From: Brian Atkins (brian@posthuman.com)
Date: Mon Jun 05 2000 - 21:53:21 MDT
No offense, but from my point of view this comes across as something more
likely to be heard from a commune-dweller in the 60s rather than an
extropian. Committing to a lifestyle that you describe could put you at a
big disadvantage when it comes to having access to new technologies. For
instance, in the future you might not be able to afford some cutting edge
medical tech that could extend your lifespan.
And again no offense, but spending your days tending your garden is not
exactly helping you get closer to the days of posthumanism. For the
individuals advocating or living such a "static" non-expanding lifestyle,
I would like you to go over to extropy.org and re-read the principles.
altamira wrote:
>
> Hey Brian,
>
> I'd like to see more on this topic. I've been living this way for a few
> years now and have never been happier. It's not that I wouldn't like to
> have more money--or, more accurately, to have more of the things money
> buys--but the opportunity to savor each day fully is worth more to me than
> the money would be.
>
> When I was in the process of making the decision to discontinue my urban law
> practice and move to the country I pondered the lifestyle I'd choose if I
> had a nearly unlimited supply of money. I decided I'd live in the country
> and divide my time fairly evenly between gardening, study, and writing, with
> enough social interaction thrown in to keep me from becoming a hermit (I
> tend to be a rather solitary person). I realized I didn't have to
> accumulate a large sum of money in order to do this very thing, and I'm now
> living a lifestyle that's close to my ideal. Perhaps if I had more money I'd
> live in a mansion rather than a self-built adobe hovel. But then again,
> maybe not...every square foot of my house was built for my own purposes; the
> place fits me like a well-worn shoe, and it's been fun building it.
>
> Did any particular event prompt you to investigate a simpler lifestyle? My
> eyes began to open to wider possibilities when I spent a morning hanging out
> with a woman named Donna. She was one of those generally referred to as
> "homeless" although I don't think she would have characterized herself in
> that way. She'd found some pieces of lumber and sheet metal and built a
> shelter in a vacant city lot; she'd planted a little vegetable garden there
> next to her shelter. She told me that the night before she'd found some
> lobster and shrimp in a grocery store dumpster and had invited a bunch of
> homeless people to share in her bounty. "I have so much," she told me, "I
> feel as though I should share."
>
> It occurred to me that overall, Donna's quality of life was higher than
> mine, although she was jobless and I enjoyed a position in one of the more
> highly paid professions. Her days were her own; she lived by her own clock
> and didn't feel constantly rushed by this or that deadline; and she felt
> herself wealthy enough to indulge in charity. I'm forever grateful to this
> woman, whom I never saw again after that day.
>
> Meeting Donna didn't move me to take up a life on the streets, but I began
> to give my thoughts a much wider scope in imagining possible futures for
> myself.
>
> Bonnie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.com
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.com]On Behalf Of Brian D Williams
>
> I am currently pursuing a more advanced state of what could be
> termed "voluntary simplicity" in pursuit of this goal.
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