No freegan way, man!

Eco me this, eco me that, Freegans are as effed up as a wombat.

In case you haven't the word, the Freegan group (www.Freegan.info) consists of tony cheapskates and overly anti-consumerists who dig through dumpsters for food. No, freegan is not a politically correct neologism or euphemism for vagabond. A freegan is well educated and as well off as the next chap whose earnings fall between Mayor Bloomberg's and those boys who peddle candy bars on NYC subways to dissuade themselves "from selling drugs" (as if that were the natural alternative).

I would never have imagined civilized peoples rummaging through garbage in a non-Apocalyptic setting just to placate consumption of resources. Absurd. With barely two hundred dollars to my name and the worry of how to cover next month's rent I shall be damned if I take to eating from the garbage because it's cheaper. No freegan way, man! Hell, five-finger-discounts can't be beat either but, unfortunately, they are also wrong.

Yes, Americans, like many other peoples, are a lot of undisciplined shoppers and wasteful consumers, but there is a more sensible way of cutting out the pork than snorting through rubbish: live simpler lives---for yourself. Something tells me the for-yourself-part is more difficult for most people than the living-simply-part. But it can be done. It is done. Mind you, it ain't big city chic or---gasp!---trendy. Living simply is due in large part to a disinterest in indulging the inclination or vanity to buy more. Living simply is also attainable when one is not enslaved by disposable income.

To look to a healthier extreme than dumpster diving we have only to recall the Amish people (or Quaker or Mennonites, for that matter). Looking every bit two centuries ago Amish families remain disconnected from reckless consumerism by buying less and producing more. Production. They make the lot of their clothes, produce their own foods, build their own homes which are largely furnished with furniture made of their own labor and skill, and walk, bike, or drive carriages.

Crafting one's own furniture or daily wardrobe might be too daunting a step to initiate but we can each advance one step closer towards buying less through resourcefulness and thrift. For instances, brewing one's own cup of tea, eating in (a.k.a. cooking) and using leftovers, swapping books or using the public library, choosing smaller portions over larger ones (12 oz can versus 20 oz bottle), tipping wisely. Really, a $3 tip for a $5 soup is frivolous---and stupid.

Freegan way is extreme and hellaridiculous. Don't be so cheap that you live off of other's "perfectly good" rubbish.

Hopefully this is one trend that heads to the dumps---and stays there.

ScholarSpartan