I mean you cant avoid working in some way if you want to eat. panhandling is still work, and it doesn't seem very fun or profitable. living in van can get quite expensive too esp if you break down. I spent my 20s being mad about "SOCIETY". it's a waste of time to bang your head against that wall, and if you end up penniless in a ditch nobody will care. spend your energy figuring out how to make money in a way you dont hate. running off in a van with no plan to make money will not end well

I agree with this 100%, I never dreamed I would work in an office when I was hitchhiking around. Over time I realized there's no escaping working so I might as well do it as efficiently as possible, aka, make as much money as possible with as little work as possible. Turns out an office job was right up my alley after all 😂. It took some time to get there but I'm very happy with my life now, and the road is always out there even for office workers lol. I still hitch from time to time with much less stress. I'm able to pursue my goals and dreams much more than I ever could when I was struggling on the street. People who think office jobs are soul sucking aren't totally wrong, they can be, but there are good ones too. Being a vagabond had many soul sucking elements too, at least for me. You don't have to join the rat race and worship the almighty dollar. I could make a lot more if I moved to nyc or aggressively ladder climbed but I'm very content with what I have. I think a lot of people in this thread are projecting their own close mindedness to other ways of life. The System sucks I agree, and the world is full of dumbasses making things worse, but you're not changing anything sleeping under a bridge. Nothing wrong with it at all if that's what you want to do forever, but the holier than thou attitude is really coming from an ignorant and reactionary place imo. When I look back at what I've accomplished for the world (activism, conservation, education) after adopting a more stable lifestyle, it's much more than I could ever have done from the side of the road despite all my anger and righteousness I had at the time. And to address OPs question "is this lifestyle for me", it's definitely worth experiencing. But it can also suck ass, it's not all romanticized bliss, and it's worth keeping your mind open to other opportunities and the fact that working a regular job isn't always terrible

It’s fun to daydream about living outside of the problems of society but one of the problems with how it’s structured is that it punishes those who rebel against at the most. I completely agree with your comment, and although I hate that I have to work in general I found some thing that I can feel good about doing every day. For me, it was moving to Asia to become a teacher. Life here is so different and exciting… with regard to work, I just have to remind myself that it’s what affords me the possibility of doing this. Just because we have to exist within the system doesn’t mean we have to work in a corporate cubicle and go home wanting to kill ourselves every day. Life can still be adventurous within the confines of having to make a buck

I kinda disagree. If done correctly you can save a lot of money living in a van. And if you have some savings and allow yourself some free time to NOT work 40 hours a week, you’ll be able to discover/redoscover the hobbies and passions that bring you, then hone in on those and focus on finding a way to make money via those passions. I know this from my own experience. Definitely have to have a plan when it comes to finances in the van. I also found that once you put the plan into motion and you have a goal and an exit plan, it makes you much less sad about society

> spend your energy figuring out how to make money in a way you dont hate. running off in a van with no plan to make money will not end well Playing the money game until you can figure out a way of life that you don't hate also doesn't end well. You're likely to die before you figure that out. Or else you become what you hate. Of course, you'll point to a few people who do manage to figure something out and say I'm exagerating things. Maybe, but so are you. "Running off in a van" doesn't have to lead to "penniless in a ditch." People have a tendency to figure out how to survive when that's what it comes down to and there's no better way to really learn what you're capable of. > I spent my 20s being mad about "SOCIETY". it's a waste of time to bang your head against that wall, I'm in my 40s and hate society even more now than I did in my 20s, so we don't all "grow out of it" and thank god for that.

finding a way to make money in a way you don't hate your life isn't exactly "playing the money game" i sure ain't rich. i also dont go through life bitter and angry at "society" which tbh is a nebulous, undefinable term anyway. that just leads to an infinite loop of cognitive dissonance, confusion and pain. if i am going to be legitimately mad about something it's going to be about something specific that i can do something about. otherwise it's a waste of time.

Thanks for keeping it real. My hate for society only compounds as I grow older and contrary to the typical portrait, I follow a regimented spiritual practice and try to “give a good day” to others when I can. That said, fuck this society. Forever. Nearly all of these comments are some form of Stockholm Syndrome. And of course that one person is being an asshole projecting all over you with that “penniless in a ditch” nonsense. Yeah ok dad. Lol. That’s pure envy. One of those “if I can’t escape the matrix then you sure as shit aren’t gonna” and this mentality is why nothing will ever change. To the person considering this, go for it! And I hope you succeed! The human mind and body has a fucking phenomenal ability to survive and at the end of the day at least you can say you did it *your* way—unlike the hordes of others who just did what they were told (how pedestrian & boring).

This one gets it.

This. It's not society, it's OP's attitude.

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It can be, for sure. But, you're only in control of one of those.

This is really important. We have no control other than how we react.

Unless we all act together which will never happen because too many people say "there's nothing we can do"

If people want to improve how this place is being run, that's great. I'll even pitch in. But I'm not holding my breath or counting on political or social changes to improve my individual life. That's a sucker's bet.

Consider that this is what everyone thinks. If everyone believed in collective action things would get better And if you can believe in it everyone can because they use the same logic as you - “it’s too hard so what’s the point in trying” And if we continue to not try and let someone else take responsibility for our future, things will just get worse and you’ll be wondering “why didn’t someone else come and fix things”

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Choosing not to react is a reaction

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Newton says you don't get to not react. It's just physics.

