Leaving The US -- Has Anybody Moved Or Are You Considering?

[Luna Bliss]

2 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

So anyway, that conversation helped spark the idea to consider relocating again at some point.

We gotta get out of here!!!

I did start some organizing. I think the best option is to do one of those estate sales...the owners of the estate sale company would get a percentage of sales but worth it in terms of my mental health.  I have so much gardening stuff, and tools to remodel my house (was a big interest of mine after finally owning my own home).  That damm garage of mine has no room for a car in it! lol

[Ayashe Ninetails]

12 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

We gotta get out of here!!!

I did start some organizing. I think the best option is to do one of those estate sales...the owners of the estate sale company would get a percentage of sales but worth it in terms of my mental health.  I have so much gardening stuff, and tools to remodel my house (was a big interest of mine after finally owning my own home).  That damm garage of mine has no room for a car in it! lol

Oooooo estate sales look fun. I'm the kind of person who'd get lost wandering around in an antique shop and emerge 4 hours later, so I've always wanted to go to one of those! 😄 

My escape plan is a much longer process. I need to start a business way more profitable than what I'm doing now first because this is all going to require $$$$. So I'm still in that first stage of "omg omg omg what do I doooooo what am I best at what'll earn the most in the least amount of time what's a good long-term goal how much do I need to save do I want clients no I hate dealing with clients I should just develop a product not a service okay now let's think market research!" My brain is totally mush these days LOL. Staring at lists and trying to organize and condense a thousand ideas down to one. Wooo.

[Luna Bliss]

24 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

My escape plan is a much longer process. I need to start a business way more profitable than what I'm doing now first because this is all going to require $$$$. So I'm still in that first stage of "omg omg omg what do I doooooo what am I best at what'll earn the most in the least amount of time what's a good long-term goal how much do I need to save do I want clients no I hate dealing with clients I should just develop a product not a service okay now let's think market research!" My brain is totally mush these days LOL. Staring at lists and trying to organize and condense a thousand ideas down to one. Wooo.

That all sounds so difficult for me. I don't know if it's in some ways exciting for you?  I've heard it's exciting from others starting businesses, but it's not my thing to seek too much when I'm not certain enough it will work out.

In any case, I hope it's not too stressful and I wish you luck!

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 minute ago, Luna Bliss said:

That all sounds so difficult for me. I don't know if it's in some ways exciting for you?  I've heard it's exciting from others starting businesses, but it's not my thing to seek too much when I'm not certain enough it will work out.

In any case, I hope it's not too stressful and I wish you luck!

Thank you! And oh I like it, actually. I've been saying for yeaaaaars I wanted a proper one, but I got lulled into a sense of "meh, I'll start that later" because I had steady-ish work available that was keeping the bills paid. Covid hit, though, and a lot of online work slowed down for various reasons (in some cases, because others discovered it exists, lol). When I checked around for other gigs to try during the slowdown, I saw things I previously looked into but had no real interest in doing years ago had whole waiting lists to even get accepted to. Ooof! 

So I said ya know what - it's time. Let's do this. So now I'm in that mindset. And it's crazy, lol, but it's a fun process when I'm not stressing myself silly. And I have a solid end goal now (move!). The good news - work has picked up again, so I'm not floundering around trying to start a business with zero income coming in - THAT I do not recommend!!! 

Oh and yeah, the self-doubt and "I'm so going to fail" is huge. That is my absolute weakness right there. So then I go and read stories about the most spectacular failures ever, and it makes me feel way better because I know whatever little mess I get into can't fail as hard as ... ya know... the Titanic. 😂

[Lindal Kidd]

2 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

Can you believe this....almost  $1,300 per month at age 64?  And I wonder if even that plan had high deductibles and co-pays.

Here's an even bigger scam: life insurance.

My mother in law's husband took out a $1 million whole life policy on her, years and years and years ago. When she turned 100, the company said "we're cancelling your policy." She had a lawyer look into it. Turns out that in the fine print of the policy, they really did have a clause that the policy was void after age 100. No, the policy holder did not get any cash value back. No, she did not get any return of premium. She got...NOTHING. Her heirs got...NOTHING. What's worse, we were told that this was pretty much "standard practice" in the industry! We'd never heard of such a thing.

Life insurance is you betting that you are going to die before you pay in more than the company will pay out to your heirs. You're a sure loser, either your premiums or your life. Your heirs might get paid, but they lose you. The only winner in the game is the insurance company.

