Can you live for free? Can you just use things like airbnb, couchsurfing, zipcar, etc., and not have a permanent home or possessions? Can you live a shareable economy lifestyle, a smart city resident, bartering food for Bitcoins? It would dramatically lower your personal carbon footprint, and free you from the shackles of materialism. It would be a very romantic life, moving from place to place, never settling down, meeting new friends, having new experiences. It could be a rich, full life. I don’t know if anybody has ever tried. I know I couldn’t. I don’t have the right personality or temperament for it. It would be a talent as much as anything, and would require a fair amount of development in several areas — interpersonal skills, creativity, resilience, flexibility, etc. You would probably get better at it as you went along. It’s probably something that is much more appealing when you’re young. Godspeed to anyone who wants to try this. But I anticipate this becoming a larger and larger social trend in the coming years. What will that do to law, to governance, to the economy? Someone should think about this.
It’s not unlike the dilemma artists have had — how do you maintain fealty to your art and make a living. There’s never been a guarantee that art can provide a living. Most artists don’t. And then the artist needs to get a day job to support their themselves. Sometimes that means the art gets abandoned. It’s a tough choice.
Look! A cartoon!
☺
Peace,
Dave Roel.
One wonders why Americans think that culture should make money.
- Bruce Sterling
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