what are your thoughts on going from high economic class into this lifestyle? | Squat the Planet

what are your thoughts on going from high economic class into this lifestyle?

spider

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2023
Messages
6
Reaction score
22
Location
Portland, OR, USA
[context: am 25, have not yet participated in nomadic culture other than interacting with people who have, and lots of wandering but always returning to home to sleep, but have dreamed about this since I was a young teenager]

I grew up in an area where there is plenty of money, great schools, families have multiple cars, big houses, etc. Lots of parents with PhDs, awards, big fancy high-paying jobs. Not "private planes/yachts/mansions" money, but "expensive summer camps, can impulse buy a car, vacations to Hawaii" money, so pretty damn good.

I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the choice to leave that kind of lifestyle behind, in favor of just carrying whatever you've got in a pack, hitchhiking, busking, camping, dumpster diving, etc.

I think personally for me, if I was given a list of options, no expectations from others, total freedom to choose, I'd either choose wandering, camping wherever I can find a spot, seeing the world, meeting tons of people & hopefully making the world a bit better somehow along the way, or, to be totally honest, I might choose to have so much fucking money that I could just do whatever I wanted, and I could give people tons of money whenever they needed.

But I don't think I'd choose the life I have now--financially secure, but not really doing much. Sleeping in the same room every night, feigning interest in college classes just to seem like I'm doing something with my life. Having the same discussions with the same people about how capitalism sucks etc etc. Because even when you have financial security, there's not much joy in it when you haven't found a way to use it so that others have the same. And when others don't have the same, every comfort comes with the awareness that others are suffering.

Even so, I know that my parents worked very hard so that I could have the financial stability I have today (I'm not naïve, though--it was hard work and also they didn't have to face a lot of the barriers other people have to face, and neither have I). I don't feel right just throwing that away. But I would feel even worse continuing on this path and hating it. And I've tried to find ways to use what I've got for good, and try to change the system where I can, but ultimately I'm just feeling stuck, restless, confused, trapped, angry, and lost.

Has anyone else here been in this predicament? How did you decide what to do?

(no one will make the decision for me on whether i do commit to nomadic living, if I commit to this it will be my own decision, but I want to learn more from others' experiences and thoughts, and not make uninformed decisions)

I am so grateful for everything I have. I have had my fair share of struggles like anyone does, but I've had so much support through them, which isn't true for a lot of people. I do everything I can to pay that forward. But I also have an itch to get out of this set path, it feels so stifling and trapped. I don't want to waste the years where my body hasnt deteriorated as much as it will. I want to experience more and do more. I think my life is a bit wasted, just trying to be content with being comfortable and doing the routine life. I feel like there is more I could be doing. And maybe getting out into the world will be my route to that.


Thank you for your feedback, hope I am using this right, new here.

TL;DR: What are people's views on the ethics of moving from high economic status to just being out in the world and living?

does it hurt people, help people, make no difference?

is it taking advantage in any way or being ungrateful? is it worth it?

should more people consider it, should more people reconsider and not do it?
 

Opossum

Active member
Joined
Oct 24, 2021
Messages
34
Reaction score
51
Location
Anywhere
my advice is you should cut all your safety nets and then send me all your excess funds so you can properly experience the life of a homeless traveler without all that money and privilege weighing you down.

on a slightly more serious note, you say you come from wealth but want to be a "nomad." consider that if you, who it sounds like could get back outta traveling at any time, are busking or spanging or dumpster-diving or blowing up spots, you're taking resources from other, less-privileged folk who actually need those resources more.

also consider that this life isnt as glamorous as you might expect. in many ways, its miserable, especially for someone not used to it. its dirty, its dangerous, theres a reason not many people willingly get into it, and if you get into it, it does increase your chances of injury, illness, imprisonment, and death than when you were lounging cozy in your house.
 

The Toecutter

The Patron Saint of Filth
Joined
Oct 2, 2022
Messages
173
Reaction score
271
Location
Everywhere and nowhere
You need to live in a way that makes you happy. Try this lifestyle out for a bit and see if it's for you. What aspects do you like, and what do you find objectionable? Pursue the former, minimize the latter. Your money/privilege gives you options that most won't have.

