zanshin

I concur. Human trafficking is still going on today even in US and Canada, mostly victims are people from other countries. Lots in the news here about the three American girls who were abducted and enslaved in Cleveland- which is newsworthy and people want to hear about them, just wish media and maybe people in general would find it noteworthy when foreign people are freed too. http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/united_states_of_america

I think that's it. Mad=angry, mad= crazy. There's something about young guys in springtime that is really a pain. I'll be all happy with my sunshine, trees, flowers and the birds singing- maybe even kisses and purring cats- and some guy will bust my groove from out of the blue. Not really about the board, just an observation from life. Geez, maybe we should be having spring festivals, like back in old old times, wrestling and feats of strength and umm... fertility rites til it gets hot enough for everyone to have to slow down and be calm.

I've noticed same as Mike about entrepreneurship. There was a strip where all the old family businesses closed up and for a while it was sort of desolate and sad. But now, we have a café and a coffee shop, couple niche shops, there is a farm market and Amish food shop where a cowboy bar used to be. I think the store fronts weren't big and fancy enough to bring in chains so people got in for cheap and seem to be doing well there.

I'm academically interested in people's plans to get away from society because that's what I plan to do eventually. My dilemma right now is I'm raising kids and I'm divorced so would be legal crap to deal with if I moved away and went too nontraditional. Beyond that simply understanding a right world to raise kids in is a dilemma, mostly because there isn't one. I don't want to preclude their options to go to college and have traditional lives and jobs and families, on the other hand if they want to go live on a fishing boat and feel happy (that's what I can see my older son doing) this would be fine with me too. I'm working on a plan to move out though, right now we are looking for land for weekend getaway, permanent camp site type spot and later to move to. I'm lucky not to be completely alone, my significant other might be my soul mate as far as wanting to be out in nature with a calm drama free life. He might even make a better hermit that I, we actually both love our alone time, so it is nice to have someone who understands that since most people don't. If either or both of my sons want to come live in a compound with us, that would be awesome. There are a few others who might be welcome to come visit or stay, really I have to decide how isolated I want to be, definitely do not want to hear or see any neighbors from my property and being in a commune even with like minded people would feel like taking society with me. Gardening and permaculture is a good idea, maybe camping or backpacking groups to get away from society but still be with other people. Would build your skill set too. Something I should work on too. I can do those things, but have been trying to overcome my fear of power tools. I can use them just really don't like them, they're noisy and make me feel all shaky and there is dust. Maybe if I go way off grid will be excuse not to use them. Alone in the woods, I think is different than at home alone and even I don't like going to restaurants and festivals alone. Alone in the woods to me is glorious.

I've heard metal correlated to air and wood correlated to ether (because it's a life principle by those who try to reconcile the two systems. I don't see the point in trying to correlate them though.

Sorry sort of academically interested in your plan, didn't mean to sound snotty, so good luck ( not being sarcastic). Can you survive in the middle of nowhere? It does take skills, unless you're going to a tropical island where fish jump out the sea and fruit falls into your lap for you. I have idea to get more away from society to get away from society, not to bring my own civilization to take care of me. Do you have descendants? If you did would your plan change?

A park is trees and outdoors made civilized, but not an improvement. Death can be civilized or uncivilized, but either way it seems most creatures are not happy about it when their time comes. @gentlewind- thanks for sharing you story, love to you.

Lay in bed, stretch, do joint rotations unless I really have to go to the bathroom, then I just get up. Shower, long and hot, let the water wash any bad stuff away,maybe will end cool water now that weather is getting warmer. It is energizing. But, coffee may always be my favorite energizer. I make it in a French press, black as night, sweet as sin. I do like to get up a little early have some time in the morning in a quiet house to wake up, once the kids get up it becomes more chaotic

I want to understand the logistics of how you, as a young person, are going to do it. I think Marblehead, Lerner and I worked in the system when we were younger to back off and live simpler with more leisure time now. I admire your idealism, but from practical standpoint seems like might need some resources- place to live, clothes, supplies. What's your short term and long term goals and plan?

All the going to work (expectation at least 40 hr/week) and making money and spending money on stupid stuff doesn't imply we're in a computer simulation, that is too high tech for what it really is. It is just a hamster wheel. So many of the things people do at work to make money truly are busy work and then they end up with no leisure time and life is no fun.

