Well then… That’s something.
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Yikes, dude… you seem like you’re taking this discussion really personally.
If there’s one similarity that I’ve noticed between this forum and others that I have frequented in the past, is that skepticism and snark are prevalent.
(That’s kind of a given for the entire internet.)
And personally what I wrote wasn’t mean spirited at all.
It was an honest assessment from my individual POV.
The derision implied in many comments is understandable, however; given the style of writing employed in the blog.
Although it was probably not intentional, the author comes across as somewhat pretentious, and highly unrealistic.
And the follow-up article where he addresses the reactions he got from the original piece pretty much negates his contention that he “doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him.”
People who truly don’t care, generally don’t bother to read the comments; let alone expend any extra effort addressing them.
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Attorneys will do this for a small fee, as will many mail-forwarding services, (albeit without the shield of attorney-client privilege).
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I was feeling ill at ease after reading/skimming through this piece. It felt wrong somehow. I felt like I was wrong for not going along with it.
So I looked into the comments section, and it all fell into place. I guess making you feeling ill at ease or inadequate is the idea, much as with some ads, that want to sell you a product or solution you don’t need. It’s a con, selling you ideas that make no sense in exchange for whatever traffic or sales or reputation the conman hopes to wheedle out of it.
A brisk walk in the cold evening air later, and I feel much better. Sometimes I love you guys. 
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That’s gotta be the definition of borderline personality disorder.
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Aww, coupla tow straps and a few come-alongs and we’ll git that corpse outta thur, jes wrap em straps around em legs a few times, you aint got to get in there
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And is it any surprise that the Bootstraps types get so enamored of these charlatans? I have nothing but respect for the self sufficient outdoorsy types. These narcissists are nothing of the sort.
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And we’re the “mean” ones, those who inflict their selves on others are charming enough to get away with it all.
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I like James Altucher, and in the past I’ve found his podcast to be helpful and even inspirational to me at times. He offers a different perspective on things from most other people. I guess his views are not for everyone though.
But what about his current wife Claudia? Is she also living a minimalist lifestyle with him? Are they maybe not together anymore?
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Also (and maybe it’s an outlier, or a subset of your second example) people who are simply motivated by something other than wealth. Bill Gates, for example, always struck me as not really caring about money per se- just about outdoing everybody who used to beat him up in high school. Elon Musk believes he’s saving humanity.
I’d suspect there are a few that made their money just to show up daddy, or prove they could, or as a sideline to a different dream- And once they did, just dropped it.
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As someone who experienced it as a child for about five years of my life, I can tell you categorically, fuck no it isn’t pleasant. While there are undoubtedly experiences that are more unpleasant, there cannot be too many.
If this guy wants to live as a drifter, good for him. But writing about it at length suggests he seeks attention for it, which belies his sentiment of not caring what people think about him. Which is okay, I’m not judging. His decision to live itinerantly is…well it’s his life. I’m glad he has money in the bank so he doesn’t have to experience what its like to be homeless and poor. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. It takes a lot of money to be comfortably homeless. Glad he found a way to spend his fortune that gives him peace-of-mind.
But speaking of peace-of-mind, the whole point of inanimate objects is that you don’t have to think about them when you don’t want to. Today I finished building and staining a plinth for our wine rack. Tomorrow I’ll put it under the wine rack and forget about it, like a hundred other things I’ve built and a thousand things I own. I’ll leave it there secure in the knowledge that it won’t be animated by a lightening strike and come to life to haunt me. It’s just gonna sit there in the corner like a good little plinth and hold my champagne off the dusty floor for as long as I want it to.
I honestly don’t get people who let inanimate objects occupy their mental real estate. Is it some sort of bizarre OCD that they can’t stop thinking about their possessions, some strange addiction to compulsive thoughts? I guess if you suffer that and deep-sixing the objects is your only escape, then more power to ya.
Also, I’d bet money he has a phone number or email account for his close friends and family. If he ignored all correspondence, he’d be a jerk and probably soon a very alone jerk. But prioritizing whom to reply to, yeah dude, we all do that. Good for you. If I had a phone number I published in a widely-read internet article, I wouldn’t answer it either. But I’m not that childish.
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He’s definitely into self-promotion. Someone posted something about him on LinkedIn a while ago, something about signing up to win free books (not his). I signed up and the only thing I got was his spam.
This guy is a charlatan. Maybe he’s a narcissist, but he’s definitely an irresponsible father. “Hey, Tim, isn’t that bum on the internet your dad?”
Also, he states that “Like 50% of Americans or more, I’m divorced”. 160 million Americans are divorced?
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IIRC, half of all marriages result in divorce, but that doesn’t mean half of all Americans are divorced and single. Seems that he his mangling his statistics.
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You’d think with all that freedom that lifestyle guru Altucher would have time to click on some first-page search results. Perhaps research is too encumbering.
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Thanks. I’m looking to use off-grid cabin parts instead of RV parts wherever possible (solar, composting toilet), so it will be better for long hauls and a little less dependent on infrastructure. Still weighing the virtues of a WVO conversion.
The happiest time in my life, I lived in the Florida Keys in a '73 VW bus. I’m now 42, a month away from being rid of a house, getting divorced, no kids. I’ve pretty much just decided that if there’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I should do it now…
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Yeah- Murders are usually just blood.
Not… liquification…
ew.
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It’s the tone of the writing, for me. Like, no one is asking him these questions, he’s asking them, and then shrugging and saying “gosh golly I sure don’t know! It’s just what I do!”
And the bit about how he never answers his phone and doesn’t have voice mail … uh, so I guess the school doesn’t have him as an emergency contact for his kids, then? A+ parenting there buddy.
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I can only wonder if someone somewhere is trying to enforce a child support order to pay for groceries, clothes and band instruments. Am I too unenlightened for wondering about child support?
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