Freedom or Comfort?

Which do you choose – freedom or comfort? I’m sure there’s a wise-gal out there saying both, the question is really which do you value most? In my audio book about the distinctions between the middle-class and millionaires, the author describes the urge for comfort that the middle class has that prevents them from being free.

It’s easy to wander past houses filled with 46″ LED TVs illuminating the blinds and imagine that people would rather entertain themselves to their debt-ridden graves than extricate themselves from their current situation. Doomed to consumption on credit. I’m sure there’s some audio book that has told me that the pleasures of impulse purchases are long gone before the loans are paid off.

My take on the message is that if you avoid consumer debt, and eschew a little comfort here and there, you can make yourself a little less dependent on suckling on the time and money nipple. A nipple which is big, brown and fills the mouth right now, but leaves a bitter taste once it’s gone.

I think of one of the most free chaps I know. He has kept his cost of living down, and has escaped from the rat race. I don’t think he has a 46″ TV, nor does he probably want one. He’s not an ascetic or a Buddhist either. All I’m saying is he doesn’t have to work any more – he’s retired younger than most people I’ve ever known.