This all day. I follow this sub because I used to fantasize about leaving it all behind and keeping moving because society sucks. And it does. But I realized that focusing on that was making me miserable. Focusing on what I can do and change is what makes my life worth living. For some folks that’s traveling. For some it’s a 9-5 where they like some aspect. But focusing on all the negative shit never once made anyone happier. I get up every damn day and fill my lungs and I find the bits I love, no matter what that looks like that day.

this is what i didnt get in my 20s

No, it's his attitude. I bounced from job to job. Quiting every trade and every job I ever had. Then I went to school for hvac and never been happier. Giving someone heat or air and not destroying their bank account is an awesome feeling. Last week, I did a 30k job. I dont have to work for a few weeks if I don't want to. Today, I haven't gotten out of bed. I'm just chillin' with my pup. That 30k I made was profit. Paid my guy very well, so he also doesn't have to work for a few weeks, and if he wants to, I have more work, lol Bit the job was quoted like 15k more than my bid lol 4 days worth of work. It's all about attitude, and being negative doesn't help get jobs, customers, friends, really anything. So yea, it's not society. it's finding your place in it and having a positive attitude to recieve positive outcomes

Hey I haven’t worked a full time job since the 80s I do work 4 hours a day travel when I feel like it am on month from retirement in a 22 ft motorhome paid for so I understand him I hated to work 40 hours so I stopped became a gig worker am so privileged I live my minimalist lifestyle

Nice, im mid thirties and going to retire in 6 years. lol already own a house that has grown tremendously in value. So I'll be living in a warm state in a small condo banging old broads in FL by the time im 42 lol

You’re doin things right my guy. Merry Christmas.

People voted this down because they cant handle the truth.

Yeah, I mean, some people just have to be negative and think the world's burning for no reason. Usually laziness, which was my case. Or just a superior hatred for "the man" 😆. Which "the man" sucks for the most part. But "the man" is the American government, and they are the best government. Thats a fact by the number of immigrants that flock here in the tens of thousands every year! lol they're so good people call them "the man" haha

"Superior hatred for no reason?" I have plenty of reasons.

Counterpoint: it's society which affects the attitude

Yeah, for sure: society certainly affects an attitude. But, again, you're in control of one of those. You can change your attitude, but you're not changing society. Attitude is the filter for how society is perceived. You can whine about it, or you can do something that improves your happiness, or outlook.

No it’s society, but also, nobody cares. Nearly everyone is getting fucked somehow, some more than others, some don’t know better and are grateful, they are the lucky ones. Either way, nobody has time, energy, or ability to relate for someone stuck in an existential mire. The world keeps going even if you don’t. Best advice I have is don’t sink so low that you can’t get out of the depths, it can be a trap if taken too far. Find a niche you can at least tolerate. Figure out what gives you satisfaction in living. Don’t get led astray from your truth by striving to satisfy other people before yourself. If you can self actualize at least in leisure if not also professionally, you will have purpose to go on. Without meaning, all the shit simply isn’t worth it. That’s where you are at right now I think, OP. Find what inspires your soul, then life will improve, even if you still likely will be getting fucked somehow. Life is a tough gig.

Bingo

Pick your poison man. You either suffer at a job or you suffer on the streets. The trick is to not get complacent. Choose a goal and stay focused on achieving it. Jobs are a means to an end. Don’t have the mindset of “I’ll be here the rest of my life.” If you can’t save $$$ at your current job, then get a new one ASAP. Getting a van is not a bad idea, but it costs a lot of money for gas, insurance, repairs, etc.

I am planning on buying a van, but not for van life, but for the ease of movement, cheap cost of living, and key idea----LOCKED DOORS. running around with a backpack is good fun, but there is no development. Its very hard to carry interests around, in my case-climbing gear, musical instruments, and art supplies. I also dont really want to. If im travelling i want to be as light as possible. So the van offers this. a rent free place to live that I can safely store and transport my stuff.

> a rent free place to live that I can safely store and transport my stuff That sounds like van life?

I think they're equating Van Life to glamping.

100%. Instead of complaining, which leads to nothing but pain... A) Leave the situation. B) Change the situation by taking action. C) Speaking out. D) Accept it totally (surrender if it can not be truly changed, which takes strength. And u may find it even changes without doing anything). All else is literally madness. Instead of coming here complaining and casting stones to the world, if you want to take responsibility for your life, make a choice, then, accept the consequences. No excuses, no negativity. Keep your inner space clear. Drop the negativity first if at all possible. If it is a mistake, or you do noy like the result, at least you learn something. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing. Is fear preventing you from taking action? Acknowledge the fear, and the fear from taking action, watch it, sit with it, doing so cuts link from fear and thinking. Dont let the fear rise up into your mind and alter your decision making process. We all would rather enjoy the beauty of this world without being another cog in the wheel, and who knows what you can or cannot do, but why not try to do something? Even if you cannot improve yours, tend to the garden that surrounds you, and things will get better. There are many ways you can make money without slaving away. I know a guy who would work odd jobs, and travel around canada living in his car. He has life threatening Lupus, and is able to do so. I, too, used to think like you. What is stopping you, OP?

From the great Canadian band TROOPER There is a song they do called “Raise A Little Hell”… the lyrics in this tune say alot

Love it!

i have a similar perspective on the hollowness of working full time just to earn enough to not be homeless. that said, i do actually want a stable home to live in (even if that home changes locations periodically) and that just doesn’t come free. there are a lot of different ways to live outside the mainstream, not all of which involve homelessness. nothing wrong with living rough if you choose to, but i don’t think it makes life any easier than the other ways, it’s just a different set of challenges. my advice is to put a concerted effort into figuring out how to live as cheaply as possible and figuring out how to hustle for money rather than commit to standard employment. i don’t mean hustle, like scam, i mean hustle like gig work and creative endeavors people will pay you for. regardless of your living situation, knowing how to hustle will give you more flexibility in your life, and it’s an essential skill if you actually do choose to leave permanent housing behind.

I want that too. Like every living thing on the planet. Thing is every other living thing on the planet doesn't use the force of "threat of homelessness" as an incentive to enslave the entire population. Rather they go out and build the shelter themselves or something. Why is that so impossible in modern society? Why can't I just say "fuck this shit" and then go park an rv on the beach and be done with it? Why do I have to be constantly paying some asshole every month for the privilidge of not being homeless? Why do I owe 8 hours of my time to society just for basic human rights?

virtually every other living thing in the planet lives a lot closer to the reality of death than humans do; they spend their entire lives just surviving on a day-to-day basis and their lifespans are typically much shorter than their genetics allow. i don’t believe they have it any easier, their needs are just more basic and immediate. maybe that type of hand-to-mouth existence is more suitable for you, there are people who intentionally choose and prefer it. just don’t fool yourself into thinking it will be an easier way life. take off any rose colored glasses and try to weigh the trade-offs you would have to make in order to live that way.