While I don't come from the type of privilege you describe, I didn't grow up on the street either, so while there's a limited amount of things you mentioned that I can relate to, I can say the same for those who have been nomads for decades and/or grew up on the street. I wasn't even middle class growing up, more closer to working class(it's really more complicated than that, but this is probably the closest fit to describe how I lived growing up in terms of socio-economic class). I was certainly not in poverty for most of my childhood, but close to it. I made it through college largely thanks to scholarships earned and student loans. What you describe seems to be more upper-middle class. So take what I say below in the context of this.

I have been homeless before, but I was homeless with a decent job where I could shower in the mornings before work and with money in the bank, which is a totally different circumstance than someone who is homeless and outright destitute. When I camped out in bandos, I had food and all the tools needed to prepare it, and could carry everything on my bicycle, and could even eat out if I didn't feel like cooking. The vast majority of homeless people do NOT have any of those options. I try to help most homeless people that I see, because the way that they are living is not anything I would consider fun, as they are completely dependent upon others for resources/assistance unless they are willing to break many laws and risk arrest.

What opossum has said is right.

I currently work a decent paying job that could be considered "lower middle class" and live in a family member's basement, saving my money. I want to go off grid and build custom vehicles and renewable energy systems to power them. The general sense of not being controlled and/or milked for money in every direction is something I value, and which I seek to obtain. Maybe I'll get to retire early and actually do all sorts of travelling, on the cheap., and work on personal projects. Not there yet. EVERYTHING in this crooked hellscape that many have the audacity to call a "society" requires money, otherwise poverty wouldn't even be the problem that it is. When I go nomadic, it will not entail deprivation of my needs.

But unlike those who are homeless without a choice in the matter, when I get set up, I'll have a place to keep all my stuff while I travel, and will always have assets to fall back on. It's a completely different world, than having nothing.
 
Last edited:

The Toecutter

The Patron Saint of Filth
Joined
Oct 2, 2022
Messages
173
Reaction score
271
Location
Everywhere and nowhere
If somebody who is homeless finds out you're doing this shit as a choice you're going to get jumped.
Possibly. That consideration is one of the reasons I stayed away from other homeless people, unless they were someone I already knew for years and had helped them before I was homeless, having built a sort of relationship with them. I never revealed my camp sites to anyone, or invited anyone to share them. In my case, it wasn't entirely a choice so much as it was that money wasn't the factor determining my houseless circumstances. I didn't have a valid ID and despite my efforts, couldn't get anyone to take my money for rent without it. I was not about to give the state of Texas my fingerprints(at the time, they were collecting all 10 fingerprints) and biometric photo, which the legal system pretends that providing such is "voluntary". Even in cases where I offered first month's rent, last month's rent, and deposit in the form of cash, I still had no takers. So I said "fuck it" and found a way to make things work, without blowing $60+/night on the cheapest local motels dotting what was often called "Crack Alley".

Even if you aren't doing this as a choice, you're still likely to get jumped at some point if this goes on for years, and not necessarily by someone who is homeless, either. I knew an upper-middle-class douchebag who used to beat up homeless people for fun, and police are also known to pick on homeless people, among a wide assortment of potential predators.
 
  • Like
Reactions: spider

ali

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2020
Messages
380
Reaction score
1,379
Location
Taiwan
When you have privilege you can't "throw it away", that's what privilege means. Even if you somehow completely alienated your parents, the rest of your family, all of your friends, gave away all of your money and all of your belongings, walked off in one direction till your shoes wore through... you're still never going to escape the fact that you had certain privileges growing up, and that will color every experience you have after it. And that's nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of, it just is what it is. Most everyone grows up with some privilege or the other. Anyone posting on this forum from the US as a native English speaker enjoys privileges a big chunk of the world does not.

So get out of your mind the idea that you are going to throw it all away if you decide to travel. What instead will happen is... you will travel. The end.

