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Hey everybody! Rob Greenfield, here, and

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this is everything I own. Everything I

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own is sitting on this table right here.

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And fits into this 1 backpack.

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Today I am going to show you what I

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own and share why I own these things and

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some lessons to go along with them.

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Now, when I say this is everything I own,

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I truly mean it. It means there is

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nothing stored in other places.

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Nothing stored at family or friends.

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And I don't even actually have a bank

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account, a credit card... many other

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things. All of my money is also right

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here on this table.

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This is literally everything I own

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and it's about 43 possessions.

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My net worth, right now, is about $5 500

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to $6 000.

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There's $5 000 in this envelope and

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everything, here, is worth substantially

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less than $1 000.

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This is it and I'm going to show you

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the different things.

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I'm going to go ahead and start with

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my clothes. First, I'm wearing 2

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articles of clothing. I have my shorts

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and I have my shirt on.

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Along with that I have 4 more shirts.

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All the same, except one of them is long

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sleeved. The other 4 are short

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sleeved. These are bamboo cotton blend.

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One of my goals is to be basically

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biodegradable. My goal is that when I die

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hopefully if I can be in the woods or out

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on the ocean and if I fall into the ocean

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or I die in the woods, I just simply

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return to the earth rather than

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littering, as I die, by wearing plastic[br]clothing.

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One of my goals is for

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almost everything I own to be

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biodegradable. To be a single, or

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multiple, like a few simple ingredients

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straight from the earth.

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Bamboo and cotton is one example of [br]that.

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My sweater is a wool sweater.

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Thrift store, I think $10 or $11.

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That's my main source of warmth.

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I have 2 pairs of underwear which are

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plastic, not natural fibres.

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A second pair of shorts, also plastic.

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I have a pair of socks and these socks are

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actually my boy scout socks from when I

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was in high school or middle school.

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So these are 20 years old? Possibly?

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No, 15 years old?

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My clothes fit into this little cotton

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bag. This is my clothes bag. I don't think

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the sweater would fit in here, but

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everything else fits into there.

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And, that's it for clothes!

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One thing to point out. I'm in a warm

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climate right now. I lived in Florida

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before, while I was doing my year of

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growing and foraging all of my food, so

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I designed my life to be where I am.

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I don't design my life to be in a cold

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climate because I am not in a cold [br]climate.

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Wherever you are, you have to do things

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that make sense. Apply common sense,

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critical thinking, problem solving to

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wherever you are.

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For example, a month from now I will

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be in western Europe. I'll be in Germany

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where it's going to be cold. I'm

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going to have to get some warm clothes.

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Right now, I own 43 possessions but

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that will fluctuate. My goal is,

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one day, to have no possessions. So, 43

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less possessions and at times I'm going to

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have more possessions. When I'm on tour

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in Europe speaking, maybe it will be

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double to 80 possessions. We will see.

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But the point is that wherever you are,

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whatever climate you are in, you have

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to adapt to that climate.

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My other item of clothing, you could

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say, is my sandals. Very simple.

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I'm mostly barefoot. I try to be barefoot

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as much as I possibly can, which is a vast

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majority of the time. And these provide

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very simple cover to my feet.

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These are the soles but our feet

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naturally have soles. They're called

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callouses and I won't go too deep into

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that, but to sum it up, I believe that

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the human body was designed over

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10's of 1000's... 100's of 1,000's

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of years to really work. So, all I do is

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I believe that my feet work.

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It's actually not that crazy.

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Let's see, what do I want to show [br]next?

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Okay, so I have a little towel. If I have

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a cold, this works as a towel for that, a

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handkerchief. I use this for washing

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dishes and things like that, so multi-[br]purposed.

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One of the keys is for things to be

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usable for many functions. A lot of the

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things that I have, maybe it's one

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possession, but I can use it in many

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different ways.

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This is probably one of the great

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possessions that I have, and this is my

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pot, and it's my bowl, and it's my 'to go'

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container. It's what I can put my

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leftovers in. A lot of people who

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are striving for zero waste, they'll carry

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a reusable bowl. This is basically that

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except it is also a pot so that when I

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am travelling and I am somewhere where

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there is no pot or pan I can cook.

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And I can also cook over a fire with it.

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I washed this with steel wool so it keeps

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it really shiny, but I've been using this

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for...I'm not sure how long, but probably

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5 to 10 years. It's one of my oldest

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possessions right now. So this is a

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really important possession in my life.

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And when I say important, not a single

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thing here is irreplaceable.

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I actually don't own a single thing that

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is sentimental. Every single thing, here,

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has a purpose and has value to me in the

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sense that it allows me to live out things

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that I am trying to do, but there is

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actually not a single item, here, that is

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sentimental. If I lost all of this

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tomorrow there'd be some issues I'd have

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to deal with but it would have no

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sentimental aspect to it.

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Another thing that I have is,

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rather than disposable bottles,

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I carry this. A reusable water bottle.

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It is also a thermos so I can carry hot

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beverages or soup. This is my cup

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wherever I go. One important possession.

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I often just have a simple glass jar, too.

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Which is better, but actually...well,

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I got this because someone lost it and I

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found it and there was no owner to claim

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it, so that's why I have this, but usually

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I just have a jar. A mason jar.

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Another eating utensil. A spoon.

