Meaning

by Skald

"People have enough to live, but nothing to live for; they have the means but no meaning."

--Robert Fogel

There's America in a nutshell. Weve got enough. 99% of us. Weve got enough food. Weve got enough clothes. Weve got adequate shelter. Our physical & economic needs are met.

What drives the capitalist system is not need... its obsessive desires. Almost every mystical-religious tradition in history recognizes that the reduction of craving is key to happiness. They recognize the essential benefits of simplicity. They stress awareness, direct engagement.

In other words, business thrives by thwarting the spiritual. Businesspeople are anti-Buddhists... their goal is to increase craving. And if Buddhists/Hindus/Mystics are right, their goal is therefore to increase suffering. Is modern business evil?

Wanting more, more, more is a one way ticket to misery. Buddhists call such people "hungry ghosts"... whose appetites can never be satisfied. These are people in a perpetual state of scarcity.

Most Americans fit this description. Despite being the wealthiest nation on Earth, they want more. Despite having an unchallengable military, they feel insecure. Despite a million "time saving" devices, they feel rushed. Despite cutting edge communication technology, they feel lonely and isolated. The more they collect, the more vulnerable they feel. The more they own, the more they are imprisoned by their possessions. The more they eat, the more sickly they become.

Sadly (and somewhat humorously), Americans try to fill their spiritual void with yet more things. They try to spend their way to happiness, meaning, connection. I find this comical... because the solution is so damned simple.

Work less. Talk to people. Read. Write. Create. Feel. Love. Observe silently. Meditate. Reflect. Listen. Travel. Explore.

None of this requires much money. None of it requires expensive gadgets. Anyone can do these things.

Break the spell of marketing and life becomes so much EASIER. No need to struggle.

Life can be a marvelous pastime. And a wonderful journey.

Social Networks

by Skald

Involuntary homelessness is a complex problem. As some have noted, a central factor for many of these people is addiction. Its not that they lack a hobopoets insight or intelligence. The problem,... what keeps them in such a mean and horrid state... is their addiction to alcohol (or, sometimes, opiates/amphetamines,...). The drug addiction takes over and becomes the overriding force in their life. It might destroy their autonomy and send them into homelessness. Or, perhaps, they may turn to alcohol (or addictive drugs) to mentally escape the suffering caused by involuntary homelessness.

Whatever the reason, once someone is in the full grips of addiction, theres not much you can do for them. They have entered the mental wilderness alone and really, only they can get themselves out again.

As a social worker, I had jobs working with addicts. Ill be blunt... I found them to be horrible clients. Many folks "in treatment" do not, in fact, have any desire to break their addiction. Rather, many (most?) are under some kind of coercion: from family, bosses, or the law. After a few years of working with them, I realized I had nothing to offer them.. and no answers for them.

Leaving addicts aside... what is the other central cause of involuntary homelessness? In my opinion, its the lack of a social network. In other words, the lack of a tribe. Any one of us could find ourselves on the verge of homelessness. It only takes losing your job. Or suffering a car accident. Or a debilitating disease. Or another emergency situation that suddenly depletes finances.

Most of us, however, are not in danger of becoming involuntarily homeless.. because we have family and/or friends who would help us in such situations. I, for example, could always stay with my sister, or my mother, or my best friends. Theyd never let me be tossed onto the street. Likewise, Id never let them suffer that fate.

Some folks lack this support network. For whatever reason, they dont have a supportive family (or one at all). And they dont have reliable friends. So, when a financial disaster strikes.. they are alone. No where to turn. No one to help. Our modern capitalist society seems to be increasing the number of such isolated people.

Thus, I believe its an imperative for every hobopoet (or part-time hobopoet) to create their own tribe. Your tribe might include your biological family... or it might not. It will probably include a few close, dependable, loyal, like-minded friends... your adopted family.

Im blessed to have such a tribe. A tribe that not only supports me... but travels with me (and I with them). Our little nomadic group has lived in South Carolina, Georgia, Thailand... and now San Francisco together. One member helped me settle in this expensive city... and soon I will help another (by offering a free place to live till they get a reliable income, apartment, etc.).

I believe in self-reliance. Im stubbornly independent. But even I recognize the power... and the human (physical, emotional) NECESSITY.. of belonging to a tribe.

As the esteemed Hakim Bey says, "End your addiction to bitter loneliness".

Success, Power, and Respect

by Skald

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
--The Tao Te Ching

The above line provides a clue to my recent "success" at work. In fact, since becoming a hobopoet... Ive noticed I get much more respect from bosses and co-workers.. when I must work. I also seem to "get" more freedom and autonomy on the job. More independence. Less annoyance and bullshit.

At first glance this might seem strange. Why would living in my car produce benefits at work? Why would drastically simplifying, following my whims, and travelling the world translate to more power when I choose to work?

Perhaps "conventional wisdom" is wrong. The conventional view is that respect & "success" come from lofty goals, hard work, and loyalty to the company. We are supposed to be driven, type-A personalities in order to succeed. To earn more respect/money... we are told to kiss ass, and slave away.

But that, really, is a slaves way of thinking. And if you think like a slave, you will most likely act like one... and thus be treated like one. But if you are free, if you are autonomous... if you dont need a job.. you tend to project a detached kind of power. People sense it and respect it. They know they cant fuck with you too much.

My sister, who lives a very conventional life... nevertheless reports a similar phenomenon. She works for IBM and thinks "IBM is bullshit". She has a fiery personality,... quick to tell her boss to piss off. She reports, "The more independent and defiant I am, the more they keep giving me raises".

Success is not money. Its not a big car or an obnoxiously large house. Success is self-reliance.. autonomy, freedom.. living the life that makes you happiest. Success is the will and the power to follow your bliss.

Do that, and you just might find that monetary success happens too... as a byproduct!

Weird Byproducts

by Skald

Prior to choosing a hobopoet life, I thought "more money" was the key to freedom. Stuck in the mainstream mindset, I thought if I could just make & save enough.. Id be able to "retire early" and finally escape wage slavery.