[Persephone Emerald]

4 hours ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Oh I definitely believe it.

Oh and btw, even having insurance is no guarantee you're going to get what you need. Years ago, I was temping in an office and asked a coworker at lunch - sweet woman in her 80s (😲) - why she was still working full-time (😳) and not off retired somewhere like Hawaii. She told me alllllll about the hell her husband's insurance company was putting them through. The short version - insurance only wanted to pay for generic meds for his heart condition. His doctor said that's not good enough in his case. It was a battle until she finally decided she had to earn enough money to buy the proper meds outright. 😑

So anyway, that conversation helped spark the idea to consider relocating again at some point. I knooooow retirement won't be a thing for me either and that was a fun little glimpse into my future there. 🙃

My Mom's insurance wanted her to get an generic brand of heart meds too. Her heart specialist said the generic one didn't work the same way as the one he prescribed, so she was still able to get it. It was super expensive though (thanks to greedy pharmaceutical companies) and insurance would only pay for part of that. We were able to get it a little cheaper by ordering a larger supply at a time. 

When my sister was fighting liver cancer that had metastasized from breast cancer she had to fight with her insurance company to get the treatment she needed. She wondered if the insurance companies hope the patient will die before they have to pay out for expensive treatment.

I don't have insurance because I'm currently unemployed and can't afford to pay for it on my own.  😟

Edited May 22, 2022 by Persephone Emerald

[Ayashe Ninetails]

7 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

My Mom's insurance wanted her to get an generic brand of heart meds too. Her heart specialist said the generic one didn't work the same way as the one he prescribed, so she was still able to get it. It was super expensive though (thanks to greedy pharmaceutical companies) and insurance would only pay for part of that. We were able to get it a little cheaper by ordering a larger supply at a time. 

When my sister was fighting liver cancer that had metastasized from breast cancer she had to fight with her insurance company to get the treatment she needed. She wondered if the insurance companies hope the patient will die before they have to pay out for expensive treatment.

I don't have insurance because I'm currently unemployed and can't afford to pay for it on my own.  😟

Ooooof, that's so awful. I'm so sorry you've had to deal with that. Nobody ever should.

And yeah, insurance can be a nightmare when you've actually got it. I feel like you can win with that. Meanwhile on the other side, my mom managed to retire with the best benefits and insurance combination one could probably get short of working for Congress haha, and her doctors are always coming up with fancy new tests to run because they just can't wait to start billing, LOL. Gaaaaaawd.

Funny enough, I've been trying to get her to move out of the US with me, too - for yeaaaaaaars, but she's one of the handful of people with excellent insurance and access to the absolute best doctors, so I understand why she won't budge. Meanwhile, my uncle had to skip down to South America for his dental work. The difference one's job makes, I tell you.

Don't feel bad, though. I think there are a lot of us in that boat. I don't think I personally know anyone who gets insurance through the ACA. It's either via a full-time job or nothing at all.

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:02 AM, Luna Bliss said:

But you're white, live in a blue state, and can take advantage of dual care (Medicare and Medicaid at the same time) due to your age.
Others are not so fortunate.

Many red states are still denying Medicaid to those who need it (the working poor...those who are too poor to be eligible for Obamacare as you must earn a certain amount to qualify, yet earn too much to qualify for Medicaid). In other words, there are major holes in coverage, and somehow it's disproportionately the people of color who end up in the hole. I can't feel good about our racist medical system.

I think you're speculating here based on your ideology, but my friends and family who live in the red states and are poor aren't "denied Medicaid" if they are poor.  It's not as simplistic and stark as you imagine. There's federal Medicaid that has certain cut-off levels, and then local Medicaid which has higher thresholds often.

It is indeed true that people of colour and immigrants have less access to health care, yet many do in fact access Medicaid. Then the issue is that the system is overwhelmed especially since ObamaCare, and is of poor quality. The reality is more complex than you imagine. Unequal outcomes aren't due to some simplistic racism whereby some cabal of white privileged doctors try to lock out people of colour and oppress them -- if anything, the AMA and hospitals these days are bending over backwards to eliminate racism in health care, I see it all over (my daughter works in a hospital and describes these efforts to me).

Lack of access can be literal -- if there is no nearby hospital, so that housing, where racism was decidedly a factor historically and even today, and transportation, which can get expensive with poor income or no job, are obstacles. Sit with me for a day long sojourn at Bellevue Hospital in NYC where I go constantly, and you will revise your beliefs based on your own anecdotal experience elsewhere. 

