“I would like to plead for my right to investigate natural phenomena without having guns pointed at me. I also ask for the right to be wrong without being hanged for it.” – Wilhelm Reich (Letter, 1947)
Section 1: Your Choice
9
By now, you are getting tired of all this pagan idolatry, especially since most of it is nonsense, and how you live is more important than what you believe. Don’t worry; there is only a little more. Two Gods want to be your father. The clockwise name Yeuo has four letters representing the seasons in order. The counterclockwise name Youe is the destroyer of life. Our ancestors once lived in paradise with their father, Yahweh. We lost this golden age of Saturn when people denied our place in the world, and civilization took over. Though Zeus fooled us out of paradise, people could return to Eden by living the way we were made to live. Deciding to live makes Yahweh your father, and your name becomes Yesuo. Picking nonexistence makes Jove your father. Civilized people claim to love God with all their hearts and will never get to Heaven because of the sins of civilization. Those who never believed in God still go to Heaven if they live the way people should.
This story about two fathers was in an early draft of this book. Originally, this book would be about a duality of good perspectives and evil perspectives. Then I realized each perspective is good or bad, depending on how we use them. People make mistakes if they do not see the problem. Second Corinthians calls the Serpent the deceiver. But, in Genesis, the Serpent tells the truth, and God speaks all the lies. We end up supporting the wrong side when we miss important details.
I worked for a company that collected and distributed statistics businesses would use to plan business strategies. One day, someone discovered hundreds of customers had the wrong information for over a year. Strangely, no one complained about the error. After fixing the problem, customers complained since the new correct reports were a few hundred pages shorter than the old incorrect reports. Our customers would show their bosses large volumes of statistics to look productive. Big businesses spend billions of dollars buying and selling information about people. If all the data collected by internet marketers and Wall Street investors is a waste of time, wow! What else do people fail to notice?
Progressives talk about a new consciousness; however, they avoid giving this consciousness a permanent name. The unnamed consciousness sounds special if you describe it like Paulo Freire.
“For to denounce the present reality and announce its radical transformation into another reality capable of giving birth to new men and women implies gaining through praxis a new knowledge of reality.” (Freire, 1985)
People with this new consciousness invent complaints against people they know nothing about. Radicals do not care if you suffer from their policies. I used to think that way until I got to know some affected people. That changed the picture.
During the COVID lockdowns, I stayed in a rich neighborhood where the mandates were rarely enforced. The downtown black neighborhood also still looked unchanged. Then, I drove through a proletariat neighborhood where stores were closed. Some buildings were boarded up, and some buildings were demolished. This situation went on for miles along Preston Highway in Louisville, Kentucky. I did not know that conditions had gotten that bad. The news rarely mentioned the problem. Though each store closed for different reasons, the lockdowns likely worsened the situation. Working people get punished and ignored. The problem is not greed. Such problems exist because the elite call the workers privileged, yet they do not see the workers. The economic conditions along Preston Highway improved after the lockdown, so my elitest friend will never know anything ever happened there, but I saw it.
If even educated people cannot see their mistakes, how do we tell if our information is misleading? I have failed to define my ideas clearly, which is a problem because I have also failed to test my ideas. I do not know how to test my claims, and any untested hypotheses are intellectual garbage. Nonetheless, the question of what we are remains too important to ignore. Too many people define us with untested opinions and then try to impose restrictions on people. We would know better about what to do if we knew ourselves.
How does someone stuck in civilization, like me, claim to know anything about the ways of the wilderness? As larger cultures absorbed tribal cultures, the old ways died everywhere. People no longer have a place to get away from civilization, leaving nowhere for the savage to live. A bit of wilderness gets reserved for campers to go out for the weekend and bring their portable electronic entertainment systems. Without any real experience of being a natural human, my only answers are speculative. I think we have natural needs, and unhealthy conditions frustrate these needs, and frustration makes us create unhealthy conditions.
Of course, the good old days were not always good, and people might have fewer restrictions today than ever. Am I on a mission to contradict civilization, only seeing what supports this mission? Complaining about civilization has led to an independent feeling. Go back to your cage, waste away, remain enslaved, or find the feeling. Some of you would rather worry about the Dow Jones or other unimportant news. Get off that boat so those concerns no longer matter. Trying to fit us into civilization is like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. Civilization works by breaking the peg. Instead, break the hole and let the Animal run free. This way of thinking will not appeal to the masses. It was made for a few proud individuals.
