+ - The Man Who Quit Money
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Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes "John Coyne writes about Daniel Suelo, a man who learned to live, sanely and happily, without earning, receiving, or spending a single cent. Suelo doesn’t pay taxes, or accept food stamps or welfare. He no longer carries an I.D. "When he dropped out, Daniel Suelo was thirty-nine years old, came from a good family, and had attended college. He was not mentally ill, nor was he an addict.," writes Coyne. "His decision appears to have been an act of free will by a competent adult. In the twelve years since, as the Dow Jones skyrocketed to its all-time high, Daniel Suelo has not earned, received, or spent a single dollar." Suelo wasn't always this way. Suelo graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in anthropology, he thought about becoming a doctor, he held jobs, he had cash and a bank account. In 1987, Suelo joined the Peace Corps and was posted to an Ecuadoran village high in the Andes where he watched as the villagers began to adopt the economics of modernity. They bought soda and white flour and refined sugar and noodles and big bags of MSG to flavor the starchy meals. They bought TVs. The more they spent, says Suelo, the more their health declined. He could measure the deterioration on his charts. By 1999, Suelo was living in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. From there, he made his way to India, where he found himself in good company among the sadhus, the revered ascetics who go penniless for their gods. "Life has flourished for billions of years like this. I never knew such security before I gave up money," says Suelo on the website he maintains from the public library in Moab. "Wealth is what we are dependent on for security. My wealth never leaves me. Do you think Bill Gates is more secure than I?”""
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The Man Who Quit Money