RICH WITHOUT MONEY © Tomi Astikainen 2016
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In loving memory of Heidemarie Schwermer (1942 – 2016) RICH WITHOUT MONEY © Tomi Astikainen 2016 Illustrations: Ghassan Nassar 2 Menu of Today STARTER SOUP OF TEARS...................................................................................................4 Ending Up Under the Bridge...............................................................................................6 Next up: Food, Water and Hygiene...................................................................................11 THE ESSENTIALS...............................................................................................................12 Quick Bite: The Elixir of Life..............................................................................................13 Finger Food: Share the Abundance..................................................................................18 Full Feast: Save the Leftovers...........................................................................................22 Next up: Material Goods...................................................................................................29 MIND OVER MATTER..........................................................................................................30 Nice Trinkets: Collaborative Consumption........................................................................31 Durable Goods: Let Go of Useless Stuf............................................................................33 Precious Treasures: The Law of Attraction........................................................................37 Next up: Transportation....................................................................................................41 VAGABOND WANDERLUST.................................................................................................42 Little Trip: Cycling, Bumming, Relaxing............................................................................44 Serious Stretch: Freedom of Free Hitchhiking..................................................................49 Wonder Voyage: Long Distance Walkabouts....................................................................61 Next up: Shelter...............................................................................................................68 HAVE A GOOD NIGHT........................................................................................................69 Short Nap: Hospex and House Sitting...............................................................................71 Proper Siesta: Sleeping Outdoors.....................................................................................77 Deep Slumber: Squatting.................................................................................................84 Next up: Health and Security............................................................................................89 LOVE OVER FEAR..............................................................................................................90 Some Safety: Seek Help Without Shame..........................................................................91 Protective Wall: Trust Is Your Best Insurance....................................................................93 Total Security: Accept Death..........................................................................................102 Next up: Sense of Belonging..........................................................................................107 MONEYLESS RELATIONSHIPS..........................................................................................109 Bit of Belonging: Dare to Stand Out...............................................................................110 3 Truly Together: The Real Extended Family.....................................................................114 Complete Cohesion: Love Your Aloneness......................................................................119 Next up: Contributing to Society....................................................................................124 PAY IT FORWARD.............................................................................................................125 Good Job: Free Time for You...........................................................................................128 Labor of Love: Volunteer to Work for Free......................................................................132 Ultimate Usefulness: Become a Creator.........................................................................139 BITTER LIME DESSERT.....................................................................................................144 Why Avoid Moneyless Life?............................................................................................146 Why Try Moneyless Life?................................................................................................147 Moneyless Life in Retrospect..........................................................................................151 Compliments for the Chefs.............................................................................................153 4 STARTER SOUP OF TEARS It is midnight. I sit on the ground, on a Greek highway, under a bridge. Nothing in my pockets: no wallet, no keys, no phone. I sing out loud the Red Hot Chili Peppers classic, “Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner...” I sneer to myself: “Phew, what a cliché! A homeless guy under the bridge.” There are no cars on the road. My breath is steaming in the glimmer of the street lights. I have walked for hours on end, and eaten nothing but a piece of dry bread. It appears this is going to be yet another night outside, alone. All of a sudden, I spot something glowing in the horizon. Headlights! A car passes me, slows down, and comes to a halt at a nearby rest area. I grab my stuff and stroll towards it in high hopes. The car is full of passengers but I can already picture myself squeezed between them in the back seat, hugging my small red rucksack, safe from the wintry frost. I proceed with hurried, yet cautious, steps. I don't want to spook them away. I reach the car and look inside. The people look scared and suspicious, interrupted by this creepy hitchhiker. “Hi! I am Tomi from Finland. Could you by any chance drop me to the next gas station?” I ask. “No,” the driver replies, rolls down the window and speeds off into the night. Sigh. I slump my way back under the bridge. “It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there. It's hard to believe that I'm all alone.” I cocoon myself in the sleeping bag – one made for much warmer weather. I rub my cold hands against my thighs. “I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day. Take me to the place I love. Take me all the way.” A few drops of tears run down my cheeks. This kind of life doesn't suit everyone. I continue hitchhiking in the morning. Two more days. 2,000 kilometers. Direction: North. Price tag: None. A warm welcome awaits in Berlin: free lodging, dumpster-dived food and very inspiring company – not just for me but some 300 travelers who, throughout the year, get to enjoy a Nomad Base I helped start up. The fellow nomads who come to Berlin don’t have to sleep alone under the bridge. 5 For four years, 2010-2014, I intentionally refused to use money. I did not have a bank account, nor a credit card. I did not take money, even if offered. I did not charge for the work I did. During that time I traveled to 42 countries and got to observe ordinary people's lives, habits and behavior – myself included. Mind you, I did have a Finnish passport which makes things quite easy, and I even accepted a new passport as a gift. So I was not entirely outside of the money system. Rather I chose to be part of the society with one extraordinary principle: I don't use money in my interaction with others. Although moneyless life is at anyone's reach, few of us wish to go to such extremes. Is it worthwhile? Is there even any point to it? That's for you to decide. This book offers alternatives to people in very different life situations. I offer tips on how to experience more with less and how to re-orient your relationship with the omnipotent and ubiquitous money. There is no need to swallow everything at once. Chew on it. This “Starter Soup of Tears” leads you to this exotically stimulating menu. In the end you will be served “Bitter Lime Dessert” as a concluding chapter. In between you will get to enjoy tips catering to various tastes. These are organized in three levels: light (one thumb), medium (two thumbs) and hard core (three thumbs), according to the challenge they provide. Pick what you like. I first shed light on how to obtain food, water, sanitation, clothes and other material goods for free. We then steer toward moneyless traveling. Next we examine security, well-being and human relations without money. This leads us to needs relating to self-actualization, leisure, creativity and participation. Although I put less emphasis on helping others and focus more on explaining how to fulfill your own needs of survival, I hope the book doesn't leave you with an impression that a moneyless traveler is nothing but a bum and a freeloader. I try not to tire you with defending my wacky principles or criticizing a broken system. My aim is to give you a chance to weigh up your own life choices and get inspired to choose your own path. Adding to my own experiences, the book includes numerous stories from people I have gotten to know over the years. This is not a travel book,