In the first year of the twenty-first century, a man standing by a highway in the middle of America pulled from his pocket his life savings – thirty

Medical’s Newsletter

submited by
Style Pass
2022-06-22 22:00:07

In the first year of the twenty-first century, a man standing by a highway in the middle of America pulled from his pocket his life savings – thirty dollars – laid it inside a phone booth, and walked away.  He was thirty-nine years old, came from a good family, and had been to college.  He was not mentally ill, nor an addict.  His decision appears to be 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.  In an era when anyone who could sign his name could qualify for a mortgage, Suelo did not apply for loans or write IOUs.  He didn’t even barter.  As the public debt soared to eight, ten, finally thirteen trillion dollars, he did not pay taxes, or accept food stamps, welfare, or any other form of government handout.

Instead, he set up house in caves in the Utah canyonlands, where he forages mulberries and wild onions, scavenges roadkill and wild squirrels, pulls expired groceries from dumpsters, and is often fed by friends and strangers.  “My philosophy is to use what is freely given or discarded & what is already present & already running,” he writes.  While the rest of us grapple with tax deductions, variable-rate mortgages, retirement plans, and money-market accounts, Suelo no longer holds so much as an identification card.

Leave a Comment