A Bubbling Thought

It has been pointed out that my plan to break the corporate chains that bind me looks strangely similar to saving money. Extremely similar, as in, “I’m changing my economic paradigm and will no longer support the oppressive system of corporate branding”, “Oh…so you’re just not going to buy that?”

My friends, I need you to understand, I live in my head. Some people are action figures and others are thought bubbles. I am a thought bubble. As such, the motivation behind an action is more important to me than the action itself.
Have you ever read Understanding Comics? In it, Scott McCloud explains the artistic process.

All works begin with purpose, however arbitrary; all take some form; all belong to an idiom (even if it’s an idiom of one); all possess a structure; all require some craft; all present a surface.

The fully developed work of art, philosophy, etc begins with an idea, a purpose, and grows outward. Those outside of the philosopher, however, see only the surface, the actions. Some people perform the same actions but for different core purposes, others copy actions with no understanding of the initial purpose.
I have a friend who swore that if you are sick and decide to drink orange juice it is necessary to add sugar to it, or it won’t be as healthy. I felt that this idea needed explanation so I asked about it. “My mother always added sugar and her mother always added sugar.” Can you guess why Grandma added sugar to Mom’s orange juice? When you are ill, things often taste bitter. The sugar helped the child drink the orange juice.

Actions matter. They change the world. If I didn’t care about actions I wouldn’t ditch so much of the corporate world. Still, core motivations matter more. We need shoes, we don’t need Nike. Core ideas effect more than just one action. Adbusters has begun making shoes too. Yes, the Adbusters that has harassed Nike for years. If we view only the making of shoes, then it would seem that Adbusters has sold out. But the same action can be preformed for different reasons and be enveloped within strikingly different environments. The factory that makes the Ad shoes pays its workers well, it gives them breaks and vacations and dignity. Also, Adbusters makes very little profit. Compare this to Nike. You see my point.

I am not just saving money. I am seeking out a new economic environment. I am looking for economic animals that may create materials similar to the corporate behemoths, but do so in a manner that is sustainable. It’s not about saving money, it’s about healing my soul.