Author Archives: Steven

Prison Walls of Barbie Dolls

22 March 2009

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"Looking for Jack Kerouac" by manlio_k @ FlickrI’ve been giving a lot of consideration about what I value in life.  Is it a house or a car?  Is it the glass cabinet full of statues or the flat screen television hanging on the wall?  Is it the painting I had imported from Spain by a favorite artist?  While all of these things give my life convenience or provide a superficial pleasure, none of them matter at the end of the day.

In my eyes these things are slowly changing shape.  Instead of the television creating an escape, it has become an anchor.  My piles of clothing that once seemed appropriate now seem more than any reasonable person would need.  All of these things that once seemed to me to be important are now simply not.  My values haved shifted.

I no longer desire to live my life in pursuit of material possessions.  Quite the contrary.  I’ve found that the fewer possessions, the closer to my ideal lifestyle I become.  I find my joy not in having something tangible, but rather in experiences and relationships. 

I value time more than a dime.  I would rather have the freedom to pursue my desires, my dreams, my goals, my abitions than to be oppressed by an object.  Having so much stuff in our lives is like building our own prison cell.  Each new addition is another brick in the wall.  We are losing our freedom as we accumulate more and more.

It is my dream to be able to spend some time of my life on a journey around the country with nothing more than a tent and a backpack tossed in the backseat of my car.  There are so many places I want to see and so much more that I want to do.

The whole idea of minimalist living is a bit utopian.  While I wish for nothing more than the time and freedom to travel the world I know that I must be a part of the “real world.”  In order to find acceptance a person must conform to the standards which have been dictated by a society.  While I don’t dream of becoming a transient, I would like to spend a portion of my life in a state of freedom which could only be found in this sort of condition.

I found a beautiful quote by Jack Kerouac which fits my frame of mind perfectly:

“The hobo has two watches you can’t buy in Tiffany’s, on one wrist the sun, on the other wrist the moon, both bands are made of sky.”

While many people look at the destitute as being of want, maybe they have something we will never have; freedom to enjoy the world surrounding them.  Our days are filled with responsibilities; work, school, kids, laundry, dishes, in-laws, bills, American Idol.  As these forces continue to push inward the prison walls built of our possessions are pushed ever closer.

This is our life.

Editor’s Note: Three months after writing this article I was laid-off from my job.  This opened the door of opportunity which I so desperately needed in order to take the time to travel around the country with nothing more than a backpack & a tent.  I spent a month cruising the highways of the United States and Canada.  This opportunity made me realize how important it is that I live my life, to stop dreaming about living & just get out there, to stop making excuses, to not accept mediocrity, to strive for my own personal best and stop living my life in fear of the “consequences” of my actions.

You Have One Month Left to Live

12 March 2009

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"HDR - the empty bench" by emmedibi @ FlickrWe’ve all heard the question, “What would you do with your life if you were told that you only had one year left to live?”  How about one month, one week, one day or one hour? 

If I was sitting in the doctor’s office and he told me that I only had a certain amount of time left to live I’d probably cry.  A lot of the things that I want to do in my life are long term goals.  They are things which I would need to prepare myself in order to accomplish.  Knowing that I only have a short time left on Earth would eliminate many of those goals from my list.

“You Have One Year Left to Live”

After my initial emotional breakdown I imagine myself working to achieve as much as possible.  I would likely quit my job because I couldn’t see spending my last few precious moments on Earth working unless I was doing something which I absolutely love to do.

The first thing I would do is research my family history and learn more about my ancestry.  I do not know much about my lineage and that has always been something which I want to learn more about.  Once I have been able to determine where my family name comes from I would travel to that area in Norway.  Hopefully during my visit I would be able to connect with some people who share a common ancestor.

After finding my roots I would spend as much time as I could traveling and seeing the things that I’ve always wanted to see like the pyramids in Egypt, Stonehenge and The Great Wall.  I’d want all of my closest friends along with me during my travels.

“You Have One Month Left to Live”

Having one month left to live would put a sense of urgency in my travels.  I would choose one or two places that I absolutely would want to go.  It would be hard for me to choose only one or two places, but my dream vacation spot has always been Bora Bora in the French Polynesian Islands.  I would travel there with my girlfriend and share the last moments of my life with her in the most beautiful place on the planet.

“You Have One Week Left to Live”

If my time was limited to one week of life I would abandon all of my personal goals and instead focus my attention on being with loved ones.  I see myself spending quiet time just talking and enjoying the moment of having them in my life.  I would go out and have some fun, maybe going to a concert or something where we could get lost in the moment and enjoy our lives living in the here and now. 

