The only rational response isI put Hat Maui's grouchy response here where it belongs.
your arrogance is very cute, dios. like a li'l braying baby donkey.
the truth is, however, that the "am i crazy" aspect of the question seems less pertinent to the nature of this question than you're making it out to be. the asker is not looking to be talked out of this by internet blowhards, but very specifically asks for suggestions and guidance as to how to go about making this idea a reality.
who are you to say this is immature and the questioner needs to grow up? you're NOT HELPING, only bloviating about how this idea doesn't fit into your tiny little authoritarian-worshipping worldview. and that's just not what askmetafilter is for, now is it?
to the asker: rent "i'll sleep when i'm dead" -- clive owen's character has a pretty sweet setup in his tall british cargo van. good ideas abound.
posted by Hat Maui at 8:32 PM EST on January 29
My question is, am i crazy?
posted by petsounds to travel & transportation
You certainly aren't crazy for having the thought that you would just like to "drop out" and escape all of life's concerns and demands. I'd be shocked if anyone has not had the feeling of "wanting to get away from it all." So having that feeling is no crazy at all.
I would submit that it is "crazy" for you to sincerely pursue this plan you are having (wherein "crazy" means something akin to "not a rational response to the issue"). While everyone has that feeling, the vast majority of people either sublimate that impulse or recognize that ultimately, you can never escape everything. By going to a life like that, you will have new and different demands on your person. They may seem less complex, but they will be there. It is impossible to escape life. It is only possible to delay the inevitable confrontation with it (which is why I would suspect so many homeless people also have chemical addiction problems; they are both things that are ways to "drop out" of life).
Part of being a grownup in society is learning to deal with the beating of life. For one riff on the general topic, pick up a copy of Freud's "Civilization and its Discontents." We have to realize that we can't always have things the way we want them. We have to live in this society, and most people come around to that.
"I just want everyone to leave me alone so I can read" is not a rational plan. It is escapism and delaying the inevitable. If you really want to escape, I think getting a place in the woods all alone would do it. Having to try to navigate your life through cities in a van is not escapism; its an exchange of burdens.
It's hard to say this without sounding rude, but my response would be "grow up."
posted by dios at 1:45 PM PST on January 29 [+ 5 favorites]
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I want to quit my job
i like simlicity and freedom- the idea of just writing and reading all day without owing my time to anyone.
The point is so that i can be FREE and not have expectations from anyone
I don't think people are grasping the question.
This isn't a hypothetical "can I live out of a van" or a "journey" or "vacation" or anything of the sort. He isn't traveling with his band (a JOB) to different places.
This poster is asking: "Does it make sense for me to quit my job and become homeless just so I don't have to deal with the demands of life."
It is very disturbing to me that people who don't know anything about this guy or his specific state are advocating doing this and offering tips on what should be done. You are basically encouraging someone you don't know to do about the most reckless and immature thing a person can do: runaway from things.
The only rational response is: "Hell no. Your unrealistic and shallow view of what becoming homeless is like isn't going to solve the issues you appear to have."
posted by dios at 3:51 PM PST on January 29 [+ 2 favorites]
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posted by loquacious at 6:45 AM on January 30, 2007