Purchasing Choices

 

The duopoly of supermarkets continues across Australia, as corporate muscles are flexed against suppliers, staff and customers in a relentless obsession of growth in profits, dominance and control.

I support more of stand alone independent grocers and direct producers, they have more variety on their shelves.  As prices in Coles and Woolies have gone up, they cannot compete price wise with some independent grocers, especially ethnic ones like Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.

My strategy now is to be mindful of selected items of grocery to buy - and suppport small business in my locality as far as I can. A more focused approach helps to avoid wasting expenses on addictive food, zoom for more quality in edibles and exercise our minds and hearts in better choices with discretion.

Fresh eggs are not bad at Aldi, they do not shelf them in fridges like Coles and Woolies. Fresh milk at Aldis is a good buy, but at the same time there can be a lot of distracting products at Aldi outlets.

More distracting is the preponderance of products laden with sugar, salt, preservatives and fat at the main supermarkets.  Do walk the aisles and make up your own mind.

If one resides in an Australian regional area, I understand there can be a lack of choice -  and one depends more on the duopoly.

This is echoed in the lack of competition especially in the Australian sectors of domestic air travel, pharmacies and banking.

Fresh produce markets are fascinating to me, but generally since Covid, prices have spiked st such stalls, even if quality is maintained.

I have also dabbled in ordering online offers of groceries and white goods - some provide free  and next day delivery at the very latest.
The physical store model is increasingly under threat - the way some businesses are treating customers is viewed in disdain by more people I know.

Need we visit a supermarket venue to get essential food?  We step in such places and we observe some using them for social chats.  We also note the rise in self managed check outs with narrow spaces.  Cameras are attached to monitor the movement of human beings.
Pyschological games are played with posters put up by the supermarket to induce us to buy, but which underestimate our level of intelligence.

Do reflect on the huge numbers of real estate such supermarkets sit on, they can easily get into the commercial property game once they stop selling food.

There has truly been this relentless drive to know what you and each family have bought in the past to shape millions of purchasing profiles.   The underlying rationale is that once you buy something, you will buy it again.   This model excludes the very possible human trait of not purchasing the same thing ever again - and the right to have a significant change in taste.

The use of membership cards implies the giving of peanut reward points to customers.

The duopoly puts its bets on greater convenience, habitual pattern of spending and lack of competition for the majority of the population to
regularly visit its outlets.  They are also experts in marketing, human behaviour and commercial practices.  

#yongkevthoughts

What is your Plan De Vida Today?

 Singapore is so urbanised and densely populated, much more than the popularly identified current Blue Zones of age longevity - Ikaria on Greece; Loma Linda in California; Nicoya in Costa Rica; Ogliastra in Italian Sardinia and Okinawa, south of the main Japanese islands.

Yet Singapore has attained number 5 in the world rankings for age longevity.

I reckon each of the so called Blue Zones has unique characteristics that contribute to humans living longer than most. 

Strong family relationships give inner joy. However, we cannot choose our relatives and how they behave - good or not so good - is not our personal responsibility.  Overseas migration has destroyed the safety of having family nearby.

So the saying is true that having a good neighbour or friend is more important when family is living so far away. 

Most of the Blue Zones see its people having their share of restorative hours of night time sleep and afternoon naps. 

In Singapore, most residents do not drive private vehicles as they can be costly to buy, maintain and run (especially for essentially depreciating assets).  This translates to the common person on the street having to walk more each day as part of their regime, instead of being seated for too many hours driving ( as in the the  capital cities and rural regions of-  Australia). 

Having a strong purpose in life at whatever age - and keeping busy each day with such a purpose is an important characteristic to have.  Call it whatever, such a philosophy and practice is not confined to the terms Ikigai or Plan De Vida. 

Growing and having access to your own plant based sources of food is vital.  You do not have to solely depend on commercial shops to get your daily intake of greens when you can pluck them from what you grow in your own abode.  This is not easy for Singapore. 

On average, the serving size of food provided in Singapore eateries is less than those sold as the norm in nations of the Anglosphere.  Reflect on the ridiculous size of Big Macs, huge chunks of grilled meats and towering sandwiches that would not fit most mouths.  In the identified Blue Zones, most people eat only to statisfy half fullness of the stomach, except in Singapore. 