Loads of people travel - rich and poor, educated and uneducated, men and women, English-speakers and non-English-speakers, citizens of developed countries and citizens of developing countries, kids, adults, families, singles, gay, straight, and everyone in between. There's no need to feel shy or out-of-place - you'll be in the company of millions of human beings who did it before you and billions still to come. There's nothing noble or ignoble about choosing to prioritize travel over any other pursuit, or vice versa. It's your life. Just do what you want. And don't worry - as long as you're still alive, no decision is final.

Are there people from high economic backgrounds who went traveling for longer than a family vacation to Hawaii? Of course there fucking are. They are legion. You can step into any backpacker hostel anywhere in the world and it will be teeming with middle-class folks who've taken a year - or multiple years - off to go find themselves. You'll meet these guys camping on top of a random mountain in the middle of nowhere, in a field with muddy feet dancing to techno in the rain, sitting on the curb strung out and begging for pennies because they lost their wallet and their drugs. If you choose a nomadic lifestyle, you won't be special, or remarkable, or interesting just because of where you came from. Just like everything else in life, it'll be whatever you make it.

My advice would be don't overthink it. Don't listen to the gatekeeper hobos who pretend you have to be broke as fuck and from a broken background just to be worthy of whatever miserable existence they claim exclusive ownership of. The whole point of freedom of movement, right to roam etc is that anyone can do it. The world doesn't belong to anyone. So go explore it. Just be aware that if the first thing out of your mouth whenever you meet new people is about how wealthy or privileged you are, there's gonna be a certain type of asshole who is going to want to take advantage of that. As i'm sure you know, since rich tourists constantly get robbed, ripped off, end up with food poisoning and so on. Generally if you keep some humility, you will have an easier time of things, wherever you go.
 
Last edited:

Jimmy Beans

Bad Order Hoghead
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 26, 2010
Messages
2,042
Reaction score
4,796
Location
Dick City California
Website
www.youtube.com
Really love the response @ali gave. That's a really solid take on the situation.

Really dislike the response from @TheUndeadPhoenix on this one. I'm only talking about this segment of that comment "If somebody who is homeless finds out you're doing this shit as a choice you're going to get jumped." btw. I don't think that's accurate at all. Not in such matter-of-fact terms anyway. Like I guess it's a possibility, but it's always a possibility no matter what socioeconomic background you come from. You're making it sound like it's going to happen 100% for sure any time someone discovers that. I just don't think that's reality at all. I think a trust fund kid is more likely to get taken advantage of financially than jumped. Any sleazebag that would do that knows they can get more out of the trust fund kid over time by using them than burning that bridge immediately by jumping them.

The spirit of that comment might not be intended as gatekeepy but to me it still feels gatekeepy. I just don't think that's reality. I know it's not reality because I know many travelers who do this as a choice and nary a one jumping has commenced upon their person. I myself(though extremely few and far between these days) have traveled by freight and lived on the streets by choice in the past and yeah.. never jumped. I'm not saying it will never happen. I'm just saying if it does happen it's far far less than you've made it sound.
 

roughdraft

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
1,486
Location
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
@spider

generally speaking anything different that we can try is going to broaden our pallete of human experience. go & do as you wish, just consider the consequences and try to make the best choice.

you've got more opportunities than many, so you have more options to customize your future. as others seem to have alluded to - i would advise maybe climbing down rungs more gradually than just hopping off the ladder entirely.

feel free to DM me, seems like i would relate to you and would be happy to share some insight there
 

Glass Roads

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2019
Messages
109
Reaction score
129
Location
Pullman, WA
Haven't been homeless and I'm only an aspiring traveler like yourself at this point that comes from privilege, so grain of salt here...

I think there's a huge difference between being a drifter or a minimalist traveler and being homeless. The most important thing would be don't ever pretend you're homeless. Don't ever spange or fly a sign. Only dumpster dive or busk in areas where there aren't many (if any) homeless people and there is plenty to go around. Be very careful where you sleep as to not blow up a spot and don't leave a mess or get obnoxiously intoxicated. Maybe consider traveling via bus/trains or rideshares as opposed to hitchhiking or train hopping? Maybe not.

