"The American Life Is Killing You"

[Greg]

The American Life Is Killing You

“I believe we are a species with amnesia, I think we have forgotten our roots and our origins. I think we are quite lost in many ways. And…

medium.com

A friend shared this on FB... I hate articles like this, because it hits way too close to home. Makes me want to sell all my possessions, take the equity in my house and move to Costa Rica. Open/buy a hostel, teach English part time, repair mechanical things on my time or something minor to make extra cash. Live the rest of my life close to the beach with life running at a much more relaxed pace.

My current job keeps me working away from home, which sucks... and we don't have kids so it wouldn't be hard to relocate, in that aspect.

 

[Greg]

I could go for this.... https://expathousingcr.com/property/beach-hostel-in-limon-sale/

 

[The_Lobbster]

I've been trying to get my wife to get on board doing this. I have some friends who lived in the Dominican Republic for a number of years before moving back to the states to help care for their dying parents. Now that they've passed away, they're going back soon.

 

[Skylinerider]

Annnd now I've spent an hour looking at property in Costa Rica and trying to justify buying a house there. If I sold my house I could use the profit from it to almost pay cash for one of a number of those places. Hmmm, Open a B&B and offer Jeep or ATV tours of the rainforest.

 

[Greg]

Annnd now I've spent an hour looking at property in Costa Rica and trying to justify buying a house there. If I sold my house I could use the profit from it to almost pay cash for one of a number of those places. Hmmm, Open a B&B and offer Jeep or ATV tours of the rainforest.

Same here... looked at properties, for jobs, at vehicles, etc Want to partner up? ?

Sounds like if you want to cater to the vacation-crowd, you need a place on the beach and not too far from the airport.

 

[Herzog]

I agree and disagree with many parts of this guys article... I'm a huge fan of Graham Hancock (his quote at the beginning) and I'd highly recommend his book "Fingerprints of the Gods". We really are a species with amnesia and it's provable.

Anyhow - I disagree that the American dream got this why by accident. We live in a fully engineered society. Left v. right, blue v. red, consumerism, decadence, etc... these are all processes of the Hegelian Dialectic. Like it or not, our lives are outlined by so call "elites". You can call it conspiracy or accident, I'll call it fact based on what I've actually found.

Don't abandon hope nor the ship. Head in the direction of self-sustainability. Move away from the metros and get closer to nature. You'll be so much happier. I'm making small steps each year to disconnect from the city even though I still commute in a few times a week... it can be done. Have children if you can, build your family and grow some food... and don't get all hedonistic. The hedonists path ends badly.

 

[Greg]

I agree and disagree with many parts of this guys article... I'm a huge fan of Graham Hancock (his quote at the beginning) and I'd highly recommend his book "Fingerprints of the Gods". We really are a species with amnesia and it's provable.

Anyhow - I disagree that the American dream got this why by accident. We live in a fully engineered society. Left v. right, blue v. red, consumerism, decadence, etc... these are all processes of the Hegelian dialect. Like it or not, our lives are outlined by so call "elites". You can call it conspiracy or accident, I'll call it fact based on what I've actually found.

Anyhow - don't abandon hope nor the ship. Head in the direction of self-sustainability. Move away from the metros and get closer to nature. You'll be so much happier. I'm making small steps each year to disconnect from the city even though I still commute in a few times a week... it can be done. Have children if you can, build your family and grow some food... and don't get all hedonistic. The hedonists path ends badly.

I just don't like collecting debt, working my life away for posessions (that really aren't needed), while not having enough time (or $$) to enjoy life, travel, see the world, etc.

I get what you're saying, but it sure would be nice to exchange debt and 2 full time jobs in the States for a place on the beach, that's paid off and only needing to work part-time for play money. Our plan for some time has been to retire soon as we can with a good nest egg and either move out of the States to somewhere like Costa Rica or just bounce around the world, living in neat places for 6-12 months at a time.

 

[johngottfredson]

Great article. Very glad I read Thoreau in college and thought these things through, and made the sacrifices early on to follow my own dreams. I’m not rich, but I’m happier on a daily basis than anyone I know, and I know lots of rich guys.

 

[zmotorsports]

I would say I agree with the article but disagree to the extent that not everyone feels the same way or at least there are different versions of the "American Dream". I also think my wife and I are trying to break away in our own way yet keep our lifestyle which means we are more focused on enjoying what we have vs. acquiring more.

We both work full-time and we both work in fast paced and stressful positions. That being said I don't feel that we follow the article's description of being mind numb and constantly craving more objects, at least not these days.