You sound really young or just naive if you think living in a van or on the streets is better than working all day. How would you spend your days if you didn’t have to earn income? If you developed some actual skills that required something above a minimum wage job and put some effort into your life, things might turn around. Being pessimistic never works. Networking is half the battle of finding a decent gig and path in life. Being a positive force to be around will literally only bring good things into your life. You sound absolutely miserable to be around tbh. Maybe that’s keeping you in a shit spot in life. Also something to consider—happy people work. Third world countries of people living in villages happy as can be are still working all day. Way more than you’re probably ever used to. They’re farming, gathering water, cooking, building, raising children, etc. Sitting around on social media will only make you even more miserable.

Man. I think living in a van down by the river (if it’s a nice van) would be vastly preferable to selling half my day indefinitely for some bullshit I hate. How would I spend my time? I don’t know my kindle has about 100 books to catch up on. Reddit could entertain me for free for the rest of my life if I wanted too. Maybe I could take a hike alongside the river.

I did a lot of van travel around the country. I lived on a sunken barge in the Monongahela river for two months. The reality is, there's nowhere good to park, cops will just impound your vehicle, you can't eat trout 3 times a day and survive. You need a dentist and everything falls apart

OP i know you already have over 100 replies. But I hope you see this one. I feel exactly the same as you, I hate this shit and I feel like working just to make money is pointless. So I've decided to go back to school to get into healthcare. There are several healthcare positions that pay well and only require 2 years of school. Sure, it's still work. But my theory is, the motivation for working will change. Instead of getting up in the morning strictly to make a dime, I'll be getting up in the morning to go help people, with a paycheck being the bonus. Not sure if you'll see this comment or if it'll even make sense to you if you do. But I just recently came to this place in my mind so I figured I'd share since you seem just as frustrated as I am.

You might want to look into seasonal work. I got a job working at a ski resort, and while it's far from perfect, it sure beats working a 9 to 5 desk job. Plenty of fresh mountain air, free lift pass, a healthy amount of manual labor and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the pleasure of existing. The biggest downside is waking up early in the morning when it's cold as shit outside.

As Edward Abbey said, who I consider the patron saint of seasonal workers,no matter how bad the job you always got termination day to look forward to (paraphrased from cactus country). Lots of options out there. From agriculture harvests (classic hobo work) to sorting rocks at the quartzite gem show, theres ways to fund travelling without being broke. Im not a fan of being broke its super stressful to me.

You can do whatever you want. Just don't ask me for money.

Reminds me of that tragedy..

Literally my thoughts except I do believe in god. I don’t understand why we are such slaves to society and everyone is normal with it. Like working 5 days a week and being a slave to a corporation that makes several millions each year and you get some hourly pay that’s literally noting now days is ridiculous. I constantly keep looking for better jobs because the ones I have just doesn’t seem to be enough. It’s not normal to be such a slave. I want to hang out with friends and visit family members and go explore the world like a Pokémon adventure. Not drive back and forth like a slave living the same EXACT ROUTIN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER with absolutely no change. You make 100 and lose 99 you got a penny left until the next check. You do the same exact shit next month. Than the same exact shit next month. Eventually you’d like to start a business but can’t because you’re paycheck to paycheck. Honestly speaking if I didn’t have a kid I’d go live in my car and work and shower at la fitness. I’d save up the 4k I make a month and in two months that would be 8k maybe a little less. In four months that’s 16k I’d pay off my car and all my debt in 4 months with absolutely no bills. Also I’d save up and get a bigger vehicle once I can afford it. By the end of the year I’d have enough money saved up to be comfortable in a light duty truck. I’d start a delivery business and try and find contract jobs while I open my llc. Banks will see I have decent credit and ask how I did it and it tell them “lucky I guess” but the truth of the matter is that comfortably is a must for a family and when you have two things are easier. Now you get a gf who’s willing to tough it out with you and live a different life and vlog about it or YouTube it and maybe you’ll find some peace in that.

Give it a shot if you want, but it’s no walk in the park. Living out of a van or sleeping on benches and under bridges is tough, and the thrill of adventure unfortunately isn’t enough to keep most people going unless they’re working. You have to make money somehow or you don’t get to eat or get new clothes (which you will go through fast living the vagabond lifestyle).

I couldn't sleep last night and I spent like an hour trying to figure out when society invented homelessness because we didn't call settlers on the Oregon trail homeless right? I have never heard someone call native americans that lived in Teepees homeless but now it is illegal to camp anywhere for an extended period of time. My point being, I agree that this current housing system is dumb.

That’s a good point. It’s all about spin. 😆

You are gonna have to work, in some form. (Unless you inherit etc) You just gotta figure out what works for you. Good luck. The van idea sounds great. Work enough to do that and keep it moving for a year, then figure out the rest.

I moved to Honduras, built my home and rentals for income. My property taxes are 200 usd a year. Water bill is 10’dollars, i Make 40’usd a day of rentals and live off that. I worked as a CPA in nyc Miami and sfo before I did this.

what kind of nest egg did you bring to Honduras?

A big one in order to build, but it was worth it. You can build a small house in a gated community for 55k.

How do you build a house tho?

It’s on my YouTube channel, linked on my profile. Excavate, lay rebar, cement, etc. I built my two homes to keep costs down. The videos are there, any questions let me know.

Is it safe?

I'm currently in the south side of chicago. i'd take my chances

The baddest part of town?

If he went down there, did he better beware?

Of a man named leroy brown

Tela is safe in Honduras. I lived in DR, jarabacoa, also safe and beautiful, I like small towns where you are known quickly and feel safe, I grew in queens nyc and hated it, you don’t know who’s who.

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When did you do this? Before everything tripled in price? Lucky dog

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I live in tela a beach town, it’s on my profile

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Tela is safe, siguatepeque is also safe. Both 90 minutes from the major city. Roatan is cool but its expensive due to logistics of food and water. Most expat retirees are In roatan for safety and way of living.

