How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World

Jan Van · Post by **Jan Van** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:50 pm

Storm, is she Taiwanese or Chinese (from Taiwan)? Just curious. My wife is the latter.

The thought that came up when I read your story, probably because i'm cheap, can't you have a "mother-in-law suite"? Might be a whole other can of worms though...

Storm · Post by **Storm** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:06 am

jmourik wrote: Storm, is she Taiwanese or Chinese (from Taiwan)? Just curious. My wife is the latter.

The thought that came up when I read your story, probably because i'm cheap, can't you have a "mother-in-law suite"? Might be a whole other can of worms though...

Well, she was born in Taiwan and didn't come to the US until she was studying for her masters. I guess she identifies as from Taiwan, rather than Chinese, although she speaks mandarin and Taiwanese.

I married her because she is very loyal and not materialistic. She doesn't need to spend lots of money on expensive clothes and things. Personally, I've found that most american women my age are spoiled and simply want a man to support their shopping habits. Of course, the loyalty is a double-edged sword - she is loyal to her family, which is a great thing, but sometimes a little too loyal.

We might end up doing the in-law suite, when we buy a house later on. It definitely wouldn't bother me at all, although part of the reason she bought her father a condo is because he has a hot temper and they can only handle him in limited doses. It wouldn't bother me because they can't nag me - don't speak my language. Although from what I understand, it might bother my wife because they will constantly nag her...

Oh, the joys of family life...

Jan Van · Post by **Jan Van** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:23 am

Hmmm, she sounds a lot like my wife :-)

Storm wrote:It wouldn't bother me because they can't nag me - don't speak my language.

Haha, had to laugh. That's exactly what I have said before. My wife's mom stayed with us for a few months a couple years ago. She doesn't speak English, I don't speak Chinese.

As they say, your family are like your arms and legs!

...sorry for this OT part...

Post by **MediumTex** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:23 am

Storm wrote: It wouldn't bother me because they can't nag me - don't speak my language. Although from what I understand, it might bother my wife because they will constantly nag her...

Oh, the joys of family life...

But don't you think they would scoff, smirk and roll their eyes at you?

In a sense I would think that might be worse because you wouldn't even have a chance to explain yourself.

There is something sort of bizarre about nagging the person/people who is/are supporting you completely. At some point it would probably be tempting to pull an Eddie Murphy's dad and just say "This is MY house...and if you don't like it, you can get the f--- out."

I love the idea of having to house your father in law at a remote location because of his temper.

People who nag others habitually really bug me. I understand that in many cases it's a cultural thing, but it seems like even cultural things can often stand some improvement. There are societies that used to engage in human sacrifice, and that too was a "cultural thing."

You should learn to speak some Mandarin.

moda0306 · Post by **moda0306** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:30 am

MT,

Delirious is one of the top 10 funniest things I've ever seen. Eddie Murphy was amazing in the '80's.

Have you ever seen Jim Gaffigan? I think your whole family would crack up... very clean but entertainingly honest and hilarious.

His observations on laziness alone are just too good to be true.

stone · Post by **stone** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:27 am

Storm, I guess in the general sweep of history, bringing your children up with the duty to support you in your old age is the standard method of providing for yourself. If you have children and bring them up in the same way that your wife was brought up, then you could just put your current contribution to her parents down to retirement saving. That traditional method doesn't depend on future performance of asset markets either

.

Storm · Post by **Storm** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:07 pm

stone wrote: Storm, I guess in the general sweep of history, bringing your children up with the duty to support you in your old age is the standard method of providing for yourself. If you have children and bring them up in the same way that your wife was brought up, then you could just put your current contribution to her parents down to retirement saving. That traditional method doesn't depend on future performance of asset markets either .

You're absolutely right, stone. Before banks and the financial system, this was the way people operated for thousands of years. The younger worked in the fields and fed the older people that couldn't work any more.

That sounds pretty nice, having your kids care for you in old age, but my father didn't have any retirement either so I vowed I would never put my kids through that. That's one of the reasons I like the PP.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:36 am

For those that didn't see it, you might be interested in the two podcasts I did earlier this year about Harry Browne's book "How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World". They include an intro to Harry's life and also a group discussion among some friends about the ideas in the book. We talked a lot about how we might apply the ideas. Unsurprisingly, his views on marriage and relationships provoked a lot of thought and discussion for us (as they have been in this thread).

Part 1: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... ld-by.html

Part 2: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... by_10.html

Post by **MediumTex** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:15 pm

Jake wrote: For those that didn't see it, you might be interested in the two podcasts I did earlier this year about Harry Browne's book "How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World". They include an intro to Harry's life and also a group discussion among some friends about the ideas in the book. We talked a lot about how we might apply the ideas. Unsurprisingly, his views on marriage and relationships provoked a lot of thought and discussion for us (as they have been in this thread).

Part 1: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... ld-by.html

Part 2: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... by_10.html

I enjoyed listening to those podcasts.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:13 am

Thanks MT! I really look forward to your new book with Craig.

Oh and I said "earlier this year"... momentarily forgetting that it is now 2012

I released them last year!

Freedom_Found · Post by **Freedom_Found** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:57 pm

Jake wrote: For those that didn't see it, you might be interested in the two podcasts I did earlier this year about Harry Browne's book "How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World". They include an intro to Harry's life and also a group discussion among some friends about the ideas in the book. We talked a lot about how we might apply the ideas. Unsurprisingly, his views on marriage and relationships provoked a lot of thought and discussion for us (as they have been in this thread).

Part 1: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... ld-by.html

Part 2: http://thevoluntarylife.blogspot.com/20 ... by_10.html

Thanks, that was very good...

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World

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