Time and again I tried to find schemes for making more money. I kept hoping for a "good job". I imagined starting my own business in order to "be free and get rich". But there were problems. For one, every entrepreneur I knew seemed overworked and miserable.. more slaves to work than when they were employees. Second, I had no passion for business.

I finally realized I lacked the greed necessary for getting rich. I turned my attentions to the other side of the equation-- drastically reducing my needs. This proved a much more successful approach.... (and continues to be).

However. Something strange has happened. The simpler I live.. the freer I become.. the better my "career" seems to go. No longer terrified of being fired.. Im now bolder when I teach. I pretty much do what I want, how I want. I work where I want.. quickly abandoning (or getting fired from) places that bore or disrespect me.

As a result, Im actually having fun. I love teaching foreign students.. love being in the class.. love being creative. That love breeds passion.

The end result of this freedom, passion, and boldness is that Im earning more money... despite having no goal to do so. They gave me a raise today. And talked to me about an upcoming "academic director" position they are considering... and want me to take.

I dont think Im alone. Its a phenomenon often observed... the byproduct of a taoist "no effort" mindset. When you struggle. When you "need" more. When you strive, fret, worry... you naturally create resistance. People sense your desperation. Perhaps the universe does too. (This is a common dating phenomenon, for example. The more you "need" a girl/guy, the less they seem attracted to you).

Whatever the reason, the easiest way to get more is often by letting go. As the "Tao of Steve" puts it:

Be desireless. Be excellent.

(And if the bastards screw you)... Be gone.

Small Houses

by Skald

"What if small were fashionable? Is it just me, or have we hit some sort of consumer zenith? Our meals, houses and automobiles are supersized, but the sheer number of things we own, or are told we must own, has also grown exponentially in the past few years. All this stuff cannot help but add to the high stress levels Americans report in their lives.

What if small were to become fashionable? What if we were to decide, as a community, that quality mattered more than quantity? What if we had to move into spaces half the size we now occupy? Besides solving not a few local housing problems, how liberating would that be?"

--Lynette Evans (San Francisco Chronicle)

The above quote is from a column in a mainstream newspaper. Could it be that hobopoet principles are seeping into more mainstream channels? Could it be that a few good citizens are finally tiring of the stress associated with insatiable consumption?

Whether this is the case or not, what's clear is that the current lifestyle is not sustainable. It will come crashing down. As the world's population expands, as China/India and others approximate the American lifestyle... huge strains will occur. We are already hearing warnings about "the end of oil". Climatologists are warning that global warming may, in fact, be occurring much faster than theyd originally thought. Fresh water supplies are already under strain in many countries.. particularly in Asia.

Can the world support American-lifestyles in China? India? Brazil? Thailand? Indeed, can the American economy support these lifestyles much longer? As debt and oil prices rise, something must eventually give.

These ideas are no longer considered radical. They are popping up in mainstream papers throughout the world.. not in large numbers.. but still, you can sense a slow realization.

Remember this: As hobopoets, we are in the vanguard. For personal and public reasons, we've realized the benefits of simplicity. While we may feel isolated and misunderstood, our lifestyle will increasingly make sense to ever-larger numbers of people.

By necessity, the hobopoet way is the way of the future.

Cheap Food

by Skald

Soba is one of my staples. Soba are Japanese buckwheat noodles. Cheap. SUPER easy to make. They are even simpler than spaghetti... no need to heat up a big batch of sauce. The best complement to soba noodles is dashi.. a kind of mild soy sauce.

In the past, I shunned cooking because it seemed too complicated, messy, and time consuming. But Im finding that food can be simplified, just like other areas of my life. No need for complex recipes. No need for time-consuming preparation.

Raw foods are the simplest, of course. An apple requires no prep whatsoever. Noodles, especially wholewheat, buckwheat, and the like.. are also very quick and easy.

With a tiny investment, you can buy a cheapo rice cooker and greatly expand the possibilities. When I cook rice, I usually add a package of tofu to the pot... and maybe veggies & soy sauce too. Hit the "on" button, and in thirty minutes you've got a meal...

This kind of cooking is far healthier than using over-processed microwavable crap. That shit is loaded with salt, sugar, and/or fat. Same goes for fast food restaurants.

Also, cooking like this is far cheaper. You pay a big price for processing. While organic whole foods may be a bit pricier than their pesticide-laden counterparts.. they are much cheaper than the packaged/processed stuff most people now eat.

Eat simply. Live simply. Be healthy.

Insurance, Hobopoet Style

by Skald

Good citizens in the US spend outrageous amounts of money on insurance. This is particularly true as one moves up the income ladder. Once folks acquire a bunch of shit... they become increasingly terrified of losing it. We've got renters insurance, fire insurance, house insurance, car insurance, life insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance...... Thus, our possessions continue to drain away financial resources, even after they are "bought and paid for" (to say nothing of the mental energy they drain).

But money cannot buy security. True security comes from trusting yourself.. from knowing you will act appropriately should disaster strike. Security does not come from fearing change.. but from confidently responding to it.

Van living gave me a great deal of security.. which I still enjoy today. By living as a voluntary "homeless person", I learned that I could survive on very very little. I learned I could survive, COMFORTABLY, without an apartment... and without stacks of possessions. Having learned that, I now have less fear of unemployment. I dont fear being fired either.. its not a coincidence that I was never fired prior to my hobopoet experiments.. but since that first car living stint.. have been fired twice.

This is my idea of insurance: A quality backpack stuffed with survival essentials (see previous post).... and a "cache" of six months survival living expenses (maybe 2000 dollars at minimum). A van, outfitted for living, would drastically increase the level of "coverage". As would a larger cache.

Thats it. Thats all the insurance I need... should financial disaster strike... Im suddenly fired, for example... I take comfort knowing I could always shoulder the pack and head to a camp on the beach. Or maybe a financial emergency hits.. Im forced out of my apartment. I could continue to work my PT job while living "homeless"... until I saved enough money to get back to a more comfortable shelter.