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:05 AM, Luna Bliss said:

I do appreciate your bringing to light some details in our medical care here in the US, but I just can't get behind praising it as you much as you do.

It's a bit like praising a person who has a bad habit of murdering people. Yeah, sure, they have their good side, but they are causing thousands of people to die each year unnecessarily, and so I'm having trouble feeling okay about pointing out the fact that they, for example, have these laudable behaviors like donating to a charity or loving their dog because, well...murders.

Our system in the US allows people to die without health insurance and/or medical care. Other wealthy countries, and many poorer ones, cover everyone.

Again, I think you're speaking from ideological precept and not experience. I don't see people being left to die in the big city hospitals in New York City where I go constantly for care. I see great effort and expense put into keeping them alive. I see the ER being used as a clinic because of poor organization of primary care (and this has actually been changing in recent years as they have increased the clinics' capacity and put in all kinds of wellness programs so that the ER isn't the first stop). And that's just it -- these costs, not covered by the uninsured or underinsured, then drive up overall costs even more.

You imply that the people in the health care system callously and deliberately murder people and there is no evidence for that. In fact, in my years of observation of this system, and also learning from my daughter who has worked in a half dozen big city hospitals, the chief culprits are middle managers, often with only degrees in hotel management, unrelated to medical care, a class which clings to their privilege and position and make-work more than those privileged doctors you imagine, and they are kept in business by insurance companies. Commercial hospitals have more of these; non-profit have less, and as a result there is actually less waste and insanity. It's possible to reform hospitals and health care to be a non-profit system without turning it into a socialized medicine nightmare.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Prokofy Neva

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/20/2022 at 9:16 PM, Persephone Emerald said:

Sometimes winning the argument is less important than showing compassion by letting it drop.

I don't believe in the SL practice of invoking RL tragedies to win an argument by inciting sympathies. 

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:00 AM, Luna Bliss said:

29 states place a cap on malpractice damages:
https://www.millerandzois.com/malpractice-damage-caps.html

There are 50 US states.

[kali Wylder]

 

[Luna Bliss]

On 5/22/2022 at 10:19 AM, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Thank you! And oh I like it, actually. I've been saying for yeaaaaars I wanted a proper one, but I got lulled into a sense of "meh, I'll start that later" because I had steady-ish work available that was keeping the bills paid. Covid hit, though, and a lot of online work slowed down for various reasons (in some cases, because others discovered it exists, lol). When I checked around for other gigs to try during the slowdown, I saw things I previously looked into but had no real interest in doing years ago had whole waiting lists to even get accepted to. Ooof! 

So I said ya know what - it's time. Let's do this. So now I'm in that mindset. And it's crazy, lol, but it's a fun process when I'm not stressing myself silly. And I have a solid end goal now (move!). The good news - work has picked up again, so I'm not floundering around trying to start a business with zero income coming in - THAT I do not recommend!!! 

Oh and yeah, the self-doubt and "I'm so going to fail" is huge. That is my absolute weakness right there. So then I go and read stories about the most spectacular failures ever, and it makes me feel way better because I know whatever little mess I get into can't fail as hard as ... ya know... the Titanic. 😂

You really have good writing skills, so I'm wondering if you ever considered writing as a job you could earn money with, at least to a degree. I just came across a digital nomad who had great success in this. Maybe you don't enjoy writing though, and I imagine you'd have to enjoy it to succeed.

[Luna Bliss]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:27 PM, Prokofy Neva said:

Again, I think you're speaking from ideological precept and not experience. I don't see people being left to die in the big city hospitals in New York City where I go constantly for care. I see great effort and expense put into keeping them alive.

No, not speaking from an ideological precept, and it's not wise to only go by experience as you are with your experience in New York City (anecdotal evidence), though I do include my personal experience as a partial judgement about many matters.

Definition of anecdotal evidence: evidence in the form of stories that people tell about what has happened to them.
Example -- " His conclusions are not supported by data; they are based only on anecdotal evidence".

I base my assertions primarily on studying Social Work policy in college and compilations of statistics easily accessed online (so this information is much broader than what I access with only my personal location), as well as some anecdotal information (my own experience with ACA insurance, data points of information I glean from others speaking to their experience on forums and blogs, including this one, as well as reports from friends in the social work field in my location, though some of these social workers do obtain information from other US states as well).

