Simply Being in Natural Areas.

I have practiced a few primitive skills. Aspects of hide processing. Edible, medicinal & useful plants. Making thread/string/rope. Tracking animals. Building shelter. Starting fires. Blah, blah. Out of everything, it is being at peace in wilderness areas that I am most proud of.

Yep. Being in wild areas and being at peace. Not worried about that super-stupid horror movie you saw that had people getting murdered in the woods. (Everyone that I've met in the woods has been quite cool. I grew up in a city called Detroit and there was way more murder going on there than I ever experienced in the woods. If you're THAT worried, get a CCW.) Not worried about social stigmas. Seduced by the slow, seasonal changes of a given area. Green tones transition into citrus hues. Shoot, fruit & seed. Thick, verdant foliage to regal, woody frames...

Be with the natural world. As much as possible. Become addicted to it. At all times. Spend quiet time with it. Just you & your breath. Pay attention to your breath and the wind through the trees. It's related. You are alive on Earth. Love it.

Observations On The Inefficiencies Of Agriculture.

I work on an organic farm. It's a great job for lots of reasons.

While weeding leeks, I paid attention to how many edible, medicinal or otherwise useful plants ("weeds") were ripped up and tossed into the space between rows to be walked on by farm workers and baked into oblivion by the hot sun.

What a waste.

I've been brainstorming of a way to avoid treating these plants so awfully. Plenty of hungry, poor people could use these plants.

Due to the diminishing returns of modern food production methods, I see these plants playing a larger role in people's diets as time goes on.

Collapse Does Not Happen Everywhere At Once.

It happens one person at a time. When you can no longer maintain your status quo, it has happened to you.

It happens one neighborhood at a time. When streets are abandoned or bulldozed, it has happened in that neighborhood.

It happens one city/town/state at a time. When a city/town/state can no longer provide services for its citizens, it has happened in that city/town/state.

It happens one country at a time. When the people flatten the capitol gates and overwhelm the powers that be, it has happened in that country.


...We must carry the tragic story of industrial civilization into whatever future we find ourselves in together so that it is never repeated. We must hold the seeds of the afterculture in our deepest being. We must practice AND preach. We must not have our hearts hardened by the spirit of the passing age. We must keep our integrity and stay rooted in love. We must enjoy the beauty and unspoiled richness of the natural world together.