Reminds me of the (apocryphal?) anecdote about Diogenes the cynic:
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils, when Aristippus told him that if he would only be subservient to the king, he would not have to live on bread and lentils. Diogenes replied that if you learn to live on bread and lentils, then you never have to be subservient to the king.
'He destroyed the single wooden bowl he possessed on seeing a peasant boy drink from the hollow of his hands. He then exclaimed: "Fool that I am, to have been carrying superfluous baggage all this time!"'
'while Diogenes was relaxing in the morning sunlight, Alexander the Great, thrilled to meet the famous philosopher, asked if there was any favour he might do for him. Diogenes replied, "Yes, stand out of my sunlight." Alexander then declared, "If I were not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes." "If I were not Diogenes, I would still wish to be Diogenes," Diogenes replied.'
'Some one took him into a magnificent house and warned him not to spit, whereupon having cleared his throat he discharged the phlegm into the man's face, being unable, he said, to find a meaner receptacle.'
The dude was a modern lunatic homeless man venerated into legend status for thousands of years.
> The dude was a modern lunatic homeless man venerated into legend status for thousands of years.
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” It's funny, but if you visit some of the vagabond subreddits you can read some very Diogenes-esque philosophies. I don't think they're all crazy - there's a subset who chose that life, and I think some of them have chosen well. Diogenes wasn't mad; he could just hear the music we can't.
It's romantic in a way to imagine that these sorts of people have deeper wisdom than we do, but I think it's better to say that we can't tell for sure from the outside if they're listening to music we can't hear or are just crazy. In practice there's almost certainly some of both.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils, when Aristippus told him that if he would only be subservient to the king, he would not have to live on bread and lentils. Diogenes replied that if you learn to live on bread and lentils, then you never have to be subservient to the king.