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This and some other essays from Ran Prieur had a huge impact on me when I first read them. The idea of "dropping out" of the rat race is nothing new, but his wr

This and some other essays from Ran Prieur had a huge impact on me when I first read them. The idea of "dropping out" of the rat race is nothing new, but his writing and his take on it was strangely persuasive. If I remember correctly, I've seen him comment here on HN that some of his essays should be categorized as fiction and others taken with a grain of salt. I don't mind at all, to me, the reading itself was so impactful that the question of whether he really did dumpster diving or not became irrelevant.

greyface- 4y ago
> whether he really did dumpster diving or not Ran responded to this in his blog today (https://ranprieur.com/ https://ranprieur.com/): > February 27. My 2004 Dumpster Diving FAQ has just been linked on Hacker News. There's a comment about how I later declared some of my essays to be fiction. That would be more like 21 Stories About Civilization. The dumpster diving stuff is completely true. I haven't done it for years, because I have more money now, and I assume the good dumpsters are harder to get into. But the other day, I ate an apple I found on the sidewalk.
- klibertp 4y ago
  Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't recall the exact wording of that comment, and I definitely didn't mean this in a negative sense. It's been decades since I read the essays and many years since I spotted his comment here on HN. My memory may be spotty, but the profound impact that reading his words had on me is unforgettable. I just wanted to thank him for publishing his work, because reading it back when I was going through some hard times gave me a whole new perspective on what I'm going through and where I want to be in the end. Ran, if you happen to read this: thank you. You helped me a lot when I was struggling, and I'll be grateful for that forever :)
- m0llusk 4y ago
  Sidewalk apples are the sweetest.

greyface- 4y ago

> whether he really did dumpster diving or not Ran responded to this in his blog today (https://ranprieur.com/ https://ranprieur.com/): > February 27. My 2004 Dumpster Diving FAQ has just been linked on Hacker News. There's a comment about how I later declared some of my essays to be fiction. That would be more like 21 Stories About Civilization. The dumpster diving stuff is completely true. I haven't done it for years, because I have more money now, and I assume the good dumpsters are harder to get into. But the other day, I ate an apple I found on the sidewalk.

klibertp 4y ago
Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't recall the exact wording of that comment, and I definitely didn't mean this in a negative sense. It's been decades since I read the essays and many years since I spotted his comment here on HN. My memory may be spotty, but the profound impact that reading his words had on me is unforgettable. I just wanted to thank him for publishing his work, because reading it back when I was going through some hard times gave me a whole new perspective on what I'm going through and where I want to be in the end. Ran, if you happen to read this: thank you. You helped me a lot when I was struggling, and I'll be grateful for that forever :)
m0llusk 4y ago
Sidewalk apples are the sweetest.