The king of the mountain may seem powerful, but when the boss can no longer guard the Grove, someone will kill the boss and take the king’s place. Usually, the disciples protect the king, though if the boss fails to remain loyal to the Grove, the disciples will kill the king. When civilization turned against the Land, its disciples must destroy it. The trees that progress destroyed must grow back.
Section 2: Cultural Exchange
9
For us to survive, people must stop depending on civilization. Natural earthlings seem weaker than Jove because civilization infected the whole world, but we can fight and win as long as one tree in the Sacred Grove remains. One tree is enough for people to make the water of life. One cell, immune to a disease, can cure the entire body if the cell can spread its immunity. Sometimes, when a cell receives immunity, it can improve immunity. If this path fails, you can try another and learn from the mistakes. Find people with similar ideas. Two can do ten times more than one. Three can do one hundred times more than two. Four can do a thousand times more than three, and that is a million times more than one.
We need to scavenge ideas from other cultures to build a Nature religion. Few of us in Western civilization have the luxury of being born into a culture that lives close to Nature. A friend accused me of trying to masquerade as a Native American and said my ideas are nothing more than a mixture of new age delusions, the kind bored rich white men invent. This friend claims to come from an old tradition with values only tribe members can understand. This person has blond hair and blue eyes, claims to descend from Native Americans, and dresses as a Native American from an old Western movie. My friend did not grow up in Native American culture and only decided to become a Native American after seeing the movie “Little Big Man” (1970). Lots of people want to connect with a tradition and exclude people.
Visiting different cultures showed me that the core of our behavior remains more or less the same in all cultures. Though a story from a foreign culture seems full of strange traditions, look deeper to find similarities to your culture. A good drama such as Shakespeare gets understood by anyone in any culture. Also, no culture remains uncontaminated by outside influence. In Brazil, European spiritualist literature influenced traditional African religions, which does not make the tradition less valid. Cultures discover all kinds of fun by exchanging ideas.
Clint Eastwood’s character “The Man with No Name” represents a film icon, the eccentric loner. This story developed in Japan from ideas borrowed from Hollywood. In movies made by the Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, the actor Toshiro Mifune portrays the same character (Yojimbo, 1961). Then, the Italians made “The Man with No Name” films (Leone, 1964). Multiple cultures invented this monomyth, which can appeal to anyone in any culture. People liked the way the myth lived by its own rules. Feminists have told me that the monomyth is not popular in China. They claim that the Chinese prefer different kinds of stories. I do not know if this claim is true because information about Chinese culture is being filtered through a political lens, a lens that does not want free men. There is no need to destroy the male hero story just because some women feel left out. Perhaps the definitive feminine epic has not been written yet. Perhaps in the female Journey, the woman gains courage and spreads joy, or perhaps it will be a different story. A great woman in the future will write that story.
Meanwhile, my Native American friend read the book “Black Elks Speaks” and loved the part about Crazy Horse. Like many people interested in Native American culture, this person assumes the book gives an accurate record of Native American beliefs. Neihardt, a bored white man, edited Black Elks’s words, adding the part about the death of Crazy Horse and the parts that sound like Plato. The book embodies the great American melting pot of ideas from many cultures. Both Black Elk and Neihardt developed their ideas before meeting each other. Both liked the philosophical ideas of the Catholic Church, which Paul and Augustine developed. Greek Platonic philosophy influenced Paul and Augustine. Multiple people talk in Neihardt’s book.
White people invented stereotypes about Native Americans, which portrayed them as wise. In the stereotype, Native American cultures lived close to the wilderness, and their stories reflect an understanding of Nature. I know a few Native Americans; some are wise and others are not like most people. Most of us have little in common with the Native American experience, so do not pretend to be one, though some ideas in old books about Native Americans are worth borrowing. The part about living close to Nature and understanding Nature seems like a good idea.
