RENT and minimum wage

So I watched Rent again the other day, and was reminded how aggravating I find that movie/musical. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good story and I love most of the music, but the personalities of the main characters frustrate me. One of the main themes in the movie is the motto “No day but today”, which refers to the philosophy that one should live as if that day was the only day that they had to live. While this is idealistic, and I suppose carefree, in my opinion, it is wrong. Living with no regard to the future or past is almost a form of escapism. After all, if today is your last day to live, then it’s easy to justify putting off whatever may be troubling you. Now, if the main characters of Rent had no problems, I suppose it’d be easier to begrudge them their little philosophy. Yet, we know that they’re hardly without problems. They’re struggling artists with little money, incapable of paying their rent (they get evicted at one point), and some carry HIV. Living “in the moment” doesn’t seem to work in this situation, yet they cling to it anyways, remaining unemployed for the sake of their “bohemian way”. Personally, I’d have looked for a minimum-wage job at McDonalds if I wanted to pay some Rent, but that’s just me. On the other hand, they believe so strongly in their morals that they're willing to make sacrifices for them, and thats something.