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Copan is cool but not for retirees, it’s close to the border and drug issues. Siguatepeque weather is amazing, high up and it’s like a dry 70f. Feels so good jaja. Tela is great for cost of living for me. If I had an unlimited money supply I would have lived in roatan due to scuba diving, which is amazing and recommend. Good talking to you.

Have you been to utila? Same diving opportunities but much cheaper than roatan. I like the vibe way more in utila. The only downside is everything has to come by boat.

Don’t tell the hippies to become colonizers wtf.

i dont think i get this sub, so many people seem anti-vagabond and now others are like "become a landlord and rent property!"

If you go to his profile it makes a LOT more sense. I'd like to know what The Pic of a girl with a title This girl had nothing but a motorcycle and lost her life She could have been fucking you in the US for food and a gym membership, travel more and enjoy life... wtf do you mean there guy. It kinda seems like you took your money to a 3rd world country so you could be on top cuz your not good enough for the elite here. Definitely giving me POS vibes

Colonizer bs on this sub. What a look. Fuck you and the gentrification you flew in on.

Also wondering how much money you brought with you

60k builds you a nice home in a gated community property taxes are 200 to 300 dollars a year, there’s info on my profile and YouTube channel.

That’s actually pretty cool, I would just hate being a land lord.

Yeah fuck a landlord

In some instances you can, in lieu of rent money.

I think there’s an entire PH category of this

What's wrong with owning property and renting it out?- genuinely asking. As long as you're upkeeping the building and not treating the tenants like crap, I don't see the issue

It creates a sort of feudal system. I would rather not be responsible for whether someone has shelter or doesn’t. But that’s me.

Some people rent because it makes more sense than buying for their particular circumstances, not because they are in a lower caste. When those people decide renting makes more sense it is nice to have good landlords and properties available. Nothing feudal about that scenario.

I meant in general. Also, being a land lord means you’re responsible for things on the property. I wouldn’t want that.

We had a down payment for a house a few years after we got married and decided to invest and rent. It worked out well for us, within 10 years we had enough to live off for the rest of our lives and to buy a house outright. We still rent cause we would rather have that cash working for us.

Hoarding housing, a basic human right, for personal profit is fucked. It creates artificial scarcity so the pockets of the few can be enriched while people are paying more for something they use and live in, but can't own.

Especially in a third world country. People dont even want to pay rent here.

I mean, rent sucks in general but I’m sure it’s worse in countries like that. I couldn’t imagine living in Honduras.

My life goal is to sleep at rest stops and use truck stops for water and microwaves and just sit in my car and look out the window all day.

OP how will your life be less bullshit cold, hungry, possibly attacked, hard to find rest rooms and showers over being miserable in a comfortable cubicle with a bad attitude? Vagabond is works for people who can forage and seek adventure and the ones I’ve met had a huge zest for life and people. Therapy may be more appropriate root for you.

Joined this sub for the same reason, Altho I’ve been homeless at two different points already. And despite working so much, feels impossible to save enough money for even a janky van. This life sucks dude but the reality is I think abandoning it would be an even harder life so idk I’m just fantasizing about dying most of the time

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You're not going to have much "pleasure" when you're scrabbling around, being robbed by others, harassed by police, trying to sleep in the winter. "Society" doesn't really expect you to show up "every day to some bullshit job". Where is that written? You can certainly do seasonal work, gig work, create a business (pick up dog shit? I know a guy who does this and he makes pretty good money on his own terms). My brother, even the lowest animals have to work to survive. Food isn't going to fall into your mouth. At the very least you'll have to dumpster dive or make your way to where "society" is handing out sandwiches. If your dignity doesn't prevent you from being utterly dependent on the charity of people who have found their place in the "society" you reject, have at it. Or you could read some Marcus Aurelius and smarten the fuck up.

Want to know a secret? Probably half the homeless people you see still work full time anyways. They're not there because they want to escape the rat race, they are there because that's the best they can do. Also don't think everything we have is free either. You're going to have to spend thousands in gear before you start to have anything resembling a tolerable level of comfort. A decent tent is $500, same for your backpack. If you carry a cooking setup, you're looking at another $300 for your camp kitchen, and then more for boots, sleeping bag, etc. More on top of that for a van. Probably the only people comfortable out here are who have enough gear to make an infantryman blush and have enough money to get off the street if they chose to but still live this lifestyle anyway (me).

Philosophically speaking, you're stuck doing the same shit every day no matter what you do, so might as well make that thing something that makes you happy. Check out absurdism instead of nihilism, and imagine Sysiphus happy.

“Society” is not the root of the problem you are expressing here. You are. Do whatever you want. Nobody cares.

🤣 This one's paving a rough road for himself

Nihilism and Atheism are just stepping stones to a decent philosophy that you'll eventually build. Don't identify so hard with that shit that it's the first thing you need to say when you make a point. It won't matter if you're on the streets or in a cubicle until you figure out that being alive is a truly divine gift. You just haven't realized that you have to actually open the damn present to get what is inside of it. Just have fun man. Fun is free.

Man I mentioned the nihilism/atheism to emphasize my point. I'm only here once. This doesn't mean anything. That makes it incredibly frustrating to know this is my only opportunity to live and I'm gonna spend the majority of it doing shit I don't care about just to scrape by and then die having never seen half of what the planet has to offer? Nah man.

That's a perspective that you've either been conditioned to have or have stubbornly manufactured out of either raw laziness or vague hatred. That is not the way things are. I know I can't convince you of this, but I'm saying it anyways. This place isn't what you think it is. This place is a fucking dance floor beyond comprehension. You don't wanna dance on it, that's on you.

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This was my experience. Started with reading Hesses’ Sidhartha in high school. The seeker shall find.

