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SueloAmerican who doesn't use money
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- Biography of Daniel Suelo
- A Voluntary Decision
- Life in the Cave
- Minimal Use of Taxpayer Money
- A Growing Following
- Continuing a Unique Path
Biography of Daniel Suelo
Daniel Suelo, an American man who has chosen to live without money, is an extraordinary individual in every sense. At the age of 53, he has spent the last 14 years of his life completely detached from any form of monetary transactions, leading a remarkably free existence. Suelo resides in a cave located in the vicinity of Moab, Utah, on unclaimed territory. He finds his food in dumpsters and relies on nature for sustenance. Suelo washes himself in streams and does not feel the need for soap. His home is his cave, where he sleeps on a stone bed and eschews all the conveniences of the modern world.
A Voluntary Decision
So, what happened to this American man that led him to the fringes of society? It turns out that Suelo chose this way of life completely willingly. He had no debts, unpaid bills, mortgages, or bank loans. No one declared him bankrupt. He simply decided at some point to live without money, challenging himself to live without "conscious barter." In his previous life, he went by the name Daniel James Shellabarger and was born in Denver. While studying anthropology at the University of Colorado, he lived a normal life, changing jobs occasionally, opening bank accounts, signing documents, and generally being like everyone else. However, as Suelo later admitted, he always felt a vague sense of depression and a lack of integrity. Perhaps this was due to his religious Christian upbringing, which he received from his parents as a child. Later, he explored religions other than Christianity, discovering many similarities in the fundamental principles of Taoism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Islam. During his travels in India, he saw Hindu ascetics who genuinely inspired him and made him envious. While he briefly considered staying in India and becoming one of them, he eventually decided to give himself an even greater challenge: to live as an ascetic in the materialistic world of America. And so, he simply "abandoned" the material world, which turned out to be similar to giving up a bad habit or quitting smoking.
Life in the Cave
About an hour's walk from Moab, Suelo found a suitable cave for shelter, not far from waterfalls. Over time, he made his home more comfortable by building stone steps, crafting a bed, and creating some other stone furniture. Suelo sustains himself by foraging for food wherever he can find it – sometimes it is roadkill, other times berries, mushrooms, and plants. Occasionally, he is lucky enough to find something useful in the trash. He visits the town weekly, inspecting the dump behind a local supermarket. Interestingly, despite his departure from civilization, Suelo has not completely disconnected from the world. He started a blog from the Moab public library and eventually gained a large number of readers. Naturally, readers' opinions were divided – some considered Suelo to be just another crazy person, while others saw him as a great individual who managed to transcend the material world. Some even refer to his life as "Christ-like."
Minimal Use of Taxpayer Money
It should be noted that Suelo only uses taxpayer money in two instances – when he walks on roads and when he uses the public library. In all other aspects, he does not rely on American taxpayers for anything. Suelo's story intrigued American writer Mark Sundeen, who ventured into his cave to meet him. After this encounter, Sundeen was so impressed by this strange man with dirty hands and disheveled hair resembling a crow's nest that he decided to write a book about him. His book, titled "The Man Who Quit Money," generated significant reader interest and added to the popularity of the main character – Daniel Suelo. Suelo has also been the subject of several documentaries, such as "Moneyless in Moab" (2006), "Zero Currency" (2009), and "KBYU's Beehive Stories" (2010).
A Growing Following
Reports about Suelo have appeared in numerous major publications in the country and even internationally, garnering him a large number of supporters. However, he still has few followers, as people in the 21st century prefer to live in modern homes and enjoy the comforts of civilization. Only a handful of individuals, including Heidemarie Schwermer, Mark Boyle, and Tomi Astikainen, are known to live without money.
Continuing a Unique Path
Today, Daniel Suelo continues to live in his cave, which has been his home for the past 12 years. He is completely happy and has no money whatsoever. He is satisfied that he has turned his once seemingly insane idea into reality. "To become a vagabond, a homeless person, and turn it into art – that idea captivated me," he says. Suelo has no intention of returning to the "normal" world of society. "I know that it is possible to live without money. In abundance," he declares.