People can dress like other cultures when they admire those cultures, and sometimes, people from different cultures like when people dress like them. However, using cultural elements outside the original context disrespects the original creators if the original creators had an intimate experience not shared by outsiders. However, cultures change until people forget the original experience, and for a cultural element to survive, it needs to expand into a new context. The element might only survive in a context created by oppressors, even when the new context disrespects the original culture. You can appreciate the accomplishments of your ancestors, even though you live in the living culture, not an imaginary past. Also, neighbors divide into enemy camps when people identify with imaginary ancestors. We avoid these conflicts by accepting that culture belongs to everyone.
“The folklore of America has origins in all lands, all races, all colors. This story of faith and devotion springs from that source and seeks to capture those values.” (Cabin in the Sky, 1943)
European culture spread through conquest; it also has good parts. People influenced by European culture ended slavery, wrote the Bill of Rights, and stopped colonialism. Before European expansion, every group conquered and enslaved other groups, and about everyone in Europe, Asia, and Africa was treated like farm equipment. European colonialism kills millions; however, the descendants of those conquerors realize that people have value. Also, as Western civilization grew, industrialization damaged the environment, yet people in industrial cultures realized that the environment has value. Today, people all over the world have adopted these new values. We are all a continuation of European culture and will continue to improve our values.
Marxists want to destroy our accomplishments and our values, yet they want to use what we built. They were losing the cultural war, and then Gramsci realized that communists could win the revolution if they disrupted societal institutions (Gramsci, 1935). This “long march through the institutions” means that toxic complaining will be everywhere, and your workplace will ensure you understand equity and inclusion. People will no longer respect the great patriarchs of the past.
Section 3: Questionable Ethics
8
“I’m saying what I care about is the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while doing evil, fuck them. Okay?” (Musk, 2023)
Ibram Kendi wants to use the government to fight social problems (Kendi, 2019). Such goals are dangerous, especially when the government is trying to control what you do. Let us support the privilege of anyone who wants to live a full life. It doesn’t matter what color they are; everyone has the potential to live free. Progressives don’t want you to believe that you can stand up on your own two feet. They want you to think you need them. They want you on your knees, begging them for help. The world has too many dictators telling us what to do, and the last thing we need is more rules. They believe in cultural structures and see you as automated by culture, with no independent thoughts or needs. They are wrong; we have needs and the ability to make choices. The answers we need could be in the Canadian’s book, or they are not.
The old revolution did not help workers. The newer cultural reolution does not help the marginalized. People help themselves. All forms of organized authority, including business and church leaders, get in our way. Tribal leaders are acceptable as long as their government dies when the leaders die. Avoid building any institution that keeps growing long after the founders die. The United States used to be the land of the free; today, it has billions of laws with millions of citizens in jail. Jefferson, Franklin, and George never intended for the government to get this big.
People in modern society depend on experts to fix issues for them. Unfortunately, some experts want us to fight each other. Certain politicians don’t care who you hate. And those politicians claim to be against hate. During the French Revolution, Robespierre would preach against the death penalty (Speech, 1791). A few years later, Robespierre executed thousands of people. Apparently, some people can’t follow their own advice, and they make up excuses, or perhaps all progressive politicians are hiding the evil they want to do.
Politicians need to generate support to get political power, so they exaggerate, spread fear, and pretend to be necessary. Unfortunately, pretentious posers have no problem finding loyal fans because we all want to feel necessary by claiming to be part of a solution. This need to feel necessary makes people trust illusions and those who believe falshoods do not see the problem. Those in control of society will exaggerate any situation, creating fear that they use as an excuse to increase their control. They will use an epidemic or social conflict to put restrictions on people, and they will not give you your freedom back when the problem is gone. Protected rich people got spooked over something minor, so everyone must stay home. The only social interaction we are allowed is social media, which restricts what people can say. I get the impression they want to keep us separated so we cannot talk to each other.
If you support a law against murder, and the law leads to more murders, then are you a murderer? Law supporters need to take responsibility for the consequences. Consider all the people who died due to the war on Drugs. Journalists might blame a whole political organization when one person kills someone. They could be right if the organization promoted the killing. However, if the person acted alone, we do not need to blame the whole group. Politically motivated journalists are more likely to spread fear than truth. We do not need to fear more people. Civilization is held together with fear. People are not toxic; civilization is toxic.
