[kevinpet]

It's the supreme luxury to be able to reject society. It's a luxury that's only available to those who are either born to wealth or put a lot of effort into obtaining it.

There are also the "I just don't use money, man" people who are actually just living off the charity of friends.

[seiji]

Completely rejecting society is one of the most self-centered and egotistical things you can do. Only two classes of people obtain it: the very wealthy (basically, FU money) and vow-of-sileince monks (basically, "I'm never going to interact with humanity again").

[j45]

There is a third way, of being present in the world for your worldly obligations, and being able to pursue your personal/inner growth and experience as well.

[jayfuerstenberg]

You can always reject one aspect of society while embracing another.

I understand how the author here feels. The whole market economy/consumption cycle is dehumanizing and serves those already in possession of excess riches at the expense of the common folk.

It sounds as if he just wants to try living for himself a bit more by being mindful of his purchases. He's more awake than most of the people I know so good on him, regardless of his sentiments towards society.

[foobarbazqux]

I agree that choosing poverty as a lifestyle can be egotistical, but monastic silence does not mean never interacting with humanity again. It's more to do with not speaking unnecessarily.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastic_silence#Practice_of_s...

[nether]

It's much easier to be homeless in a lot of developing nations like Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam. In the US you get thrown in jail/shelter for being homeless, in those countries though many people simply live off the land or work for barter their entire lives. It takes less effort than it sounds, but enormous fortitude to become an expat.

[randomsearch]

That's funny, because I was walking around San Francisco today and there were lots of homeless people on the streets, not in prison or a shelter.

[sliverstorm]

San Francisco does welcome the homeless with open arms, though. Did you hear the city was talking about paying the homeless a stipend, for being homeless?

[rdouble]

In the rest of the country being homeless is usually a crime.

[coreyja]

What do you mean? While there are places that may look down on homeless people more than San Francisco, I don't think there is any place in the US were being homeless is a crime. That would be unconstitutional.

Maybe you are saying that homeless people are more likely to be criminals, which may or may not be true. But I can't imagine a place in the US where just the act of being homeless is a crime. Do you have a source or a reference to backup that claim?

[buss]

You're right, making homelessness illegal would be unconstitutional. According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-homelessness_legislation#U...):

> The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that there is a growing trend in the United States towards criminalizing the state of being homeless.[6] Proponents of this approach believe that punitive measures will deter people from choosing to be homeless. To this end, cities across the country increasingly outlaw activities such as sleeping, eating, sitting, and begging in public spaces, and selectively enforce more neutral laws—such as those prohibiting open containers or loitering—against homeless populations.[6] Violators of such laws typically incur criminal penalties, which result in fines and/or incarceration.

> In April, 2006 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that "making it a crime to be homeless by charging them with a crime is in violation of the 8th and 14th Amendments."[7]

But, while criminalizing homelessness may be unconstitutional, criminalizing all side effects of being homeless is not.

[bebop]

It has been illegal in the past to be a vagrant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagrancy_(people)#United_States

[dinkumthinkum]

Not to be dismissive of this but oddly enough many of these people would jump at the chance to live in America. Odd, that.

[taproot]

^ Typical american idiot.

[dinkumthinkum]

You're just name calling. The parent made some claim extolling the nobility of homelessness and making some claims about being homeless in third world countries that I thought were little more than naked assertions and I called them as such. You're just parroting anti-Americanism. :(