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My favorite FI-related quote by far is Jocko Willink’s, “Discipline equals freedom.” Those three words say it all. If you can subdue your innate attraction to consumption, gluttony, vice, and sloth, you will very likely be in control of your finances and beholden to no one.
Now, don’t ask me why, but my fertile mind began to ponder the flip side of my favorite FI-related quote. If discipline equals freedom, does permissiveness equal slavery?
I don’t see how it doesn’t. And to show you why this is so, I decided to apply my flip-side abstraction to several areas of life. In no particular order, here we go.
Ten Examples of Permissiveness Equaling Slavery
- If you have a permissive attitude toward crime, you will become a convicted felon. If you become a convicted felon, you will be a slave to the warden and whatever gang controls your cellblock.
- If you’re a married man and have a permissive attitude toward fidelity, you will become a serial adulterer. If you become a serial adulterer, you will be a slave to your ex-wife once her divorce attorney gets through with you.
- If you’re a permissive producer of mediocrity at work, you will become a marginal employee. If you become a marginal employee, you will be a slave to your boss’s patience.
- If you’re a woman and a permissive producer of out-of-wedlock children, you and your children will become dependent on the state for sustenance. If you and your children become dependent on the state for sustenance, you will be a slave to politicians.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of news, you will become addicted to outrage. If you become addicted to outrage, you will be a slave to the engineers pushing the buttons in Silicon Valley.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of refined carbs and sugar, you will become obese and diabetic. If you become obese and diabetic, you will be a slave to Big Pharma.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of higher education, you will find yourself beguiled by the college “experience” and the college hype (e.g., those with any college diploma allegedly make a million dollars more over their working lives than those with just a high school diploma). If you become beguiled by the college experience and the college hype, you will be a slave to Nelnet, AES, or Navient.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of video games, your mind, skills, and motivation will atrophy. If your mind, skills, and motivation atrophy, you will be a basement-dwelling slave to your parent’s benevolence.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of housing, you will be mortgaged to the hilt and living paycheck to paycheck. If you’re mortgaged to the hilt and living paycheck to paycheck, you will be a slave to some bank.
- If you’re a permissive consumer of the latest and greatest, you will never be satisfied with your stuff. If you’re never satisfied with your stuff, you will be a slave to the Don Drapers of the world.
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? Is my “permissiveness equals slavery” a more poignant reminder than “discipline equals freedom” that habits are destiny? Or is Jocko still the king when it comes to coining a three-word rule for life? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. And, oh yeah, if you have any other examples of permissiveness equaling slavery, please share them. Peace.
Once again nice post!!
Thank you.
Mayhaps you could substitute “indulgence” for permissive in the context of dieting and budgeting. If you indulge in your favorite sweets, you’ll be enslaved by a massively increased girth. If you indulge in your favorite expenses, you’ll be enslaved by your massively increased credit card payments.
Stay thin and frugal, my friend
steve poling recently posted…Dave Ramsey Heresy
Nice. Works for me, my friend.
Here’s another one:
If you’re too permissive as a parent and wish to be a friend to your offspring rather than put your foot down and say NO, you will end up being a slave to your kids.
There are a few kids I teach who clearly have their parents wrapped around their little fingers – they think they’ve got it made but it’s setting them up very poorly for the future.
Frogdancer Jones recently posted…My chilly ankles Winter Challenge.
“If you’re too permissive as a parent and wish to be a friend to your offspring rather than put your foot down and say NO, you will end up being a slave to your kids.”
Brilliant, FDJ. Brilliant.
Good examples of enslavement or dependency rather than being the master of your own fate. A lot of people enslaved to debt and working for the bank rather than for themselves. We just rewatched “The Company Men” movie about the aftermath of the Great Recession for previously well-off (but indebted) skilled workers. Those who couldn’t change their lifestyles were trapped in enslavement.
Not familiar with the movie “The Company Man.” It sounds like an interesting diversion. I’ll suggest to Mrs. Groovy. It’s movie night at Groovy Ranch tonight. Hopefully, she won’t veto it. Anyway, great freakin’ comment, my friend. Cheers.
It’s true to a point I think, however assuming success comes mainly from discipline doesn’t take into account talent. I was never very disciplined but I was dripping with nerd intellect. I could out talent my competition without having a strong work ethic or much discipline. At the same time I observed others at the bad end of the bell curve work extremely hard but produce mediocre results at best. I think, at least for me, discipline was less important than talent and knowing how to motivate myself. The first time you race another kid on the playground it becomes clear that effort doesn’t win, talent wins. No amount of discipline can give you speed or a great vertical leap, or make calculus and thermodynamics feel like child’s play. That’s in your DNA or it isn’t.
Agreed. I don’t care how disciplined I managed to become in my youth. There’s no way I could have become a doctor or professional football player. I have neither the mental nor physical chops for those jobs. So, yes, discipline isn’t going to rescue you if nature has conspired against you. Thank you for the sad but necessary reminder, my friend. Cheers.
Being a permissive consumer of television stopped for me when I cut back on cable then cut out cable altogether, thinking I could get an antenna. That was months ago and I find I don’t want it. Nearly all the examples can be related to television, one way or another. Excellent post!
Couldn’t agree more, Carol. Mrs. G and I ditched cable television about five years ago and we haven’t had a single regret. We spend far more hours now reading and doing rather than sitting and watching. And as an added bonus, since we don’t watch any corporate news, we’re a lot less agitated. The America that I interact with is a lot less nasty than the America portrayed on television. Great freakin’ comment.
Permissiveness to uncontrolled spending is a big problem that only snowballs. Buy too much stuff and you have debt, sure, but it doesn’t stop there. Now all of a sudden you have to have a bigger house to put it in or you are one of millions of people that rent storage space for their junk. All of this stuff then consumes more of your space and time cleaning and organizing it, sometimes leading to the purchase of organizers and bins. The time spent doing this could better be used enjoying life and the money you save adds to your FI. Once you wake up from the consumer nightmare, you have tons of unnecessary stuff heading to the landfills (a waste of limited public resources) or Goodwill. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.
Great point, Pat. The more stuff you have the more time and effort you devote to cleaning and maintaining. Not fun. I used to have a library with roughly 500 books. And it was a pain in the arse keeping them dust-free. Well, those 500 books have been mostly donated to the local library. I now have a Kindle with about 50 books. And the time devoted to keeping those 50 books dust-free is zero. Love the way your mind works, Pat. Cheers.
I think you’re spot on Mr. Groovy! And I agree that “Permissiveness equals slavery” is a more effective way of communicating the message! I’ll be sending this to my girlfriend momentarily.
Thank you, Ejw. I really appreciate your kind words.