I'm gonna be 34 in a month, and I've felt exactly how you are feeling since I was a teenager as well. A few things I would keep in mind...
* You don't need to work as hard as your parents or live the kind of life they live. Yeah they worked hard to provide financial stability for ya, so maybe try to stay healthy, don't turn into a a scumfuck, and progress in life with a plan, but you don't have to work more than half your life to retire like a king. You can choose anything in between.

Side thoughts...
  • Along those same lines I'd be wary of "choose to have so much fucking money that I could just do whatever I wanted". I think that's often a trap that takes a lot of time and work, and possibly even grinding through boring college classes.
  • Responsibilities pile on quick. Families, aging parents, etc. And even at 34 I don't feel like a spring chicken no more. If you have an urge to travel and get some life living done, I'd say go do it. The sooner the better. It gets harder over time to break the routine and you only have so many years of having no responsibilities.
 
Last edited:

Sameer

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
154
Reaction score
211
Location
Southwest
[context: am 25, have not yet participated in nomadic culture other than interacting with people who have, and lots of wandering but always returning to home to sleep, but have dreamed about this since I was a young teenager]

I grew up in an area where there is plenty of money, great schools, families have multiple cars, big houses, etc. Lots of parents with PhDs, awards, big fancy high-paying jobs. Not "private planes/yachts/mansions" money, but "expensive summer camps, can impulse buy a car, vacations to Hawaii" money, so pretty damn good.

I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the choice to leave that kind of lifestyle behind, in favor of just carrying whatever you've got in a pack, hitchhiking, busking, camping, dumpster diving, etc.

I think personally for me, if I was given a list of options, no expectations from others, total freedom to choose, I'd either choose wandering, camping wherever I can find a spot, seeing the world, meeting tons of people & hopefully making the world a bit better somehow along the way, or, to be totally honest, I might choose to have so much fucking money that I could just do whatever I wanted, and I could give people tons of money whenever they needed.

But I don't think I'd choose the life I have now--financially secure, but not really doing much. Sleeping in the same room every night, feigning interest in college classes just to seem like I'm doing something with my life. Having the same discussions with the same people about how capitalism sucks etc etc. Because even when you have financial security, there's not much joy in it when you haven't found a way to use it so that others have the same. And when others don't have the same, every comfort comes with the awareness that others are suffering.

Even so, I know that my parents worked very hard so that I could have the financial stability I have today (I'm not naïve, though--it was hard work and also they didn't have to face a lot of the barriers other people have to face, and neither have I). I don't feel right just throwing that away. But I would feel even worse continuing on this path and hating it. And I've tried to find ways to use what I've got for good, and try to change the system where I can, but ultimately I'm just feeling stuck, restless, confused, trapped, angry, and lost.

Has anyone else here been in this predicament? How did you decide what to do?

(no one will make the decision for me on whether i do commit to nomadic living, if I commit to this it will be my own decision, but I want to learn more from others' experiences and thoughts, and not make uninformed decisions)

I am so grateful for everything I have. I have had my fair share of struggles like anyone does, but I've had so much support through them, which isn't true for a lot of people. I do everything I can to pay that forward. But I also have an itch to get out of this set path, it feels so stifling and trapped. I don't want to waste the years where my body hasnt deteriorated as much as it will. I want to experience more and do more. I think my life is a bit wasted, just trying to be content with being comfortable and doing the routine life. I feel like there is more I could be doing. And maybe getting out into the world will be my route to that.


Thank you for your feedback, hope I am using this right, new here.

TL;DR: What are people's views on the ethics of moving from high economic status to just being out in the world and living?

does it hurt people, help people, make no difference?

is it taking advantage in any way or being ungrateful? is it worth it?

should more people consider it, should more people reconsider and not do it?

