again, it might be because I have a rather strained relationship with aspens at the moment. You see, even though I love the wild nature, I do like to have a little bit of garden around my house. With room for some herbs and red/white/blackcurrant shrubs, a few lilacs, a rowan or two (birds love them!) and, yes, a couple of birches too. The aspens disagree, they think it should be a forest here. I try to be reasonable and point out to them that there is already a perfectly good forest for them to grow in only a few meters away but they won't listen and refuse to budge.

Edited December 6, 2019 by ChinRey

[RuffertasAlt]

On 11/30/2019 at 10:15 AM, Pussycat Catnap said:

Ok. I do see some themes if we step away from specific in the various ideas.

My desire for a governance body is about making sure the residents have a voice to the lindens, without it being pure chaos... as in how do we all tell them what we want, without meetings that dissolve in a mess of yelling at each other... I figured you'd not like the idea... but I would also say that groups like this are worst when they're composed of people who wanted that power... best when made of people who are resistant and wary of abuse.
- If there's a better way to make sure they know general resident ideas, I'd be for that... to me that's part of zoning - figuring out how to decide it... BUT... it's probably a different topic.

---------------

So... as for the rest of my post...

It looks like maybe half of the ideas everyone is putting forward 'partly match' other people.

 

• We all seem to want to do something about sky clutter
• We all want something done about those privacy walls that don't 'fit in'.
• I think most people think ban lines and security orbs are not being used right.
• We all dislike the advert spam
• I defer to others on vehicles... as I noted in one of my posts up there - while I like them as a concept I'm just on my land, I don't have the broad experience to see the flaws in how a cool idea actually ends up working...

(obviously when I say "we all" above - the people creating these issues are not in agreement... )

 

 

 

My two cents:

- Sky domes should not be visible from the ground within normal draw distance

- Privacy walls? Well, the good thing about them is that they help you form an opinion about the residents who erect them. 

- How about ban lines only above 4000 feet?

- I do like the pod tours, though.

- I would like to see right-of-ways restored for roads and rails, rivers and shorelines. There are too many places where former routes are now closed - for example, the road through The Great Wall (last time I looked) and the land owners who built in water near the shorelines so that you cannot circumnavigate most continents.

- I would also like there to be a rule that you can't cut up land into little bits -

- In my dreams, Mainland plots would have protective easements. Terraforming a smaller parcel of land is harder when you have to worry if you are also inadvertently terraforming your neighbor's property. 

[Mollymews]

32 minutes ago, RuffertasAlt said:

- How about ban lines only above 4000 feet?

i would be quite happy if Linden were to do this. Moving the banline area from ground level to the top of the parcel

i would also be happy if there was a parcel  setting for this that worked similar to Avatar visibility within this new banline area (black box). Something like: "Objects on other parcels can be seen from this parcel".  The setting would be reciprocal, when disabled then objects in this new banline area (black box) on this parcel cannot be seen from another parcel 

[Luna Bliss]

On 12/5/2019 at 3:46 PM, ChinRey said:

Appreciation and love are difficult words here. No matter where you live in Norway, you're never more than half an hour of driving away from forests, mountains or the sea, usually it's within walking distance. I don't think I can imagine how it would be not to have that. I'm not an outdoors person by Norwegian standards. I used to be but nowadays I stay inside my house most of the time and maybe take an hour's walk or so every day. But just knowing it's there makes a huge difference.

So most Norwegians spend a lot of time outdoors?  Why are appreciation and love difficult words?