However I don't doubt that much of the anecdotal evidence you site is true -- most healthcare workers care about their patients and do an immense amount of good, and efforts are made to cover as many people as possible through our patchwork system of care. Many people in Red states do indeed receive care.
The above, however, does not take away the fact that thousands are priced out of our healthcare system and die because of it, and many more are unable to afford medication and other types of palliative care that could make their life bearable. There are many loopholes in this patchwork system we have in the US, and these are most visible in Red states that did not expand Medicaid to cover everyone.

This information is easily accessed online via doing a search on such topics as -- which American states expanded Medicaid, how many people die each year due to being underinsured with unaffordable co-payments and deductibles, or how many cannot afford insurance at all.

Though you suspect my position is due to my ideology, I suspect your fears of socialism prevent you from looking at more affordable healthcare with better health outcomes in other countries that have less privatization. Mainly their more socialized systems are better because they don't leave anyone out of the system. Everyone gets care, no matter how poor. And this is why I don't like the American system -- it leaves people out of the system -- and this has nothing to do with my political ideology and everything to do with my spiritual belief that certain segments should not hog more of the pie while letting less-wealthy individuals suffer and die.

You suggest nonprofit as a solution, but nonprofit hospitals don't seem so great:
https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/how-nonprofit-hospitals-get-away-biggest-rip-america
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/10/15/769792903/how-non-profit-hospitals-are-driving-up-the-cost-of-health-care
https://www.leftvoice.org/capitalism-and-healthcare-the-con-of-nonprofit-hospitals/

And don't forget -- though we made gains in recent years due to the ACA and insurance does cover more people now, there is one side of the political isle hell-bent on destroying the ACA, so those with lower incomes who are able to take advantage of the subsidy to reduce cost of insurance would be denied insurance again. And 2024 doesn't look so good in this respect given their frequent efforts to undo the ACA.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Luna Bliss

[Luna Bliss]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:27 PM, Prokofy Neva said:

You imply that the people in the health care system callously and deliberately murder people and there is no evidence for that.

I'm speaking to patriarchal systems which allow murder. Technically the definition of murder states it must be premeditated. I do believe this is a reality in our system.

Patriarchy (a stratified society where there are permanent underclass citizens who suffer with less of the rights and goods the higher classes take advantage of) causes those on the lower rungs to suffer and die. The US is the pinnacle of patriarchy. We value the tough individual, embodied in a corporation, who smashes down on others on a rise to the top, much more than we value and desire to help those less fortunate...and we allow this 'individual' to take far too much in the name of freedom.
This is reflected in our healthcare system where we allow many on the bottom rungs to die or suffer with inadequate coverage:

https://tinyurl.com/2jyhsf2a

Edited May 25, 2022 by Luna Bliss

[Luna Bliss]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:22 PM, Prokofy Neva said:

It is indeed true that people of colour and immigrants have less access to health care, yet many do in fact access Medicaid. Then the issue is that the system is overwhelmed especially since ObamaCare, and is of poor quality. The reality is more complex than you imagine. Unequal outcomes aren't due to some simplistic racism whereby some cabal of white privileged doctors try to lock out people of colour and oppress them -- if anything, the AMA and hospitals these days are bending over backwards to eliminate racism in health care, I see it all over (my daughter works in a hospital and describes these efforts to me).

Lack of access can be literal -- if there is no nearby hospital, so that housing, where racism was decidedly a factor historically and even today, and transportation, which can get expensive with poor income or no job, are obstacles. Sit with me for a day long sojourn at Bellevue Hospital in NYC where I go constantly, and you will revise your beliefs based on your own anecdotal experience elsewhere. 

Structural racism afflicts healthcare. Just because you see some Black people in New York receiving welfare does not mean systemic racism does not exist.

https://www.stkate.edu/academics/healthcare-degrees/racism-in-healthcare

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=systemic+racism+in+healthcare&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

But going beyond the structural racism which exists (proven by numerous psychological tests which demonstrate bias, affecting even those we imagine have more objectivity such as doctors, judges, and therapists), we can see how those in political positions use racism in our society to achieve political outcomes -- the old "welfare queen" stereotype used as a ploy by Reagan to minimize support for the poor, depicting the poor who receive assistance as predominately Black and undeserving -- still exists as a stereotype in the US. 

Sadly, those lowest on the socioeconomic ladder, brainwashed in the Red states, deny themselves the very care they need via voting against their own interests in healthcare matters in order to deny care to Black people they blame for their woes and so punch down on.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Luna Bliss

[Luna Bliss]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:22 PM, Prokofy Neva said:

my friends and family who live in the red states and are poor aren't "denied Medicaid" if they are poor. 