I'm not saying that I have always felt like this as I too fell victim to the "must acquire more" mindset. Back when we first got married I viewed success as he who has the most toys, wins, and I was eager to play. I worked a full-time job, came home to my part-time side business (which was usually 6-8 hours a night) to earn enough to support my toys, my racing and my tool addiction. This was day in and day out constantly wanting more and more. We had all kinds of toys including snowmobiles, ATV's, dirt bikes, race car, sand rail, motorhome and race trailers all to try and live the American Dream of "success". Little did I know at the time that my vision of success was very skewed.

We decluttered our lives about 11 years or so ago and just kept what we truly enjoy plus focus on living below our means. Granted we are still in the same fast paced jobs but now we are focused on being passionate about our life rather than acquiring more "things". I gave up my side-business and don't miss the headaches one bit but could easily just tinker around in my home shop on miscellaneous projects to keep me busy vs. killing myself to make more money. We could never live in a foreign country with only the necessities because we love our lifestyle but we definitely don't let our lifestyle get the better of us any longer like we used to. We were able to declutter enough to only have a mortgage which is manageable and no other debt which I think was the source of a lot of our stress.

I wish I could get some of my friends and family members to see that you can live a comfortable life without always having to be acquiring more and more. There is no need for a new car every 2-3 years, no need for a new phone every time a new model comes out. No need to keep replacing things if you merely take care of them and who cares if what you have is several years old vs. the "image" of you must have something new. Sometimes I think people keep buying and buying to merely fill a void that exists rather than digging deep into their emotions to see exactly what it is that is missing.

Sorry for the deep philosophical rant about our consumer based society.


Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Great article. Very glad I read Thoreau in college and thought these things through, and made the sacrifices early on to follow my own dreams. I’m not rich, but I’m happier on a daily basis than anyone I know, and I know lots of rich guys.

Agreed. I keep telling myself that my wife and I are rich beyond measure but by different terms than what society measures.

Like you I'm glad I busted my ass and sacrificed early in life so I can slow down later in life and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Mike

 

[N-Smooth]

I just want to go rock crawling.

 

[Herzog]

I just want to go rock crawling.

Put that on a shirt and I'd buy it.

 

[mesha]

I read the article and thought, "Meh".

I can agree that too much debt, spending, etc. doesn't bring happiness. I agree that things don't bring us happiness and that we are manipulated, and controlled. I whole heartedly agree we need more nature in our lives.

However, I kinda like the machine we live in. It is predictable and that predictability allows me to live life the way I like it. If I want to do cool stuff I plan it out and do it. Sure I have to work to do it, but I am okay with that. Doing cool stuff costs money. I wouldn't be happy selling all my possessions and living like Thoreau or Whitman the rest of my days. I like living that way for a time, but not forever. Experiences bring me happiness. Some experiences are cheap and some are expensive. I don't mind spending money to have an experience if it changes me and makes me more mindful, grateful, and satisfied with life. It is daunting that I will come to work in basically the same situation each day for 20 more years. I feel like what I am doing is important and I will continue doing it until I am ready to retire or I am not making peoples lives better by doing it.

This paragraph is what I found most poignant in the article "Decondition yourself from culture, quit suppressing your uniqueness, travel to places that frighten you a bit, learn to embrace silence and solitude a few times a week. And most importantly — you must awaken from your culturally-induced slumber and try to find simple joy among the sacred."

 

[Pike2350]

I've been struggling with this a lot lately...but in many different ways.

I think Zmotor said it best....people buy trying to fill a void. I think much of that is the linked in world we live in...comparing the curated lives of people online to their own much more real reality. It can be very difficult not to fall into this trap. I don't have social media and still struggle with it. Much of it is internal however.

Although my wife has helped me get out if the debt cycle.....and other then our mortgage and 2 small car payments we are saving $ and trying to enjoy life as it is. We struggle with having friends that are in a similar life boat that we are in. We seem to have less friends doing things we like.

To me, without sharing life with people makes life much less enjoyable. Sometimes people, like myself, try to buy something they think they will like in order to find a community to feel a part of. I've been struggling with this because I'm very much an introvert....but came from a big family so I love being around people and like talking and sharing life.....to me it's not the possessions so much as the village. If you find and enjoy a village that supports your interests its much easier to live small and not get trapped into the machine of life. If you don't have a good village I can see how buying things to try and get out and find a village seems like a good option.....all because you saw the village online or saw how other people enjoy their village.

Kind of rambling now....sorry.

 

[4x4_Welder]

I'd be so happy if I could just have a nice 40x60 or so shop with some form of living quarters off it. Even just a decent RV. Enough work to keep the lights on, and to afford to tinker on my projects, take off for the day when I feel like it, etc.
Unfortunately, my wife and kids don't follow along with that idea, so I get a house in the suburbs, car payment, and work six or seven days a week to support their lifestyle.

