It started out when we talked to a friend about this American custom. Every now and then, an American politician, okay, a Democrat, or a news caster will do a stint of a week or two on a Food Stamps budget.
They will report their experience of living on a few dollars, somewhere in the order of three dollars a day, and they always come to the same conclusion: it is f***ing hard. Of course, they leave out the F****ing on air.
We have not found news reports of a German politician choosing to live on a Hartz IV budget for a week. Although, among the new Pirate Party, some do live on Hartz IV -- they just don't seem to have the PR savvy to use the fact to their advantage.
So, we looked around for an experiment at the opposite end of the economic spectrum. We found one on a tiny German blog. In an interview, the experimenter tells his story.
We do not know of a recent real life experiment but acknowledge literary precedent, for instance Mark Twain's one million pound bank note.
We are giving you the highlights here.
The fundamental conundrum of the experiment is the large amount of money needed to conduct it. The experimenter was well aware of this and stated he did not want to get stuck in a fictional scenario like Twain's character.
The motivation:
What does it feel like to live for a whole year without devoting any thought to money? Without looking at how to make the next rent payment, how to finance the next long trip, or watch over your retirement plan.
The decision:
Difficult. Knowing that all your savings might go into the project, leaving you poor at the end. Without sponsors and without robbing a bank, this was hard.
What happened:
The first month, month and a half, were sort of the warm up, a period of getting used to the lifestyle. The experimenter said: "I imagine this to be similar to what lottery winners experience. For most people, paying some attention to money and spending is such an integral part of life.
Letting go of that is quite difficult."
After this, he said, it is a remarkable feeling.
"Not thinking about money is remarkable. There was no sudden fame, like with lottery winners, there were no friends and relatives coming out of the woodwork to grab a share of the action.
People around you will, of course, notice that you gave up your job, but it ends there.
Once you are accustomed to it, it feels so good. You are well on your way when you stop comparing the prices of toilet paper."
The experimenter: "For example, we did several extended travels, one by car. I would normally have rejected this one because of the gas price alone. We splurged on things like bidding good money on an autographed guitar. Pure luxury to us, and we won it, too."
The interviewer: "That sounds modest, compared to what we know about a luxury lifestyle."
The experimenter: "I was willing to be broke but not to be in debt for the rest of my days. So, I agree, no diamond watch, no yacht, no fancy car, or any of these trimmings. But it is not easy, believe me, to spend 100 000 Euros in 12 months if you stay away from these big ticket items."
Interviewer: "Have you thought about the saying 'Money can't buy happiness'?"
Experimenter: "Yes, and that is BS. It can buy you happiness if you don't obsess about making more or loosing what you have. Which, I know from friends, many rich folks do. Those who don't worry, will confirm that having even modest riches gives you serious peace of mind."
Interviewer: "So, after burning through 100 grand in 12 months, would you do it again?"
Experimenter: "Hell yeah. My only regret is that I did not have a few MRIs done. It would be really interesting to see what your brain looks like on an MRI brain scan at the start, a little into the trial, further into it, and at the end."
TheEditor at the krautlandsnews has this additional nugget: In America, there is a name for your first big chunk of money. Fuck you money. More than a clear indication of peace of mind. It probably originated in the world of Silicon Valley stock option employees who, once they had the dough, would go to their boss "fuck you, I'm out."
Of course, most of those folks started to worry about their wealth pretty quickly and became the rats in the race they are today.
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