Hi Eric, thanks for the comment. I agree with you about the car, in that many of the accouterments of modern life hem us in and tie us down. I also don't drive and find that I can flit from place to place easily, without worrying too much about the expense and inconvenience of it.

I think the best solution to get by in this system is to live a relatively simple life and realize that the hallmarks of success, such as owning houses and having a great career, are not as attainable as they were decades ago. And as George Carlin so astutely put it, "It's called the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."