Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement defined by frugality and extreme savings and investment. It’s also a dumb philosophy. Why? Because it is a perfectly normal human desire to accumulate material positions. Consumption is not immoral, and depriving yourself for several years only to continue living in deprivation doesn’t make any sense. The FIRE followers have it backwards: You don’t gain self-esteem and happiness from no stress. You get these things from overcoming stress through work and achievement.