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The quiet rebellion of a little life

caitlynrichardson.substack.com

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Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#31

Post by mattbee »

Mmmm the OP describes a very expensive mid-life retirement: an unspecified number of children, cats, a dog, a garden, living near enough a park that you might want to walk through, shopping at a farmer's market, books and art in your home, wine, and all in a "culturally rich" location!

I think most humans are pleasure seeking and would choose the above, if it were a choice! But the pinnacle for most people I know would be to enjoy one or two of the above, on the margins of a hard-working life.

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#32

Post by [deleted] »

fireynis wrote: post #5

I always think these kinds of mentalities are based on people who have never been in dire straits or financially insecure. Living a simple life is almost impossible, pursuing wealth is probably the only way to be secure in a simple life. Even if you FIRE, you need to pretty aggressively pursue wealth at the beginning to make it work.

[deleted]

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#33

Post by throwaway34443 »

sgt101 wrote: post #3

Ok, no capital letters as a writing affectation is immediately upsetting... but I'll let my anxiety about that subside and focus on the content. I get it, I really do. I find it a daily struggle. Last week I told my boss I couldn't travel this week. He was fine about it, there wasn't even a discussion. But I've worried about it ever since. Not because I want a raise or a promotion, but because I need this job and I w…

I think I've found my peace. I'm 24, planning to live my entire life without long term relationships, so I don't have to worry about responsibilities to others. I live in Europe so theoretically retirement is not a death sentence, but if it gets too difficult I can always kill myself. One advantage of this life is that it becomes quite easy to save money when you don't have pointless expenses. So far I am very happy and stress free.

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#35

Post by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF »

uncletaco wrote: post #23
bdangubic wrote: post #22

the irony in all of this, is that if social media were completely eradicated from the world and everyone had a chance to look inward in order to pursue being the very best version of themselves possible, both emotionally and logistically in their career pursuits, imagine the repercussions of this and how it would positively impact our society… but alas, i’m dreaming of a world where that could never exist again. coul…

Are you the author on an alt? This article and comment are the first time I've ever seen someone on this website not use capitalization.

1) lots of people write like that; it's become a bit of a trend

2) the author did not capitalize "I" when referring to themselves like OP did

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#36

Post by titzer »

eluketronic wrote: post #11

I’ve wrestled with this idea since reading My Side of The Mountain when I was quite young. Our society and culture constantly reinforces the perceived need to make enough money to retire one day, assuming that there is a necessary amount of money one needs to continue living and that one should stop working at some point. The fear of exorbitant medical costs in our privatized healthcare system scare me into thinking…

> The fear of exorbitant medical costs in our privatized healthcare system scare me into thinking I need a fortune to feel safe

It wasn't an accident. Near as I can tell there is a not-insignificant part of the American psychological context that amounts to a threat of utter destitution should you not choose to keep slaving away. By Krom, America needs homeless people to show you just how far you can fall unless you keep serving the man.

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#37

Post by lbrito »

deadbabe wrote: post #17
spokaneplumb wrote: post #4

Is there some kind of reader-mode filtering site one can put a URL in to get a version that undoes this extra effort to remove capital letters? From what I’ve gotten of this piece I think it’s up my alley, but reading it is unpleasant. [edit] incidentally, if this fad doesn’t burn out soon we’re going to need a setting to fix it under the heading of accessibility. I expect there are several categories of people for w…

i don’t get it, most letters you read will be lowercase, what’s a few more in the grand scheme?

I don't get it, most of the streets don't have traffic lights, what's a few less in the grand scheme? :)

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#38

Post by Swizec »

sgt101 wrote: post #3

Ok, no capital letters as a writing affectation is immediately upsetting... but I'll let my anxiety about that subside and focus on the content. I get it, I really do. I find it a daily struggle. Last week I told my boss I couldn't travel this week. He was fine about it, there wasn't even a discussion. But I've worried about it ever since. Not because I want a raise or a promotion, but because I need this job and I w…

> So, there is no compact that will create the feeling of safety and fulfillment that this article wishes for. Just money.

Money is the best freedom buyer. Don't trust anyone who says "Money doesn't buy happiness". That's rich-people propaganda to keep the rest of us dependent.

As Lucy Liu said in a fantastic interview: Do everything in your power to accumulate fuck you money as early as possible. Because then you can say No.

Even a few months of buffer is enough to buy lots of wellbeing. Having FIRE money is obviously even better.

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#39

Post by TaupeRanger »

xigency wrote: post #15
eluketronic wrote: post #11

I’ve wrestled with this idea since reading My Side of The Mountain when I was quite young. Our society and culture constantly reinforces the perceived need to make enough money to retire one day, assuming that there is a necessary amount of money one needs to continue living and that one should stop working at some point. The fear of exorbitant medical costs in our privatized healthcare system scare me into thinking…

I'm coming to terms with the fact that if I want to leave any inheritance at all I will need to be voluntarily turning down medical care at some point in my life. I'm only 30 and I know for certain that lifespan is not the parameter I want to optimize. Rather, it is quality of life.

Most people agree with you until the moment they actually have to decide between further treatment and likely death. Most people simply hold on until they have no choice but to die.

Re: The quiet rebellion of a little life

#40

Post by skwee357 »

fireynis wrote: post #5

I always think these kinds of mentalities are based on people who have never been in dire straits or financially insecure. Living a simple life is almost impossible, pursuing wealth is probably the only way to be secure in a simple life. Even if you FIRE, you need to pretty aggressively pursue wealth at the beginning to make it work.

This.

It reminds me of the average “indie hacker” mentality: just move to Bali and live off $2-3k.

The problem is that it just doesn’t work once you are past a certain age, and suddenly have “adult life”: parter, kids, aging parents.

I’d love to life a “little life”. Read books with my partner, drink coffee in the morning while watching the birds. The problem is that one small unlucky event, like being laid off, or someone you love getting sick, and it can all snowball into oblivion.

And the realistic thing to accept is that money solves a lot of problems. And in order to make enough of it, one should forgo the luxury if “little life” to some extent.

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