Neel Kashkari was a 35-year-old business graduate from Akron, Ohio. He went to Washington just as the recession was beginning and somehow was appointed as the federal bailout chief by treasury secretary Hank Paulson. How did he get appointed? He was appointed through luck and random circumstances. He was placed in an awkward situation where he was in charge of 700 billion dollars. Almost everyone doubted Neel’s abilities and even he was unsure of what the outcome would be. The stress was great for Neel. He gained weight and rarely spoke to his wife. But these side effects were little compared to one of his close advisor’s- he suffered a heart attack. After 7 months in the treasury office, he decided it was too much for him and resigned. Neel and his wife decided they needed to simplify their lives and go “‘Off the map’” (Blumenfeld) as he described it. Neel and his wife left for the mountains of California. He bought a cabin high in the forest and brought little with him, although he could not part with his Blackberry. He had four goals to simplify his life- to build a shed, to chop wood, to lose twenty pounds and to help Hank Paulson with his book. After six months of his “detox” routine, he completed all of his goals. Neel does not miss Washington very much except Chipotle.
Neel Kashkari is living a transcendentalist’s dream. Emerson and Thoreau both discussed the simplification of one’s life as the route to happiness and for the Brown’s fan this is holding true. Neel has simplified his life to the point where his indulgences and stresses are both few, but he still has both. He has not simplified his life to the point where he only has the necessities to get by- he still has his Blackberry.
Is the simplification of one’s life to the point where one is living off of necessities possible or is Neel’s case the closest you can get to transcendentalist living in today’s society?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/12/04/ST2009120402037.html?sid=ST2009120402037
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