tax payer wrote:
Paying taxes is probably the greatest good anyone in the US does with any regularity. If he's doing that he's already doing his part to help others and his country.
That’s a sad statement. Especially considering you go to jail if you don’t pay taxes. Setting the bar pretty low.
John Utah wrote:
tax payer wrote:
Paying taxes is probably the greatest good anyone in the US does with any regularity. If he's doing that he's already doing his part to help others and his country.
That’s a sad statement. Especially considering you go to jail if you don’t pay taxes. Setting the bar pretty low.
Please stop driving on public roads, do not ever call the police or fire department, and I'm sure you hate the public school system, but you should be thankful that we we have at least some widespread education, rather than just the children of the rich. You should also be thankful for clean food, air, and water, as unfettered capitalism was proven to not care about those things. And last but not least, you should personally stop North Korea from getting nuclear weapons.
John, I've been nothing but respectful toward you on these boards, yet you personally attacked me and derided my parents here over a philosophical disagreement (one on which you are either shifting your position subtly or are not seeing the nuances of the argument).
Was treating others hat way part of what you learned in Sunday school and from your parents?
@Johnny Utah wrote:
John Utah wrote:
That’s a sad statement. Especially considering you go to jail if you don’t pay taxes. Setting the bar pretty low.
Please stop driving on public roads, do not ever call the police or fire department, and I'm sure you hate the public school system, but you should be thankful that we we have at least some widespread education, rather than just the children of the rich. You should also be thankful for clean food, air, and water, as unfettered capitalism was proven to not care about those things. And last but not least, you should personally stop North Korea from getting nuclear weapons.
I think there is a misunderstanding here. I support paying taxes for the reasons you mention. I’m saying that one’s duties as a human go beyond paying taxes, which we are compelled to do anyhow.
Smoove wrote:
John, I've been nothing but respectful toward you on these boards, yet you personally attacked me and derided my parents here over a philosophical disagreement (one on which you are either shifting your position subtly or are not seeing the nuances of the argument).
Was treating others hat way part of what you learned in Sunday school and from your parents?
If you are trying to say that your only responsibilities and moral obligations in life stop at yourself and your immediate family then I stand by what I said. How could I not?
First, that isn't what I said.
Secondly, even if that were what I said, does that justify assailing someone personally, with the ironic use of God and family as support for that personal attack over a philosophical position?
Don't get me wrong, I don't really care; I am just highlighting what, if I am being generous, I would call some inconsistency in your approach.
Smoove wrote:
I call that independent and self-sufficient. Characterize it as selfish because it doesn't fit into some box of your design if you want, but I call it the essence of America.
Is it your belief that every single person in the US, and perhaps the world, has the ability to be in your exact position?
You got dealt a good hand, good for you. Don’t let it cripple your ability to think.
Smoove wrote:
My duty is to myself and my family.
Our duty is to not take off of the plate of others, not to help put things on the plates of others.
1. Ok, this is what you said earlier. Please explain yourself because it seems pretty clear to me.
2. If you think Jesus, as shown in the Bible, is some kind of PC, soft, unicorns &rainbows kind of guy then you have not read the Bible. So, no irony there. I think a lot of people have this Disney-version misunderstanding of the Bible.
John Utah wrote:
Community spirit wrote:
This is what’s wrong with the world. You believe everyone’s only “duty” is to look out for themselves. You couch it in this false belief that you can do that while not taking from others, but, I’d like to see you earn a living in a manner that doesn’t necessarily require you to take from others.
We all make this world the way that it is. If our “duty” were to look out for others the world would be a much better place.
I think Smoove missed a Sunday School lesson or two. Smoove’s parents dropped the ball.
If he's lucky he missed them all.
ball dropper wrote:
John Utah wrote:
I think Smoove missed a Sunday School lesson or two. Smoove’s parents dropped the ball.
If he's lucky he missed them all.
If the objective is to be a selfish person, then absolutely. You are correct.
This guy, who spends hours a day complaining on a running message board, is complaining that Anton Krupicka is not being productive enough. Mainly because he's not adding more unneeded bipedal organisms to the "community woodpile." Awesome.