Progressives plan how people should live. When these plans get forced into society, one person’s dream becomes another person’s nightmare. Therefore, no one should be forced to live another’s plan. The misuse of information happens whenever groups claim to know best for others. Someday, businesses will monitor every minute of our lives. Private information such as medical records and daily activities should only be given when the individual chooses to give this information. We need to stop building agencies that collect and use this information because people will misinterpret this information, and everything in your record can and will be used against you.
Universities, journalism, and social media try to control society by controlling information. We are constantly being monitored by programs designed to find which media will make us outraged against people. Do you want to live in a paranoid culture of fear, and mistrust where police dress in military armor, looking like Darth Vader, watching every move we make? Imagine what the police will do after seeing everything you do. The harmless stuff people do every day will end up getting people arrested. No Institution should ever be allowed to use personal information from anyone for any reason. Go down to your local government office to tell them you want all records about you deleted immediately. They will not respect your wishes.
In the old days, YouTube let people place video responses under videos. People could see who they were talking with. Today, on social media, responses can come from programs that sound human. Suppose you think a politician is terrible. Do you know why you think the politician is bad? Are you merely repeating what the programs said?
Section 4: Civilized I shall not be
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I have focused on Marxism in this book because it is one of the most active forms of civilization. All civilized progressivism is extinctionist because each step moves us further from nature and makes us less human. We can not allow the extinctionists to win. Do not trust the laws of civilization because everything it offers becomes an addictive drug. Never sign their contracts. Their deal takes you from you, and they will want more. Beware of religions, politics, or any systems that try to cage the beast. Honest people do not need to control other people’s thoughts.
The United States Bill of Rights limits the power of government. Unfortunately, Politicians reinterpret these laws, using them to reinforce the state. Before you pass laws, consider if people would live better off without these laws, consider the reasons you make these rules, consider if these reasons are valid, consider the consequences, and remember that even carefully planned legislation will make the situation worse when it has unforeseen consequences. Beware of legislation that reduces rights or liberties; governments tend not to give them back.
Less government would allow people to take their lives back. Downsize all branches of government. Too much authority allows those in power to interfere with us in ways that are none of the government’s business. Since politicians, police, prosecutors, and judges operate like a single mind, we need to separate those groups into unconnected businesses. A security organization should be treated like an optional business, where everyone has the right to reject this business. No one should ever be forced to accept a service they do not want. Therefore, courts would receive no authority over a person and only act as advisers.
Just for the hell of it, walk around any civilized city, and you will see unpleasant sights. A progressive might assume progress will one day solve these problems, and this faith in progress prevents people from seeing a better way. Remember, no one tested to ensure civilization was the best way to live before they forced it on us. Also, remember, the sins of civilization are your sins. Now, try to doubt progress. Let the illusion disappear and see events the way they are.
We cannot completely eliminate civilization, and society has to deal with it forever; therefore, get rid of it where possible, reform it where possible, and reduce it when we can. Do not accept it blindly. We need less government, and the government we keep needs to be better. The most powerful tool is the right to vote, and for democracy to work, we need an ongoing conversation between the people and their representatives. This will not happen if legislators spend time talking to organizations instead of individuals. No one will get their way with just one vote, but if enough of us vote regularly, politicians will eventually listen to us. The National Rifle Association gets its way because its members are the kind of citizens who vote. The Occupy Wall Street moment accomplished nothing; they don’t vote. Use democracy to build a quality life. To use democracy, start voting.
We could leave civilization. Henry David Thoreau and Edward Abbey went into the wilderness to see what it offered. They seem to like what they found, but that might only be true for them. The rest of us might have a different path. Though, I do think the cities are unhealthy places to live. Lovers of Nature can join groups that purchase some land, learn to live with it, and use only the technology they need. Don’t become discouraged if your first attempt fails. Learn from your mistakes, and then try again. Our natural social instincts make us work together to create stable societies, and in a small tribe, the individual’s contribution becomes necessary. The individual becomes less important in large organizations, and large organizations are not where our instincts belong.
Down in Davos, Switzerland, influential people talk about a Great Reset where they think they will solve world problems with more government. You will now be called a stakeholder, though they will make the decisions for you. We do not need it. The paranoid declare war on the world and feel safe with civilization. Fear destroyed their confidence. We need to discover our strengths, which are the parts of us that allow life to live in the community of the Earth. Though civilization has numbers on its side, do not surrender. Leaders only control you if you let them. The strength of character that we need is not the censorship that the gender studies classes want to force on everyone; it is more like Brigitte Bardot, who was admired long ago for speaking freely.
