Regimen

1. Wear the same outfit for three days. I have two pairs of patagonia shorts and several shirts of the same brand with no logos or anything, just different pastel colors.
2. Don't carry anything. No phone, no wallet, no keys, nothing. I have an electronic lock to my house, so this is plausible.
3. Eat like a peasant. $5 a day maximum.
4. Sit somewhere different in every class.
5. Spend an hour outside each day sitting in public space, observing and being observed. Literally just talk out loud about what you're thinking or seeing (within reason).
6. Befriend the homeless. Have a meaningful conversation with a homeless person at least once per day.
7. Don't be upset with the detriments of your situation; accept your life, the things you miss out on do not matter.

Inspirations:

1. diogenes' rejection of norms about clothing, hygiene, and perception.
2. autarkeia--you don't need anything, you are self-sufficient. diogenes would throw his cup away after seeing a boy drink with his hands.
3. living according to nature, rejecting delicacies, hardy lifestyle where possible (cant really forage safely in boston)
4. rejecting habit and convention, disrupting social norms, detachment from social comforts, fluid living. 5. anaideia and parrhesia--shamelessness, outspokenness, at least a step down from just crankin' it in the street... 6. rejection of wealth and status, disrupting social norms.. 7. abandoning unnatural burdens/attractions that hinder your freedom; wanting to go back is wanting to be comfortable and not free. 8. Sleeping on the floor on a backpacking pad I have. Inspired by the barrel.

I did this for a few days. It was not fun. I crowded behind people in the turnstiles to get on the subway. I got mean looks. I felt intrusive in public. I didn’t feel confident in myself in classes. I felt like an annoyance. Nobody was willing to actively call me out or confront me, I feel like I would have rather had to explain why I was doing this than appear like a fool disrupting people’s lives for no reason.

I think that one of the reasons the cynics are so brash and outspoken is because they need to remind everyone they’re not just regular assholes, they’re actually super wise assholes being disruptive for good reasons. I don’t feel like a good person living like this; being self-conscious would be the only thing motivating me to tell everyone it’s actually a philosophy.

Some components of detachment and simple living are good, but trying to mirror the text takes it too far. Trying to eat really simply was nice! I made plain spaghetti with some sauce both days, I ate a banana, and I had some bread and butter. It was actually really good.

If I hadn’t spent the entire semester sitting in the same place in my classes, I wouldn’t have felt out of place sitting in a different spot every day. I think it could be interesting to try this from the start, but it might still be a bit strange because everyone else is still sitting in the same place.

I like feeling clean. I like smelling nice. Do we really have to give up those luxuries? I am never received by people for them, I have never been told that I smell nice or that I have good fashion when I try to dress well. I don’t think those things are really part of being interpreted better as an individual. I do them to prop up the image of a cooperative society. If everyone put in the effort to look sharp and presentable, the world would look nice. I am inspired by cooperation and effort that people put into their appearance on a daily basis purely because it isn’t inspired by trying to “look” good for someone, it’s not inspired by some special situation, it’s the standard. I think the idea that those luxuries which I sacrified are for selfish pursuit of a false image is a little bit insulting. It doesn’t have to be part of some social game. It can just be nice.

Would you recommend this way of life to others? No. I would not. Absolutely not. It is dangerous, you will not enjoy your life, you may briefly indulge in some foolish moral superiority, but it will not last. It is not really possible to do so unless you revert to monke. back