I read a blog by a man who lives without money. He’s lived without it for nine years. How? Dumpster diving. Living in a cave.
Dumpster diving in London
Eating roadkill. Getting free clothes. Eating insects, grass and leaves. Yum!
He’s a genius, and a philosopher. He’s not mentally crazy. He’s part of a contingency of people who say that money makes us all crazy and lawless. The moneyless man states that people share and love more when money is not involved. Native Americans before the Europeans didn’t worry about who’s bowl or who’s blanket they used, he says. He is unencumbered with cares of this world and can sit all day watching clouds go by. Wow! I want that life! NO WORRY
When I told Rhonda this great idea about living without money and all our money issues would be solved she made it clear that she didn’t want to do the dumpster diving. She did mention that Ken White, our pastor friend in Ann Arbor, ate someone else’s leftover pizza once in college. She didn’t buy the great concept of freedom held out by our penniless friend.
In Summary: The guy’s crazy. He has no kids. It’s a selfish existence. He takes care of himself. He makes absolutely no case at all about taking care of the sick, the impaired, those who cannot care for themselves, like children. he doesn’t care. He can watch the clouds all day, all by himself, making up his religion and his purpose in life. I find it no surprise that in the fine print he’s an avid evolutionist. He’s as counter cultural as he can be, making a statement against traditions and cultural mores. Screaming loudly on the internet so that others will be jealous of his freedom. Ballyhooing anything of the cross, the Bible and of course, evil Christians!
He’s as right as the Beatles who said, “Can’t buy me love!” He’s right that, we think way too much that money solves our problems. Money does enslave us, but can you see his flawed argument? Freedom doesn’t come from having no worries or no binding contracts with anyone. Isolation is not freedom. Dumpster diving is not freedom.
Have you ever stayed up all night talking to a friend or a group of friends? That’s freedom! Have you ever stayed up reading a good book until you knew that the next day would be the zombiest day of the week? That’s freedom! Have you ever hiked or ran until you were exhausted, squeezed dry on the inside and your inside was on the outside? Jumping into a cool pond is where the feeling of freedom comes. We are unencumbered by things and money problems in the penniless man’s system, but is that freedom? What would he do in a Utah desert without any of the dumpsters or free clothes or wood to burn from building sites? He wouldn’t feel so free? Unencumbered, yes, but free?
Freedom comes from another source, through a relationship with one who sets us free and reminds us about our own self-delusions that enslave us. When will we ever be totally free here? Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 The way to freedom he says is “to hold to my teachings.” What are his teachings? The way of the cross. The way of belief in the Father’s gifts. The way of the gospel: his death for our lives and the crazy world and universe we live in. Freedom comes when we “see” him and “visualize” his truth and “meditate on” these glories of God at work in life and thought. Freedom from self-delusion and from the cares of this world happens when we are staying up all night talking to a real God and contemplating his being and glory revealed in history (The Bible) and in His Son.
Most people will settle for dumpster diving.