My old friend, the angry programmer, says that telling people to do anything thing they want is disrespectful to people. This person thinks rules keep people safe, dignified, and free, and the person wants to punish anyone who disagrees. I’ve been told everyone would run amok if we had too much freedom. You can worry about an increase in crime without authority. That is a valid concern. However, criminals depend on government institutions. They can make a mess, and the government cleans up for them. This criminal life would not work without the safety of the government. We do not know what would happen if people were allowed freedom for an extended period. All predictions on this issue are purely hypothetical. No one knows what would take over after civilization.
Do we need the Federal Reserve, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI? There are hundreds of departments we could eliminate. Once the government is reduced from trillions of dollars to a few million, we can eliminate most taxes. People in Congress will no longer be allowed to become rich. Instead, people in Congress will be required to sleep together in bunk beds and eat in a cafeteria. They must dress the same as workers, and everything they do is public information.
You might find my ideas too extreme and desire a more moderate path. Do you want a moderate lawyer who only half defends your case? Do you want a moderate security guard who lets the thieves take half your stuff? Compromise equals surrender when excuses replace resistance, and civilization advances by forcing Nature to compromise. Slowly, Nature will compromise away to nothing. Take the necessary point of view, Earth First!
Section 5: The Right Side of History
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Have you ever heard of the Environmental, Social, and Governance scores? It is a framework, whatever that means. So, who invented ESG, and how did they get control over us? Are they the United Nations? They call people stakeholders, like that arrogant Leninist named Klaus Schwab. Companies need a high score to get loans, which also means companies have to support leftist nonsense. That included nagging employees about diversity (McGowan, 2023). You might think think diversity is good. Unfortunately, promoting diversity has become the favorite tool of activists who want to divide society.
Back in the old days, Drag Queens such as RuPaul looked Attractive. The images that the Marxists are forcing businesses to display are ugly, annoying, and insulting. They are also making companies put these ugly displays everywhere. Ugly old men dressed like strippers started showing up in schools where young children were forced to look at them. The elitist news media called the parents homophobic when the parents complained. The new media also insisted that these clowns were real women. Activists invent pronouns, and you must use those pronouns, or you could lose your job. Using other people’s pronouns can be hard to do, especially when the narcissist does not look like a woman, and you must call them a woman even if you do not think they are a woman. You must all put on a false face and lie. Radical revolutionaries want you to fear your thoughts.
Whether you want to think of a transexual as a woman or a man does not make you transphobic. People can think either way and live long and be happy with transexuals. Activists accuse people of transphobia while they use transexuals to annoy society. These activists pretend to be allied with transexuals while they make society dislike transexuals. Unfortunately, our universities and entertainment industry do not want you to have your own opinions on this subject. They want to tell you what to think because they get their orders from the framework.
You might think that we need regulations. Even if that were true, the guys who make the regulations should be elected representatives because people are supposed to have some say in who makes the rules. The framework is managed by guys whom the people did not elect. These sneaky globalists use frameworks such as ESG and DEI to commit extortion on the institutions that people use. The obsession with political correctness has smothered our culture until Saturday Night Live is no longer funny, The New Yorker magazine is no longer smart, and superheroes are no longer heroic. They all repeat the same narrative over and over again, like the guards in Skyrim.
I heard that the giant investing company BlackRock no longer supports ESG. I am sure the framework has plenty of other evil schemes for us. In the news, we hear about billions of dollars that need to be spent fighting climate change and poverty. Exactly how this money is spent is too complicated for me to understand. I noticed that various groups are being created that also call us stakeholders. These groups are well funded, though they produce nothing. Their primary purpose is to regulate people. Agenda 2030 is the largest Framework that I know about. Instead of real solutions, the agenda repeats the words resilient, inclusive, and sustainable so you can feel safe. You no longer have the kind of liberty Jefferson tried to give us. You serve the collective. Soon, the Framework will be able to suspend your bank account, and you will need to keep your score up to go anywhere. Just say what they want you to say and do what they want you to do. Only the right servants are worthy to be used as bricks in the tower (reference, Shepherd of Hermas)
Without honest journalism, voters cannot make honest choices. Politicians get elected who are nothing but empty husks because the elitist news media invents fictional characters for these husks. Years ago, gamers asked for honesty in journalism. Feminists complained about the gamers because the feminists were narcists who could not see the larger problem. The problem was that popular media was protecting lies with more lies. We ended up with a world run by unelected bureaucrats who have given us endless wars, environmental programs that clean nothing, and social programs that make people dependent on the state.