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Sometimes I have a spoon and a fork.

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You don't need awesome bamboo forks and

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spoons, they're cool, but go to a thrift

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store. 25 cents. Or open your drawer.

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You have spoons and forks to travel with

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already. Normally, one of my possessions

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is a leatherman, a multi-tool, but I don't

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have that because this year I am

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travelling, using planes, and everything

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is carry on so I can't carry a knife.

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Otherwise, that would absolutely be one of

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my key possessions.

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Next, I will show...this is a reusable

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bag as well. I keep using the word

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reusable. Of course it is reusable, but

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what I mean is, for a lot of people who

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are getting plastic bags at the store,

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you can use a reusable shopping bag.

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Now, this can be used for grocery

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shopping, This is basically like

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my day pack. So, that I don't have to

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take everything out of here, I have this

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small pack that I can carry as well.

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Both of these backpacks were given to me

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by a friend who gets backpacks that are

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going to be thrown away and he repurposes

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them and makes things out of them

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instead. I actually took these because

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they are still good.

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I have my computer. And computers can

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be expensive. This would be my most

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expensive item but I buy them used on

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Craigslist. This was, I think, about

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$300. It's a 2014, so it is 6

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years old. And so, if I break this, or it

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gets stolen, then I just need about $300

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to get another used 1 of these.

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There's the charger to go with that.

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I am counting the charger and the computer

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as 1 possession at the advisement of

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many of my friends who say that is 1

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possession. But if you want to call it

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2, you know, the 43 is a little bit

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subjective. You can decide what you want.

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I am going to show you 1 possession, my

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earplugs, to help me with sleeping. There

0:08:51.496,0:08:53.781
are 6 pairs in there. I am going to

0:08:53.781,0:08:55.875
call it 1. Part of me wants to call it

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6, so, you could say I have anywhere

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between...depending on how you do it,

0:09:00.051,0:09:02.786
you could say I have between 30 and 70

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possessions, just depending on how you

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want to count it.

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And then my headphones, so this is, at

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this moment, literally, the only

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electronic items that I own. This is it.

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I usually have a headlamp as well but

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right now I'm not carrying a headlamp

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because I am really enjoying the

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simplicity of this being the only

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electronic items that I own.

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This is a little cotton bag that I put my

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headphones and the charger in.

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That is another possession.

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I've got my notebook, which is an

0:09:38.911,0:09:40.833
important possession for me.

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I do a lot of writing and I try to

0:09:43.051,0:09:45.135
minimize my time on technology, on

0:09:45.135,0:09:47.669
my computer, so this notebook is a great

0:09:47.669,0:09:50.419
tool for me to be able to write by hand

0:09:50.419,0:09:52.437
rather than on the computer.

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My goal is to move away from technology

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as much as I possibly can.

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Lots in here, I have my 'to do' lists

0:09:58.673,0:10:00.939
and things like that in there. I got this

0:10:00.939,0:10:02.746
at a thrift store. I think it was

0:10:02.746,0:10:04.715
$1.10 which is a little expensive

0:10:04.715,0:10:07.959
for a notebook, actually.[br](laughs)

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Let's see, reading. My goal is to

0:10:11.935,0:10:13.930
generally be carrying 1 book at a time.

0:10:13.930,0:10:15.804
Right now I am reading the Omnivore's

0:10:15.804,0:10:17.748
Dilemma by Michael Pollan. One of my

0:10:17.748,0:10:19.695
favorite authors, one of my favorite

0:10:19.695,0:10:21.631
books. I am reading it again.

0:10:21.631,0:10:26.403
You can see, in here, just all these

0:10:26.403,0:10:28.318
earmarks. There's just so much I'm

0:10:28.318,0:10:30.603
learning from here. So much important

0:10:30.603,0:10:32.087
information.

0:10:32.087,0:10:34.619
And then I have my bookmark. This is a

0:10:34.619,0:10:36.687
postcard of Gandhi that I got at the

0:10:36.687,0:10:41.773
Martin Luther King centre in Atlanta 4

0:10:41.773,0:10:44.481
years ago. And I keep this with me. Just

0:10:44.481,0:10:46.559
nice remembrance of someone that I love

0:10:46.559,0:10:50.644
very much. Oh! One thing I didn't count

0:10:50.644,0:10:53.477
as a possession, is on my computer.

0:10:53.477,0:10:55.677
I always forget about this possession.

0:10:55.677,0:10:57.697
It's a bumper sticker that says "We must

0:10:57.697,0:11:00.165
be the change we wish to see in the [br]world."

0:11:00.165,0:11:03.499
And, technically, that's a possession.

0:11:03.499,0:11:05.933
So, I guess I'm up to 44. I always forget

0:11:05.933,0:11:08.786
about that one! 44, actually, that's a

0:11:08.786,0:11:11.120
great number! Thanks Gandhi!

0:11:11.120,0:11:14.554
Okay, a couple other things.

0:11:14.554,0:11:18.553
Let's see, I am going to go into my

0:11:18.553,0:11:20.889
hygiene now. I practice a very simple

0:11:20.889,0:11:23.231
hygiene. I think that this body functions.

0:11:23.231,0:11:24.974
Just like I think my feet function,

0:11:24.974,0:11:26.727
I think my body functions. I don't

0:11:26.727,0:11:28.594
believe... Old Spice, I don't believe

0:11:28.594,0:11:30.609
that I am better off because of it.