 

[burke]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing. its funny as you age how you reassess some of the things you thought would bring you success/happiness. our society/culture does little to actually promote healthy happy people. I have committed to being more deliberate in the things i consume: media, stuff/possessions, food. etc. Understanding that i am caught in this consumerist machine but that i can slow down and be more aware. I have found in the past that i have numbed myself because of work stress or other factors with buying or drinking or ...
Its refreshing to see the results of just awareness and trying to do a little better. Nothing overly drastic but an enjoyment of simpler things and being aware that we are wired to never be satisfied with what we have once we have it.

Anyway, i have been thinking about hobbies and how they have even turned into just ways to consume, i find that part of my jeep addiction has been consumption and long past getting out with buddies for a little adventure. Its a fun path to try and reclaim one's self. I love seeing others take this on as well. here are a couple of books that really helped me a long the way if anyones interested:

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
by
William B. Irvine

Slow: Simple Living for a Frantic World
Brooke McAlary

The Adult Years: Mastering the Art of Self-Renewal
by
Frederic M. Hudson

 

[jeeper]

I don't agree. If the American life is killing you, you are not living it right. Too many people believe life is what happens TO them, and not enough believe it's what they make it. We can pretty much make any choice we want. Every choice has a reaction, good or bad. Make a lot of bad choices, reap a lot of bad situations. Make a lot of good choices, reap a lot pf good situations. It's pretty simple.

 

[TurboMinivan]

2018 was the year of me getting over my divorce--returning to happiness with myself, the way things are, etc. I don't want to entirely rule out another relationship, but it is much more difficult the second time around. Once bitten, twice shy, as they say.

2019 was the year when my future began settling in on my mind. I finally began thinking about how I have no children to take care of me in my golden years, should there be any sort of need. If I am unable to support myself financially, there is nobody else for me to turn to--all my siblings are worse off than I am, and seemingly living paycheck-to-paycheck. This is why I finally opened up that Roth IRA in November. I intend to structure it to provide a (small) stream of passive income which can supplement my 401(k) as well as whatever pittance I may receive in social security. I'm not looking to become fabulously wealthy (it is far too late for that), but if I can at least keep a roof over my head and have something more appetizing than Alpo to eat, I figure I can count it as a win.

Just last week, I traveled back home to Ohio to visit my family. This visit was therapeutic for me in many ways. I made a point of ignoring all my friends and places I usually visit while there, and instead focused on spending every minute with family. In short, it was fantastic. I wish I could have stayed there for a month.

The Dayton, Ohio area is much less affluent than Lehi, Utah. My parents live in a home which is, nearly to the square foot, the exact same size as my house here. While the current market value on my home seems to be in the $275,000 range, I could buy my mother's home in Dayton for about $125,000. I could sell my house today, and with the equity completely pay for an equivalent house out there. Wow.

That gives me hope. When I retire, moving somewhere with a lower cost of living could go a long ways toward providing a comfortable, if not simple, lifestyle. I think I can handle that. So I guess what I'm saying is, as my years advance I am more and more appreciating the notion of a simple life filled with fewer "things" and more people.

 

[Greg]

I don't agree. If the American life it killing you, you are not living it right. Too many people believe life is what happens TO them, and not enough believe it's what they make it. We can pretty much make any choice we want. Every choice has a reaction, good or bad. Make a lot of bad choices, reap a lot of bad situations. Make a lot of good choices, reap a lot pf good situations. It's pretty simple.

It's a harsh title, but I think the point is made and it's something I can relate to. Too many people are trying to keep up with the Jones's, buy way too much house, 2 brand new vehicles and extend themselves without any savings, living paycheck to paycheck. That's not a life people should choose to live, it becomes stressful and that stress can literally kill you.

Personally we're just fine as far as debt & finances, but I'm getting tired of the daily grind. My job and all the traveling I do sucks lately and I'm not happy with that aspect. I do feel pretty spread thin with being away from home often and having a few projects in the shop that I don't have enough time for. At this point, I wish I would have taken a different career path. But the idea of selling everything we own and cashing out and moving to somewhere in the Caribbean sounds DAMN appealing to me.

I will say that it's interesting to see how people react to this, share their opinion and identify in different ways. This is a pretty though provoking thread and I do like that it gets people thinking & talking.

 

[jeeper]

While the current market value on my home seems to be in the $275,000 range,

I've not actually seen your house.. but unless the roof has fallen in, and it's full of rats, You may want to up that price a bit.


Or on second thought.. I'll buy it for $275,000