For this reason, if no other.. I highly recommend that every would-be hobopoet give voluntary homelessness a try... even if just for a summer. Prove to yourself that you can survive it in relative comfort. Prove to yourself that you need, in fact, very little. Whether you are a millionaire or broke artist.. give it a try for a short time.. just enough to establish certainty in your mind.

Once thats in place, youll experience a huge boost in confidence. Others (especially "bosses") wont be able to control you.

Ultimately, fear is what keeps us enslaved. Fear of loss. Fear of deprivation and poverty. Confront that fear head-on...

Vanquish it. Claim your personal power!

Homeless In SF

by Skald

SF's homeless problem weighs on my mind. There are so many people on the streets here.. and this week has been cold, windy, and rainy. Miserable weather for them. Two questions cross my mind. First, how might this problem be "solved"? Second, if I were in their shoes, how could I lessen the misery?

I addressed the first question in a previous post (build MadHouser huts!).

Now for the second. Is it possible to live a relatively healthy and comfortable life as a homeless person in SF? I think it is.

The first issue is, of course, shelter from rain, wind, and cold... especially for sleeping. During the day, the library offers warmth if no other options present themselves. Night is the true challenge.

Bare minimum, Id need some warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag.. perhaps a 3/4 bag that could be stuffed in a small pack. If this proved too expensive, a thick (but compact) fleece blanket might suffice. Clothes would need to be of insulating synthetics such as polypropylene (or wool)... including long underwear, pants, a long sleeve shirt, sox, a pullover fleece and a hat. A scarf would be nice too. Id need a pack to carry all this in.

For shelter, a plastic tarp would do the trick. This is what I use when I camp... a 6ft x 4ft sheet of plastic painters "dropcloth" plus some rope. In cold and windy weather, a tarp can be set up flush with the ground on three sides. Ive used this arrangement during intense storms, hiking the Appalachians, and it always kept me warm and dry. The plastic is very light and can be compressed very tightly for packing.

A few toiletries would enable me to stay clean-- toothbrush, hand towel (or camp towel), deodorant stone, liquid soap.

At first glance, this seems like an impossible list for many homeless. And for those already on the sidewalk.. completely broke.. it probably is. But for someone with a little money... soon to be, but not yet, homeless... its a doable list. In fact, I notice that many of the city's homeless already have most of these things. Some have even more.. and push their belongings around in shopping carts (an unwise strategy, in my view).

SF is well stocked with thrift shops. With persistence, most of the above clothes could be found for very little money. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the shops here. The one run by a SF AIDS foundation ("Out of the Closet") has a particularly good selection of clothes.. including synthetic fleece pullovers and other good-quality stuff. Most sell for $2-5 dollars. Ive seen sleeping bags, occasionally, as well. Of course, painters plastic costs almost nothing. Same with rope. Stakes can be scrounged from sticks.

Once supplied, the next issue is WHERE to camp. This is where most of the city's homeless, in my opinion, make a huge mistake. Most choose sidewalks downtown. Usually you seem them stretched out in doorways late at night and early in the morning. They look miserable. And no wonder. Concrete is a horrible surface.. sucks the warmth like a magnet. Also, a downtown sidewalk is perhaps the least safe place to sleep in the city. You are totally exposed to every drunk asshole or thug who walks by.

You're exposed to the weather too. An awning and doorway do little to protect from the wind and rain.

Id stay away from downtown at night. Instead.. Id head out to The Sunset &/or The Richmond. These are quiet residential areas that stretch all the way to oceanside beach. THAT's where Id camp... behind the dunes on the beach. Id ride the streetcar to the end of the line.. walk to the beach.. then head north or south for about 30 minutes or more to find good cover and solitude. Here, Id set up my tarp for protection from wind and rain. I would use grass, leaves, or cardboard under the sleeping bag.. to prevent heat loss to the ground.

In the mornings, Id pack everything and walk back to the MUNI streetcar. I would ride for free... back into town. The drivers never check for tickets. Ive heard that officials occasionally get on and check for tickets... but even if fined, how in the hell can they collect from a homeless person living on the beach? Most likely, with a bit of pleading ("be kind man, Im homeless") you could get out of a ticket anyway.

Id try to keep myself clean. When van living, I sometimes sponge-bathed in public bathrooms (always careful to clean them thoroughly after use). Another option would be to bathe in the ocean... then sponge off with a bit of fresh water and a hand towel. I probably wouldnt bother with shaving, but would use a small set of scissors to keep my beard trim/neat. Id wash clothes in the sink of public bathrooms... stuff them in a plastic bag.. dry them at night on the beach.

Finally, there is the issue of food. The simplest solution: foodstamps. Foodstamps provide about $160 dollars a month. Thats not a lot. But, through careful shopping.. buying only generics and on-sale items.. its possible to eat off that. A bit of part-time work (legal or "grey") could supplement this meager amount.

During the day, Id spend lots of time at the library: reading books, blogging, watching movies, emailing. Id try to keep fit through walking... and yoga on the beach in the AM.

It would not, necessarily, be fun. But it would be far more healthy, far more enjoyable, far more humane, than the way most SF homeless people live.

Look Inward

by Skald

"Direct your eye right inward, and you'll find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered. Travel them, and be expert in home-cosmography".

--Thoreau

Im habitually stunned. Shocked. I find it very hard to understand-- just how little most people know themselves. Most, in fact, seem to go to great lengths to AVOID self knowledge. They avoid silence. They avoid solitude.

Given a moments peace and quiet.. they immediately reach for the TV or radio. No wonder they are such easy marks for bosses and advertisers. No wonder the mass of Americans gobble up the propaganda.

Most people, it seems, equate "reading" with reflection. Being well read, they believe, equates with self knowledge, intelligence, and originality. They parrot other people's words and consider themselves wise.

Of course we all do this.. and reading does indeed have many benefits (thus my frequent Thoreau quotes, for example).

But this is not self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is an inward.. not an outward journey. Typically, it is a word-less journey... an exploration of images, sensations, emotions, sounds.