0:11:30.609,0:11:32.548
And I don't believe that I need it in

0:11:32.548,0:11:34.595
order to be an important member of [br]society.

0:11:34.595,0:11:38.396
I haven't used deodorant for about 8

0:11:38.396,0:11:41.782
years now and I hug 1 000s of people

0:11:41.782,0:11:45.115
a year and sometimes I smell a little

0:11:45.115,0:11:48.301
bit but I also think a little bit of

0:11:48.301,0:11:51.085
smell is just fine. I won't go super

0:11:51.085,0:11:53.669
deep into that, but all of my personal

0:11:53.669,0:11:55.602
hygiene items are on this table.

0:11:55.602,0:11:58.136
I very much simplified it. Again,

0:11:58.136,0:12:01.591
as a man with very little hair it is

0:12:01.591,0:12:03.723
different than as a woman, or a man, with

0:12:03.723,0:12:05.755
long, flowing, beautiful hair.

0:12:05.755,0:12:07.440
So, everybody is different.

0:12:07.440,0:12:10.257
But the point is, is that there are so

0:12:10.257,0:12:12.242
many ways we can reduce. Do we need

0:12:12.242,0:12:15.845
suave in order to be contributing members

0:12:15.845,0:12:17.944
of society? I don't think so, whether we

0:12:17.944,0:12:19.758
have long hair or short hair.

0:12:19.758,0:12:21.747
And there are plenty of women out there

0:12:21.747,0:12:23.933
who are examples of that who have said

0:12:23.933,0:12:26.049
"I don't need that system. I can stand

0:12:26.049,0:12:28.065
outside of it, as well."

0:12:28.065,0:12:31.517
So, we will start with hair, actually.

0:12:31.517,0:12:34.017
How do I cut. my hair? As I said,

0:12:34.017,0:12:35.938
I try to use as few electronic items as

0:12:35.938,0:12:38.302
possible. So, I've got this old school,

0:12:38.302,0:12:41.636
vintage, hand-held buzzer. How it

0:12:41.636,0:12:44.256
works is I squeeze it and then there are

0:12:44.256,0:12:47.911
blades, here, and then it cuts my hair.

0:12:47.911,0:12:50.959
I can do it as super short, but I

0:12:50.959,0:12:53.825
actually took a plastic piece from a new

0:12:53.825,0:12:56.027
one and that's how it works. It just

0:12:56.027,0:12:58.145
squeezes. Just like that.

0:12:58.145,0:12:59.988
And I will have a video on my channel

0:12:59.988,0:13:01.949
about that. The off the grid zero waste

0:13:01.949,0:13:05.913
haircut. So, that is a pretty sweet

0:13:05.913,0:13:07.897
thing. I think this is about 50 years

0:13:07.897,0:13:10.314
old. I don't think they are

0:13:10.314,0:13:12.132
made anymore. You can only get

0:13:12.132,0:13:14.984
vintage ones and I got this online.

0:13:14.984,0:13:18.319
Oh, and that goes inside of this bag.

0:13:18.319,0:13:20.387
So, that's another possession, the bag.

0:13:20.387,0:13:23.870
Which is hemp, I believe.

0:13:23.870,0:13:26.187
I also have these little scissors. These

0:13:26.187,0:13:28.372
have come in handy so much, since I don't

0:13:28.372,0:13:30.373
have my multi-tool anymore.

0:13:30.373,0:13:32.374
These are probably one of my most commonly

0:13:32.374,0:13:34.391
used possessions. I use it for trimming

0:13:34.391,0:13:38.027
the beard, the ears, the hairline.

0:13:38.027,0:13:42.612
But I use it for so many different

0:13:42.612,0:13:45.278
things. When I'm repairing

0:13:45.278,0:13:47.340
things, repairing my clothes, things like

0:13:47.340,0:13:49.708
that. So, really great.

0:13:49.708,0:13:51.670
I also grabbed this from my mom's house.

0:13:51.670,0:13:53.669
She had 3 or 4 of them so I asked

0:13:53.669,0:13:55.540
if I could have one of these pairs of

0:13:55.540,0:13:57.561
scissors. A nice little memory of my mom.

0:13:57.561,0:13:59.183
Hi mom, I love you.

0:13:59.183,0:14:01.369
One of the ways that I use this is for

0:14:01.369,0:14:05.152
my dental floss. My dental floss

0:14:05.152,0:14:07.038
does not have a plastic container

0:14:07.038,0:14:10.270
surrounding it. Instead, it's just this

0:14:10.270,0:14:13.789
little roll and then I just cut it with

0:14:13.789,0:14:16.256
the scissors. And what's really

0:14:16.256,0:14:18.214
great about this dental floss is this is

0:14:18.214,0:14:21.009
made out of silk so this is not plastic.

0:14:21.009,0:14:24.060
And this goes right into the compost pile

0:14:24.060,0:14:26.578
as well. So, there are very few ways that

0:14:26.578,0:14:28.779
I create trash. I minimize them, the ways

0:14:28.779,0:14:30.929
that I create trash. And you'll see that

0:14:30.929,0:14:33.266
is a big part of the possessions that I [br]own.