Dietary habits and nutrition are naturally factors contributing to sustainable overall health, immunity and anti-inflammation levels for each person.   The norm in societies like Nicoya, Okinawa and Ikaria  is not to overeat - and eat less processed foods.  Such consumption patterns contrast with other societies over fed on fast food, canned products and stuff overladen with salt and sugar, resulting in high case numbers of obesity, mental depression and medical drug addiction.  When you go to so called supermarkets anywhere in the world, most things along their aisles are over processed, supplemented with things to extend shelf life and with many ingredients altered from their natural state. 

A so called higher standard of living as measured by GDP per capita by itself is not a good indication of factors optimal for living longer.   Such economic measures omit or deemphasise the role of significant contributions to a quality long life. 

Social cohesion and networking effectiveness are important to giving most meaning when living longer.  A system embedded to encourage continuation of lifetime long friendships from childhood, like Moai in Okinawa, Seventh Day Adventism in Loma Linda and the Kopi Tiam gatherings in Singapore, helps. 

Over commercialisation of lifestyles in urbanised areas can translate to feelings of personal isolation even in crowded neighbourhoods.   Aged care can become dehumanised when delivered by paid agencies and robots instead of by family members. 

The dominance of monetary achievement, competitiveness and vibrancy is not observed in the five Blue Zones, except in California. 

Cultural norms practising and prioritising shared values, instead of auto relying on litigation, adversity and obsession with 'me' instead of 

"us", add to better conditions when living longer.  Village and communal practices, handed down through the generations to ensure survival and togetherness, or in the form of positive religious and cultural traditions, can provide better mental and physical environments. 

Most contemporary cities and nations, that fall prey to manipulating politicians and social systems that divide and rule, are bound to be stuck in strife, uncertainty with negative change and never ending geopolitical rivalry. 

Having the optimal size of community and ease of access to life's basic essentials in the rituals of daily life also smoothens out the experience.  It is interesting to note

that most of the Blue Zones do not have the best medical facilities, unlike in Singapore. 

No matter where you are, each person has to make effort and time to have a better quality of time extended to us on Earth. It is our own personal attitude in all aspects of life that determines whether we create our own Blue Zone. 

So what is your Plan De Vida for today? 

#yongkevthoughts

AI

 

We may no longer require human beings or robots to read the news in broadcasts or telecasts.  Who still allocates a time slot, predetermined by others, to listen or watch what we can read ourselves, at our own leisure on other more accessible mediums?

Instead of focusing on sharing common joy and values, our instant gratification electronic wifi controlled social media can simmer and dwell in arguments, self centred opinions and assertive pushing of agendas.

The contemporary world is bristling with content in the virtual communication universe.   There is freedom to embrace, reject or ignore the views and impressions presented.   Yet, mutual understanding, compromise, tolerance and cooperation can be so much less between different cultures, societies and religions.

The human being can overtax its capability and capacity in use of ears and eyes.  Transactions can be executed without leaving a seated position.  There can be blurred lines between mental, visual and physical reality.

Sophisticated algorithms enable the better application and execution of artificial intelligence.  The outcome is an immediate summation and utilisation of whatever vast amount of data and other information they have access to.  However, can AI apply a much needed layer of ethics, a soul, gut feel, human judgement and instinctive response of a human being?

Robotic service interaction can learn from experience but never have the savvy, perspective and context of human interaction.  Robots and machines can replace
automated, repetitive and mundane transactions.   A human touch is irreplaceable and will be priced even more in the market.

Reflect on processed food, robotic waiters, software driven chats and driverless vehicles.   They can be used to reduce costs and boost profit margins, but increase problems due to the absence of another human interacting with you.

Do you want your daily routine to be filled with AI only?   It is as humiliating as being without the company of a plant or animal day in day out.  Can AI be only as intelligent or developed as human beings allow them to be, or will they evolve to a stage beyond the imagination and control of their human inventors?   AI operates based on energy sources and mechanisms accessible to them - they do not have a life of their own.

What back ups do human societies have in the event of a break down of AI processes?   Will AI possibly contaminate and corrupt the integrity of data, information and skills they own?   When AI calls the shots in the supply of utilities, transport links, finance and trade, surgery procedures and routine diagnosis, supply chains and software that run the wheels of a virtual community, can they hold us to ransom?    The ultimate enemy of human beings can be not another dictator or traditional evil.

One thing though for sure is that AI will know each and all of us better than ourselves.   Will this inherent ability be misused or abused by another human being, corporate or government to help control the masses?  Most likely this is already a reality.

#yongkevthoughts