I don't think homelessness is a choice. becoming a vagabond maybe a choice. Life is mostly a mindset and a personal attitude towards material things and the value of having money. Your past is a integral part of who you are, and what your attitudes will be is dependent upon your influences while growing up. It is part of you and something you cannot set aside. You are the sum total of all your influences since birth. Just be the person you are. Your steps on the planet should be authentic. Hiding your past would be dishonest in regards to your own self-awareness and how others will see you. Everyone should have a great adventure or make the effort to do so. Personally I cannot relate to a lifestyle of such affluence as I grew up "no shoes" poor. Meaning you owned shoes but only wore them on special occasions while out and about. 😁. Good luck to you! Your past is what it is and a integral part of who you are, so just to be authentic in life.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: The Toecutter

will eee um

Roads Scholar
Joined
May 31, 2022
Messages
41
Reaction score
115
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA
[context: am 25, have not yet participated in nomadic culture other than interacting with people who have, and lots of wandering but always returning to home to sleep, but have dreamed about this since I was a young teenager]

I grew up in an area where there is plenty of money, great schools, families have multiple cars, big houses, etc. Lots of parents with PhDs, awards, big fancy high-paying jobs. Not "private planes/yachts/mansions" money, but "expensive summer camps, can impulse buy a car, vacations to Hawaii" money, so pretty damn good.

I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the choice to leave that kind of lifestyle behind, in favor of just carrying whatever you've got in a pack, hitchhiking, busking, camping, dumpster diving, etc.

I think personally for me, if I was given a list of options, no expectations from others, total freedom to choose, I'd either choose wandering, camping wherever I can find a spot, seeing the world, meeting tons of people & hopefully making the world a bit better somehow along the way, or, to be totally honest, I might choose to have so much fucking money that I could just do whatever I wanted, and I could give people tons of money whenever they needed.

But I don't think I'd choose the life I have now--financially secure, but not really doing much. Sleeping in the same room every night, feigning interest in college classes just to seem like I'm doing something with my life. Having the same discussions with the same people about how capitalism sucks etc etc. Because even when you have financial security, there's not much joy in it when you haven't found a way to use it so that others have the same. And when others don't have the same, every comfort comes with the awareness that others are suffering.

Even so, I know that my parents worked very hard so that I could have the financial stability I have today (I'm not naïve, though--it was hard work and also they didn't have to face a lot of the barriers other people have to face, and neither have I). I don't feel right just throwing that away. But I would feel even worse continuing on this path and hating it. And I've tried to find ways to use what I've got for good, and try to change the system where I can, but ultimately I'm just feeling stuck, restless, confused, trapped, angry, and lost.

Has anyone else here been in this predicament? How did you decide what to do?

(no one will make the decision for me on whether i do commit to nomadic living, if I commit to this it will be my own decision, but I want to learn more from others' experiences and thoughts, and not make uninformed decisions)

I am so grateful for everything I have. I have had my fair share of struggles like anyone does, but I've had so much support through them, which isn't true for a lot of people. I do everything I can to pay that forward. But I also have an itch to get out of this set path, it feels so stifling and trapped. I don't want to waste the years where my body hasnt deteriorated as much as it will. I want to experience more and do more. I think my life is a bit wasted, just trying to be content with being comfortable and doing the routine life. I feel like there is more I could be doing. And maybe getting out into the world will be my route to that.


Thank you for your feedback, hope I am using this right, new here.

TL;DR: What are people's views on the ethics of moving from high economic status to just being out in the world and living?

does it hurt people, help people, make no difference?

is it taking advantage in any way or being ungrateful? is it worth it?

should more people consider it, should more people reconsider and not do it?

You sound able-bodied, so if you're living this lifestyle while being supported by your parents or by capitalizing off of it on social media cough cough #vanlife...then you are extremely unethical. However, if you're supporting your travels through your own hard work (e.g. working temp jobs, busking, savings if you're lucky, etc.), I don't see any ethical issues there. The fact that you had a good upbringing and are financially secure would indicate that you have more ability and opportunity to provide for yourself.

