Thank you, Joe! It means a lot. It's very helpful comparing my exposure to these terms with your experience. I so agree that the distinction between "roughing it" by choice and being stuck with no way out is essential!

A book called Suffering-Based Ethics that I've been reading + your comment is making me contemplate a similar distinction... The difference between desired "suffering" (e.g. putting yourself through struggle to achieve a goal) and truly terrible sufferings on this Earth that are "unoutweighable" and the last things one would ever choose. In my privileged life, it's so easy for me to forget what real suffering is and how urgent is is. I'm trying to dedicate more of my reading and writing to how we can help solve real suffering for those going through it.

Speaking of reading and writing, I'm currently bemoaning that I don't have more hours in the day to put in lots of hours as a writer + read everything I want to read. I was just scrolling through your article titles and every single one of them made me want to read! I'm excited to check out Ecofrugality and learn more from you about money and sustainability.