0:14:33.266,0:14:35.290
(skip in audio)...alternative to it but

0:14:35.290,0:14:37.129
for now I'm sticking to this plastic.

0:14:37.129,0:14:39.156
To be honest, I don't feel bad about that.

0:14:39.156,0:14:41.104
I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm just

0:14:41.104,0:14:43.053
trying to do a really good job and I

0:14:43.053,0:14:45.170
think I'm doing pretty good, so I'm happy.

0:14:45.170,0:14:47.470
So, that's the toothbrush.

0:14:47.470,0:14:50.404
For toothpaste, I also buy my toothpaste.

0:14:50.404,0:14:52.730
I buy a brand called Jason Power[br]Smile.

0:14:52.730,0:14:55.390
Not because I have any connection

0:14:55.390,0:14:57.807
to them, just because I've been using it

0:14:57.807,0:14:59.735
for 5 years and I really love it.

0:14:59.735,0:15:03.026
(smells it) Oh, it's great. I love it.

0:15:03.026,0:15:05.266
And what I do, is I take it out and I

0:15:05.266,0:15:08.211
put it into a glass jar for multiple

0:15:08.211,0:15:11.213
reasons. I buy it in 6 ounces. I am

0:15:11.213,0:15:13.190
travelling right now and you can't carry

0:15:13.190,0:15:14.948
a 6 oz thing. And also because

0:15:14.948,0:15:16.881
plastic, when it heats and cools , can

0:15:16.881,0:15:18.879
release the plastic and this way it's in

0:15:18.879,0:15:22.801
glass for it's life. So, this is another

0:15:22.801,0:15:24.732
one of those luxuries of life that I am

0:15:24.732,0:15:27.344
sticking to. I can definitely make my own

0:15:27.344,0:15:29.276
toothpaste. A lot of people do it and

0:15:29.276,0:15:31.772
they like it. I have made it but it

0:15:31.772,0:15:34.955
didn't beat this for me.

0:15:34.955,0:15:36.839
I have my essential oil. This is

0:15:36.839,0:15:39.440
something that I buy and I generally have

0:15:39.440,0:15:43.175
lavender or a blend that is very soothing.

0:15:43.175,0:15:45.426
And that's what this is. I use this

0:15:45.426,0:15:49.279
to help myself relax, often before

0:15:49.279,0:15:52.280
sleep, but throughout the day. Especially

0:15:52.280,0:15:56.064
if I'm in stressful scenarios. Just being

0:15:56.064,0:15:58.681
able to smell this, really is so helpful.

0:15:58.681,0:16:01.282
This is a very important natural medicine

0:16:01.282,0:16:03.968
for me. And the other essential oil that

0:16:03.968,0:16:07.956
I am often carrying is tea tree, which is

0:16:07.956,0:16:11.452
an antimicrobial that I use as a

0:16:11.452,0:16:14.521
disinfectant and that's the other one that

0:16:14.521,0:16:17.372
I'm usually carrying, but for now, I'm

0:16:17.372,0:16:19.723
keeping life the simplest I've ever had

0:16:19.723,0:16:21.940
it at 44 possessions. And so I just have

0:16:21.940,0:16:24.594
the one essential oil.

0:16:24.594,0:16:29.329
I have a moisturizer. Basically you'd call

0:16:29.329,0:16:31.528
it a body butter. This is also store

0:16:31.528,0:16:33.798
bought. I have friends who make

0:16:33.798,0:16:36.914
this but right now I have

0:16:36.914,0:16:39.231
a store bought one for

0:16:39.231,0:16:42.715
moisturizing, keeping myself young, taking

0:16:42.715,0:16:46.050
care of the skin. And that's all natural,

0:16:46.050,0:16:47.866
biodegradable. And speaking of

0:16:47.866,0:16:51.638
biodegradable, my soap. Most people

0:16:51.638,0:16:53.669
that I...a lot of the people that I visit

0:16:53.669,0:16:56.722
use toxic soap. Toxic cleaning products.

0:16:56.722,0:16:58.567
So, I like to carry my own soap.

0:16:58.567,0:17:00.672
This is pretty much just for washing my

0:17:00.672,0:17:02.579
hands and my dishes. I actually

0:17:02.579,0:17:04.774
rarely use soap on my body because

0:17:04.774,0:17:06.976
our body has a naturally functioning

0:17:06.976,0:17:09.908
system with trillions of bacteria that are

0:17:09.908,0:17:12.911
living in harmony with our skin. And a

0:17:12.911,0:17:14.976
lot of our soaps and our products

0:17:14.976,0:17:16.795
actually destroy that and make us

0:17:16.795,0:17:18.778
dependent on that, but my body really

0:17:18.778,0:17:20.863
functions without that. I've been living

0:17:20.863,0:17:22.949
without soap on my body for, again, about

0:17:22.949,0:17:25.267
8 years...7 years-ish. But I do use it

0:17:25.267,0:17:28.399
for dishes, and for the hands and it's

0:17:28.399,0:17:30.860
biodegradable and plant based, so this is

0:17:30.860,0:17:33.353
grey water friendly. This can go onto

0:17:33.353,0:17:36.187
the plants rather than going to a waste

0:17:36.187,0:17:39.104
water treatment plant.