If your state hasn’t expanded Medicaid (mostly an issue in Red states), and your income is below the federal poverty level, and you don't qualify for Medicaid under your state's current rules, you won’t qualify for Medicaid coverage or savings on a private health plan bought through the Marketplace.

Adults in those states with incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level, and who don’t qualify for Medicaid based on disability, age, or other factors, fall into a gap -- their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid in their states, but their incomes are below the range the law set for savings on a Marketplace insurance plan.

https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/medicaid-expansion-and-you/

So this gap in insurance described above is one problem, but even among those who are insured through the ACA and so receive subsidies often the co-pays and deductibles are too high on the less-expensive plans, causing many to end up in medical debt or go without care as they must pay out of pocket until the deductible amount is reached on their lower-cost ACA plan.

The following website lists more problems caused by our inadequate healthcare in the US -- I didn't check his sources though they are listed:

https://spendmenot.com/blog/medical-bankruptcy-statistics/

[Ayashe Ninetails]

24 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

You really have good writing skills, so I'm wondering if you ever considered writing as a job you could earn money with, at least to a degree. I just came across a digital nomad who had great success in this. Maybe you don't enjoy writing though, and I imagine you'd have to enjoy it to succeed.

Omg thank you!

Lol, so funny you say that, too. I've always wanted to be a writer in some capacity and used to take classes all through school and college that were sure to force me to read and write papers on books, films, and plays so I could practice (gotta learn the rules to break the rules!). I might be the only person who took an entire Shakespeare class I didn't need just for fun. 😂 I have about 5 horror/dark fantasy novels-to-be of my own in various states of "what am I even doing with this story?" though.

My issue has always been that I love to write stories but hate to end stories. I get deeply attached to characters and don't like having to say goodbye. So I don't - all my stories are unfinished. I'll get hundreds of pages deep in Word and just stop! I've got a sequel half-done with an unfinished original!🤣 

Unfortunately, I was hit with a massive wave of writer's block and I haven't written creatively in years. I went from writing hours and hours a day to not at all. It's been brutal, honestly. I always want to tweet to Stephen King like HELP how do I break out of this?! Yeesh, that man can write a book a month. I'm so jealous!

I did also get discouraged by a friend who read a little of my stuff and told me if I don't intend to publish, writing was a full waste of my time and ability. I wasn't sure I wanted to publish at the time as I don't write for an audience. I write what I want and it's often very bizarre and experimental. King, Poe, and J.G. Ballard are some of my literary idols, so you see where this is going, LOL. Creative writing has always just been a hobby, though. Thinking of publishing it all just felt wrong, somehow. Writing about others' writing seemed like a more natural fit for me. Reading totally off-the-wall bonkers books or screenplays and writing entire pieces on them - that's my jam. I guess that'd fall into reviewer/critic/script reader territory. I just never pursued it, though. 

I have recently considered going in a more business-writing direction. I used some (under)paid article writing gigs to try and shake the writer's block and it worked decently enough. Deadlines do tend to do that, I guess. It just didn't feel fulfilling ghostwriting blog posts for someone else. I still think about starting a monetized blog of my own, but we'll see! That's definitely a popular choice for a lot of writers who love to travel/live abroad and it sure beats freelancing. I just need to get my groove back!

[Lindal Kidd]

Robert A. Heinlein set out the rules for becoming a writer. They are simple, but strangely, most people can't, don't, or won't follow them. Note that you have to obey all five rules to be a successful writer.

1. You must WRITE.
2. You must FINISH what you write.
3. You must PUT it on the market.
4. You must KEEP it on the market until sold.
5. You must not revise except to editorial order.

Or this observation may be useful: "Writing is not hard. You simply sit at the keyboard and stare at a blank page until small drops of blood form on your forehead."

In an attempt to be more specifically helpful, Ayashe, why don't you write a short story about someone who has writer's block? There are endless ways to approach it, so I won't prejudice your thinking by mentioning any of them.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Lindal Kidd

[Luna Bliss]

12 hours ago, Lindal Kidd said:

why don't you write a short story about someone who has writer's block?

seems a good plan!   

[Luna Bliss]

21 hours ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Omg thank you!

Lol, so funny you say that, too. I've always wanted to be a writer in some capacity and used to take classes all through school and college that were sure to force me to read and write papers on books, films, and plays so I could practice (gotta learn the rules to break the rules!). I might be the only person who took an entire Shakespeare class I didn't need just for fun. 😂 I have about 5 horror/dark fantasy novels-to-be of my own in various states of "what am I even doing with this story?" though.

