The man has been living in a Utah cave for nearly 10 years, neither taking in nor spending a dime. He makes John Rambo look like an extravagant city-boy by comparison. He may be technically homeless (unless you count his literal man-cave as a residence), a scavenger (he Dumpster-dives for butter), a mooch (he takes food from pals), but he's still living the dream.
Details magazine profiles the man, a college graduate who has held several jobs and lived in a Buddhist monastery. Suelo's self-imposed simple life seems natural to him:
Suelo is 48, and he doesn't exactly have a 401(k). "I'll do what creatures have been doing for millions of years for retirement," he says. "Why is it sad that I die in the canyon and not in the geriatric ward well-insured? I have great faith in the power of natural selection. And one day, I will be selected out."
Suelo's self-sufficiency skills are admirable. If the apocalypse ever comes, he'll be one-up on just about everyone.
Could You Survive Without Money? Meet The Guy Who Does [Details, via Boston Gal's Open Wallet]
(Photo: Mark Heithoff)
I don't have a problem with this as he is actually living off of the wasteful behavior of others. If people lived more efficiently, he couldn't manage this lifestyle.
However, you do make a good point. This isn't really a person who lives with nature so much as someone who takes advantage of human nature.
]]>I just hate it when people misuse terms by selecting them unnaturally.
]]>Ladies - he's available!
]]>so yeah, find the crazy guy with knives.
]]>The part I found impressive was when he used his training to help poor people in other countries. Living as a hermit in a cave--not so impressive.
]]>! I can't believe my comment actually psoted! Hallelujah!
/joins a gospel choir just to celebrate
]]>There's no way of actually living off the land without utilizing the goods of others. If you build a cabin, unless you chop down your own trees with your own homemade axe, and make your own nails, you're benefitting from someone's manufacturing process. You also can't necessarily be anti-government intrusion if you follow the rules set forth by the U.S. National Park Service, or its state/county equivalent. If you don't follow those rules, you could be discovered and forced to leave.
]]>@Saboth:
Haggie 1 hit the nail on the head. If he were really just a scavenger--hey, more power to him, but he isn't. He mooches from others when the larder runs out. The proper name for that is, indeed, "bum."
]]>Reminds me of the book:
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
]]>He eschews the concepts of money and work and contributing to society, but he enjoys the fruits of the others labors as well as the products which we make buy and sell such as gloves, belts, canned food and Carhart overalls.
He is a bum with a PhD.
]]>Lol exactly. Living off the waste products of others and eating bugs while sleeping in a cold damp cave is the good life? He's like a human possum.
]]>I'll bet his friends all help him out of pity/guilt/concern he'll die in a cave otherwise.
I just can't believe everyone's clamoring to have him over for dinner because of his sparkling conversation.
]]>Not working, dumpster diving, and living off the kindness of others is called being a bum.
]]>I do admire his ability to live on nothing, but I thought there are completely organic/self-sufficient groups/cults that do it for real (ie no dumpster diving, etc). They make nearly everything they need.
]]>You gotta admire the guy's attitude...there's something to be said for solid faith in natural selection.
]]>