I'm closer than ever before to being free from the banks!
It has been a long process of extracting myself from the conventional banking system and all its tendrils. 15 years ago, I was working in psychiatry for the government, married, going to church, and paying lots of taxes. I did alright investing in real estate and was worth a quarter million. Like most people, I had accounts at a few banks, plus a couple credit cards and some other "financial instruments" like lines of credit, a home equity loan, car payments, and so on.
The details of the time between then and now are mostly already recorded elsewhere.
In short, things changed.
And I don't just mean that I'm divorced, an activist, and no longer going to church!
Recently, I was down to a single bank account, my PayPal account, my PayPal Mastercard (you can only spend your balance, so it's not REALLY a credit card), and some loose ends. I've been as "off the grid" as possible while still living and doing activism in the city of Vancouver. I was selling off the remnants of my collectibles business on my eBay account, and spending the funds with the PayPal Mastercard.
Here's my reply to what happened next:
Is that too harsh? I don't think so:
With very little warning, I'm suddenly without a credit card. That may seem like a small thing to you, but I'm already low on options. If I'd lost that card a year ago, I would have literally been destitute. My entire income and food budget was passing through that little slab of gray plastic!
But now? Fuck em. FUCK them! Fuck PayPal, fuck the banks, fuck the credit unions, fuck the elites, fuck the moneychangers, fuck the criminal cartel running this BOGUS bullshit cocksuck of a dogshit failure of a system!
What good are my funds if I can't even spend them? I can't buy my groceries or medicine on eBay!
So GOODBYE to my business of 17 years!
I pioneered online business. Having no formal training, I taught myself not only the principles of business, but how to handle a customer, website design, and a multitude of other skills, and did what everybody said was "insane", "impossible", and "foolish"..... I made money on the internet. I ran an entire business online, something nobody else I knew had tried. There was no "how to" guide because it had never been done.
I've paid tens of thousands to eBay in fees and just as much to PayPal. In the 30-40k range. I helped build those companies. FUCK them. Goodbye!
Top-rated 100% flawless feedback Gold Powerseller and whatever other nonsense they tack on there, who cares! See ya! Been waiting a long fuckin' time to do this!
kicks your sorry ass out of my life
Fuck off and die! Go home and kill yourself eBay and PayPal, and don't bother complaining, nobody will respond to your emails. You fucks.
Hang on, I'd better put a NSFW warning on this. (pause) Okay, back.
Saw that tag on a 
It's time.
Yes, I've just closed down my last bank account. Reason given: "Go fuck yourselves, you're not getting any more of my information, time, or money."
What ties me to this system? I supposedly owe the government money, so there's that (if you believe in that kinda thing). I have no other debts. No accounts anywhere. Not even a shopping discount points card. I've removed myself from society. I don't even have a driver's license or current ID. There isn't a photo of me on FaceBook or YouTube. I've never used a Smart device of any kind. I may just be one of the last natural living humans! ;)
Kidding. But, you know what I'm saying. It's a great feeling.
I bet there are others like me here on Steemit. And people who are part way there.
Blockchain is accelerating all this. This is the gamechanger we've been waiting for, and I'm jumping in.