There are many means of exploring oneself. The simplest is to sit quietly and observe one's thoughts. This is what zen folks call "mindfulness meditation". Its not as easy as it sounds. Give it a try.. if you are like most people you'll be astounded by the following: how rushed and almost random your thoughts are, how thoughts seem to arise out of "nowhere" and return again to "nowhere", how little conscious control you have over these "random" thoughts, and how difficult it is to observe quietly without trying to assert control.

Another method is vipassana meditation. Here, the focus is on bodily sensations, rather than thoughts. The meditator scans the body.. noticing, but not judging or reacting to, pain, pleasure, warmth, cold, vibrations, etc....

Then there are shamanic methods. Using various plant entheogens, the neo-shaman explores beyond-ordinary states of consciousness.. from the sensory, to the "cellular", to the "atomic", to the "energetic-quantum". Strange visions may occur. Encounters with "alien" intelligences. Or pure immersion in form, energy, wordless, immediate reality (or realities).

Back towards the everyday levels of consciousness... a daily journal is a good method. Pour out thoughts and feelings as fast as they come... watch as they evolve from day to day, year to year. A blog, in fact, can serve this purpose.

Of course, the most serious approach is to employ all of the above.. and more as they are discovered. Whatever the method, keep firmly fixed in your mind the following questions:

What/Who, EXACTLY, am "I"?
What is the nature of "myself"? What makes "me", me?
Where do "I" stop, and "everything else" start?
What is "real"? What is "not real"?
Where do my thoughts, ideas, beliefs "come from"?

Reading and other mediated/communicated forms of knowledge are highly valuable. But they are only valuable when combined with copious direct experiences of inward exploration. Without self-knowledge, we have no basis whatsoever for evaluating mediated knowledge.

Self-knowledge... direct experience... always takes primacy.

So turn off that damn TV. And the radio. Close the book. Throw away the magazines and newspapers. And for a while, turn off the computer too.

Dare to delve inward.. in silence. Alone. No guide. No teacher. No one to explain, evaluate, or interpret your experiences.

No one but you.

"Take your wisdom from your own experience.... " (Kerouac)

Shelter

by Skald

"Consider first how slight a shelter is absolutely necessary. I have seen Penobscot Indians, in this town, living in tents of thin cotton cloth, while the snow was nearly a foot deep around them, and I thought that they would be glad to have it deeper to keep out the wind. I used to see a large box by the railroad, six feet long by three feet wide, in which the laborers locked up their tools at night; and it suggested to me that every man who was hard pushed might get such a one for a dollar, and, having bored a few auger holes in it, to admit the air at least, get into it when it rained and at night, and hook down the lid, and so have freedom in his love, and in his soul be free. This did not appear the worst, nor by any means a despicable alternative".

--Thoreau

Lets be clear, governments do not want to solve the homeless problem... that is to say, they are not concerned about providing shelter for homeless people. The problem, to their mind, is not shelter, nor food. The problem is how to domesticate homeless people and turn them into dutiful wage slaves. Thus, the homeless "solutions" we get all involve massive expenditures and plenty of "social work" designed to convert folks into worker bees. That these "solutions" are statistical failures in no way causes city/state governments to change their approach.

Homelessness is very easy to solve.. as Thoreau suggests. Dignity Village proves the same thing. People do not require super-expensive "affordable housing". For a couple hundred dollars each, mad-houser style huts could adequately house ever homeless person in SF.. at a fraction of the cost it takes to run shelters and other programs. These huts would be warm and relatively safe.. and would provide residents with a degree of autonomy. Of course, thats the problem. Good citizens dont want to give these folks autonomy. Theyd rather spend ten times the money to create failed programs that include heavy doses of social control.. than simply provide for the basic needs of "the homeless".

And so the streets of SF are filled with folks camped on sidewalks, in alleys.. all over the damn city. SF's homeless are either safely regulated and controlled in shelters... or they are consigned to misery. To simply give them cheap & comfortable huts would give away all leverage... why, theyd be under no pressure to become wage slaves. Better to keep them miserable or on a leash.. whatever the cost.. whatever the damage to the city's "quality of life".

Mental Benefits

by Skald

Up to now Ive tended to focus on the financial benefits of simplicity.... and the benefit of increased "free time". Related to these are many mental benefits.

"Our life is frittered away by detail... In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion."

--Thoreau

Most modern Americans (and Japanese) seem excessively frantic. Many of my friends and family are ruled by daily "to do" lists. It seems they never manage "to do" everything that needs to be done. As soon as one item is checked off the list, three more are added. They are always hurrying. They seem to feel guilty if they take a little time to relax and do nothing. And its not only work. Their "free time" does not seem very free. Rather, they impose the same regimented mentality to life outside work as is imposed on the job.

Thus, even during their meager "time off", they never really relax. I can remember being perplexed and amused, as a child, by my parents obsession with "errands". They were always running errands. There always seemed to be bills to pay, something to buy, something to fix,... and these activities always carried a whiff of obligation... as if my parents would much rather be doing something else.

I often hear adults complain that "children today" have no attention span. I find these adults are not much better than the children they bemoan. Rare is the person who will join me for a few hours in a coffee shop... just chatting, reading, writing. They quickly become agitated. I can see them running through the "to do" list... growing more frantic with each passing minute as their "free time" ticks away.

Regardless of its economic effects, simplicity is a valuable pursuit because of its mental benefits. It frees ones mind from a million trivial details.

One reason so many people forget their dreams and lose touch with their passions is that they never take the time to examine their own instincts. It takes time to rediscover ones deepest desires. It takes time to separate conditioning from deeper principles. It takes time to live deliberately. Folks seem to think a two week vacation on the beach (busily "doing things) is enough to rejuvenate. But it takes far more time.

Most people seem terrified of their own mind. Left with nothing but their own thoughts, they panic. The veneer of happy success suddenly drops away. Feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety flood forth. Most people panic... take out the to-do list... and run from their thoughts.

Reflection takes time.... and it takes a willingness to confront difficult feelings. It also takes quiet and simplicity. This is a process of months and years... not weeks.