Normal people would like a government that does not hate them. I heard that the natives of England are also hated by their government. I don’t know much about British politics other than that their socialists use a wolf in sheep’s clothing as a logo, and George Orwell tried to warn us about those socialists. Other European countries are also experiencing similar problems. You can call it Oligarchical Collectivism or Stakeholder Capitalism; it will not control us forever. No matter how many ugly images they throw our way, they can not break us. Our patriots are still proud. Every time the news calls us a lie, every time Hollywood calls us stupid, every time the justice department locks us up, we get stronger.
I’ve heard that back in the old days, politicians from different parties actually hung out with each other. Now, both parties act like gangs that perpetually impeach the other side’s president. One side will use lawfare against the other and claim that it is unconstitutional when it is used against them. We should be voting for Politicians who can talk to each other. In other words, no squads would be allowed.
Some day, the good guys will bring America back to America. Congress will salute the flag and say, “Make America Great Again.” Outside the Capital Building, we will build a monument that says, “Governments should fear the people.” Congress will pass an amendment to remove numerous buildings around Washington. This includes the FBI Headquarters, Federal Reserve Board Building, Internal Revenue Service Building, and any other buildings that have become a burden on the people. These organizations do not serve the people; they serve themselves. We, the people, must destroy these structures before they destroy us.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” (Jefferson, 1787)
The new age is slowly developing and barely noticeable at this time. The Age of Pisces ended in 1998 when the equinox Sun was at the point between the two points where the Milky Way crosses the ecliptic. During the Piscean age, people loved ideas more than nature. At first, Apollonian traditions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam, were dominant. Complete madness happened as institutions were given control over people. The new age of Aquarius is the Age of Aphrodite, where the body and the individual are respected. Christianity will live on as people will still find helpful advice in the words of Jesus; however, people will protect the Sacred Grove and see the gospel in a new way. There will be a new story about Bolon, the Sacred Grove’s supreme guardian. A new movement called the “Soul of Humanity” will allow humans to choose their place in the brave new world.
Section 6: You will own nothing, and you will be happy
11
I told an atheist friend that God was an atheist, and the atheist thought this statement was illogical. This atheist thinks the universe is bound to logic. Fortunately, I am not a Vulcan, so I can write a book and then change directions later because even after seeing a bunch of stuff, you can still discover that you were wrong about everything. So this other path might be more fun.
Liberals pretend to be the side that thinks about issues, which might have been true decades ago. All the information on the internet has not made people more knowledgeable. Instead, people avoid challenging questions and let the bots on Twitter think for them. The bots let you believe that we need more solar power. So, what happened to the solar panels that people installed ten years ago? They are now piles of rust. When you try to show a liberal that their plans did not work in the past, they ignore your evidence and call your ideas misinformation. The bots let them believe that your ideas were misinformation. So now liberals have been turned into socialist change agents and are ready to fight the discrimination they see all around them. What kind of world will they create?
A socialist might want to become the founder of an autonomous zone. Such socialists think people have hidden needs to contribute to the autonomous zone, and they think awakening those needs would turn the autonomous zone into a new Eden. In other words, they think that when they get rid of capitalism, everything will work out. Such projects fail because socialists have no idea what people need. People do not want to live next to walls covered with graffiti and urine. Activists burn down businesses yet build nothing because they reject the successful ways of our culture, and they have no realistic alternatives. I noticed that activists do not stay in the autonomous zones. They leave poor people to do all the work. Respectable people build their own stuff.
I also have no idea how to create a better society. Am I as silly as my friend who bought a Native American costume on the Internet? I do not wear a costume, but I follow a lot of unconventional ideas. At the beginning of this journey, I wanted to walk the Earth like Caine in the TV series Kung Fu (Carradine, 1972 – 1975). After more than a year, there was still something missing in my claims, something I had not yet considered. There could be a bunch of missing ideas.
