Living Without Money

[Tars]

Browsed a link from Andrew Sullivan's "Daily Dish" to a blog, put together by a man who calls himself "Suelo". Suelo claims to have lived without money since 2000. He lives in a cave, or on the charity of others.

I was interested by his purported philosophy, that "money is an illusion", which appears nowhere else in nature. However, after looking into his story, I found that he puts his blog together via a computer at his local library (paid for with taxes). When traveling he hitchhikes (in automobiles paid for by others' labor).

His is an interesting life philosophy, but not really practically extendable to any significant percentage of the population. What he calls "Living Without Money", could also be called, Living On The Work Of Others. Nice non-work if you can get it. Who paid for those glasses, those clothes?

Merriam-Webster: Vag-A-Bond: 1: moving from place to place without a fixed home : wandering 2 a: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wanderer b: leading an unsettled, irresponsible, or disreputable life.

Anywayz - "Suelo" also idolizes the pre-european "indigenous" lifestyle. I've read others idolize the "native American" culture here, so, I thought his blog might be of some general interest.

What "Suelo" says about himself:

"I've been totally without cents since Autumn of 2000 (except for 1 month in 2001). I don't use or accept money or conscious barter - don't take food stamps or other government dole. I don't see money as evil or good: how can illusion be evil or good? But I don't see heroin or meth as evil or good, either. Which is more addictive & debilitating, money or meth? Attachment to illusion makes you illusion, makes you not real. Attachment to illusion is called idolatry, called addiction. I simply got tired of acknowledging as real this most common world-wide belief called money! I simply got tired of being unreal. Money is one of those intriguing things that seems real & functional because 2 or more people believe it is real & functional!"

View his blog:
Moneyless World - Free World - Priceless World

[Mike Van Horn]

I lived without money for a time. It wasn't a quest with me--I was just poor. What struck me about the experience is what hard work it was!

This was back in the early 1970s, and I lived in a tent in the woods near Mendocino and then moved into a barn. I was surrounded by "back to the land, live the simple life" people. It was all the thing then.

I had fled L.A. to escape the necessity of having a job; but I worked my tail off making pots to sell at Mendocino craft fairs. I hated the crime of L.A., but my favorite leather bag was stolen. I deplored the smog of L.A., but the wood smoke hung so heavy over the valley that it stung the eyes. I wanted to live where people had genuine, loving relationships, but found the same petty jealousy and bickering so familiar in L.A. The men dominated the women, women yelled at their kids, and kids bullied each other.

People deplored capitalist society, but they grew a little pot on the side, and used the proceeds to invest in better equipment.

After awhile it hit me: if I was going to work so dang hard, I might as well go back to L.A. and get a real paycheck! Screw poverty! I packed all my belongings in my '68 Bug and hightailed it to Hollywood. In short order I met my future wife, got a job at UCLA, and did est.

In '79 we fled L.A. for the final time, this time to Marin, and we've been here ever since. Living happily ever after.

I don't have any problem with money. I don't think money is any more of an illusion than having no money is.

mvh