0:17:39.104,0:17:41.688
I have earplugs, which I use for sleeping

0:17:41.688,0:17:44.789
or when I'm travelling. For leaf blowers

0:17:44.789,0:17:46.957
and lawn mowers and things like that.

0:17:46.957,0:17:49.311
Those actually really improve my

0:17:49.311,0:17:51.212
quality of life. It helps me get good

0:17:51.212,0:17:53.193
sleep. I would love to exist completely

0:17:53.193,0:17:56.895
without these but It's a tricky one,

0:17:56.895,0:17:59.896
I get much better sleep with these.

0:17:59.896,0:18:04.665
I have my fingernail clippers and

0:18:04.665,0:18:06.632
that is it for natural hygiene.

0:18:06.632,0:18:08.666
This little bit, right here. And it all

0:18:08.666,0:18:11.932
fits into this natural fibre bag.

0:18:11.932,0:18:15.768
So, natural hygiene is mostly from the

0:18:15.768,0:18:17.953
sun, from the water, from the elements of

0:18:17.953,0:18:20.587
the earth, from eating good food.

0:18:20.587,0:18:24.340
Speaking of food, I carry tea with me.

0:18:24.340,0:18:26.639
I like to have tea every morning and every

0:18:26.639,0:18:28.775
night. A nice morning tea and an evening

0:18:28.775,0:18:31.458
tea. This is chamomile. I really like to

0:18:31.458,0:18:34.259
have that to just relax me at night.

0:18:34.259,0:18:39.828
And this was a tea ball but I

0:18:39.828,0:18:43.948
lost half, so I just strain it. I make

0:18:43.948,0:18:45.921
the tea in a pot and then I just pour it

0:18:45.921,0:18:47.890
through this to get the tea without the

0:18:47.890,0:18:49.969
chunks in it. Some people, like my friend

0:18:49.969,0:18:52.076
Kathy, they just love the chunks in their

0:18:52.076,0:18:54.551
tea. I like a nice smooth tea with no[br]chunks.

0:18:54.551,0:19:01.187
Last, but not least, I have my

0:19:01.187,0:19:04.221
identification. I have my passport.

0:19:04.221,0:19:07.486
I still travel internationally so

0:19:07.486,0:19:09.421
this is a very important possession for

0:19:09.421,0:19:11.722
me. I don't have a driver's license.

0:19:11.722,0:19:14.225
I don't have a social security card.

0:19:14.225,0:19:16.676
I do have a birth certificate. So these

0:19:16.676,0:19:19.664
are my only two forms of identification.

0:19:19.664,0:19:21.934
That means I don't need a wallet.

0:19:21.934,0:19:24.513
I don't have all these bonus cards and

0:19:24.513,0:19:26.763
things like that. If I had a wallet

0:19:26.763,0:19:29.014
that had 100 different cards in

0:19:29.014,0:19:30.697
it, that would be 100 different

0:19:30.697,0:19:32.580
possessions but I don't have a wallet.

0:19:32.580,0:19:34.532
I don't have any of those things. I got

0:19:34.532,0:19:36.500
rid of all those things over the years.

0:19:36.500,0:19:38.333
So, these are my 2 forms of I.D.

0:19:38.333,0:19:40.252
The reason that I have these is because,

0:19:40.252,0:19:42.136
with these 2 forms of I.D., I can get

0:19:42.136,0:19:45.237
other ones if I decide to. I got rid of

0:19:45.237,0:19:48.705
all the other ones about 5 years ago-ish,

0:19:48.705,0:19:51.523
so my 2 forms of I.D. My dream is to one

0:19:51.523,0:19:54.523
day, again, have nothing, including this.

0:19:54.523,0:19:56.517
Which would mean no longer being able to

0:19:56.517,0:20:00.548
legally leave the country. There are ways

0:20:00.548,0:20:03.095
around that, maybe, I have no experience

0:20:03.095,0:20:04.845
with it, but I know there is.

0:20:04.845,0:20:07.580
I believe that we are all human beings of

0:20:07.580,0:20:09.998
this earth first and foremost.

0:20:09.998,0:20:12.982
The borders come second to that.

0:20:12.982,0:20:16.917
Lastly, my most valuable possession is my

0:20:16.917,0:20:19.196
money. Although, I don't actually own

0:20:19.196,0:20:21.201
this. Technically, the government owns

0:20:21.201,0:20:23.486
the money. It's not my property.

0:20:23.486,0:20:25.570
(Reading:) "This note is legal tender for

0:20:25.570,0:20:28.253
all debts public and private." So, that

0:20:28.253,0:20:31.103
wasn't the exact words I was looking for

0:20:31.103,0:20:33.556
but I don't actually, technically, own

0:20:33.556,0:20:35.740
this. But I do own this envelope, which I

0:20:35.740,0:20:38.326
took out of the garbage can, so I'm

0:20:38.326,0:20:40.341
counting this as 1 possession.

0:20:40.341,0:20:43.229
I have about $5 000 and I make

0:20:43.229,0:20:45.191
the little bit of money that I make

0:20:45.191,0:20:47.087
from public speaking. For all of 2020

0:20:47.087,0:20:49.248
I am actually not making any money. This

0:20:49.248,0:20:51.317
is going to get me through the entire [br]year.

0:20:51.317,0:20:53.492
100 % of my speaking honorariums for

0:20:53.492,0:20:55.474
2020 are donated to indigenous and women

0:20:55.474,0:20:57.682
led environmental non-profits.

