As the saying goes, back in the day there used to be a threat, “be careful or you’ll wind up living in a van down by the river.” Today there is a dream, a hope for retirement, wanting to be able to, “live in a van down by the river.” The only thing different between those two visions is perspective, spiritual health, freedom, attitude, all things money can’t buy. One is a reward, the other a punishment, but it’s the same place, the same destination, just different mindsets that send you there, different attitudes once you arrive.
Also, it really is better if your van actually runs and has a heater, but over all the analogy still stands. Our family sometimes jokes about how we people will plan a vacation, a great escape, a reward for all our hard work, and then go camping, go live without utilities, ditch our comfortable bed, and sleep on the ground. There is no real material difference between this activity and just being a hobo.
Like many others, I am busy lamenting the cultural loss of objective reality, the way everything, including our very own biology is now being defined as totally subjective. It is unstable ground and makes you wonder what you can count on, if anything. That said however, I am constantly reminded about how subjective our world’s really are. We shape so much of our experience through our own perspective.
One man’s punishment is another man’s vacation.
One of the joys of separating yourself from the culture around you, just a wee bit, and letting go of the need for people favor and approval, is a keen awareness of how much of our world is just based on a mutually agreed upon delusion. The “things” we believe rule over us aren’t really things at all, they are mostly lies. Even money, perhaps especially money. I’ve taken to declaring money isn’t real. Nope, it’s just a grand conspiracy theory. In the purist sense, it really isn’t real. It’s paper we have assigned value to. Materially it isn’t even very good paper, and as we advance and allegedly progress, we’re making everything digital and even doing away with the paper itself.
Don’t get me wrong here, money itself is not the root of all evil, but rather our love for it is. Even I have said things in my life, like, “I know, but I need the money.” This is unhealthy and doesn’t spark joy in my spirit, but I need the money. Of course, once you have the money, you decide to buy something and now you’re trapped because you need to make more money to maintain it. Don’t even get me started about trying to keep up with the Joneses or thinking you can buy social favor. By the way that actually works somewhat! I can’t tell you how much boorish behavior is tolerated simply because, “yes, but they have money.”
Since covid arrived, I’ve really had to take a hard look at my own relationship with money. A bit comical, those who know me would probably say, what relationship? Pretty sure you don’t have any! But I mean I had a part time insignificant job with no benefits and I was pressured to inject an experimental substance into my system or you can’t work here and we won’t like you anymore. Wow, I had built an idol to a silly little job and created some very one sided relationships with people who didn’t respect me at all. It was a huge revelation.
That’s all, that’s the whole post. I just want to put some thoughts out there about how our spiritual health, the well being of our families, being true to our values and beliefs are so much more important than chasing after whatever the corporate/political culture seems to value.
See, there's this thing called biology... 
Outside of my relationship to/with God thru Jesus, my marriage to my wonderful wife… only my health comes next. My health and my physical/mental abilities to converse, work and earn a living while im still breathing here on this world are the primary importance. I don’t want to end up “under a bridge” living in a van, down by the river by default or by poverty and not of my own choice. I’d rather live in a small, manageable sized home, with my family and my health, with enough “free time” to explore both the ever increasing number of books on my shelf and the depths of His Love and care for us.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Having the time to explore the depth of His love for us sounds like a worthy goal. 🙂
LikeLike
Coincidentally, we just took a three mile hike down by the river!!! Such an appropriate post! I’ll have pics on FB.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s wonderful! We actually went hiking along a creek this morning, so you and I were on the same page. 🙂
LikeLike
I don’t know. When I was a wee tot, I remember watching reruns of ‘Have Gun Will Travel’ and most of the heroes in fiction I grew up reading were guys like that. My ideal was always like that: when your job is going out on the frontier and cleaning up the bad guys, then coming home to relax in your penthouse in San Francisco. (Of course, these stories are all from a time when places like San Francisco weren’t worse than lawless frontier settlements, but you get the idea).
I see this trend about things like ‘van life’ more as an indicator of how society is breaking down. Logically, people shouldn’t be wanting to flee Civilization. Part of it is like you described: the function of money seems to have changed. Money and status used to be seen as a reward for hard work and productivity. Today, it’s mostly associated with something that represents power; typically obtained from exploitation or dishonest means. So many men in particular have been wiped out and reduced to poverty through no fault of their own—like during the 90s when the Corporations all outsourced and destroyed that segment of Middle Class workers; or woke political correctness drove out Middle Class professionals; or the Scamdemic destroying small and mid-sized independent businesses. There’s no concept of a reward tied to hard work or productivity, so many men are preferring to drop out.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I completely agree with you about how, “logically, people shouldn’t be wanting to flee civilization.” Van life, tiny homes, homesteading, are all attempts to survive in a bad economy, but they are also symbolic of people trying to get away from so called “civilization.”
This is also very true, “Money and status used to be seen as a reward for hard work and productivity. Today, it’s mostly associated with something that represents power; typically obtained from exploitation or dishonest means.” I’ve never known this world where hard work is rewarded, but there are men I know who are suffering from those narratives and expectations. They equate wealth, success, power, with being one of the good guys, and if they don’t have those things their sense of self worth plunges.
LikeLike
What I meant by “hard work being rewarded” was that a man formerly could expect a decent living standard, raise a family, and generally meet his wants and needs if he was a good worker. Industry had a good wage and lots of benefits; farmers were usually poor, but farming provided a lot of security. Men actually could get rich too, if they had some innovative ideas. Today, the economy is unstable for everyone but the very top.
