Meet the Man Who Lives on Zero Dollars (Modern Day Cave Man)

[Pilsung]

http://www.details.com/culture-trends/c ... ro-dollars

Daniel Suelo lives in a cave. Unlike the average American—wallowing in credit-card debt, clinging to a mortgage, terrified of the next downsizing at the office—he isn't worried about the economic crisis. That's because he figured out that the best way to stay solvent is to never be solvent in the first place. Nine years ago, in the autumn of 2000, Suelo decided to stop using money. He just quit it, like a bad drug habit.

His dwelling, hidden high in a canyon lined with waterfalls, is an hour by foot from the desert town of Moab, Utah, where people who know him are of two minds: He's either a latter-day prophet or an irredeemable hobo. Suelo's blog, which he maintains free at the Moab Public Library, suggests that he's both. "When I lived with money, I was always lacking," he writes. "Money represents lack. Money represents things in the past (debt) and things in the future (credit), but money never represents what is present."

[ODA 226]

Good read! Thank you!

[Boondock]

Yup. A pretty enjoyable read.

If I was him, however, I'd snag an old bar of soap and toothpaste from the dumpster, and use it, every now and then. But that's me.

[Anianna]

I'm going to have to be critical here. He does not live on zero dollars. He lives on the generosity of others; on their dollars. He, like many of us, is only partially self-sufficient and, therefore, is also dependent on others. Look at the gear in the image with that article. All of that cost money. He also has buckets of rice and beans and that also costs money. I don't want to judge him and what he's doing, but the title of the article is misleading. If this man chose to live this way in a subway tunnel in New York, the author would likely have found him more appalling than interesting. The only real difference, from what I see, is the location.

[DJH]

I'm going to have to be critical here. He does not live on zero dollars. He lives on the generosity of others; on their dollars. He, like many of us, is only partially self-sufficient and, therefore, is also dependent on others. Look at the gear in the image with that article. All of that cost money. He also has buckets of rice and beans and that also costs money. I don't want to judge him and what he's doing, but the title of the article is misleading. If this man chose to live this way in a subway tunnel in New York, the author would likely have found him more appalling than interesting. The only real difference, from what I see, is the location.

Amen. He's not exactly self-sufficient.

[Boondock]

If this man chose to live this way in a subway tunnel in New York, the author would likely have found him more appalling than interesting. The only real difference, from what I see, is the location.

Touché! That's a great point.

[towm8er]

The hobo life is coming back i got a buddy who hase desided to hitch hike across the country just for the adventure and on some levals im jelous

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[TDW586]

I've got to agree with Anianna. He blogs, using a public computer bought and maintained with the taxes other people pay. Which is housed in an air conditioned building, also payed for by others. His blog is hosted on a server that is maintained by the hard work of others. He's not self sufficient or living on zero dollars, he's a bum.

I don't hate the homeless, bad things happen and people get down on their luck. Those who choose to be homeless, living on the generosity of others and charity, and promote it as some sort of enlightened lifestyle choice...fuck that.

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[Ad'lan]

To be a vagabond in America, a bum, and make an art of it—the idea enchanted me."

Seems to me he's made a lifestyle choice, his endorsement of natural selection at the end of the article makes ot seem like he's accepting he might end up dead 20 years shorter, he just prefers to live that life.

And I'd be worried about the economy if I were him. In a time of plenty, there's scraps he forages, food and articles, but when the lean times hit and there are both more bums picking the scraps, and less scraps produced, particularly as people get more waste aware, he could find it tricky. When his friend in the nearby town looses his job, how long will he be able to support a religious hermit? That sort of thing was usually something you did if you were a rich nobleman back in medieval times.

[the_alias]

I've got to agree with Anianna. He blogs, using a public computer bought and maintained with the taxes other people pay. Which is housed in an air conditioned building, also payed for by others. His blog is hosted on a server that is maintained by the hard work of others. He's not self sufficient or living on zero dollars, he's a bum.

I don't hate the homeless, bad things happen and people get down on their luck. Those who choose to be homeless, living on the generosity of others and charity, and promote it as some sort of enlightened lifestyle choice...fuck that.

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So I'm guessing you're not a fan of On the Road...

[TDW586]

So I'm guessing you're not a fan of On the Road...

I'm going with "no". It's not a philosophy I respect.


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[Jamie]

If everyone in Moab lived like that, they would all freeze to death in winter and starve long before that...he's a bum, leeching off of the rest of the world and trying to rationalize it into a lifestyle and philosophy.

There was a hermit living in the ADKs before my time named Noah John Rondeau, who lived essentially outside of the rest of the world without being a parasite...that's the kind of thing I thought/hoped this story might be about...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_John_Rondeau


Jamie

[crypto]

VINCENT
No Jules, you're gonna be like
those pieces of shit out there who
beg for change. They walk around
like a bunch of fuckin' zombies,
they sleep in garbage bins, they
eat what I throw away, and dogs
piss on 'em. They got a word for
'em, they're called bums. And
without a job, residence, or legal
tender, that's what you're gonna be
-- a fuckin' bum!


Im not a fan of On the Road, but I was a big fan of Down and Out in Paris and London, which is a far sterner view of living on a low budget.