This journey eventually reached tribal reservations. The houses, the cars, and even the roads seem worn out. I had seen these kinds of conditions in poor countries, but this was in the middle of the richest country in the world. Some say this place is the product of government Bureaucracy. Others say this place is what happens when a group of people do not care about another group of people. At a restaurant somewhere in South Dakota, or maybe Nebraska, a person who looked like a lady walked into the room. We started arguing about nothing important until the Native Americans started talking about walking in the way of the Animal. Did this person learn that expression from reading Black Elk, or does this person come from a place where people talk that way?
Though this person claimed not to enjoy prostitution and was not proud of being one, the person started bragging about sexual adventures. Of course, this attitude would be considered distasteful by most people; the uniqueness of this individual interests me. The attitude of this holy person resembles the one portrayed in the ancient hymn “Ishtar Will Not Tire” (Benjamin, 2015). Perhaps we could learn something from this sacred prostitute who acts as both the lowest and the highest form of tool. The one who does stuff so disgusting people become fascinated. I heard that in certain cultures, such individuals are a myth come to life, but that might be a rumor someone invented to attract tourists like me. I get the impression this person chose to live this way. But why?
Even before I met the person, I had been reconsidering my beliefs. What if I was wrong to see the satisfaction of emotion as the best goal, and why do I always think the ultimate answer to the universe is in front of me? Here I am, trying to find answers from a ridiculous person in the middle of nowhere. If there is no answer, all the great philosophers and mystics wasted their time. Or perhaps I’m too dumb to figure it out. What a useless trip this has been.
I noticed that people talk about stuff that they are part of. A sailor might talk about the sea. A hunter might talk about the forest. We find the Animal by being part of an activity. Life hurts when your activity requires you to face dangers and feel pain. Sometimes, the pain is worth the effort.
“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” (Mr. Savage, Brave New World, 1932)
I was young and strong back then. A healthy young person is a powerful creature, and I could do all those things Mr. Savage wanted to do. The Earth is my home, and even an overprotective civilization can’t stand in my way. The Dog could tell I had just learned something meaningful, tore a page out of a porno magazine, gave it to me, and then said, “Keep it, because now you know the shit.”
I exited the restaurant because the time had come to walk around the badlands for a few days. People in the local tribes seek visions in dark chambers. I prefer to walk. It’s time to leave these people to do whatever they do. I do not understand their culture and probably never will. The expensive Italian hiking boots had served me well for hundreds of miles, and now they are worn out, so they were taken off. The rough Earth felt good on my feet, which had been bound in a civilized garment for so long. My possessions are now down to one faded shirt, ragged pants, a small magic rock, and a recently acquired porn picture. Someone took my expensive sleeping bag, soft foam sleeping pad, and tent with gold poles. That’s OK. The time has come to get to know this cold, dry grassland where every step had sharp little rocks, prickly plants, and biting insects. The tree hugger Edward Abbey thought that this was the way to experience nature.
“You can’t see anything from a car; you’ve got to get out of the goddamn contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbrush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you’ll see something, maybe. Probably not.” (Abbey, 1968)
The domesticated feel scared and want a safe place to hide, caging themselves to have freedom from suffering, fearing the beast within when the beast wants to leave the cage. They want freedom from the beast. Instead, let us find the freedom to be the Animal by saying yes to life. Do not fear, and feel the next age coming. Let the strange distortions in your visions seem clearer. Only someone decadent would allow themselves to fall into chaos and corruption when most of us feel secure in the protected civilization, feeling no need to face the horrors outside. People like me tend to seek the sleazy underworld, dislike the orderly, lawful light, and prefer primal darkness. Our ancestors struggled to rise above the primal slime. This book tells you to slide back into it.
A car drove up, and the cop gave me one of those looks police used to make us submit. At over six feet tall, I would have the advantage in a fair fight, but the officer has the support of an entire civilization. Even before we were born, civilization was our enemy; its institutions were ready to domesticate us. When the hand of civilization reaches out to smack you, should we hit back or submit? But this officer is a civil servant doing a job and probably has a loving family. Conflict with this officer would serve no purpose. The best way to handle this situation is to remain polite. But do not submit. I looked at the officer and then said, “I walk where I want to walk.”
The End
Live Wild Or Die
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