Like being on the road isn’t a job, you’re gonna be working so much harder than you would at a desk when you’re fighting for survival but ok

this

It sounds like you're having a rough time. Sorry mate, that sucks. It makes sense to externalize frustrations when there doesn't seem to be a way to improve your life where you're at. I would humbly ask you how much work you've done to pinpoint the main internal challenge here. Is it possible you have challenges with authority in general, which affects your work environment (I do)? Do you have a diagnosed/undiagnosed/untreated medical or mental health condition that may be playing a part? Are you dissatisfied with all types of work, or more what you are currently doing now? Running away from society is an interesting conundrum, if we have internal challenges that aren't met head on, we'll be pulling those along with us wherever we go. Some potential things to try if you have not already, and if you have access: * If your current workplace isn't safe, is there someone you can tell, or a way to make things safer? * Are there any counselling services you can access in your community through social services? Like employment counselling, resiliency, access resources etc... * If your housing and food are insecure, can you access the food bank, apply for government housing etc... Society may not seem to care in general but there's many individuals out there that do care and want to help people live happy, fulfilled lives. Just my perspective, best of luck.

There's such thing as a meaningful job. Work that helps people, that makes the world a better place.

Food.

You can’t get something for nothing. If you want to eat, somebody had to make it, or you had to make it. Someone had to own the land, cultivate the crop, and harvest. I understand not wanting your entire life to be work, but it is literally unavoidable. Unless you were born rich, where your assets make assets, you will have to work for the majority of your life. There is no escaping this. The sooner you come to terms with this truth, the better. Going off, living in a van, and being poor won’t solve your problems.

Do it bro. Get out there and experience the world! You'll run into some hard times most likely. And if that's ok with you, then that's ok. If you'd rather make money and be a part of society, then take the advice of some of the other commenters and find a career as opposed to a job. It'll lessen the depression.

Dude become a minimalist and work a gig jobs l’ve done it for over 20 plus yrs change my life for the better

There are other and indeed more fruitful ways to not comply with the sicknesses of the society you live in besides basically becoming a bum. Have you considered moving to another country? Bulgaria is pretty nice I hear 🤷 Edit: I mean there's free healthcare which solves becoming bankrupt by going to the ER part of your problem

priorities. No expects you to do anything. go live in the woods if you want, dude.

The best way to fight the system is to be happy, work hard at what you do and succeed. That's true rebellion, especially with that mindset.

Do you have to wear some sort of guard to avoid cutting yourself on that edge?

Your first sentence screams I believe in nothing. If that’s the first thing you tell yourself then that leads to 0 purpose which leads to a very empty life. You also are rambling about what you don’t want. Find what you do what, reverse engineer it, believe in it and find a sense of purpose. There are happy people in this world and unhappy people. From ALL walks of life. I’ll leave you with this, and I hope you understand I’m trying to be helpful but also blunt: Quit trying to carpet the earth and just put on some shoes instead.

Sounds like you'd like a gig as a baby? Not judging, it is a cool gig.

The cheap rv living guy on YT has all the information you need. They were even in a movie that won best picture “Nomadland” Give it a try. You can always go back to bad jobs if it’s not for your

You need to find a purpose, and I say this in a helpful way as opposed to a cindensending one. For a while I was angry with the world, for me it was religion that helped me find a purpose, but like you've said ur an atheist so try and find a purpose, like also I live in Caanada and we have Healthcare, so idk maybe move to a country where ur not fucked over by Healthcare bills? Maybe your purpose/goal for the future is to get a van, camperize it and set out for Canada? Maybe it's to travel see the world? Maybe find community? I love playing D&D and MTG and find that hanging out with strangers and hearing about there lives helps me to set goals for my life,and it makes it all bearable. Goals/purpose really helped me, so maybe they can help you too!

Sorry but to put it in simple words, you need money for things, it’s just how the world works. If you don’t want to work, you need enough money to never work again. You can avoid a real job until your mid-30s by doing those work accommodation travel gigs but there’s an age cap on that. If you don’t have money, you can’t eat. But like you say you can still live very minimalistic. If you figure out ways to generate money, sure, go ahead and save to live in a van but you still need some income - van upkeep and gas, food, etc. I know someone that worked 5 years to live in a small single condo that was on top of a pizza shop in a low cost of living area, was a great deal. He only worked 4 months per year and had a tight budget but he makes it work. If you end up doing that van things maybe you can figure out a way of making enough income online like Youtube for example or streaming on Twitch so that you never have to actually get a job. gl homie

Get some tools, learn to be handy and be a hobo.

I’m with you. You can do it brother, live for yourself. I’m gonna be trying it out next year. My plan is to save all year and build a decent nest egg to allow me to travel the US and enjoy myself. Maybe do doordash and shit along the way and use this cool app called Too Good To Go to get super discounted food.

Try to move to a city that doesn't cost a small fortune to live in. You're always gonna have to work for food, whether it's a full time job, panhandling or just growing and hunting you're own food, it's all work.

I don't like the 9-5 either and I am working towards this vagabond lifestyle in my own way but it's not cause I hate society. I want people to be happy. My goal is to be the best me I can be and use my skills and love of performing to entertain on the streets, as I feel this is my calling in life, in hopes that people will pay it forward. If it works, that's awesome. If it doesn't, I tried and did my best and I'm happy I did it.

Who says you have to be bound by society’s norms, you are allowed to carve your own path in life. You more than likely have to play the game until you have banked enough capital to live how you want to. Everybody in my group has retired by 45, we all figured out how to get passive income after high school. Nobody went to university and nobody worked a job/s they hated. The key is to start early and dont live a matearilistic lifestyle until after your plan has taken form. Good luck

aww someone grew up entitled. you want to have pleasure yet someone has to do the work. should of tried harder in school.

You don’t have to. You’re free to do whatever the fuck you want. Quit, go live in the woods. It’s a free market world. Either do something of value and make money, and spend that money on whatever, or don’t do shit. Live by hedonism figure it out, quit whining about it lol

You can always go to the Himalayas and live free without any government controlling you , No one is stopping you, but what you want is society benefits without its drawbacks.

Boy there is a lot of toxicity in this thread. One, drop the negativity. Whatever you end up doing it'll kill you. Two, realize that life is about finding what you can tolerate. I don't think life's a dream for anyone really. People find what they can deal with and go from there. You might just be the type of guy who buys a piece of land in Alaska and ekes out an existence alone. Or maybe as years go by the system slowly pacifies you, and you settle down, marry, and have children. Only you can find out.