0:20:57.682,0:21:00.616
So, I literally mean this is all of my

0:21:00.616,0:21:02.867
money. I have no bank account.

0:21:02.867,0:21:05.936
No credit card. I have no savings account.

0:21:05.936,0:21:09.536
I have no retirements fund. No Roth IRA's

0:21:09.536,0:21:12.988
mutual funds. I have no debt that I owe

0:21:12.988,0:21:17.040
to anyone else and no debt is owed to me.

0:21:17.040,0:21:20.644
This is my financial life, right here.

0:21:20.644,0:21:22.826
And, it's not a lot of money, but for me,

0:21:22.826,0:21:25.442
this is actually a substantial amount of

0:21:25.442,0:21:27.910
money and I am very comfortable with this.

0:21:27.910,0:21:33.097
Now, you can look at this and say, okay,

0:21:33.097,0:21:35.581
well what this really is is, he's just

0:21:35.581,0:21:37.349
dependent on other people.

0:21:37.349,0:21:39.065
Dependent upon humanity.

0:21:39.065,0:21:41.650
And, yes, I am dependent on other people.

0:21:41.650,0:21:44.049
I am dependent on humanity.

0:21:44.049,0:21:47.165
Money makes it appear that we're not

0:21:47.165,0:21:49.123
dependent on other people, but I believe

0:21:49.123,0:21:51.373
that is just one big illusion.

0:21:51.373,0:21:53.519
Every time you spend money there's someone

0:21:53.519,0:21:55.355
behind that. There are other creatures

0:21:55.355,0:21:57.723
behind that. There's our world behind

0:21:57.723,0:22:00.540
that but we're able to remove ourselves

0:22:00.540,0:22:02.591
from that and consider ourselves

0:22:02.591,0:22:05.209
independent. But the reality is, is we're

0:22:05.209,0:22:07.510
not independent. We are completely

0:22:07.510,0:22:10.012
dependent on our global humanity and

0:22:10.012,0:22:11.913
that is what I've chosen to embrace

0:22:11.913,0:22:14.497
through this way of life. I want to stand

0:22:14.497,0:22:16.896
out against this idea of radical

0:22:16.896,0:22:20.580
independence and stand for radical

0:22:20.580,0:22:22.750
connection to humanity.

0:22:22.750,0:22:24.766
That's what I'm trying to show here,

0:22:24.766,0:22:26.768
actually, is that we are dependent upon

0:22:26.768,0:22:29.251
each other and we absolutely do need

0:22:29.251,0:22:31.240
to work together.

0:22:31.240,0:22:33.720
At the same time I think that it is

0:22:33.720,0:22:35.649
important, as individuals, that we have

0:22:35.649,0:22:37.706
skills. That we are resourceful. That we

0:22:37.706,0:22:40.374
have common sense. That we critically

0:22:40.374,0:22:42.307
think. And those are all things that

0:22:42.307,0:22:44.024
I have established in myself.

0:22:44.024,0:22:46.138
I know how to take care of my body.

0:22:46.138,0:22:48.391
I'm not asking other people to do that.

0:22:48.391,0:22:50.942
I've learned how to be able to take care

0:22:50.942,0:22:53.144
of a lot of my own needs, so there is that

0:22:53.144,0:22:55.912
form of independence, but only with the

0:22:55.912,0:22:58.646
complete embracement, of

0:22:58.646,0:23:01.531
the reality that I'm completely

0:23:01.531,0:23:03.895
dependent among humanity and so are

0:23:03.895,0:23:06.000
every single one of you. Even if you have

0:23:06.000,0:23:09.184
your own wifi that you pay for and your

0:23:09.184,0:23:11.150
own cell phone that you pay for and your

0:23:11.150,0:23:14.120
own house. All of those things are all

0:23:14.120,0:23:16.421
dependent on global humanity working

0:23:16.421,0:23:19.321
together and all of the creatures that we

0:23:19.321,0:23:21.387
depend on in the environment, the earth

0:23:21.387,0:23:23.540
that we depend on. That's really,

0:23:23.540,0:23:25.569
you know... I'm trying to shake things up

0:23:25.569,0:23:28.474
a little bit, here. I am extreme. There is

0:23:28.474,0:23:30.777
no question about that. The way that I

0:23:30.777,0:23:33.662
do things is extreme but I think that our

0:23:33.662,0:23:36.405
current way of living...United States has

0:23:36.405,0:23:38.346
5 % of the worlds' population but

0:23:38.346,0:23:40.380
uses 25 % of the world's resources.

0:23:40.380,0:23:43.314
That is extreme. So, what I am, is I am

0:23:43.314,0:23:46.334
a counterbalance to that extreme way of

0:23:46.334,0:23:49.421
life. I only have to go this far because

0:23:49.421,0:23:51.634
society has gone so far in the other

0:23:51.634,0:23:55.252
direction and that is why I am extreme.

0:23:55.252,0:23:58.004
So that I can stand out and get people

0:23:58.004,0:24:00.603
thinking and get people questioning their

0:24:00.603,0:24:04.071
own lives. I am extreme but I also

0:24:04.071,0:24:05.973
wasn't always this way.

