The Best Things

The freedom of the open road is not taken on free bicycles.

They say the best things in life are free. Whoever they are. Unfortunately, they are incorrect. Sure, a hike, sunshine on your face, a nap in the shade are all free, but let's see how long you last walking around, basking in the sun without any clothes, shoes, or breakfast. Some things in life are free. The smell of a newborn: free. The smell of a newborn's diaper: also free. Are they the best things in life?

How many things in "My Favourite Things" from the Sound of Music are free?

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens: totally free.
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens: not at all free.
Brown paper packages tied up with strings: not usually free, unless they're gifts.
These are a few of my favorite things : sure.
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels: entirely not free.
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles: no, no free lunch.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings: OK, I'll give you that.
These are a few of my favorite things: as you've previously asserted.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes: no free sashes of satin, I'm afraid.
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes: well, yes.
Silver-white winters that melt into springs: of course.
These are a few of my favorite things: you're about 50-50 on free-not free scale.

As you can tell, many fine aspects of living are free, most of the time, but the "things" in life, sadly, are not. This is a pickle (pickles are also not free), because in life you need a lot of things. Even if you are the most conscientious consumer, you'll find yourself consciously consuming. I've tried to live my life with less stuff. I stopped at four bicycles because storage space is frankly more costly than the bikes themselves. OK, I hear myself saying "four bicycles" and realize I only need one, but four bicycles is still a lot less stuff than a single car. I enjoy a well-worn pair of leather shoes, blue jeans, or a favoured t-shirt, but eventually, you have to replace them. Years ago, I kvetched about my seemingly chronic state of poverty (as a student, you need things but cannot afford them). A friend said, "Money can't buy happiness." I quickly retorted, “No, but it buys freedom." Freedom from the cold, freedom from hunger, and mostly, freedom from the coercion of capitalism. Money is freedom from making decisions like "rent vs food", or "new shoes vs patched shoes".

In his Oratorio,  inspired by Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, American composer David Lang wrote:
“If I could have a piece of bread,
when I need a piece of bread,
it would be enough.

If I could have a coat to wear
when I need a coat to wear,
it would be enough.

If I could have a place to rest my head
when I need a place to rest my head,
it would be enough.”

I'm guessing numerous billionaires would not agree. Also, not me. I'm what Wallace Shawn might call a Hedonist Marxist. I want everyone to be free from the weight of poverty, but also, I would like someone to drive me to a nice restaurant. I'd like to think I only need one coat, but there are so many coats to choose from, and so many things that require different coats. A rain coat might keep you dry but not warm. A warm coat keeps you too warm on a sunny day. I am not a monk. I'm a guy who bikes in all kinds of weather, so I need all kinds of coats.

Don't get me wrong. I know the deal. I've made a good life from capitalism, but it's a double-edged cake knife and you can't have your cake and eat it too. It is known amongst designers that many of us will design things that we are not paid well enough to afford. Mark Newson, (a wealthy and successful designer) has said that it's just a fact that many well-made things are created by skilled people using high-quality materials, which is why some wrist watches cost thousands of dollars. Well, capitalism is probably the only real explanation why a Richard Mille RM 67-02 watch costs  $350,000, but it's also true that a hand-made chair built from a sustainable source by a craftsperson costs more than an IKEA chair. Still, I've been working for 35 years or more and I've been really trying to save for that freedom, (and maybe a nicely made chair) and frankly, I'm getting a little tired of the whole enterprise. Thankfully, the work I've done has been pretty interesting and I've met some amazing people along the way, but it was never my vocation. In the Japanese sense of Ikigai, what I was good at, and what the world needed was simply my profession. What I'm good at and love to do, the world doesn't need or want to pay for so it's really just my passion. A passion doesn't pay for the comforts, things, or freedoms that come with a profession. Hopefully, there will be a day soon when I won't have to worry so much about the cost of my chair or cup of coffee and I can enjoy myself and maybe it will be one of the best things in life, free or not.