[raptor]

If everyone in Moab lived like that, they would all freeze to death in winter and starve long before that...he's a bum, leeching off of the rest of the world and trying to rationalize it into a lifestyle and philosophy.

There was a hermit living in the ADKs before my time named Noah John Rondeau, who lived essentially outside of the rest of the world without being a parasite...that's the kind of thing I thought/hoped this story might be about...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_John_Rondeau


Jamie

I agree with Jamie on this. That said IMO he is not obnoxious or a leach but he is not self sufficient. He is not as bad the homeless folks who keep trying to get into my building for nefarious purposes or tried to hassle the people in my building for spare change....(it is Jazz Fest time again here )

He is IMO no different than a religious person (monk, priest or nun) who takes vows of poverty and relies upon their faith to provide for them and in the meantime follows his/her faith.

Lin and Larry Pardey IMO are a better example of people living on little while enjoying life. They may live on a boat but they bought it paid for it themselves and do not rely of the generosity of others for their needs. They are truly self sufficient.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_and_Larry_Pardey

[the_alias]

[TDW586]

I'm not hating the guy, I'm just calling his bullshit. If you wanna be a bum, be a bum, but his poorly thought out pseudo-philosophy is just silly.

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[the_alias]

Heh don't get me wrong the guy is a parasite. But more power to him if he wants to do it and is able to. I don't begrudge the man that much, governments always find a way to spend taxes.

[Czechnology]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.


In this guy's case, if he'd called himself a bum, nobody would be up his ass. He tried to turn his parasitic lifestyle into some kind of neo-tribal "Kung-Fu" earth wandering spirit-quest, in which he has transcended us mere mortals and become enlightened. All at taxpayer expense. He could not replicate his lifestyle in a 3rd world nation, I'm certain, as he would be shot or chased off for contributing nothing and taking something, or simply for competing for scraps.

[Regular Guy]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.


In this guy's case, if he'd called himself a bum, nobody would be up his ass. He tried to turn his parasitic lifestyle into some kind of neo-tribal "Kung-Fu" earth wandering spirit-quest, in which he has transcended us mere mortals and become enlightened. All at taxpayer expense. He could not replicate his lifestyle in a 3rd world nation, I'm certain, as he would be shot or chased off for contributing nothing and taking something, or simply for competing for scraps.

This. You want to be a bum, cool. You want something from me to support your bum lifestyle, lame. If you think you've figured something out, no you haven't. You're living like everyone else because you're still using money to get your stuff. Someone else is spending it for you.

Now, if you can live off the land and get all your needs from nature, cool, I'd like to spend a day with you.

[Ad'lan]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.

Is he doing that though? The article wasn't written by him, but about him, I don't think he's asking for anything from the readers or general public. The guy he gets food off in the town is described as his friend, so it's not like he's set up a cult to support him AFAIK.

[Czechnology]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.

Is he doing that though? The article wasn't written by him, but about him, I don't think he's asking for anything from the readers or general public. The guy he gets food off in the town is described as his friend, so it's not like he's set up a cult to support him AFAIK.

Ok fair enough. I may have overblown it a bit.

[TDW586]

I'm judging based off the quotes from the guy in the article. His whole condemnation of working people, making it sound like he has gained some sort of spiritual status that makes him better than others through his status as a fucking bum.

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[Arkane]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.


In this guy's case, if he'd called himself a bum, nobody would be up his ass. He tried to turn his parasitic lifestyle into some kind of neo-tribal "Kung-Fu" earth wandering spirit-quest, in which he has transcended us mere mortals and become enlightened. All at taxpayer expense. He could not replicate his lifestyle in a 3rd world nation, I'm certain, as he would be shot or chased off for contributing nothing and taking something, or simply for competing for scraps.

Czech - I thought the same thing (well except for the furry part - WTF did you come up with that?). Stick this cat into the ghettos of Mumbai and see how he hangs fighting a bunch of ten year olds for scraps.

[Czechnology]

I think it's what I like to call "the furry effect" that's pissing people off. To wit: you can be a fucking wierdo and go to dress-up gangbangs in your "fursona" all you want, that's your right, and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, who am I to judge your hobbies. It's when you start calling it a "lifestyle", demanding formal recognition, and try to turn your fetish into something it's not, you get ridiculed.


In this guy's case, if he'd called himself a bum, nobody would be up his ass. He tried to turn his parasitic lifestyle into some kind of neo-tribal "Kung-Fu" earth wandering spirit-quest, in which he has transcended us mere mortals and become enlightened. All at taxpayer expense. He could not replicate his lifestyle in a 3rd world nation, I'm certain, as he would be shot or chased off for contributing nothing and taking something, or simply for competing for scraps.

Czech - I thought the same thing (well except for the furry part - WTF did you come up with that?). Stick this cat into the ghettos of Mumbai and see how he hangs fighting a bunch of ten year olds for scraps.

Haha, don't ask.

I think calling this guy a "modern day caveman" is absurd, and does an incredible disservice to our forebears who lived and died by their ability to hunt, gather, and build. This guy is a scavenger, living off the largess of others simply because we're so flush with food in the USA that we waste enough that anyone enterprising and humble enough to want to do so, can. If the town nearby suddenly hit 25% unemployment, this guy would starve to death.