Most mainstream folks will insist they are happy, successful, and satisfied. No doubt a few of them are. But most are putting on an act. Most are desperate. Most feel empty inside... they've lost something. Their passion for life is gone. Their sense of awe and mystery is gone. Their sense of purpose is gone. Wildness, ferocity, enthusiasm... gone. Replaced by forced joviality.

How do I know these are fake? By observing them when they are not distracting themselves with trivia. Sit them in a quiet cafe and watch what happens. Start asking tough/deep questions, and watch the agitation.

Luckily, there is an easy way out of the trivia trap. Freedom begins not with a shout... nor with rebellion. It begins in quiet reflection, born of simplicity.

Simplicity Is For Everyone

by Skald

A simpler lifestyle does not only benefit those with a small income. While I choose to live lean... on a very modest income... I by no means believe everyone must do this. In fact, a big income multiplies the benefits of the hobopoet lifestyle.

The key.. the basic principle.. is to live BELOW your means... Preferably well below. Got a big income? Bringing in $200,000 a year? Great! Its even easier for you to attain freedom and autonomy.

We all complain about money. We all think more will solve our problems. Those making 10,000 dollars a year think they'd be free, happy, and satisfied if they could pull in 24,000. But those making 24k think 35k will do it.

Its the capitalist-consumer disease... nothing is ever enough. My father was bringing in 80k. Youd think that would be plenty, but he was convinced he needed more. Even the super-rich... the likes of Bill Gates.. think they need more. They are not driven by financial necessities... yet they believe more money, more power, more influence will do the trick. While Gates may live in mansions and travel via private jet... he is, in many ways, as much a slave as the poor suckers toiling away in his offices. He's a slave to his own greed.

As are most of us.

But there is a cure to this disease... voluntary simplicity. We dont need to start by imitating Thoreau. The first step... the easy step.. is to start by living slightly below our means. Spend less each month than you make. Then, month by month, year by year.. increase the gap between the two. Keep chipping away at superfluous luxuries. Downsize your living space... go smaller, go cheaper. Downsize your transportation expenses.

The big income earners can, in this way, create a HUGE gap between what they earn and what they spend. That gap first funds a six month to one year cache... enough to live off without a job. After that, the extra can be divided among investments and play.

For those of us with modest incomes, the process is essentially the same. And while we may have less income to play with, we often have less psychological addiction to status symbols... and thus can make a quicker transition to simplicity.. and freedom.

In short-- start where you are. Dont compare yourself to me or others. Its not necessary to live in a van.. unless you want to. The important point is the direction your life takes.... Will you remain addicted to MORE. Or will you pursue the far richer path to LESS?

Time

by Skald

There are many benefits to living a simpler life... but perhaps, in our modern society, time is the biggest. I remember what it used to be like for me, back in my full time wage slave days. I never felt I had enough time. What a shock it was, going from university life (tons of "free" time) to working. My first summer at IBM, I was severely depressed. I woke at 6:30 am. Commuted an hour to two hours (depending on traffic). Worked 8+ hour days (though "work" is an inaccurate word.. I was bored out of my fucking mind). I arrived home at 6/7pm... exhausted. Exhausted by boredom. Exhausted by the stressful commute.

I had two measly days, Sat & Sun, that were "mine". As each week went by, my sense of desperation grew. I felt enslaved. I couldnt imagine living an entire adult life in that way. The seeds of my hobopoet lifestyle were born then. I knew I had to find a better way. It took me many years to find the (obvious) solution.

And now? Occasionally I bitch about my 20 hour workweek. Yet I love the work I do... and most days have a great time doing it. My commute? 5 minutes walking... for a total of 10 minutes a day. I work Monday-Thursday... and so have a three day weekend. Even better, Im not only a part time worker... I am also temporary.. in the sense that I usually alternate working for a few years.. then taking a year or more off.

Compared to my wage slave days, I have plenty of time. I spend hours loafing in coffee shops. I read like crazy. I have plenty of time for this blog AND my other blog. I go to the gym 1-2 hours a day.. sometimes to workout.. often just to sit in the sauna and hot tub. I often go for long walks in the city. In fact, I never use the bus system because Im rarely in a hurry. The city is only 7x7 miles long.. so I pretty much walk everywhere (occasionally taking the subway to visit friends who live south of Mission).

Im a bit of an indy movie buff... and have plenty of time for renting or going to movies. When I want to travel, I rarely take a typical American "vacation"... ie. a pitiful two weeks. Usually I quit my current job and travel for 2 months at minimum.... longer if I can afford it.

By living a simple life day to day, I not only have time for all these pursuits... I have enough money as well.

Big noble causes are great. I wholeheartedly agree with Thoreau's big picture principles. I admire people who live simply for spiritual or environmental reasons.

But truth be told... the selfish reasons are most compelling to me. By living simpler, Im having a lot more fun in my life. Im more relaxed. Im more intellectually stimulated. I have the time to follow my bliss... anywhere it takes me. I have more mastery over my own life.

Simplicity IS a noble principle. But its also a damn practical strategy for greater freedom and happiness.

Faith

by Skald

We dont need much. Its easy to "make a living" if we will only live simply.... it was Thoreau's message.. and mine as well. Thoreau was absolutely right, most of us are needlessly enslaved all our lives. Not by force. Not by necessity. By choice... Because of the lifestyle choices we make.

We are taught that we need more more more more more more more more more. The media bombards us. But thats not all. We are also surrounded by fearful slaves eager to "protect" us from the discomfort of freedom. They are our family, our friends, our co-workers. They are well meaning, but completely in the grip of fear...

When I lived in my van, I was plagued by doubters. I had enough of my own worries, and they fed off them. My family filled me with fears about criminals assaulting me. They fretted about the weather.. surely I would freeze. They were horrified by the "hardship" I would endure.

Though I no longer live in a van, the steady stream of worries continues. They fret because I dont have health insurance. They fret because I sleep on the floor (a mattress, seemingly, is now a "necessity"). Everyone is convinced that I cant possibly be happy in a tiny one room studio, sleeping on the floor. How can I survive without cable TV? How can I sleep without a $200 mattress? How do I tolerate the "hardship" of walking down the hall to use the bathroom? How can I possibly get by without a car? How can I continue to live a "student lifestyle" at my age.... I should be living in a McMansion, paying off a $150,000 mortgage. I should have a car payment. I should be stacked with credit cards.