Where do read or hear about the news? Some of you here seem pretty knowledgeable about different issues. I used to like to read the newspaper and that has gotten stripped down and schmaltzified in past 10 years not worth getting anymore and it seems like should be something out there worthwhile maybe I can read for free. I want hard news to understand what's going on in the world, some opinion pieces would be okay, but not a lot of conspiracy theories or strong political biases. I'd like to follow actual news better, but not interested in celebrities and pop culture and fluff so would rather not sift through too much about that.

I have my mom and aunt lecturing me now and then about how I should start going and getting mammograms. They have both had scary results from this test and gone and gotten biopsy, which turned out to be benign and no cause for alarm. Either I'm fine or they'll tell me things I don't want to know, so I don't see a reason to get it.

Categorically saying "men(z) are bad." is even more loopier than the crazed fangirls.

I don't fully understand what is wrong with us, but I'm sure that the way to make it even worse is to add more bureaucracy and base things on formulas that turn people into numbers.

If I was diagnosed with encroaching dementia or a painful terminal disease, I might go for a ski way off trail with flask of soju program. It might be scary to go alone, but that is how it would probably have to be or there would be arguing and crying and trying to get me rescued. Ross is right about one thing, and that is that sometimes family and friends really can add stress and difficulty with clinging and grieving when a dying person is ready to go. I talked to woman who had a true near death experience. She had late stage MS and her body was not working well at all anymore. She had chest pain, so her mom took her to the hospital even though she really wanted to stay home. At the hospital, she coded, mom was screaming, staff rushing to resuscitate her. Her heart stopped at least couple minutes, she felt herself floating out of her body, happy and full of joy going toward the light, it was all beautiful. Then, she heard her mom crying, praying and saying she couldn't let her go (mom was in a waiting room at this time so she couldn't physically hear this and some of it wasn't out loud anyway). But, that is what seemed to suck her back into her body, they started her heart again. Finally, when she woke up she was pretty mad at her mom about the whole thing and even more ready to go.

Not claiming near death experience at all, was with other people too. But we didn't realize trail conditions were so bad and got in over our heads, also was getting over a cold and altitude was a factor. I really wasn't that close to dying, never lost consciousness and got rescued fairly quickly, but I was happy and loopy to just give up and lay down in snow and also starting to get sleepy. Got dragged to the lodge, rested and drank lots of hot tea and was fine. Celebrations, families and even funerals are social things for people, even the cemetery is with other people. Dying seems more like a solitary pursuit even if other people are there.

No I don't think nature cares if we die out as a specie either. I don't think nature cares if we die quickly painlessly or with drawn out disability pain and suffering. The thing that cares and strives and fights and loves is the undefinable us. Yes, I have a thing for water. Lake front property is expensive. A creek or stream would be nice. Water all eventually goes back to the ocean. Where does life go? Exhaustion and hypothermia might not be a bad way to go. Got in a little trouble skiing a few years ago. Laid in the snow, sang, and watched the seagulls; it was quite pleasant waiting to be rescued (I was coherent enough to know I was in trouble because there actually aren't seagulls on a mountain in the middle of Utah, but I watched them anyway).

While you guys are talking about vegetarianism and athletes. Have you heard of Scott Jurek? He is vegan and an ultrarunning champion. His book is good. http://scottjurek.com/eatandrun/

5 stages, you skipped depression. Not necessarily sequential.

I don't think nature (evolution) cares if we feel happy and fulfilled. Just if we survive long enough to continue to reproduce in enough volume to keep the species prevalent.

I think we just forget to pay attention. Travel and contemplation of philosophy may induce wonder, but so does watching bugs or watching clouds. I watch the plants grow and try to remember to look up at the sky everyday; it is a wonderful world.

Birth like death is a transition state, it can be gruesome and even with modern medicine dangerous, yet we see birth as cause for joy and death as cause for sorrow. Babies and young children can be even more of a burden that debilitated elderly, yet no one ships them out to an institution because they don't want to care for them. Childbirth is painful because we have big heads and big brains, perhaps big heads and big brains cause difficulties with our deaths also.

More George Carlin “The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death! What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating... ...and you finish off as an orgasm.”

Free fall

Pancakes