0:24:05.973,0:24:07.937
I used to be really focused on material

0:24:07.937,0:24:09.981
possessions and financial wealth. My goal

0:24:09.981,0:24:12.181
was to be a millionaire by the time I was[br]30.

0:24:12.181,0:24:15.027
I wonder what the 23 year old me, now,

0:24:15.027,0:24:17.000
would say to a guy who actually only has

0:24:17.000,0:24:18.795
less than $6 000 as his full

0:24:18.795,0:24:22.197
financial net worth. So, I wasn't

0:24:22.197,0:24:25.540
always this way. It was a

0:24:25.540,0:24:27.685
transition. In 2011, that's when I woke

0:24:27.685,0:24:29.795
up. I lived in a 3 bedroom apartment

0:24:29.795,0:24:31.798
at the time. I lived in the biggest

0:24:31.798,0:24:33.764
bedroom because I had a lot of stuff.

0:24:33.764,0:24:35.735
I moved to the smallest bedroom as I

0:24:35.735,0:24:39.318
started to wake up and reduce the amount

0:24:39.318,0:24:41.152
of stuff. I went from the smallest

0:24:41.152,0:24:43.520
bedroom to living in a 6 by 6 closet

0:24:43.520,0:24:46.473
of my home as well as having my

0:24:46.473,0:24:48.756
friend park his camper in the driveway

0:24:48.756,0:24:51.259
and I stayed in the camper, as well.

0:24:51.259,0:24:54.491
After that I was simplifying my life,

0:24:54.491,0:24:56.524
simplifying my life, simplifying my

0:24:56.524,0:24:58.310
life. I eventually got rid of that

0:24:58.310,0:25:01.661
apartment and I moved into a tiny house.

0:25:01.661,0:25:03.745
A 50 square foot tiny house in San Diego.

0:25:03.745,0:25:06.196
At that time, when I moved in there, I was

0:25:06.196,0:25:09.598
able to bike over with everything that I

0:25:09.598,0:25:12.100
owned on a bike trailer and the bike

0:25:12.100,0:25:15.334
pannier. That was a big step for me.

0:25:15.334,0:25:18.368
Then I lived for a year in a 50 square

0:25:18.368,0:25:20.519
foot tiny house, off the grid, in San

0:25:20.519,0:25:22.382
Diego. At that time, I think I had

0:25:22.382,0:25:25.436
around 1 000 possessions. After that,

0:25:25.436,0:25:29.090
I downsized to having just 111 possessions

0:25:29.090,0:25:30.983
that all fit into my backpack, which I

0:25:30.983,0:25:33.625
travelled with for about 2 years.

0:25:33.625,0:25:35.990
So, that was a bigger backpack then this.

0:25:35.990,0:25:38.245
Substantially bigger, about twice as big,

0:25:38.245,0:25:42.262
111 possessions. And then I moved to

0:25:42.262,0:25:44.487
Orlando and that's where I decided I was

0:25:44.487,0:25:46.628
going to grow and forage 100 % of my

0:25:46.628,0:25:48.629
food for a year. That meant drastically

0:25:48.629,0:25:50.765
increasing my possessions to be able to

0:25:50.765,0:25:53.649
be self sufficient food wise. I had a

0:25:53.649,0:25:56.000
lot of possessions. You know, just the

0:25:56.000,0:25:58.867
shovels and the rakes, and I built a 10 by

0:25:58.867,0:26:01.382
10 tiny house. So much bigger than the

0:26:01.382,0:26:04.237
last one, and I filled it with a lot of

0:26:04.237,0:26:07.089
stuff. Mostly useful stuff. Things that

0:26:07.089,0:26:09.604
I could use for sustainability, for

0:26:09.604,0:26:12.790
gardening and such. And then I left

0:26:12.790,0:26:15.536
Orlando, after 2 years there. I gave

0:26:15.536,0:26:17.524
away the tiny house, I gave away most of

0:26:17.524,0:26:19.828
my possessions, sold some of them, and

0:26:19.828,0:26:23.044
then it took me month to downsize my life

0:26:23.044,0:26:27.561
again. I left Orlando with a huge duffle

0:26:27.561,0:26:29.847
bag! It was so heavy, it hurt my back.

0:26:29.847,0:26:32.396
Eventually got that down to 80 possessions

0:26:32.396,0:26:34.698
and then, a few weeks ago in Montreal,

0:26:34.698,0:26:37.782
I was at a school, speaking, and I turned

0:26:37.782,0:26:40.433
that 80 possessions into 40 possessions.

0:26:40.433,0:26:42.849
I gave away half of the things I owned

0:26:42.849,0:26:45.537
that day, to kids. I was leaving Montreal

0:26:45.537,0:26:47.507
and coming to Costa Rica, where I didn't

0:26:47.507,0:26:50.122
need my jacket and my pants, and I wanted

0:26:50.122,0:26:52.188
to get rid of those things as I'm going

0:26:52.188,0:26:56.057
to be shifting only to natural fibres

0:26:56.057,0:26:59.808
instead. So, from 80 down, to now 44.

0:26:59.808,0:27:02.807
You can see there was a long transition.

0:27:02.807,0:27:06.146
to get to this point.