My issue has always been that I love to write stories but hate to end stories. I get deeply attached to characters and don't like having to say goodbye. So I don't - all my stories are unfinished. I'll get hundreds of pages deep in Word and just stop! I've got a sequel half-done with an unfinished original!🤣 

Unfortunately, I was hit with a massive wave of writer's block and I haven't written creatively in years. I went from writing hours and hours a day to not at all. It's been brutal, honestly. I always want to tweet to Stephen King like HELP how do I break out of this?! Yeesh, that man can write a book a month. I'm so jealous!

I did also get discouraged by a friend who read a little of my stuff and told me if I don't intend to publish, writing was a full waste of my time and ability. I wasn't sure I wanted to publish at the time as I don't write for an audience. I write what I want and it's often very bizarre and experimental. King, Poe, and J.G. Ballard are some of my literary idols, so you see where this is going, LOL. Creative writing has always just been a hobby, though. Thinking of publishing it all just felt wrong, somehow. Writing about others' writing seemed like a more natural fit for me. Reading totally off-the-wall bonkers books or screenplays and writing entire pieces on them - that's my jam. I guess that'd fall into reviewer/critic/script reader territory. I just never pursued it, though. 

I have recently considered going in a more business-writing direction. I used some (under)paid article writing gigs to try and shake the writer's block and it worked decently enough. Deadlines do tend to do that, I guess. It just didn't feel fulfilling ghostwriting blog posts for someone else. I still think about starting a monetized blog of my own, but we'll see! That's definitely a popular choice for a lot of writers who love to travel/live abroad and it sure beats freelancing. I just need to get my groove back!

I hope your inspiration is returning!

I don't much like the advice your friend gave you. Pffft -- mentors/critics/friends can inspire but they can also do much damage. I remember when we were instructed to draw a tree in art class and the teacher, upon viewing my admittedly pitiful tree, asked sarcastically if I'd ever actually looked at a tree. I never went back to that class, and never attempted visual art again until SL, although I did much with music composition during the intervening years.

Fortunately, I had a much better experience in SL in the beginning. I remember a creator I admired who wanted to see the biggest tree in SL and so dropped by to inspect this tree, and he was amazed as there was nothing quite like it at that size in SL at the time. It was not easy to create, for sure, as we didn't have the sculpts and mesh we have today.
I don't remember his name, but as we got to talking about selling creations I remember something he said. He said "some things we never sell". I can't say I understood that almost 20 years ago, and only partially understand it now as I examine it further.

Those who discover the joy of creating are the luckiest people. For me, it's a sacred act -- expanding one's horizon, taking a step into the bigger picture, making connections. In that most pure state the journey is more important than the result, and being 'in the flow' with the conscious mind taking a back seat is exhilarating.

From hearing the description of your exploratory joy when writing I don't believe for a minute that what your friend said was true (that if you don't intend to publish then writing was a full waste of your time and ability). Creating simply for the joy of creating is enough if that's what you want or need it to be. Sharing with others might be an ideal, or perhaps the end result of a process for some (where would we be if all people created but never shared), but it doesn't take into account what any particular creator should be doing in their personal journey of creating at any particular point in time. Unless he was trying to encourage you to put yourself out there in order to overcome the fear of judgement from others, and knowing this is what you desired, I can't understand why he would say such a thing.

Creating with the intent to sell or to receive critique has its pitfalls. One needs to approach this with caution as it can ruin the creative process. But the structure imposed by others can also be a source for creation, as their input creates challenges to overcome. I hope the latter is the case for you as you experiment with a different style of writing and seek to earn money through it.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

3 hours ago, Luna Bliss said:

I hope your inspiration is returning!

I don't much like the advice your friend gave you. Pffft -- mentors/critics/friends can inspire but they can also do much damage. I remember when we were instructed to draw a tree in art class and the teacher, upon viewing my admittedly pitiful tree, asked sarcastically if I'd ever actually looked at a tree. I never went back to that class, and never attempted visual art again until SL, although I did much with music composition during the intervening years.

Fortunately, I had a much better experience in SL in the beginning. I remember a creator I admired who wanted to see the biggest tree in SL and so dropped by to inspect this tree, and he was amazed as there was nothing quite like it at that size in SL at the time. It was not easy to create, for sure, as we didn't have the sculpts and mesh we have today.
I don't remember his name, but as we got to talking about selling creations I remember something he said. He said "some things we never sell". I can't say I understood that almost 20 years ago, and only partially understand it now as I examine it further.

