Why I would rather live my life than make money.

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What bills are necessary?

I realized a few years ago that I like having all bills paid too, but that I care a lot more about traveling to new and beautiful places during the summer than I do about having cable TV during the winter. You choose your luxuries in life. My luxuries are less material and more quality-of-life things. I can pay off all my bills even living under the poverty line, and I'm much happier now than I was when I had more bills-- and a LOT more money.

I was a programmer for a while, most notably during the bubble. I was paid really well, enjoyed the work itself most of the time, and got great perks. I also worked in an office with no windows 40 to 50 hours a week, and it could be pretty frustrating at times (in a damn, this idiot will NEVER understand the point I'm trying to make! kind of way) So I decided to go back to school. I'm working on a PhD in archaeology. The stipend I'm living off of is a quarter of what I was making at my old job (not considering things like inflation and the raises I would've gotten between then and now.) I can't afford cable or to go out for dinner all that much; I'm living below the poverty line. But I love my life! I travel every summer to exotic places, I love what I spend my time doing, I am intellectually challenged every minute of the day, set my own schedule again, and am excited about the fact that I have so much freedom to determine where I will be in the future. Which university or universities I'll end up teaching at, where I'll do my research, all of the places I'll be able to visit. All of the reading I'll do and all of the time I'll spend outdoors instead of in an office with no windows. It'd be great if at some point I make a lot of money again, and I'm sure I'll manage to do just fine (under the poverty line is for grad students; I don't plan to stay here forever.) But for me, it was no choice: job and LIFE satisfaction over any amount of money, any day.

What do you think about my life's choice?

-- Working stiff or not? (none@none.none), March 04, 2004

Answers

You have broken with the mind of the world, congratulations!

My wife's mat leave from our second child (we get a year in Canada) is about to end. We have decided she will not go back to work. She really loves staying at home with the kids. I don't make much. A buddy who graduated from university the same time as me (engineering v. arts)makes three times what I do and always complains about not having enough. He doesn't understand how we survive. I told him the answer a while back and it stunned him: Want less. He still doesn't understand. He likes his materialistic world and just can't conceive of: Want less.

I'd phrase your take on things as something only a little different: Want less junk.

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), March 04, 2004.


You are touching upon true freedom. This seems to be part of the Gospel message, that the world and material things cannot bring happines.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), March 04, 2004.

do either of you have a sister that i can marry!? i love this type of outlook on life!

one cant share these thoughts with stressed out office co-workers, however, without risk of seeming snobby. im glad there are others out there who understand happiness in the form of SIMPLICITY!

crush all cell phones, cease payments to the cable company, resist the urge to be pampered by a hulking SUV (face it, folks dont go off road with it, and when it snows fiercely, they'd stay home from work anyway!!!) and buy an economical, dependable, and certainly more attractive coupe or sedan.....all these things ad up to eat more of one's disposable income.

buy hey, its "looking good" and being pampered that counts anyways. who am i to be a killjoy. heh, sarcasm.

having too many luxuries, in my opinion, makes one lazy-- i believe this goes for one's spirituality, too. jesus was HUMBLE.

*applause* thank you

-- jas22 (jas_r_22@hotmail.com), March 04, 2004.


I recently saw a statistic that show that over the past 30 years the average house size has increased by 50% while the average family size fell. What does this mean? We have too much stuff.

In reality the people who I consider to be the wealthiest are those who are content with what they have. I know people who make $200,000 a year who are downright miserable, slaving for bread that doesn't satisfy. It's really sad.

What's even worse is the amount of credit card debt and mortgage interest people pay in many cases for stuff that they don't even use. I don't mean to be morbid here, but when they die people will be carting off their stuff for pennies on the dollar. We just live in a world where people's relationship to money is killing them.

-- James (stinkcat_14@hotmail.com), March 04, 2004.


Just wondering ... you haven't mentioned prayer, the sacraments, spiritual and corporal works of mercy, nor purification. If you were to die tonight would you be ready?

-- (Just@wonder.ing), March 04, 2004.


My husband and I too have given up higher positions and now work in the lower ladder of our positions in our careers. I work part time as I am always around when the children come from school and am aware how they spend their time and am able to set the boundaries. I also have the time to keep our Lord and the Blessed Mother in my mind most of the time. I thank God for He in His wonderful mercy and love has blessed me not to be attached to things of the world so much. He also brought me to a wonderful country (New Zealand) and a wonderful city (Christchurch) where I am able to lead a peaceful life concentrating on the Spiritual Journey. My prayer is that many will realise how temporary everything in this world is and true contentment is only when we give God the highest priority. My husband and I always tell our children that God is "first" and family "second" and ourselves "last".

-- Ramanie Weerasinghe (lilanw@yahoo.com), March 04, 2004.

It seems to me you peole are describing detachment, but ascribing it to poverty (or near to it).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being successful materially as long as you are also detached from it. Being materially successful provides many more opportunities (and temptations to be overcome) to being God's instrument.

Keep in mind that we are called to evangelize the whole world. This includes those people with great wealth. The best way to be a true witness for Jesus Christ is to be friend to those who don't know Him. But thats not possible if you cannot interact in any way. Often people with great wealth or power will not give you the time of day if they think you are a fool by their standards.

-- Pat Delaney (pat@patdelaney.net), March 06, 2004.


You are right, Pat, that poverty and detachment are not the same things, and of the two detachment is more important. However, I think one can argue that it is probably easier to be poor and detached, than wealthy and detached. At least I know in my case, even though I do not consider myself attached to things, there are more things that I consider necessary than I did 15 years ago when I was poor.

When it comes to making decisions about money, what we need more then ever is discernment. We certainly have a lot of liberty when it comes to making decisions about stuff and money. However, liberty is often confused with the idea that we can do whatever we want. For example, I would consider most of our use of credit cards sinful. I people carry a credit card balance to buy things that they do not need, then they are not being good stewards of God's resources. However I cannot say that they are always and everywhere sinful, because they have a legitamite function. To separate the legitamite from illegitamite requires some discernment.

-- James (stinkcat_14@hotmail.com), March 07, 2004.


Absolutely! Detachment in poverty is far easier. For the rich, the road is far narrower (i.e., camel through the needles eye)...but the reward for taking the risk is higher too.

The key is following the path, faithfully, that is laid out before you.

-- Pat Delaney (pat@patdelaney.net), March 08, 2004.


One of the main reasons why living my life with less (or making do with less) is that worrying about everything material (that you acquired) kills you slowly. In this society, too many people are living above their means, and it just gets harder and harder to reach that false sense of security.

Just so that you know… I have been one of those lost souls. Working hard to acquire clothes, cars, and the latest gadgets on the market. My problem then, was spending too much time making a buck and not enough time enjoying my friends and family (Yes, my job paid well… But who among you wanted to just make ends meet). I was wrong.

Now I know I have wasted too much time paying for material things… I have spent my youth working overtime and weekends, for what? The clothes get worn, the cars get worn-out and the gadgets become obsolete. In that same time I have missed children grow up, family gathering and the company of good friends.

I now know that my vocation and my salary is plenty for me to live on, that I have to balance work and play to fulfill my life’s choices, and if I need something more than I could afford I will simply justify it by balancing work and play, not to mention God’s will to help me balance the two.

God bless.

-- Working stiff or not (living my life) (none@none.none), March 08, 2004.



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