0:27:06.146,0:27:09.677
The most minimalist I've been took from

0:27:09.677,0:27:13.031
2011. So, nine years. It was a long

0:27:13.031,0:27:15.730
transition process and I know a lot of

0:27:15.730,0:27:18.532
you might be overwhelmed with the idea

0:27:18.532,0:27:21.367
of where you are today. Maybe you

0:27:21.367,0:27:23.317
have a lot of stuff. Maybe you have a

0:27:23.317,0:27:25.333
5 bedroom house full of stuff.

0:27:25.333,0:27:29.436
But just remember, that I was there in a

0:27:29.436,0:27:31.871
similar situation 11 years ago, and it was

0:27:31.871,0:27:35.396
a transition. Again, the way that

0:27:35.396,0:27:37.505
I've done things is extreme but you don't

0:27:37.505,0:27:40.273
have to go that far. And I know a lot of

0:27:40.273,0:27:42.870
you probably would like to. You

0:27:42.870,0:27:44.681
might be inspired. You might want to

0:27:44.681,0:27:46.777
reduce the number of possessions you have.

0:27:46.777,0:27:48.832
You might want to shrink the size of your

0:27:48.832,0:27:50.803
house. You might want to live in a tiny

0:27:50.803,0:27:52.824
house. You might want everything you own

0:27:52.824,0:27:54.726
to fit in a backpack. So I've actually

0:27:54.726,0:27:56.388
created another video for that.

0:27:56.388,0:27:58.294
Tips on how to downsize your life that

0:27:58.294,0:28:00.211
goes into that and shares my transition

0:28:00.211,0:28:03.181
and gives you a lot of the tools and the

0:28:03.181,0:28:05.586
guides on how to be able to do that.

0:28:05.586,0:28:09.435
But, just keep in mind, it's a process and

0:28:09.435,0:28:12.436
you don't have to go to this extreme, by

0:28:12.436,0:28:14.454
any means, to drastically increase

0:28:14.454,0:28:17.505
happiness and healthiness and be living in

0:28:17.505,0:28:19.874
a way that is, indeed, more harmonious

0:28:19.874,0:28:22.588
with the earth. And, another thing, for

0:28:22.588,0:28:27.058
me, is this is life. Life is complicated.

0:28:27.058,0:28:29.425
And I can't possibly go into all of the

0:28:29.425,0:28:32.744
reasons behind this, but it's all based on

0:28:32.744,0:28:35.929
a deeply thought out way of trying to

0:28:35.929,0:28:38.430
live an examined life. Live with my

0:28:38.430,0:28:40.915
actions being in alignment with my

0:28:40.915,0:28:43.416
beliefs. So, for me, this is a practice

0:28:43.416,0:28:46.117
of non ownership and, instead, sharing

0:28:46.117,0:28:48.217
and being a part of humanity. It's a

0:28:48.217,0:28:50.719
practice of non-materialism. Not focusing

0:28:50.719,0:28:52.669
my life on what other people think about

0:28:52.669,0:28:54.470
me based on material possessions or

0:28:54.470,0:28:57.821
getting my happiness from possessions.

0:28:57.821,0:29:03.740
It is a practice of my impermanence.

0:29:03.740,0:29:06.173
Embracing that I am an impermanent

0:29:06.173,0:29:09.676
person. Here for just a very short period

0:29:09.676,0:29:12.577
of time and understanding that's okay.

0:29:12.577,0:29:14.777
The less that I have, the more okay I am

0:29:14.777,0:29:16.944
with the fact that I am just one human

0:29:16.944,0:29:19.547
among over 7 billion. And that's

0:29:19.547,0:29:22.832
just one species among millions of

0:29:22.832,0:29:25.533
species. And just embracing that I'm just

0:29:25.533,0:29:28.333
here for a very short period of time, and

0:29:28.333,0:29:31.286
I'll be gone. And being okay with that.

0:29:31.286,0:29:34.401
Non-materialism, non-attachment,

0:29:34.401,0:29:37.636
non-ownership, and embracing my

0:29:37.636,0:29:41.206
impermanence. if you got a lot out

0:29:41.206,0:29:43.462
of this video and you're inspired, then I

0:29:43.462,0:29:47.306
would encourage you to subscribe, if you

0:29:47.306,0:29:50.541
aren't already, if this is your first time

0:29:50.541,0:29:52.793
here. And if you think this is

0:29:52.793,0:29:55.544
information that other people need, then

0:29:55.544,0:29:57.727
let's help it get out there.

0:29:57.727,0:29:59.026
Comment and like this.

0:29:59.026,0:30:00.880
That's what YouTube loves. That's what

0:30:00.880,0:30:02.944
helps it get into that algorithm, so let's

0:30:02.944,0:30:04.967
spread this stuff and then, of course,

0:30:04.967,0:30:06.781
share it. Share it with friends and

0:30:06.781,0:30:08.732
family that you think that this would be

0:30:08.732,0:30:10.802
helpful for. Anyone who has been talking

0:30:10.802,0:30:12.700
about this sort of thing, wanting it.

0:30:12.700,0:30:14.868
Share this as some information and some

0:30:14.868,0:30:19.920
practical information.

0:30:19.920,0:30:23.373
I love you all very much and I hope to see

0:30:23.373,0:30:25.522
you in real life one of these days and

0:30:25.522,0:30:27.056
get a big hug!

0:30:27.056,0:30:40.059
(acoustic guitar music)