Those who discover the joy of creating are the luckiest people. For me, it's a sacred act -- expanding one's horizon, taking a step into the bigger picture, making connections. In that most pure state the journey is more important than the result, and being 'in the flow' with the conscious mind taking a back seat is exhilarating.

From hearing the description of your exploratory joy when writing I don't believe for a minute that what your friend said was true (that if you don't intend to publish then writing was a full waste of your time and ability). Creating simply for the joy of creating is enough if that's what you want or need it to be. Sharing with others might be an ideal, or perhaps the end result of a process for some (where would we be if all people created but never shared), but it doesn't take into account what any particular creator should be doing in their personal journey of creating at any particular point in time. Unless he was trying to encourage you to put yourself out there in order to overcome the fear of judgement from others, and knowing this is what you desired, I can't understand why he would say such a thing.

Creating with the intent to sell or to receive critique has its pitfalls. One needs to approach this with caution as it can ruin the creative process. But the structure imposed by others can also be a source for creation, as their input creates challenges to overcome. I hope the latter is the case for you as you experiment with a different style of writing and seek to earn money through it.

Lol, to be fair, the guy was my boyfriend's friend more than mine, and we both found the dude to be a bit of a cranky, obnoxious jerk - to put it nicely. Definitely one of those people who feels there needs to be some financial payoff to any real pursuit or else why bother (and not even remotely creative himself). I didn't take the advice to heart THAT much, though it did sort of plant the seed that yeah, I was spending a LOT of hours a day on a hobby that wasn't really going anywhere. I feel like a lot of creative people get into that mindset, though. Most artsy people I meet/know seem to struggle with that. 

On the flipside, I've always had positive encouragement, too. My brother is just as creative as I am and he's always been super supportive. So the writer's (and creative in general at times) block isn't really coming from a fear of wasting time or anything that doofus said. Considering it started right around the time I came back to the US, I have a fairly decent idea of what's causing it...

Not only that, but I came to the realization that since absolutely everything I loved to do tends to be in the creative realm, I'm going to have to choose one or more of those things to monetize at some point. Weirdly, unlike a lot of creative people, I have no desire to "make it" as an artist/writer/musician/etc. I know many have the dream of getting paid millions to do what they love, but I hate money (apparently lol), so my plan was to finish college and just live my life out in some little tiny obscure corner of the world and write stories and do my thing and that's it. Of course, being back in the US - that's not really a thing one can do without being independently wealthy, lol.

And oof, trying to work "normal" jobs was so brutal. Everyone around me so obsessed with making as much money as possible and all that. Gah, can't relate. Living my worst nightmare with all that, LOL. Dipping out of that environment and opting for freelancing saved me from having to be around all that on a daily basis, at least. Didn't fully bring my creative spark back, but it's less dire than it used to be. I've been able to channel a lot of creativity into SL, so that's progress!

Ahhhh, the struggle to be basic is real. 😂

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/25/2022 at 10:01 AM, Luna Bliss said:

If your state hasn’t expanded Medicaid (mostly an issue in Red states), and your income is below the federal poverty level, and you don't qualify for Medicaid under your state's current rules, you won’t qualify for Medicaid coverage or savings on a private health plan bought through the Marketplace.

Adults in those states with incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level, and who don’t qualify for Medicaid based on disability, age, or other factors, fall into a gap -- their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid in their states, but their incomes are below the range the law set for savings on a Marketplace insurance plan.

https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/medicaid-expansion-and-you/

So this gap in insurance described above is one problem, but even among those who are insured through the ACA and so receive subsidies often the co-pays and deductibles are too high on the less-expensive plans, causing many to end up in medical debt or go without care as they must pay out of pocket until the deductible amount is reached on their lower-cost ACA plan.

The following website lists more problems caused by our inadequate healthcare in the US -- I didn't check his sources though they are listed:

https://spendmenot.com/blog/medical-bankruptcy-statistics/

Again, these are generalities, and ideologically tilted ones.

There are private plans that are very cheap and don't impoverish you with huge copays. I know because I have purchased them in the past and so have friends and family in "red states". I'm not sure that your correlation of "red state" = exclusionary health care in fact tracks in every red state.

You have to ask whether the European (presumably) state you are moving to will have adequate health care for non citizens who haven't lived and worked in the system for years.