The shock extends to dating. Its one reason I am no longer interested in dating American women. They are, as a general rule, superficial. Theyre looking for expensive clothes, a "cool" apartment, and plenty of cash. If/when I describe my lifestyle, the horrified shock instantly flashes on their faces.

Its amazingly easy to be free. Contrary to the mass conditioning, we in fact need very little in terms of material possessions.

The hard part is not living simply, the difficult challenge is pyschological-- dealing with the relentless assault from media and people in our social circle. Its not easy. It took me a great deal of time to unravel this mass hypnosis... see it for what it is. It took me even longer to accept that Id forever be outside the "mainstream"... that most folks would never understand or accept my lifestyle.

However, it was worth the effort. I passed through several lonely years. But if you follow your principles, eventually opportunity opens. As I committed to an autonomous life, I gradually met like minded people. Over time Ive built my own hobopoet tribe. And Ive even had a very healthy dating life.

And so, with the benefit of hindsight, I offer this advice: Endure the doubts-- your own and those of others. Endure temporary loneliness. Endure the criticism and worries. Go forward boldly, with faith in yourself and your convictions. Do so, and doors will open where you never imagined they'd be (Thoreau).

Entheogen Info

by Skald

"Documenting the complex relationship between humans and psychoactives"

Thats the tag line for Erowid, the most extensive web site (I know of) about psychoactive substances. The site is a rich storehouse of information... scientific, experiential, and legal. For accurate information about drugs and their effects, including shamanistic uses, check out this website. Erowid presents clear minded information, without the "thought crime" hysteria found on most sources re: this topic.

Read Erowid and just say "yes".

Great Blog

by Skald

I just realized that another of my posts has disappeared. It was there yesterday, gone today. What the hell is going on? Is blogger censoring me, or just screwing up my blog out of incompetence? If its censorship, couldnt they at least do me the courtesy of INFORMING me?

Anyway, here's the other missing post:

I highly recommend an anarchist blog/site called the Anthropik Tribe. The tribe writes about ecology, anarchism, primitivism.... and various other heresies.

Check them out at: Anthropik

Escaping the Blogger Censors- Suggestions?

by Skald

Looks like I need to find a different host for my blog.. as I cant tolerate the suits at Blogger/Google deciding what is "acceptable" and what is not. Google has clearly crossed over to the dark side.. enthusiastically teaming up with the Chinese government to censor web content. Do a search on Google's China site and you will find no mention of the Tiananmen Square massacre... just pictures of smiling happy people. Will Google help the Chinese government track down dissidents who disobey the censorship laws (as Microsoft and Yahoo have)? Im sure they will.

Its all about cash. Corporations and the people who work for them have no principles.. other than profit. For enough profit they would sell their mothers into sexual slavery, no doubt. For the billions they'll make from China, they will become an active agent of censorship and totalitarianism.

They extend this policy to the US, albeit in more subtle ways. Theyve chosen to censor my writings about ganga (even though these activities are, in fact, legal in the state of California... where I live). Google/Blogger has stepped over the line from a search and storage company to a company that decides editorial content. Theyve appointed themselves judges of what thoughts may be expressed and which may not.

Which is unacceptable to me. And so I need another host for this blog. I need a host that will not censor my writing.. or otherwise interfere.

Any suggestions?

Google Is Evil

by Skald

Apparently Google (parent company of Blogger) does not confine its censorship activities to China. My last post, titled "The Grey Economy", has mysteriously disappeared. Here one minute, gone the next. I got no notice from anyone as to why it was removed. Creepy.

This is the very definition of a "thought crime".... suppress the expression of certain thoughts, and the writing of certain ideas.

Just in case you missed the post... it was about the "grey economy" in SF. Specifically I wrote about my encounter with ganga growers in the city.. and how this "industry" seems to supplement a large number of people's incomes. I also recommended that readers in liberal locations (ie, with medical ganga laws) consider joining this grey economy as a means of living more autonomously.

But these are heresies in America.. and much of the world. So much so that the inquisitors cannot allow the ideas to be published... there can be no debate, no open discussion.

Internet censorship is not just for the Chinese... its alive and well in the good ole USA as well.

The High Cost of Driving

by Skald

"In the eyes of the Bush administration, however, Iran’s worst transgression has less to do with nuclear ambitions or anti-Semitism than with the petro-euro oil bourse Tehran is slated to open in March 2006. Iran’s plan to allow oil trading in euros threatens to break the dollar’s monopoly as the global reserve currency, and since the greenback is severely overvalued due to huge trade deficits, the move could be devastating for the US economy."

--From Common Dreams

Deja vu. The above statement has an eerie resemblance to the situation in Iraq, shortly before we invaded. At that time, Saddam Hussein was also moving to switch from dollars to euros as the accepted currency for his nations oil. During the buildup to our invasion, many pegged the dollar to euro switch as the underlying reason for the invasion... the US simply cannot allow one large oil producer to get away with this.

Now its Iran's turn. By most expert accounts, the country is at least 10 years away from having an atomic bomb (assuming they want one). More to the point, why souldnt they have nuclear weapons? How can the US, Britain, France, Russia, China... justify being armed to the teeth with nukes (and intercontinental missiles)... yet piously declare that no other country may have them. Even this declaration is a lie, as the US has embraced both India and Pakistan despite their "illegal" development of nukes. Finally, what sane country wouldnt want nukes. Nukes are currently the only defense against an American invasion. Iraq didnt have them and they got pulverized. Iran doesnt have them, and they are in the crosshairs. N. Korea does have them... so America doesnt dare attack. Given America's psychotic bullying, Iran would be crazy NOT to develop a viable nuclear arsenal.

But all this is just hype. Another ploy to whip the timid American masses into fearful hysteria. Americans are easy to scare, and easy to control once they are afraid. But they arent completely cold hearted. Invading Iran to bolster the US dollar simply wouldnt fly with most folks. And so we get this constant stream of smug bullshit about the "Iranian threat".