“You Have One Day Left to Live”

If I had one day left to live I would spend that time with my girlfriend.  I see our time together being spent in the outdoors close to nature, away from everything and everyone.  This way we wouldn’t be distracted by the daily buzz of life as usual and could focus on one another entirely.

“You Have One Hour Left to Live”

One hour doesn’t allow much time to spend with people whom are important to me, so instead of trying to fit everyone into a last hour rush, I would write a letter to my loved ones detailing how important they are to me and how much happiness they brought to my life.  Doing this would allow me a chance to offer closure for the people close to me and also for myself, knowing that everyone in my life knows that I love them.

This activity is meant to show people what is important in their lives.  When you know what you value it is easier to focus your attention on working towards these goals.  For me, I am passionate about traveling.  My family and friends are the most important things in my life and while I have many goals, if I were given only a limited amount of time, family and friends would be priority over any personal goals I may have.

What would you do if you were told that you only had one month left to live?

I’m Not Giving Up My Life

4 March 2009

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"Peace on Earth" by -zyber- @ FlickrEarly retirement has been a long-term goal which has been burning in the back of my mind for as long as I’ve been employed.  It seems  I’d rather be spending my time doing what I enjoy rather than working to earn a buck.  The other day I decided to do a little bit of rough math and figure out how much money I’d have to save every month in order to retire at 40. 

If I changed nothing at all in my life I’d have to save a little over $500 a month (if my girlfriend also contributed the same amount) and earn a 6% annual return (compounded monthly) in order to “retire” by the age of 40.  By that time the interest we earn on our investment would provide enough money to pay for our living expenses; housing, food, clothing and more.  Of course, things in life will not remain the same and getting a 6% annual return will likely prove to be difficult, if not impossible.

We are left with two options; save more now or spend less later.  Given that we are essentially living on next to nothing by some people’s standards it will be difficult to cut our expenses much beyond where we are at right now.  Sure, we could cut the basic cable and internet, saving ourselves about $50 a month, but that is essentially the only luxury we allow ourselves.  We could dine out less often, but we’ve also cut that out of our lives for the most part.  We could buy less stuff, but really, we don’t buy much aside from the necessities.  We do spend a significant portion of our earnings on travel, but both of us love to travel and we save our money in order to fund our trips.

The only other option is to save as much money as we can to boost our “nest egg.”  Instead of saving only $500 each, we may have to save significantly more than that if we earn low interest rates.  It is a matter of sacrifice, in a big way.  We would have to delay gratification on a daily basis, but still be able to find a balance between intense savings and living our lives in a way that provides us with joy every day.

I thought I would talk to some people about my idea and while discussing my plan with other people they seemed shocked by the thought of sacrificing day to day things in order to be able to retire within 20 years.  They said they would “not give up their life” in order to save the amount of money I would need to save.  They are not willing to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow.  And why should they?  We are not guaranteed that tomorrow will ever come, so why not enjoy life today?  That is the thinking of a lot of people, and they are not wrong, but I’m not going to say they are right either.  We are not guaranteed anything in life, not even a tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be preparing for the future.  We should be, and we might as well do all that we can to make that future the best future possible.

They aren’t willing to “give up their life” today and I feel exactly the same way they do, only from the other perspective.  I’m not giving up the rest of my life in order to work at a job for an additional 20-30 years in order to “have a life”.  By their standards, life is measured by material possessions such as cars, clothes and a big home packed with stuff.  They fritter away their money collecting these things and as a result have to spend more time in a job which they no longer enjoy.  This is not the measuring stick I use to define life or the value of it.  I feel that life is more than anything a person can buy.  It is the experiences and the people close to you which matter most.  The moments where you laugh so hard that your stomach hurts and tears stream down your face.  It is about doing something for someone which brings a smile across their face, even if that person is a complete stranger.

My grandmother passed away a couple of months ago and when I went to visit her in the hospital she wasn’t talking about her clothes, electronic gadgets, cars or anything at all to do with money or possessions.  She talked about her experiences and the things that brought her joy in her life.  Even in the midst of all her pain, remembering these things in her life brought a smile to her face.

Life for me is about sacrificing the small things in order to actually be able to live my life in a way which I enjoy.  I do not want to have to work somewhere in order to survive.  I’d rather have the freedom to do work which is meaningful, retire early and enjoy the rest of my days on Earth with people I love.  I dont want to be 80 years old working at McDonald’s because I just couldn’t possibly live without all of those things that will eventually find themselves in a landfill.