Whenever I meet people who are “Marxist”, super anti capitalist or anti system, yet watch Netflix, shop at Whole Foods, and order stuff on Amazon, I get super suspicious.

Personal thoughts:

1. The best possible life is possible via capitalism. If I have accumulated and earn enough money to have 100% freedom in my life by being self-employed (and have very low living expenses), I can become an artist-philosopher akin to the ancient Greeks. Nietzsche always wondered: “What were the conditions which allowed so many great thinkers and artists in ancient Greece to be born?” My theory is slaves made the lives of Plato, Aristotle, and many others possible. If you gotta do the dirty work, when will you have time to think and philosophize?
2. Obviously we don’t have indentured slaves held against their will anymore (at least in America). But note the word “service” (servant, servus) literally means “slave”. Our lives are made SO MUCH easier via the workers at Amazon warehouses and Uber drivers.
3. Capitalism makes it possible for me to focus on what I’m good at (archimedes lever), and I don’t gotta grow my own veggies or raise my own cattle.

Voluntary asceticism as the ultimate upside of living in a capitalist system

If you don’t have consumerist desires and can live hyper happy with very little, and little expenses, you can live the most baller life. Why? Nobody can tell you what to do or what not to do!

Freedom is the goal

The goal ain’t to be rich. I’m 100x richer now than I was 10 years ago, but the richness has had 0 impact on my personal happiness. But what the money has afforded me is to NOT work at a 9-5 anymore and not be a servant-slave. I’m a master of myself now.

Become self-owned

Start a business (sole proprietorship), live hyper frugally, and gain your personal freedom ASAP.

Then devote the rest of your life towards knowledge, wisdom seeking, philosophy, art, photography, travel and creation!

ERIC