We’re reading Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware. We mentioned this book in a previous blott.
While discussing the first of five regrets, Bronnie tells a thought-provoking story:
Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware Hay House LLC, 2019. Kindle edition.
Regret 1: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me Page 51
A Buddhist story goes that a man came shouting angrily at Buddha, who remained unaffected by him. When questioned by others as to how he remained calm and unaffected, Buddha answered with a question. ‘If someone gives you a gift and you choose not to receive it, to whom then does the gift belong?’ Of course it stays with the giver. And so it was with words that continued to be unjustly dumped onto me at times. I stopped taking them on and felt compassion instead. Those words were not coming from a place of happiness.
Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware
Ownership Under Capitalism
At what point do you own the food you are eating at a restaurant?
The Restaurant Example
Before eating: The restaurant “owns” the meal. It’s raw ingredients transformed by labor, and the plate is legally theirs.
When served: The food is in front of you, but you don’t technically “own” it yet—you’re only being extended credit (unless you pre-paid).
When eating: You’re literally chewing the food before you’ve legally bought it. By the time you swallow, you may still be renting it.
At payment: Ownership formally transfers. But now, as you point out, you’re not buying the pristine plated meal—it’s already a chewed, partially digested slurry sliding down your esophagus.
So by strict capitalist logic: You paid good money for half-chewed mush and some stomach acid.
We Own the Rain
When Water Privatization Goes Full Kafka, by Elder G:
Cochabamba[1], Bolivia’s “Water War” (1999–2000) provides a textbook example of ownership taken to the darkest extreme:
The government granted Aguas del Tunari (a private consortium) a 40-year monopoly over all water resources, including rainwater—even from private rooftops—and guaranteed them a 15% annual return.
The result? Mass protests, one fatality, and a nationwide uprising that forced the government to repeal the privatization law and expel the company.
Think you’ve hoarded too many raindrops? Try being in a system that claims legal control over water you collect from your own roof, then mandates you pay corporate landlords for access.
WLBOTT’s Response
Scenario
Real-World Behavior
WLBOTT Plan for Shareholder Value
Rainwater collection
Legal in most places, but tightly regulated
Selling “Raindrop Futures”—buy shares in rooftop rainfall, hedging against drought
Ownership overreach
A private company monopolizes all water in a city
“Even your tears are leased”: charge for emotions in liters, usage billed monthly
Fine print contracts
Legalese governs rain barrels, plumbing, permits
Contract states: “By looking at the sky, you’ve consented to leasing the clouds”
Ah, the rumor about a “subscription-based computer mouse” is real – but only as a concept of a plan, not an actual product in the wild.
Here’s the full saga, with the capitalist absurdity baked in for your delight:
What Actually Happened
The Spark: In mid–2024, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber shared an internal concept from their innovation lab: a “Forever Mouse” – a durable, premium mouse that, like a luxury watch, you wouldn’t replace. Instead, it would receive ongoing software updates, potentially funded via a subscription model.
Immediate Backlash: The idea that one might pay a monthly fee just to keep a mouse functioning provoked strong reactions across tech communities and social media – often veering into satire.
Logitech’s Pushback: Logitech later clarified that the “Forever Mouse” is not a planned or real product – just internal exploration aimed at reducing e-waste rather than a business model rollout.
Reality Check: No Mouse Subscription… (nyet)
So, while it sounded like a dystopian concept, there’s no “mouse-as-a-service” on the store shelves. Logitech has stated clearly:
“There are no plans for a subscription mouse.”
Trust, but Verify
For our next story about the decline of American Capitalism, we have awarded Elder JimZim the Muse Du Jour award.
Gentle people – I went to a small farmers stand near me in MD. It is usually not attended and has a money box for purchases. The sign is confusing – which is it – honor system or constant surveillance?
Also the church next door seems to be having financial difficulties since they have joined forces with a brewery.
I see the logical progression – over-indulge at the brewery sampling area, steal some tomatoes but get caught on surveillance video and then go to the BEP Church to repent. Conveniently your car is parked there.
I see the logical progression – over-indulge at the brewery sampling area, steal some tomatoes but get caught on surveillance video and then go to the BEP Church to repent. Conveniently your car is parked there.
Elder JimZim
Elder G’s take:
Trust, but Verify: The “honor system” appeals to a fading cultural ideal – neighborly trust in rural America. Yet the “premises under surveillance” reveals the creeping mistrust, the suspicion that honesty can’t stand alone without an electronic eye watching.
The vibe check: It’s almost comical – “we trust you, but we’ll also prosecute you.” A reflection of the tension between yearning for simpler trust and living in a society that expects betrayal.
