There aren't many times in life when one sits in their car and thinks "If only I could be Emile Hirsch." I do quite often. I sit in that stupid Honda Fit and think to myself "I could move into the woods, I could grow a beard, I could make a fire and eat things, nature things! I could stop paying bills and live my life in peace and quiet. If only I could be Emile Hirsch." Then I get out of my car and walk into Target.
I have been thinking a lot about why I am pushing myself to pay these debts off as soon as possible. Is it because if I don't then my family would take on responsibility of paying off my debt? Maybe. Is it because I'm afraid I'll be sent to some Dickensian debtors prison? Every day. But mostly it's so I can get to that Emile Hirsch feeling of being free and untethered - minus the death stuff plus a lovely bride.
I encounter people everyday that are under massive amounts of debt. Whether it's from credit cards, houses, student loans, new cars (old cars). I still don't understand why people buy yachts... The most confusing part though is that people think that this is just a fact of American life. I refuse to think that. These people I encounter tell me that I should make my debt work for me... literally cannot understand that statement. They say that I need to accept the fact that I will always have debts, if I ever want to have a house I'll have to take on some debt. I don't buy it (get it? it's a joke, kind of).
I dream of a future when I only buy things I can afford. At this point in my life I can afford an attic apartment in Boston. I can afford my T-Mobile bill every month. I can definitely afford a veggie burrito at El Pelon, anyone can - they're the best! What I can't afford however is thinking that no matter what I do I will always be in debt forever no matter what. I reject that idea.
I'll admit that the materialism creeps into my brain every now and again. I enjoy what Google is selling, I like records and Amazon Prime. It's easy to buy things and we all fall into the bullshit of American living sometimes. But just because you're friends are doing it doesn't mean it's right, or healthy. I want to change that part of my brain. We live in this world where we can have anything we want at any time and we have forgotten about waiting. The old saying "good things come to those who wait", is really ringing true right now. I'm waiting, and preparing for some pretty great things.
So why pay this off? Why save for a house? Well, I want to live simply. To put it directly, I don't want to owe anyone anything. -Dylan