Just something interesting to read or talk about over the weekend.
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Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma
Posted Oct 28, 2008, 03:11 pm CDT
By Molly McDonough
Ever want to ditch the rat race? Burn your diploma and take a vow of simplicity?
If you thought about it, but could never quite muster the courage to strike a match, you can live vicariously through "Jack," a Washington, D.C., a 30-something lawyer who announced on his blog in June that he is giving up his $300,000-plus annual salary and opting for a simpler life.
In Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity, Jack blogs about his excesses and exit strategies. Then on Oct. 27, he took a key symbolic step in that direction. He burned his Harvard law diploma and posted a video on YouTube for all the world to bear witness.
"I’ve been thinking about doing this, in one way or another, for a while now. But I was never really sure if I would be doing it for the right reasons. Not to mention how silly it sounded whenever I brought it up to people. But this weekend it all came together: the weather was beautiful, the trails were inviting and freedom seemed just around the corner. So I went for it," Jack writes.
"This is NOT a knock against Harvard. Or a calculated criticism of legal education. Or even a rejection of elitism, per se. Sometimes you just need to say goodbye to your past in order to move forward."
In the end, he concludes, "it was just a piece of paper."
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Q&A: Why I Burned My Harvard Diploma
Posted Oct 30, 2008, 03:45 pm CDT
By Molly McDonough
Earlier this week, we learned about "Jack," a self-described, but otherwise anonymous, 30s-something lawyer in D.C., who is blogging about giving up material excess for a simpler life. Jack agreed to reveal more about his motivations, but not any more about his identity, in the following Q&A:
ABA Journal Why did you burn your law diploma?
Jack: At some point, I realized that a great deal of my self-worth was tied to being a Harvard law grad. Burning my degree was just a way to continue this process of simplification. I still have fond memories of Harvard. My three years there were the most intellectually stimulating, most meaningful of my entire life. But, ultimately, I want to live my life on my own terms without needing a piece of paper to justify my own worth.
ABA Journal Was there a trigger to your move to shun excess and pursue a simpler life?
Jack: After years of working 12-hour days, giving up countless weekends and canceling vacations at the last minute, I just had enough. I eventually realized that I was slowly losing my life, one billable hour at a time. In the end, it makes no sense to trade 90 percent of your waking hours for a chance to buy expensive clothes, be seen at fancy restaurants, and indulge in all sorts of excess. More recently, a friend of mine was diagnosed with terminal cancer. There is nothing like being made aware of your own mortality to help you focus on what truly matters: family, love and friendship.
ABA Journal How far have you come? Are you downsizing, or is this more of an attitude shift?
Jack: I've been taking small, deliberate steps since last year to simplify all aspects of my life. Thus far, I have decluttered my house and have arranged for the sale of most of my furniture. Up next, leaving my job, selling my house and taking some time off to figure out next steps.
ABA Journal If you've already begun shedding material gains, is there anything you miss?
Jack: Not so far. Embracing voluntary simplicity does not imply that you have to accept abject poverty or that you need to reject all material comforts. Voluntary simplicity encourages you to shed anything that does not have genuine value to you. In my case, I no longer find a need to patronize Citronelle on a weekly basis, or head out to Vegas to spend a couple of thousand dollars every chance I get. I now spend money on things that bring me meaningful joy. And it just so happens that most of these things are so cheap, they are practically free.
ABA Journal Why did you want to become a lawyer in the first place? What were your expectations coming out of law school?
Jack: The honest answer is that I went to law school because I didn't know what else to do with my life. I had a vague sense that I wanted to work in the public interest field, but I did not know in what capacity. In the end, I was seduced by the prestige of all the law schools that accepted my application and by the opportunity to make a difference. And then the reality of incurring $120,000 of law school debt plus the allure of making a six-figure salary changed everything. By the time I left Harvard, I had already bought my first $1,000 suit.
ABA Journal Is there a way for you to continue on a legal career path that will satisfy your desire for simplicity?
Jack: I am definitely interested in transitioning into the public interest field. Finding a legal job that satisfies my intellectual curiosity, assuages my moral convictions, and allows me the opportunity to explore my other interests is a priority.
ABA Journal Why chronicle your transition so publicly in a blog? Is there something cathartic about blogging openly, or does committing yourself in public force you to stay on course?
Jack: I started the blog as a way to keep track of my progress. At first, it was just a matter of outlining all of the things that were not working in my life and figuring out practical ways to resolve them on my own. Early on, I found that interacting with other people who were confronting similar issues was another way to brainstorm and encourage simplification. There is something about anonymity that allows people to drop their guard and be open about the things they want out of life. I have learned that there is great value in sharing yourself with others, even in the shadows of anonymity.
ABA Journal What have you learned about yourself and what other lawyers are going through in regards to work/life balance issues?
Jack: I have learned that there are other ways to live my life and that I should follow my heart, no matter where it leads me.
I've also learned that there is something seriously wrong with law firm life. I've been blogging for five months now, and I am still surprised by the sheer number of e-mails I receive from other lawyers who are dealing with some of the very same issues I struggle with. I think there is a yearning out there for a way to reconcile the demands of a legal career with other life goals. Many lawyers feel that they have rejected important aspects of themselves in exchange for a life they no longer feel they want to live. They feel trapped because they have to pay a mortgage, student loans, private school tuition, etc. ... but have no idea how to get out.
I think it is important to emphasize that not every lawyer working at a law firm is unhappy. Some of my very best friends have thrived in that environment and are genuinely happy. If you derive genuine, meaningful pleasure from the profession and can overcome all the obstacles that this lifestyle places on your personal life, then you have it made.
- Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
这一贴醒眼。我还准备回国回乡找一块终老之地,
可以种田,种菜,种花生红薯之类。 - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
Interesting! - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
非Harvard Law School的证书,烧了管用不? - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
I can not help thinking of Theodore John Kaczynski.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Industrial_Society_and_Its_Future - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
I guess it is many people's dream to return to an agrarian life, spending our remaining decades on a bucolic, seclusive farm, away from a world of sound and fury, immersed in aged fine wines and the ancient timeless wisdom, and optionally, surrounded by throngs of concubines.
xw wrote:
这一贴醒眼。我还准备回国回乡找一块终老之地,
可以种田,种菜,种花生红薯之类。 - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
You can burn any diploma, license or certificate (no one, not even HR, looks at them anyway), but just keep the cash.
老瓦 wrote:
非Harvard Law School的证书,烧了管用不? - Re: Looking for Simpler Life, Lawyer Burns Harvard Law Diploma (ZT)posted on 10/31/2008
Kaczynski is a mad genius born into a wrong world.
行人 wrote:
I can not help thinking of Theodore John Kaczynski.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Industrial_Society_and_Its_Future
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