John Utah wrote:
Anton is not living a self-sufficient life out in the wilds. He lives in an apartment in Boulder. He eats and shops and gets medical care and enjoys all the benefits that come from other people doing what you would call slave labor. His local Whole Foods didn’t come into existence magically. It’s a corporation. Real estate developers, bankers, construction firms, architects, city planners, etc built it. The Whole Foods corporation operates it. Countless companies supplied their products, which are shipped by transport corporations on roads that are maintained and built by other corporations contracted out by govt entities. It goes on and on, obviously.
The point is that Anton, living this kind of “selfish” lifestyle, is not really contributing to the system as others are. Hes not adding logs to the community woodpile, so to speak. There is nothing terribly wrong with this. He’s a law abiding citizen, etc. but to the point above, I’m guessing it leaves one unfulfilled on some deeper level as you age. (This is to say nothing of being a parent and providing for your kids as your parents provided for you.)
I also have a soft spot for these folks (ski bums, surfers, Anton, etc) as that lifestyle seems extremely appealing in so many ways. I wonder how I would feel myself if I took that path in life.
Not interested enough wrote:
Smoove wrote:
I call that independent and self-sufficient. Characterize it as selfish because it doesn't fit into some box of your design if you want, but I call it the essence of America.
Is it your belief that every single person in the US, and perhaps the world, has the ability to be in your exact position?
You got dealt a good hand, good for you. Don’t let it cripple your ability to think.
Doubtful but certainly a lot more could.
Our hands are largely selected by us.
Tell us more about your volunteer work and charitable donations, John Utah. Frankly you don't seem the type.
It was in the context of your comment that we had to add to the community chest via the economy, which is altogether different than electing to be involved in your community or looking out for those who cannot help themselves.
I am glad your version of Jesus means you can belittle others with whom you disagree.
I was dealt a good hand in life by being bright and able bodied, and I just need to look at those who grew up in my subsidized housing development to know that others were not as fortunate. But does that mean that I have to take a mainstream job that some perceive to add value to our economy in order to be a contributing member of society?
Any one of you guys can live the life of Anton if you know how to invest smartly. I'm sure Anton used his good income producing years to build up some passive investment streams which he can collect without hardly lifting a finger. Peer to Peer lending, Real Estate crowd source lending, and algorithmic futures trading are good places to start. Or maybe he was an early backer of bitcoin. You want to live a life of freedom and adventure, go get it!
to everybody saying Anton doesn't deserve sponsors...he is still among the biggest names in ultrarunning, even several years removed from his best performances. Posts/videos/interviews with him are often among the top-read or viewed annually on ultrarunning media outlets.
You may not see his names in results...but you do see his name. A lot.
reed wrote:
How long could you live the Krupicka lifestyle?
About 7 years.....
Reckless Observer wrote:
Steve Tilford
RIP. He lived the dream.
John Utah wrote:
pr100 wrote:
JOOI, why is this any more "selfish" than the urban wage slave life that most of us live?
That’s a legitimate question and here is my thought. What you call “wage slavery” others would call productive labor. In this modern world, labor is so highly specialized it’s sometimes hard to see value in one’s work. You have to look at the big picture.
Anton is not living a self-sufficient life out in the wilds. He lives in an apartment in Boulder. He eats and shops and gets medical care and enjoys all the benefits that come from other people doing what you would call slave labor. His local Whole Foods didn’t come into existence magically. It’s a corporation. Real estate developers, bankers, construction firms, architects, city planners, etc built it. The Whole Foods corporation operates it. Countless companies supplied their products, which are shipped by transport corporations on roads that are maintained and built by other corporations contracted out by govt entities. It goes on and on, obviously.
The point is that Anton, living this kind of “selfish” lifestyle, is not really contributing to the system as others are. Hes not adding logs to the community woodpile, so to speak. There is nothing terribly wrong with this. He’s a law abiding citizen, etc. but to the point above, I’m guessing it leaves one unfulfilled on some deeper level as you age. (This is to say nothing of being a parent and providing for your kids as your parents provided for you.)
I also have a soft spot for these folks (ski bums, surfers, Anton, etc) as that lifestyle seems extremely appealing in so many ways. I wonder how I would feel myself if I took that path in life.
Thanks, Ayn Rand.