Yeah I'm sure everyone can be unemployed for a year straight and live out of their car.
That sounds completely reasonable and not absolutely, in any way, privileged or insane.
That sounds completely reasonable and not absolutely, in any way, privileged or insane.
The same for the cancer's cure. It is not a solution for a lot people.
The parent claimed living out of a car is “insane” and “privileged”. Focus on that and let it sink in for a moment.
Being able to take off a year to recover from burnout, without dealing with the stress of having no income for a year, means you are probably post money if not close.
If that’s the case and the OP has interests like they listed, just start a company doing something you like. You won’t get validation from building someone else’s product.
On top of that it’s illegal to live out of your car in many jurisdictions in the US.
Whether or not it would solve burnout and whether it’s legal in the US are different and new arguments.
I’m justifying my original position that living within meager means isn’t “insane” or “privileged”. If you are only able to take off 8 months after saving for years, that has nothing to do with my ability to live frugally. I don’t gain privilege just because other people choose to take on excessive amounts of debt and/or live more expensive lifestyles than me.
(Obviously the great-grandparent comment that first used "privilege" is completely off, as are most statements involving the word in the wild)
If you're open to a, maybe severe, change in lifestyle, you'll see that you don't need much to live. To those that are interested, I recommend reading "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts and watching "Minimalism" documentary by The Minimalists as a start point.
Which part exactly of this is privileged?
Not sure if sophisticated troll but either way it’s hilarious.
Owning things really sucks. I would love to live in a camper van. That would be awesome.
I’ve been daydreaming about this for years and now that I’m doing it, it is actually as good as I hoped. The cold showers, few possessions, no idea where I’m sleeping tonight, it’s all way better than killing myself to make someone else rich. I feel like I lost the past 5 years of my life. Now my life feels like it’s mine again. I’m in control. And if that means I have to pinch pennies, I’m happy to oblige. It’s a price worth paying.
I hope you get to follow your dreams one day too.
It is not “trivially easy” to take a year off. It’s reckless.
Let's just do some back-of-napkin math to prove my point. The average American software engineer makes $110,944 / year [1]. The median salary in the US is $54,132 / year [2]. That's less than half an average software engineer. In other words, most Americans—even if they spend every penny they earn—live on less than half of what an average software engineer makes.
So yes. On average, a software engineer should be able to save half their income and take off a year. Or hell, save 33% of their income, and take a year off after working two!
[1] https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries
[2] https://www.firstrepublic.com/insights-education/how-much-do...
The mistake is when those same people then claim that someone making the same money without the same responsibilities is privileged.
It is a very odd position to hold. I’m not privileged just because someone else decided to take on the maximum amount of debt that was available to them.
If you can’t take a year off work because you have a mortgage, debts, and a family to feed, that’s a problem you need to solve. However, assuming that I’m privileged because I don’t have those things in nonsensical. I live out of a very cheap car and my expenses are virtually zero. That is not a privileged position.
That depends on if it’s caused by poverty, or a choice you made despite having the means for a better situation.
Being able to take a year off work and not end up homeless is incredibly privileged, but by your own admission you’re already homeless, possibly by choice. Most people don’t want to live in a car.
There is a certain cost to living out of a car which is the same for everyone living out of a car. It is very cheap and attainable for almost everyone. This, by definition, makes it _not_ a privilege.
> you’re already homeless, possibly by choice. Most people don’t want to live in a car.
Absolutely, I’m homeless by choice, and you’re right it’s not for everyone. However, whether other people want to live in a car or not is irrelevant; if it’s attainable to almost anyone it’s not a privilege.