No money but happy Malaysia Star
Not a religious ascetic or a commune dweller, Schwermer is an urbanite living in the heart of a materialistic society and says she has no plans to go back to the world of euros and cents. Giving up money gave me quality of life, inner wealth and freedom, she says in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Turning ones back on consumerism in Europes top economy, particularly now in a period of relative growth compared to its neighbours, has a radical charm rooted in a tumultuous life history.
Born during World War II in what was then East Prussia, Schwermer as a child joined the flood of refugees expelled by Russian forces. Her family arrived in Germany penniless.
I saw how you were considered to be even less than worthless if you did not have possessions or money, she says.
In the late 1960s, she spent a year in Chile, and I saw extreme poverty there.
Back in Germany, she had two children, divorced and moved to the western city of Dortmund in 1982, where she opened a psychotherapy practice.