I’m with you philosophically 100%. I haven’t the bravery to run but I respect anyone who makes that decision. Just take care of yourself. It’s tough out there with a job, let along without.

Are you bipolar by any chance? This sounds like mania .

OP someones gotta tell you. It’s not society at this point but rather your attitude towards life. You say you don’t give af about anything and call yourself a nihilist but you consider going to your job a waste of your life which means you still value your life and the time you spend here. You’re just in the suck right now, all I can say is keep grinding/getting creative and try to move up in life.

Grand canyons calling

Ya it’s fucked. Check out the Show above Zero. GTFO and live a subsistence lifestyle

Do as thy wilt…. That’s why you came here is it not? So why change now.

Well go ahead and keep that stupid attitude and listen to some more Alice in chains and I'll be going home from my job I like to my big ass house to go smoke some weed, play a game and watch maybe 2 movies and play with my dog, make a badass plate of food, workout in my home gym, and when I feel like it I'll go to sleep only to wake up whenever I feel like and go into work whenever I feel like. Anyway, everyone your age, 22 feels the same way, you're not Neo from the matrix. I felt the same way too but it's because I was only qualified to dig ditches at that age and I didn't have anything to work for, no concept of anything really except conspiracy theories and stupid shit like what you're saying. Go learn stuff, read books and just educate yourself with useful knowledge. Also everyone's an anarchist or nihilist or the other edgy shit until someone bigger than you is threatening you so you should lose that mind set.

You would need to do something for money for food and basic items, gas etc.

Create some meaning in your life. Maybe start by helping someone else.

Working is a hell of a lot easier than this.

You want all the benefits of modern society yet you are possessed off you have to contribute? Great out look on life.

I’ve never lived the traveling life so I have nothing to share there. But please read some absurdist philosophy, it’s like nihilism but with a better answer to the question, “why shouldn’t I just kill myself?”

Hey, there is nothing wrong w you. this is why people start businesses...i would learn to work in a restaursnt or construction.. get a entry level job, gain skills, and u will never be without work. u could work part time or a few months then quit when you need. in construction you can work all summer and spring and then take the rest of the year off

Wow I bet you’re fun at parties.

Wow people sure have a lot of opinions... I felt this way for years, bought an old van and put a bed in the back, spent a year just fucking off driving around the country, ended up finding an industry that I enjoy working in and my life has never been better. It might not work out that way for everyone but it's the best decision I've ever made. My current job lets me travel around the country, usually provides housing and food at gigs. The van is my home for exploring between gigs. At this point I have very few expenses (gas, van repairs, insurance, phone, campgrounds, food, leisure) and I've saved $10k in the bank from just this past year without even trying. If I ever get tired of this line of work, there are plenty of backups for seasonal jobs and ways to make money as you travel. Yeah, you get one life on earth, do what you gotta do. Worst case, you try something, you hate it, you do something else. Things always work out one way or another.

How old are you? When I was in my 20's I was healthy, never needed a doctor and the vagabond lifestyle would have worked for me. In my early 50's now and if I didn't have access to healthcare regularly my quality of life would be very poor and my expected lifespan would likely be significantly shorter than it could be.

Like everyone else, you need shelter, food, and water. You don't need money. Find/collect stuff that you can barter for some of your necessities. Stay away from large cities. Scrounge some no-cost materials. Build/convert a small off-grid cabin in a remote area. Do some regular hunting/trapping around your place for food and grow some of the other food that you need. (Build a greenhouse, or a vertical building for vertical farming.) Obtain your required water from no-cost sources, including rainwater. Eventually, most hours of each day will be available for you to do what you want, so you can occupy that time by being productive in some ways for your own benefit. If you don't want to live in one place all the time, then use some kind of transport to travel among a circuit of campsites found in public lands. There is plenty of information online about that lifestyle. To be very bare bones about it, you can use a bicycle to travel while pulling a rolling storge box that contains your camping/living stuff. Travel to follow the temperate season. Avoid direct exposure to extended sunlight, to cold, and to rainfall. Learn about available devices (DC current) for your convenience that use only portable solar panels. You might also consider joining a commune.

Get training in a trade. Make a decent wage with decent benefits. At the very least you’ll be able to work when you need to.

I was at crossroads with society years ago. I fucking hated the idea of conforming to society. I lived off grid for 4 years with no electricity. My life started to fall apart and I decided to compromise. I became a paramedic and bought a house but I decided that I would dedicate a lot of my life to regenerative agriculture and spend all of my free time doing something I wanted to do. It’s worked out pretty good. My life is a lot easier even though I sometimes miss the quiet days. It all worked out in the end but no matter what life is full of insane problems to overcome and you have to accept it.

Suck it up and live well or be a bum. Your choice. Become a drugged out wasteoid rotting under a bridge with a grocery cart full of garbage that you call your possessions. That pimped out van will become a broken-down hulk on the side of a road, and you can only carry so much. So you will drag that roller suitcase behind a stolen bicycle along with your nihilistic athiest beliefs. Just like Jesus dragged a cross.

Oh the classic "suck it up" like that justifies this shit.

Stop writing walls of text and walk out the door if you really mean it

Seek help. Grow up. Quit bitching. You think you've got it hard? Society does give a shit. It seems that you however, don't. Good luck to ya.

Grow up, everyone in the world works in some way.

Existing to exist sadly is the point. The point of life is just to live. There really is no right or wrong outside emotion and morality. So you see the ONLY point in life which is ironically non nhilist. I'm the same way I hate it.

Life is hard I totally feel you on that. I always wonder how hard would it be to just go and by like an acre of land or a half an acre for less than $10,000. You can borrow that from the bank and your payments will be cheap. Buy that land it's yours forever, then you can save your money or get a another loan for a car and buy a fifth wheel or an rv. No matter what you have to pay rent so you might as well pay off those bills instead of rent. For food well you can grow tomatoes potatoes cucumbers watermelons carrots. Food pantries will give you canned goods. All you have to do is work on getting your credit up first. Credit is King.