I tend to equate van-life as a modern version of wagon trains and tiny homes with teepees. It seems like a step backwards. I also heard recently that 1/4 men aged 18-30 still live with their parents, and have no motivation to start careers or raise families.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, the economy is absolutely swirling the drain and what we used to call the American dream is virtually impossible to attain these days. People are living at home because in most places they can’t afford to do anything else.
I’m not sure wagon trains and teepees are a step backwards? That spirit of adventure, that willingness to head across the prairie and stake a claim is much needed today. Part of our problem is our own comfort level, fear, trying to make our way within a system that doesn’t provide the same rewards it once used to. Ironically, we need more of that spirit of immigration, people who came to this country to forge a new life, and often do.
LikeLike
Examine yourself. Such a needful, and avoided at any cost process! Why do we avoid, resist, dread self assessment when it’s for the greater good of removing the tick and stronghold we accrue in our daily brush with life?! It is for freedom we have been set free and whom rhe Son sets free is free indeed!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amen, whom the Son sets free is free indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What is the allure of money? In relatively small amounts, it gives us a sense of security. In large amounts, we can use money to buy and control people, that is, to exercise power.
Imagine controlling a large amount of wealth during the Middle Ages. What would you do with it? What was there to buy? Not much. So, the nobility became noble by hiring, arming, training, and maintaining henchmen. Small private armies were the “stuff” of the times, and controlling these small armies formed the politics during a major part of that age.
When the Renaissance arrived, the “rich” were delighted. They finally had something to invest and buy besides armed henchmen. They could their wealth on personal delights. Soon, only very wealthy kings bothered to invest in the arming of henchmen, and the significance of titles of nobility diminished. The character of Mammon had not changed, but the exhibition of that character had changed.
Was that an improvement. I wonder sometimes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL! Wait…you mean you can actually buy armed henchmen?! I may need to rethink this whole money thing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Have you that wealthy people hire personal security guards? Nothing new about that?
The modern manifestations of private armies include Hitler’s brownshirts, the KKK, and Antifa. Don’t doubt that each of these organizations had wealthy backers. However, they leveraged that money with an ideology that attracted the sort of men they could manipulate into violent action.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I was fabulously wealthy I don’t think I’d care at all about the increased status or control over others it would bring, but the security of future needs being taken care of would bring me comfort. Of course that’s a bit of a false idol, I know (just read Tom’s post), but it is something I struggle with at times.
And it is funny as well that people save up and plan all year to go unplug down by the river which sounds awesome to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I used to think money might buy some future security, especially saving for retirement. I still do, it is just that a few years back I met this woman who was so unhappy, so worried about her future and taking dozens of pills, and she had an astounding amount of money put away. It was then that I realized “security, safety” are kind of an illusion. They are more related to our spiritual health than our material goods. This gal had enough money saved for a couple of lifetimes and so she just spent all her time worrying about losing her investments, stock market crashes, theft, inflation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yikes, that’s so sad. I know some people like that too. Spiritual health is definitely better. Most days I know this but some days….not so much, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only way we can protect our money against loss is to give it to God’s work so we will have treasure in heaven. We can’t take it with us but we can send it ahead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That perspective thing is quite valuable eh? Been a fav word of late too. As to ‘getting away’ to wherever, reminds me of youth when traveling: ‘geez, when will we get there?’
You get older, and the real trip happens along the way. Unexpected things, people, conversations with strangers which seem sometime that u were friends forever.
AND, conversations you will never have with your family or whoever when u do get there. Like life I suppose, the journey not the destination. Don’t get me wrong tho- sitting high atop the Rockies, or taking in the sun at Tampa Bay is not too shabby.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen, Colorstorm! The real trip does happen along the way. And one can “get away” in one’s own backyard or even on a porch.
I really like the idea of building a life you don’t need to escape from. All these words we use, “get away” and “escape,” suggest that where we are and what we are doing is so miserable, we need to take a break from it all. Ha! Which sadly, is often very true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Where we are and what we are.’ Ding ding ding ding. What we are fixes everything else right?
Off topic though, I think of extremes, like the baptist. Put to death by the whisper of a devious woman to a king whose word was good: ‘whatever ye ask…..’ oh my, ‘his head.’
Where John was….. in his heart…..I compare my own shortcomings- yet here was a man faithful and true- whose life ended early- his mission was complete- yet received the highest accolade as ‘the greatest born of women,’only to die in such a manner- one of the most sublime accounts ever, the contrast between him and Goliath cannot be greater.
I’m thinking God bestowed such a dose of grace upon him as he sat ‘down by the river in a lonely cell.’ Remember, ‘I am not worthy to untie his shoes…….’ Just utterly humbling even to read.
LikeLike
I saw the punishment/reward principle illustrated in school, where one boy kept getting detention on purpose. Since he wasn’t a bad kid, one of the teachers asked him why he was doing it. He explained that he LOVED detention. It was the only time of day where he could have some peace, away from the noise a stress of class at school and his family at home. Poor kid.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yep, smart kid! Long ago I helped with this youth group and we would have a moment of silence, more like 20 seconds, to still ourselves and refocus. It was really hard for these poor kids, they dreaded it, just because our world is so overwhelming, so highly stimulating, that any peace and quiet can be disconcerting and unfamiliar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, my, I had detention nearly every day in 9th grade, as well as Sat. School regularly because there detentions meant Sat. School. I concur regarding Sat. School. It gave me hours of silence with nobody bugging me, when I could read. I loved it! Detention was similar, though much shorter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, interesting. I wonder how many other kids feel that way? And whether the quiet time helped them with their stress levels and helped them behave better. That might be an effective way to deal with behavior issues after all, it’s just not “punishment.” More like therapy.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on clydeherrin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Clyde, much appreciated. 🙂
LikeLike