Albert Camus has one of my favorite quotes of all-time.
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
Lately, I’ve been running as much as humanly possible through my Freedom and Peace of Mind litmus test.
“Does this encroach on my freedom?”
“Does this subtract from my peace of mind?”
Achieving inner peace must be a guiding principle in life. Inner peace peered at from the proper perspective renders all other Missions in your life subservient.
It can be said that you are only successful as an agent and as a human being to the degree to which you can achieve your own happiness, your own contentment, and sense of well-being – or put succinctly, your own peace of mind.
During periods of peace of mind archaeology I’ve discovered that less debt equals more peace of mind.
Debt in America has become as common as a cold. Everyone seems to embrace it as, “Well. it’s just the way it is.”
What if it wasn’t?
What if there’s a better way to live?
Less debt.
And then, no debt.
Freedom.
I do know this:
The borrower is slave to the lender.
I certainly felt like the slave back in 2012 when the lender on our apartment complex decided not to renew our mortgage. The balance at the time was $1,348,000. And at the time, lending guidelines were still very tight.
We worked it out. (with a different lender).
But it did subtract greatly from my peace of mind during that period of my life.
I want to be the master of money. Not slave to the lender. I want to be the master of my freedom, my peace of mind, and ultimately of my life.
“What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?” — Adam Smith
“Rather go to bed supperless, than rise in debt.” — Benjamin Franklin
Have a debt free day,
Bart “My mind on my money and my money on my peace” Vickrey
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