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No money, No home, No insurance, No problem

In the latest issue of Details (yes, Details), there's an interview with a man who lives in a cave and does not use or accept money or barter.

And is so happy with it he maintains a website about it using public library computers.

Daniel Suelo says he has been living without a cent to his name since 2000, dumpster diving to make use of the things the rest of us throw away and living on wild vegetation and things you and I would never touch.

On his site's FAQ he talks about why he finds this sort of life (informed by Christianity, his time in a Buddhist monestary in Thailand and among the Sadhus of India) incredibly spiritually fulfilling:

"Mixed with my kid instincts, I grew up in an Evangelical Christian home. I took my religion seriously. But I started wondering why professed Christians rarely follow the teachings of Jesus - namely the Sermon on the Mount, namely giving up possessions, living beyond Credit & Debt, freely giving & freely taking, giving, expecting nothing in return, forgiving all debts, owing nobody a thing, living beyond payback of either evil-for-evil or good-for-good, living and walking without guilt (debt), without grudge (debt), without judgment (credit & debt), living by Grace (Gratis, not by our own works but by the works of the true Nature flowing through us)."

I have no conventional religion left, but don't think I could live like this even if I did.

I do, however, wonder if trying it might not teach one a lot about himself.

What do you think?

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Tags: Poverty, Christianity, Buddhism, homelessness, Sadhus, India, ascetism

Posted by Joe Killian on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 12:25 pm

What do you think?

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kuranes

July 30, 2009 - 3:27 pm EDT

Kant said to judge moral propositions by asking yourself what it would be like if everyone acted that way. I admire the young man's dedication, but if everyone wanted to imitate him, there wouldn't be enough caves to go around. People would fight each other for possession, and only the strong and ruthless would get to practice the gentleness and asceticism of Christ. But, since nobody would have any surplus to throw away, the dumpsters would be empty, and the vast crowds of renunciates would soon deplete the edible berries and chase away the wildlife. What would they eat then? I also wonder, when he discovers that his right hand leads him to sin, whether he cuts it off with an eco-friendly hatchet instead of a loud, fuel-consuming chainsaw. People like him are parasites living off a society which would make his life impossible if everyone followed his ways; therefore it seems a bit hypocritical of him to condemn the social customs which alone enable his virtuous lifestyle.
That being said, we could all do with a lot more frugality (but then, what would we have left to give the poor?), and there is room for a lot more forgiveness and understanding in the world. We could certainly learn from that young man to that extent.