Though, if I were you, I would immediately stop discussing my personal finances on a public forum. Whatever money you or your family have or don't have is your business alone. If you do decide to be a homeless traveler, dirty kid, nomad, hobo, vagabond, or whatever you wanna call yourself, you are stepping into a lifestyle that will make you extremely vulnerable to exploitation and theft if you are not careful about who you hang around and what you reveal.

Other than that, I'd say go for it. You only get one life on this planet, enjoy it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Glass Roads

MichelleA66

Burrito fund contributor
StP Supporter
Joined
Nov 1, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
70
Location
NY Full time RV'er
How about finishing school and becoming a social worker or someone who helps others? Opossum brought up the very good point that you would be taking resources from others who really need it while you're trying to experience the "houseless" lifestyle. Use your socioeconomic status to help others. Maybe you could fulfill your desire to travel by traveling to various cities and helping street kids???
 
  • Like
Reactions: Opossum

croc

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 24, 2017
Messages
453
Reaction score
2,004
Location
Roads n rails
Venmo: @Lyle-Ah

I don't think deciding to not have a permanent residence and wanting to sleep outside even tho u have the reliable option to is "wrong". I think if u got rid of ur money and started panhandling or accepting financial help from ppl (misrepresenting urself) that'd be wrong but like. Idk sounds like ur trynna be home-free, different than homeless. I've been thru periods of both.

Venmo: @Lyle-Ah

Traveling place to place living outside and volunteering would be a rad way to scratch the travel itch and helping ppl on the way. Would also give u destinations so ur not wandering aimlessly unless that's ur preference. Food not bombs would be cool to volunteer with and they're all over, u could dumpster dive and distribute the food (could be a grey area if the dumpster is already used and the food isn't actually being wasted). U could volunteer at harm reduction centers (in most major cities). I think there's a lot of options there for being helpful to ppl of less privilege and be on the move.

Venmo: @Lyle-Ah

Hell, u could even post on Craigslist n shit offering up help w house/yard work to disabled/elderly/impoverished folks where ever u go. There's plenty of ways to be of service if u don't need to work to meet ur own needs then rly all u got is time.

Venmo: @Lyle-Ah

I have two good traveling friends who come from wealthy families and they acknowledge their privilege and that they're not in the same situation as most ppl without a permanent residence. They don't fly signs or use resources they don't need. They're good ppl who just don't want conventional lives in that way or aren't built for conventionally functioning in society.

Venmo: @Lyle-Ah

Anyway, I'm accepting tips for this and any further advice

Venmo: @Lyle-Ah
 

roughdraft

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
1,486
Location
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
alright I got an itch to spin a little personal yarn

long ago - let's call it my teenage years - I had more than a hunch that people who run their own business, stay close to their biological family, go to the doctor for their check-ups even when they don't amount to shit, revolve decades of their lives to paying off a mortgage, and nary travel much further than a couple hours from home or for any longer than a week or two ...

that or any of those reasons was the reason they were miserable ... because I grew up in a financially comfortable but emotionally uncomfortable situation and I felt generally miserable. I saw it as 'causation' but not 'correlation'. I thought myself so open-minded but I knew very little, and I still do know little.

so as a young adult, when a couple friends broke away and started riding freight I was very much drawn to the idea of making a life like that work. to make a long story short though I was not able to accept the way they treated each other, themselves, their dogs and other people.

It's all old news of the stuff we do when we're less mature, in my opinion. I don't want drug abuse and violence in my life because I had that in my 'privileged' upbringing. It didn't make things better there, it doesn't seem to be good anywhere. Bottom line is I saw and felt a lot that took the romance out.

I didn't spend a lot of time out. I would say that my privileged background 100% influenced that, because I had a choice and was more willing to be critical - because I was privileged enough to still be attracted to having some stability.

So I really felt in a general sense between a rock & a hard place. I got so heavy into the intellectual shit of pros and cons on both sides, and tried to navigate life in many ways - traveling jobs, seasonal jobs, living in the car ... I looked for the middle ground between two perceived extremes. I enjoyed a lot of different people, places and things but I was never really happy for long.