Also I'll note that before you have "Medicare for All" you need "Medicare for Seniors". Currently there is an army of predatory middlemen in the form of "advisers" and health insurance companies that offer all sorts of "extra" and "advantage" plans that in fact cost you more money. The government should administer this government-funded program, fully. With computerization and Congressional oversight, there would be as much scrutiny as there is of the IRS. This would save a lot  although the army of predators will be put out of jobs and you have to consider that as a problem, too, as insurance sales jobs are entry jobs for many, many people without college or even with college who can't find a job. 

There are many, many stories of medical horrors and medical salvations I could tell you from my own experience and that of my children, family, and friends. But I don't think it's so fruitful to discuss this on the Internet with strangers, even the very familiar strangers of Second Life. I just put in a word in these discussions because I think people should contemplate the alternatives to socialism which doesn't work as well as believed even in the countries purportedly showcasing it.

Edited May 27, 2022 by Prokofy Neva

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/25/2022 at 9:56 AM, Luna Bliss said:

Structural racism afflicts healthcare. Just because you see some Black people in New York receiving welfare does not mean systemic racism does not exist.

https://www.stkate.edu/academics/healthcare-degrees/racism-in-healthcare

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=systemic+racism+in+healthcare&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

But going beyond the structural racism which exists (proven by numerous psychological tests which demonstrate bias, affecting even those we imagine have more objectivity such as doctors, judges, and therapists), we can see how those in political positions use racism in our society to achieve political outcomes -- the old "welfare queen" stereotype used as a ploy by Reagan to minimize support for the poor, depicting the poor who receive assistance as predominately Black and undeserving -- still exists as a stereotype in the US. 

Sadly, those lowest on the socioeconomic ladder, brainwashed in the Red states, deny themselves the very care they need via voting against their own interests in healthcare matters in order to deny care to Black people they blame for their woes and so punch down on.

No, the fact that I see many Black, Latino and other minorities in NYC getting access to health care is the product of the struggles of many union activists, anti-poverty and anti-racism activists, including my local assemblyman who is as far left as they come shy of communism but for whom I vote because he is extremely hands on with real issues of immigration, housing, criminal justice, rent control, etc. And the other politicians for whom I vote in my district, all Democrats mainly to the left of me on foreign policy. Structures are made of people; they aren't the ideological abstractions you always wish. And people fight them and make progress, and that should be recognized. Googling up a bunch of terms fitting your ideological take on this isn't of much value to me because of the insanities we see of the woke left among medical professionals, like condemning a motorcycle rally during the worst of the pandemic but promoting a BLM march claiming that COVID is the lesser evil compared to "structural racism". It's too bad COVID doesn't follow this ideology. 

Two years of the pandemic where many, many people got the stimulus checks from the federal government plus local and state assistance in all kinds of ways rather put a dent into that "welfare queen" stereotype. The phenomenon of the red state poor "voting against their interests" (as leftist Democrats perceive them) in not only health care but on issues like the environment is like many things more complicated than the stereotype. I have respect for the journalists even of the leftist persuasion who at least go out and listen to all the stories of these people on the ground, such as Arlie Hochschild. I didn't find Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickled and Dimed very persuasive, but maybe that's because I heard her speak a number of times at the Socialist Scholars' Conferences and found her to be a "stealth socialist". By the way, this isn't the worst book on that phenomenon. 

[Prokofy Neva]

On 5/25/2022 at 9:52 AM, Luna Bliss said:

I'm speaking to patriarchal systems which allow murder. Technically the definition of murder states it must be premeditated. I do believe this is a reality in our system.

Patriarchy (a stratified society where there are permanent underclass citizens who suffer with less of the rights and goods the higher classes take advantage of) causes those on the lower rungs to suffer and die. The US is the pinnacle of patriarchy. We value the tough individual, embodied in a corporation, who smashes down on others on a rise to the top, much more than we value and desire to help those less fortunate...and we allow this 'individual' to take far too much in the name of freedom.
This is reflected in our healthcare system where we allow many on the bottom rungs to die or suffer with inadequate coverage:

https://tinyurl.com/2jyhsf2a

Well, you've articulated your beliefs which I don't believe in, just as I don't believe the US is now turning into a Margaret Atwood novel where women will all be cloaked like your forums avatar. 

I notice your link says 26,000 people died due to lack of health insurance but if you scroll down, it says a study in 2009 found 46,000 people died due to lack of health insurance. So I guess there must be dramatic improvement, eh?