Keep your eyes on the calendar. The attack on Iran should closely coincide with congressional elections this coming Fall.

Will it work? Will mainstream Americans be fooled again? Will they wave the flag, "support the troops", wear yellow ribbons, and declare their moral superiority? Will they vote to keep the Republicans in office in order to "protect us from Iran"?

Of course they will.

Babies

by Skald

Is it possible to be a hobopoet AND have a spouse/children? I have neither, and so the lifestyle is fairly easy for me. But recently Ive been thinking about family and babies. My sister is having a baby. A good friend and his wife recently had one.

In fact, I suspect Im in the very tiny minority as someone who is not interested in having kids. Must every would-be hobopoet live as I do? To be free, is it necessary to be single? Or at least childless?

I dont think so. Once again, massive conditioning overcomplicates the issue. Parents must not only deal with the normal barrage of work/consume/die propaganda... they must also deal with the guilt messages of the media & society. Parents are sent a very powerful message, massively repeated: good parents indulge their children. While its tolerable (barely) for adults to do without modern luxuries... it is cruel and irresponsible to deny them to children. Children, therefore, "need" their own room. Children "need" new clothes. Children "need" TV ("children's TV). Children "need" expensive plastic toys, electronic gadgets, computers, etc...

Parents who dont supply these things are "weird" at best, "neglectful" at worst.

But these messages are lies. None of this bullshit is necessary. Previously I wrote about a family in Thailand that lives together in a small, one room apartment. There are four of them, wife, husband, small boy (kindergarten age), and newborn. The children wear inexpensive "hand me down" clothes. They have no electronic toys or expensive gadgets.

I can imagine the reaction of typical Americans to this arrangement: a family of four in a tiny studio apartment... what a "tragedy".... "how sad for the children". And yet, this family seemed more intimate... more unified.. than any Ive seen in America.

Children require no more luxuries than we do. In fact, they are far more adaptable than adults. For thousands of years, children have lived in huts with their entire family... and have been happy to play outside. Theyve used cheap/free simple toys... and their imaginations. Parents raised their children with help from grandparents, uncles/aunts, friends, and their community.

I believe that a hobopoet family is possible. What's more, I think such a family can be healthier than what now passes for normal. Today, "normal" families live in isolation... two parents struggling to do it all alone. "Normal" families have two working parents.... and put their children in daycare... to be raised by strangers working for an hourly wage. "Normal" parents often confuse love with consumption... believing they must buy their children's respect/happiness with toys. "Normal" parents are exhausted from working to pay for their own unnecessary luxuries, plus the expensive luxuries they shower on their children.

I cant be totally sure, but I imagine most children would prefer more time with mom and dad... and fewer video games. I imagine they would thrive more by having a community of "godparents", uncles/aunts (genetic or "adopted"), and family friends. I imagine they would do better in the long run by reading used books than watching TV or playing the latest Nintendo game. And I imagine that parents would form a deeper connection with their children if they followed this approach.

Simplicity, autonomy, and freedom are not only for single people.

Media Fast

by Skald

Fasting is an ancient means of purifying and healing the body. When an animal is sick, it usually stops eating and rests. When people fast, their body's focuses on eliminating toxins. A four day fast (water only) will eliminate almost any non-chronic disease. Its also great for the mind... clearing it as powerfully as meditation. Check out Paul Bragg's books on fasting for more about its benefits.

Fasting is great physically,... and it can also have great emotional/intellectual benefits if applied to media. Many folks have difficulty going cold turkey off TV (and other media).

As a first step, I suggest a media fast. Try, for just one week, to eliminate all exposure to media. No TV. No movies. No newspapers. No magazines. No internet. No music. No books. Also... no writing! You may have to read/write... or use the computer.. at work, but otherwise avoid all mediated experience. Focus only on DIRECT sensory experiences... ie. where you are and what you are doing.

Try this for 7 full days. As the week progresses, notice your mind, notice your emotions. Its not uncommon to become extremely agitated in the beginning. We are so used to titillation that resting quietly with our thoughts & senses can seem quite scary at first. But stick with it. By the end of the week, you should notice your mind calming. You may notice you feel less of an urge to buy crap. You may notice less fear, worry, and anxiety.

Whatever you experience, examine it closely..... through this direct experiment, try to gauge just how you are influenced by media... and how you might change if you reduced your exposure to it.

Give it a try.

Against Legalization

by Hakim Bey

Needless to say that I consider the Drug War an abomination, and that I would demand immediate unconditional amnesty for all "prisoners of consciousness"—assuming that I had any power to make demands! But in a world where all reform can be instantaneously turned into new means of control, it makes no sense to go on demanding legalization simply because it seems rational and humane.

For example, consider what might result from the legalization of "medical marijuana" clearly the will of the people in at least six states. The herb would instantly fall under drastic new regulations from "Above" (the AMA, the courts, insurance companies, etc.). Monsanto would probably acquire the DNA patents and "intellectual ownership" of the plants genetic structure. Laws would probably be tightened against illegal marijuana for "recreational uses." Smokers would be defined (by law) as "sick." As a commodity, Cannabis would soon be denatured like other legal psychotropics such as coffee, tobacco, or chocolate.

Terence McKenna once pointed out that virtually all useful research on psychotropics is carried out illegally and is often largely funded from underground. Legalization would make possible a much tighter control from above over all drug research. The valuable contributions of the entheogenic underground would probably diminish or cease altogether. Terence suggested that we stop wasting time and energy petitioning the authorities for permission to do what we're doing, and simply get on with it.

Yes, the Drug War is evil and irrational. Let us not forget, however, that as an economic activity, the War makes quite good sense. Im not even going to mention the booming "corrections industry," the bloated police and intelligence budgets, or the interests of the pharmaceutical cartels. Economists estimate that some ten percent of circulating capital in the world is "gray money" derived from illegal activity (largely drug and weapon sales). This gray area is actually a kind of free-floating frontier for Global Capital itself, a small wave that precedes the big wave and provides its "sense of direction." (For example gray money or "offshore" capital is always the first to migrate from depressed markets to thriving markets.) "War is the health of the State" as Randolph Bourne once said --but war is no longer so profitable as in the old days of booty, tribute and chattel slavery. Economic war increasingly takes its place, and the Drug War is an almost "pure" form of economic war. And since the Neo-liberal State has given up so much power to corporations and "markets" since 1989, it might justly be said that the War on Drugs constitutes the "health" of Capital itself.