I'm in a new place, essentially trying something new once again. I have a girlfriend I go to bed with and wake up with every single day for the first time. We don't have all of the same values but we are a great match. She has family nearby we visit and they have cats I can pet. I have a reasonably chill job that I can walk to. It does require a college degree and more so I have some security there since not everyone can get into it. I have to dress nicely, tuck my shirt in, etc. but I can wear 'trainers' or running shoes. I am utilizing some privilege but not forcing it too much or juicing myself too heavy.

The compromises are mostly reasonable. There is a lot that I don't like living in a huge city in Asia and I crave other lives that I have dipped into often, but so far I am sticking to this. In a way I have come to 'choosing' happiness or I try to convince myself that this is what is happening, because it is honestly the best I can do. With the type of person I am, I know I can always look to the horizon and find a reason to saddle up. One can never have everything, we all have to make a sacrifice at some point - maybe we learn it didn't actually matter that much, but we have to make it first to know.

I am 32 years old and probably physically older than that for certain reasons. I hate to admit that I am more tired than ever. It's easy for me to encourage a 25 year old to go out and see more as soon as possible. The rat race will always be there especially if you are in any way "connected".

Whatever you choose, I think now it is mostly about critical thinking and attitude. I don't think I could ever have succeeded on the street because I was always looking to escape but I didn't know what I was ever running towards. It was always some vague idea and I ran into the wrong situations that ultimately led me away. Of course I will never know what else could've been if I put more effort into busking etc. because all I can know is what I have known. I suppose you can call the reality of life 'scary' but we simply can only make the best decisions we can at the time we make them. What is freedom to you??

When it comes to details I don't compete over living rougher or being more street smart because I lose, and even if I can at some juncture win that game - I would lose. it's not about competition - it's about a life experience. Again, the pallette of human experience. It's bigger than anyone on this site or anywhere else can tell each other. Life is not meant to be lived through the ego, some people call it "one-up-ism" and it is incredibly sad. I don't mean to portray myself as being 'above it' but I think it must be acknowledged.

I take notice too - the same attitude is troublesome for the house, car, boat collectors 'keeping up w. the Jonses'. There is always someone smarter, more beautiful, with more money, better credentials, who has achieved more. Why not do something different? Just don't toss the baby with the bathwater.

In any case it is all very personal. Iis super worth it to experiment.... utilize your privilege wisely.... don't just shut yourself away from the world because you are not feeling good... but don't put your blinders on for the same fear -just for me I realized only because I am not the cream of the crop does not justify becoming totally derelict and self-destructive.

I personally am very glad I chose to do time abroad. I am glad that I did not just stay in the USA but for those who have that as their only option there is a good life to find as well. I suggest getting a passport and seeing more outside the USA if you can afford it.

As for ethics that is all completely over my head. It seems whenever I find an answer in that there is more that I didn't take account of. I err on the side of being pretty much insignificant, but being from a reasonably privileged background, and being a native English speaker from the USA does afford a ton of opportunity that simply does not exist for most people.

At the same time it doesn't mean you have to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. One of my closest friends from back in the day works in law and he is greatly successful, but he is on call like 24/7. That doesn't pique my interest - not enough to commit to the lifestyle. For him it works, I hope he reaps the benefits. If he ever needs to make a change, I hope he can make that change in the best way for him.

Being 'privileged' doesn't mean you have to be a tight-assed stereotypical trustfund baby either. We're all multi-faceted, there are poor people with shit attitudes, rich people with good attitudes, and all in-between. & really we only have ourselves, and how many of us go through life without much self-awareness. Yet we are autonomous. It's mighty complex. My best thinking says to just try to be responsible and honest. Give what you can, when you can. Someone might need it more than you do, especially if you aren't happy with it. We all have twenty-four hours in a day. Take account of everything in your life and if you honestly probe into it you'll be closer to the next decent decision.
 
Last edited:

About us

  • Squat the Planet is the world's largest social network for misfit travelers. Join our community of do-it-yourself nomads and learn how to explore the world by any means necessary.

    More Info

Help us pay the bills!

Total amount
$10.00
Goal
$100.00

Latest Library Uploads