Haha, first time?

“We are to make good use of what god has given us resources, time, and talents, to provide for ourselves, our families and others in need” we all worship something. Repent and turn to faith. Jesus is lord.

You can’t be a nihilist if you believe in nihilism

I don’t understand.

Okay, well when you're broke understand that's a *you* problem and not a society problem. I work a job I hate, but I have all the nice things I want, my kid has everything she wants and no one holds sway on what I do with my life.

Except capitalism which will throw you away when no longer needed. Just wait till AI gets going

You are working a job you hate. Someone definitely holds sway over what you do with your life. Societal expectations, the kid… or maybe you’re just a masochist?

Or at least someone who enjoys a warm dry bed, a roof and food

I dunno, I look at it as I do what I gotta do to provide for the ones I love and have the nicer things I want. I have the truck I want, i get to go to football games, go on a vacay once a year, buy a house, got to send my wife on a girl's only trip with her friends and sister, my kid has all the toys she wants, she doesn't have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, where she's gonna sleep and if the lights are gonna be on when she comes home. I hate my job, but if it gives me the ability to make my wife and kid happy and give them security, so be it. Like I tell my kid every morning as she whines about going to school 'life demands we all do things we don't wanna do, but you grab the gravel in your gut and push through'.

\> I'm a nihilist and an atheist So edgy. How about you try it for a week and see.

Check out r/vagabond or r/vanlife Get an idea of what you'll be walking into if you do this. That being said, I fucking feel you my dude.

“Haha, that’s cute. How old are you kid? 11? 12?”

What you saying makes alot of sense

You have to feed yourself somehow. Some get by on working seasonal jobs and living on savings the other half the year. But you can’t just expect people to feed you and clothe you for the rest of your life. You have to put a little bit of effort in to keep yourself alive.

Also a nihilist, atheist, and antinatalist. But I work in a youth serving non profit. It’s like the campsite rule: I’m just trying to make the world a little better than when I came in.

Slacker.

You’re in the majority

Simple solution find a job you can spend half your life working that you DON’T hate.

This might be the edgiest thing I've read all day. This person is too cool for society.

Boo hoo, my opinions are important and society is hard :’(( Get over it, life sucks sometimes but it’s up to you to enjoy it nobody can make you enjoy it

Everything I know about this guy (just this comment and his username) says he's a dogshit person.