Beyond (or aside from) economic considerations, the ban on (some) psychotropics can also be considered from a "shamanic" perspective. Global Capital and universal Image seem able to absorb almost any "outside" and transform it into an area of commodification and control. But somehow, for some strange reason, Capital appears unable or unwilling to absorb the entheogenic dimension. It persists in making war on mind-altering or transformative substance, rather than attempting to "co-opt" and hegemonize their power.

In other words it would seem that some sort of authentic power is at stake here. Global Capital reacts to this power with the same basic strategy as the Inquisition --by attempting to suppress it from the outside rather than control it from within. ("Project MKULTRA" was the governments secret attempt to penetrate the occult interior of psychotropism-–it appears to have failed miserably.) In a world that has abolished the Outside by the triumph of the Image, it seems that at least one "outside" nevertheless persists. Power can deal with this outside only as a form of the unconscious, i.e., by suppression rather than realization. But this leaves open the possibility that those who manage to attain "direct awareness" of this power might actually be able to wield it and implement it. If "entheogenic neo-shamanism" (or whatever you want to call it) cannot be betrayed and absorbed into the power-structure of the Image, then we may hypothesize that it represents a genuine Other, a viable alternative to the "one world" of triumphant Capital. It is (or could be) our source of power.

The "Magic of the State" (as M. Taussig calls it), which is also the magic of Capital itself, consists of social control through the manipulation of symbols. This is attained through mediation, including the ultimate medium, money as hieroglyphic text, money as pure Imagination as "social fiction" or mass hallucination. This real illusion has taken the place of both religion and ideology as delusionary sources of social power. This power therefore possesses (or is possessed by) a secret goal; that all human relations be defined according to this hieroglyphic mediation, this "magic." But neo-shamanism proposes with all seriousness that another magic may exist, an effective mode of consciousness that cannot be hexed by the sign of the commodity. If this were so, it would help explain why the Image appears unable or unwilling to deal "rationally" with the "issue of drugs." In fact, a magical analysis of power might emerge from the observed fact of this radical incompatibility of the Global Imaginaire and shamanic consciousness.

In such a case, what could our power consist of in actual empirical terms? I am far from proposing that "winning" the War on Drugs would somehow constitute The Revolutio --or even that "shamanic power" could contest the magic of the State in any strategic manner. Clearly however the very existence of entheogenism as a true differenc --in a world where true difference is denie --marks the historic validity of an Other, of an authentic Outside. In the (unlikely) event of legalization, this Outside would be breached, entered, colonized, betrayed, and turned into sheer simulation. A major source of initiation, still accessible in a world apparently devoid of mystery and of will, would be dissolved into empty representation, a pseudo-rite of passage into the timeless/spaceless enclosure of the Image. In short, we would have sacrificed our potential power to the ersatz reform of legalization, and we would win nothing thereby but the simulacrum of tolerance at the expense of the triumph of Control.

Again: I have no idea what our strategy shall be. I believe however that the time has come to admit that a tactics of mere contingency can no longer sustain us. "Permitted dissent" has become an empty category, and reform merely a mask for recuperation. The more we struggle on "their" terms the more we lose. The drug legalization movement has never won a single battle. Not in America anywa --and America is the "sole superpower" of Global Capital. We boast of our outlaw status as outsiders or marginals, as guerilla ontologists; why then, do we continually beg for authenticity and validation (either as "reward" or as "punishment") from authority? What good would it do us if we were to be granted this status, this "legality"?

The Reform movement has upheld true rationality and it has championed real human values. Honor where honor is due. Given the profound failure of the movement however, might it not be timely to say a few words for the irrational, for the irreducible wildness of shamanism, and even a single word for the values of the warrior? "Not peace, but a sword."

America: Butt Ugly

by Skald

Went to the annual Chinese New Year parade last night.... Id been told it was the biggest Chinese New Year parade in the world, outside of Taiwan/China. Id seen one in Bangkok's Chinatown last year, so I was looking forward to dragon dances, firecrackers, Chinese music & dance, etc.

These things were present, but they were overwhelmed by a massive assault of corporate marketing. I had flashbacks from last week's super bowl. It seemed every other group was carrying corporate logos. Ford had a huge and incredibly tacky display... maybe a hundred Chinese people carrying white flags with the Ford logo. They also had a very nice float that looked like a traditional Chinese theater... which would have been beautiful except for the gigantic Ford logo on its front.. which was lit up.

Then there was the worst of all... the McDonalds float. It looked like it had been thrown together by a group of High School kids and was the most sickening example of racial pandering Ive seen in a long time. I can imagine a McDonalds executive committee somewhere, "We need a float for Chinese New Year.... why don't we stick Ronald Mcdonald on a trailer with a bunch of Chinese kids... and some huge blow up pics of cute Chinese kids too... we'll show em that Asians love McDonalds".

Cingular cell phones had a float... and it too was tacky and ugly... a lame copy of their logo with chinese lion heads on top. There was also an obnoxious display by UPS... their big brown trucks pulling smaller floats. Bank of America had one.

But the big sponsor was Southwest Airlines (I didnt realize they flew to China.. :) In fact they co-opted the name. Its increasingly difficult in America to have any kind of public event without it being stolen by a corporation. And so this was the "Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade". In keeping with corporate tradition, they had a hideous float.. with their dorky employees wearing hats shaped like airplanes.

And so, overall, the parade felt as "Chinese" as I am. Beyond that, it was simply a tacky and ugly display. In America, beauty or elegance for its own sake is despised. Only things which generate money are honored. Every festival, every big sports game, every parade, every public holiday is seized upon by corporations and turned into a marketing event.

We are a crude and ugly nation.