> Not caring about social status is only smart, as long as your choices don't hurt others
This is a very interesting topic, which I find counterintuitive.
In my view, they actually care about status a lot: they seek their own place at the exact opposite place on the spectrum, as a matter of principle. The author indeed stresses multiple times that both he and his partner are rebels.
I get the very strong impression that when one is in that position, they can get a lot of return of investment with little effort, but they're intentionally choosing not to (for example, they talk about refusing stable jobs, but on the other hand, taking a variety of odd jobs).
There are more balanced positions where with more money, parents can give considerably more freedom of choice and experience at least to their children, without falling into a consumeristic lifestyle.
> (for example, they talk about refusing stable jobs, but on the other hand, taking a variety of odd jobs)
Perhaps they prefer different, diverse jobs rather than a single job doing the same thing day after day. Their admitted aversion to authority would also result in more odd jobs due to likely conflict with bosses.
> There are more balanced positions where with more money, parents can give considerably more freedom of choice and experience at least to their children, without falling into a consumeristic lifestyle.
True, but avoiding consumerism is rarely the case in most modern capitalist societies. There are so many forces working against this ideal like peer pressure, advertising, government regulations, community codes, etc. The author consciously chose to live in a remote area where fewer of these forces are at play.
Overall I find the author’s actions to be reasonable and well thought out for their situation. My only quibble might be accepting the money from the government for his children given that there are possibly other families that need it more; the author seems intelligent, healthy, capable, and has some savings. But who am I to judge?
This is a very interesting topic, which I find counterintuitive.
In my view, they actually care about status a lot: they seek their own place at the exact opposite place on the spectrum, as a matter of principle. The author indeed stresses multiple times that both he and his partner are rebels.
I get the very strong impression that when one is in that position, they can get a lot of return of investment with little effort, but they're intentionally choosing not to (for example, they talk about refusing stable jobs, but on the other hand, taking a variety of odd jobs).
There are more balanced positions where with more money, parents can give considerably more freedom of choice and experience at least to their children, without falling into a consumeristic lifestyle.