Living Without Money

So I sort of lost a job recently. It was one of those weird deals where you just suddenly aren't on the schedule, and nobody can seem to explain why. I'm not upset, though, because it's been a valuable experience. Even though this might have set me back several hundred dollars, perhaps it will save me many more.

The defining characteristic of having exactly zero dollars in your wallet is a lack of temptation. Without money, I look at rack of candy and don't even want it. I don't even care, because I can't afford it. When I finally got a job, I started riding my bike to work because I had nothing to pay for gas. I save about $8.00 a week doing that, which ends up being like $400 a year. What could I have done with that? Better question; what will I do with that?

I'll save it, I'll guard it tightly, but it's not like it's going to be in a safe guarded by Cerberus and hidden underground. Rather, the relative ease of mind I've acquired by not handling all the responsibilities that come with heavy spending will carry over and be much more effective, much more powerful. Basically, when I have money, I won't care. It'll be like it's not there, and if it all disappeared tommorrow it wouldn't matter.

Of course I also found this out (Kaisa did too); It's impossible to sustain a western lifestyle without money, so it looks like I'm going to be the one buying lunch for some time to come. My recommendation is to take a short, but significant time away from money, in order to establish perspective. It's truly profound, how many things you will realize; what matters and what doesn't, who really cares about you, what your real needs are. I bet in some cases it could even turn your life around. Let me know how it goes.

Leave Kudos,
Chris

Next Week: Eloquence is the first sign of evil, not that all who are eloquent are evil, just that all who are evil are eloquent.