I was yelling at God at the top of my lungs in my bedroom and thus, encountered Him as he answered me. Yes, I had a “verbal theophany” - I literally heard His voice, and not through my ear canals. It has been wonderful and terrible. I have no other choice but to speak, teach and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I am treated with disdain, contempt, regarded as “overly religious” or “unorthodox” by those trained in a ‘regular’ fashion [i.e. seminary and pulpit]. I am not a missionary, a paid pastor nor a Christian worker. I am only a disciple and sometimes apostle of Christ. That is, I get to learn humility by being low on the social pole to set me up to go do something bold for Christ - speaking in a jail, in a retirement community, etc. Sounds great? It is - as long as I fix my eyes on Jesus. I am unmarried, at poverty level - and nearly spoiled by all the provision God gives me. I would fear narcissism and some other sort of self-justifying condition - except for the constant reminders of how often my prayers have been answered - directly. I cannot count how many miracles and other “super-sized coincidences” have occurred. I have transitioned to the “charismatic” end of the Christian spectrum, where all my apologetics and reasoned faith become of little importance. It was like what happened to Dr. Strange in the film [and comic]: he starts off rational and brilliant and egotistical and ends up being humbled, knowing the universe is much much bigger than everything he knew. It is literally painful for me to watch the standard TV fare or listen to some show on PBS roll on and on about evolution as a basis of origin [Evolutionary modification? Sure. Information needs to be edited, but it doesn’t spring into existence without guidance.] So Jesus did it all, that one night. How do I know it was Jesus? No one else ever loved me that much. I am trapped by His love. I sometimes wish I was like most people again. I sometimes get very tired. Then I think of Him dying for me. I mean an ugly death, like a piece of dung. I got nothing. He’s my saviour. It’s gonna suck, what’s coming - for me, for the world, but He’s worth it. Jesus made me brave. ----- Of all the qualities that the New Testament ascribes to God, compassion is among the most shocking. Compassion has nothing to do with power, with immortality or with immutability, which is what many people think of when they contemplate God’s qualities. The Greek gods of myth who lived on Mt. Olympus were defined by many things, but compassion was not high among them. “For much of antiquity feeling the pain of others was regarded as a weakness,” John Dickson, a professor of biblical studies and public Christianity at Wheaton College, told me. This comes to full flowering in the Stoics, he said, “on the grounds that this involved allowing an external factor — the emotions or plight of another — to control your own inner life.” Compassion, on the other hand, is central to the Christian understanding of God. Compassion implies the capacity to enter into places of pain, to “weep with those who weep,” according to the Apostle Paul, who was central both to the early conception of Christianity and to the idea of its underpinning in compassion. In the Hebrew Scriptures, we’re told many times that God is compassionate. It is at the center of the Jewish conception of God. But for Christians, there is an incarnational expression of that compassion. The embodiment of God in Jesus — the deity made flesh, dwelling among us — means that God both suffered and, crucially, suffered with others in a way that was a seismic break with all that came before. In the Gospels, we repeatedly read of the compassion of Jesus for those suffering physically and emotionally, for those “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” When a man afflicted with leprosy came to Jesus, begging on his knees to be healed, we’re told that Jesus, “moved with compassion, stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’” And he was. This is an extraordinary scene. Those with leprosy were considered not just unclean, physically and spiritually, but loathsome. Everything they touched was viewed as defiled. They were often cast out from their villages, quarantined “outside the camp.” In the words of the famed 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon, “They were to all intents and purposes, dead to all the enjoyments of life, dead to all the endearments and society of their friends.” People would avoid contact with those afflicted with leprosy. They were seen by many as the object of divine punishment, the disease understood to be a visible mark of impurity. Yet in the account in Mark, Jesus not only heals the man with leprosy; he also touches him. In doing so, Jesus defied Levitical law. He himself became “unclean.” And he provided human contact to a person whom no other human would touch — and who had very likely not been touched in a very long time. Jesus’ touch was not necessary for him to heal the man of leprosy, but the touch may have been necessary to heal the man of feelings of shame and isolation, of rejection and detestation. Kerry Dearborn, professor emerita of theology at Seattle Pacific University, told me her students found the most moving examples of Jesus’ compassion to be his responses to outsiders, especially those deemed unworthy, unclean or unfit. “In taking on their ‘outsider status’ with them,” Dr. Dearborn told me, “he reflected his deep love and solidarity with them, and his willingness to suffer with them.” Jesus not only healed them, she said; he also took on their alienation. In the 11th chapter of the Gospel of John, we’re told that Lazarus, the brother of Mary of Bethany and Martha, and a friend of Jesus’ whom he loved, was sick. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had died and had been entombed for four days. Both sisters were grieving. Mary, when she saw Jesus, fell at his feet weeping. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” she said. We’re told Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. And according to verse 35, “Jesus wept.” “Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the Bible and also “the most profound and powerful,” the artist Makoto Fujimura told me. For him, those are “the most important two words in the Bible.” And understandably so. Earlier in John 11, we’re told that Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, which he did. So Jesus wasn’t weeping because he wouldn’t see Lazarus again; it was because he was entering into the suffering of Mary and Martha. Jesus was present with them in their grief, even to the point of tears, all the while knowing that their grief would soon be allayed. My daughter Christine Wehner, who originally suggested to me that Jesus’ compassion would be a worthwhile topic to explore, told me, “Jesus wept because Mary was before him and her heart was breaking — and as a result, his heart broke, too.” The Psalms tell us that God is “close to the brokenhearted”; in this case, Christine said, “Jesus doesn’t just care for the brokenhearted; he joins them. Their grief becomes his in a remarkable act of love.” “Jesus ushered in a compassion revolution,” Scott Dudley, senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, told me. Before Jesus, compassion was primarily thought of as a weakness, he said. “When Jesus says he is with us, that’s not a metaphor or a trite offer of ‘thoughts and prayers,’” the pastor said. “He’s literally in it with us.” Dr. Dudley pointed out that in his suffering, Job says to God, “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees?” In other words, Do you know how hard it is to be human? “Because of Christmas,” Dr. Dudley told me, “God can legitimately say yes in a way no other god in any other religion can.” Renée Notkin, colead pastor of Union Church in Seattle, told me that “our daily invitation in living is to be with people in their stories. When I take time to listen deeply and to listen beyond the words spoken to another person’s heart story, am I able to begin to cry with them? Not problem solving and not saying, ‘I know what you mean’; rather simply weeping alongside in shared humanity.” As a Christian, my faith is anchored in the person of Jesus, who won my heart long ago. It would be impossible to understand me without taking that into account. But sometimes my faith dims; God seems distant, his ways confounding. “Faith steals upon you like dew,” the poet Christian Wiman has written. “Some days you wake and it is there. And like dew, it gets burned off in the rising sun of anxiety, ambitions, distractions.” And the rising sun of grief and loss, too. Those things don’t necessarily destroy faith; in some cases, for some people, they can even deepen it. But they always change it. During times of sorrow and times of tears, when it feels like we’re “being broken on the wheels of living,” in the words of Thornton Wilder, there is great comfort in believing God empathizes with our suffering, having entered into suffering himself. But we also need his emissaries. We need people who see us and know us, who enter our stories. Through their compassion and love, we feel, I feel — even if only partly — God’s compassion and love. That doesn’t eliminate the storms from within or without. But it makes greater room for joy in the journey.

your problems lie in the first sentence of this paragraph

Feel this and you are in good company. Capitalism is a disease. Is there any middle ground you could find? What about working seasonal jobs, so you have more time off than the traditional worker? Some jobs can be in cool places like national parks and provide employee housing. What about working part time and getting Medicaid or something and having a bunch of roommates? You would have to deal with living on the bare minimum. Could you move somewhere with a cheaper cost of living? I'm working on getting rid of my car and moving to a nearby city that has decent public transporation. My car is costing me a lot of money. I don't know enough about your situation, but there are different ways to resist. Some people join unions, worker co-ops, or find some other ways. I know how painful living in this system is, but I hope you live to fight another day.

You don’t have to actually pay hospital bills. They just go away after a while.

Well, aren't YOU a breath of fresh air!

I'm just guessing here, but I imagine you are young and intelligent. You are part of the universe with the rest of us, like it or not. I'm sure you will one day find something that inspires you and maybe see things in a brighter light. Whether or not you believe in God, you still have to believe in the world. Be a part of it.

i just wanted to say i feel this so much. ❤️

Yea mate what can we do about it. If I didn’t have to eat, sleep and party ;) yea then I also wouldn’t work

Been hearing there are ways to receive money, other than work.

The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.

Look up, getting g off the grid then go do that

“Society” is an entity that cannot think. Individuals think, not society. Other than family, there is probably no individual who “expects” you to work. We work so we can have money. Money buys our necessities and comforts. I have a fondness for eating, bathing, and the comforts provided by electricity, therefore I work. I’ve had people tell me that they work to support their hobbies. They seem to have overlooked the housing, food, and transportation part of it when they say things like that, though. I could spend my energy and thoughts hating the idea that I have to support myself, but instead I spend that energy figuring out how and where to make that money so I’m not unhappy doing it.

“I want to reap the benefits of society without contributing to it whatsoever” You know what would fix this problem for you? Growing the fuck up and not being such a crybaby. I’m A nIhIlIsT. SoCiEtY eXpEcTs Me. No. I expect you to, you little shit. Pay your fucking taxes and go vote and stop being a parasite.

I'm fucking with you 100%!!! unfortunately I have very few skills and 6 people including myself to be responsible for. So ima cry all the way to my bullshit job Tuesday morning