Asceticism

Quite interestingly, an old friend from college whom I haven't seen probably since college looked at my LinkedIn post and his first thought was that I looked and seemed ascetic. Aside from the cheeseburger and fries I had for lunch with Whitey and the Peruvian chicken fest I shared with Niklaus and Jonathan last night, he's kinda on to something. Also my home, pretty nice by global standards if not out of control by modern American ones.

But overall I have long been pursuing a quasi-ascetic course. I quite intentionally resist the cultivation of ever more refined standards, particularly refined things that can get real expensive quickly: sushi, coffee, meat, cars, hotels etc. Overall I've found that greater satisfaction and happiness comes from not worrying about how you're going to be able to pay for stuff. The absence of stress. Which can be cultivated through not getting sucked into the trap of needing fancy shit in all categories. I want to pay more only for things where added expense adds value over time: athletic shoes, dental services, insurance brokerage and other professional services etc.

Certainly I don't think I've invented anything or deserve a gold star for this. It's just where I am, and it's where I hope my kids end up because it feels right. My friends tend to end up like this, too, perhaps not surprisingly. I select out extreme gourmands and fancy car enthusiasts, for obvious reasons.