Originally Posted by tandempower

I am not the only person who sees value in living poor. Ever heard of people taking a vow of poverty, such as priests, monks, etc.? There are also many people who aren't poor by your definition but who are happy with a modest level of material consumption. They don't measure themselves or their friends according to material wealth or status.


Like I said, you are a materialist who can't understand a philosophy of minimalism and conservation as a better way to live for everyone, including yourself. Maybe you are still dreaming of the robust life of Roman indulgence, complete with gluttonous feasts and vomitoria.


And others' rights to borrow and spend money they never had and are never going to pay back without lots of other people borrowing/spending money and playing musical chairs with it isn't your right or anyone else's, but they do it and it affects us all.


Yes, but it's not good to use fear of family emergencies as an excuse to motivate unnecessary purchases that put people in debt and cause other problems as well.


You can donate everything you don't consume by not consuming it. The market is supposed to produce and distribute useful products efficiently, so if there is a glut caused by conservation, the surplus should become accessible to anyone who needs it.


And when you have an education, it is good to teach for the lowest wage possible, so that the maximum teacher-student ratios are possible with any given education budget.


No, it is using a minimum of material resources to be healthy, and then using the rest of your time/effort to be healthy and happy by going outside and getting exercise while setting an example for others to do the same.


Help them by revealing the big secret that they need very little to be self-sufficient.


You go on patting yourself on the back for taking a big cut of money from the economy and then going to a shelter to help feed the people who can't afford the cost of living that's been driven up by greedy business. I'm glad you're glad we're not the same, because I don't think you could survive the misery if your conscience worked like mine.