I suppose the term "Hopium" is often used in crypto circles, but it really applies to the broader world, as well.
Speaking purely from a personal standpoint, I find that I am often hoping that "things will get better" — in my local world, as well as in the greater world — but the truth is that I see virtually no evidence that there's anything happening that doesn't involve getting flushed down the cosmic toilet.
It's important to keep a positive attitude!
While there is definitely some value to such assertions, it's not an easy thing to aspire to when you eternally feel like you're trapped downwind from where the proverbial excrement is engaging with the whirling apparatus.
Of course, I do find my positive and joyful moments... in the very small things — my cat purring in his basket next to my desk, a pretty sunset, flowering jasmine and forth — while watching the big things head to hell in a handbasket.
Of course, the cousin of "Hopium" is often "Copium," that state we slip into where life is essentially little more than a game of barely staying afloat, while we hope things will get better.
The sad truth is life will likely never get better.
Yesterday, I was watching an investigative report about real estate in the USA, and one of the experts interviewed estimated that by 2030 — in the USA — 65% (a full two-thirds) of all single family dwellings will be owned by so-called "Private Equity Investment Firms" rather than private individuals.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can still hear that creepy old dude from the World Economic Forum stating "You will own NOTHING, and you will LIKE it!"
I don't like it. I don't like it, at all.
Not because I am opposed to the idea of renting where I live, but because I am opposed to my landlord being an organization solely focused on extracting as much money as possible from tenants while offering as little as possible in return. Most Private Equity firms are notoriously horrible landlords.
The whole "commodification of EVERYthing" bothers me, on some deep level I can't quite explain.
You're going to take away my opportunity to have anything, and then you're going to lease it back to me for more than I can afford... and I will virtually KILL myself trying to afford it, because my only choices are "pay your price" or live in a tent on a street corner somewhere.
Reminds me of certain aspects of the healthcare industry where prices for procedures are outrageous for no reason other than "pay our price... or die."
Apologists for the existant system often talk about capitalism and free markets, but we have no such thing.
"That's the price the market will bear," they insist, a statement — while technically true — turns a blind eye to the fact that organizations beholden only to the profit motive also do not possess any kinds of morals and values, leaving human beings as little more than bar-coded profit centers.
I really don't enjoy living in this world of "Copium" very much... but I see very few alternatives.
Mind you, I am open to the possibility that this is primarily a USA-based issue, and other parts of the world may have better ways of dealing with things.
Who knows...
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!
Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!
Proud member of the Silver Bloggers Community on Hive!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT posted anywhere else!)
Created at 2025.09.09 20:02 PST
1422/2686