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October 2, 2007 Newsletter
It's the REALITY-you who lack wisdom thinking you are wise
In other words--but I hate using cliches--"It's the Reality, Stupid!" In this piece I will defend reality against all comers, even alternative bloggers and commentators who think, hands wringing, that reality is "doom and gloom" or "happy and wonderful."
Reality, first of all, is where you live and how you live it. It is not a TV show. It is not a talk-show rant. It is not your government, state, local, federal, super-national-organization, world body, or alliance. It's possible that it isn't even your job. It is not "how" you "see the world." It just is! You, the individual, interact with reality. If you live in the rural remote, wildlife--some of which could be harmful to you--are part of your reality whether you want it to be that way or not. Dirt roads, usually in bad shape, are part of your reality and the reality of the condition of your vehicle. Relative isolation is part of your reality. Running out of gas, vehicle break-downs and no help in sight, being lucky to have kids the age of your kids so they can develop "socialization skills," dialup internet, suddenly realizing you forgot to put something vital on the shopping list but really not wanting to use the gas to go back to town to get it, being forced to live off the grid because the utility company has other priorities besides restoring services to a community of only 50 people, sudden wild fires, either no rain for months or so much rain the creek just might wash out your house... This just might be your reality. On the other hand if you live in the city your reality is probably unwanted noise, air polution, treated water that tastes like either a swimming pool or sewage, lots and lots and lots of friends for your kids, total convenience, air conditioning, the fastest DSL around, a wide array of ethnic foods... That might be your reality. In the suburbs it is pretty much the same thing, but with sprawl. So what I am saying is reality IS. Although I love to speculate, I am tired of speculating: reality is NOT speculation! NO matter how much alternative news and commentary websites would have you believe reality is speculation.
But reality is something few want to live in. People are "alientated" from it, according to existentialist psychologists. Reality sucks to life force out of those, whether at home or at work. Remember Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" episodes about day dreamers and lonely people crushed by cruel life, trying desperately to "escape reality"? The only difference is today's "alienated" don't day dream or read books, they watch TV or drink or do drugs. Most people can't just quit their jobs they hate...too much invested in the company, such as benefits and pensions. Further, most people are too fearful to radically change their lives themselves (yet, unfortunately, many are finding out that because of mortgages they can't pay or other debts they can't pay, they are going to have to make radical changes to their lives whether they want to or not, or are prepared to or not.).
That is, most of these do not have the financial, spiritual, physical, or emotional means to make this change, and "create" the "reality" they want and WILL SUSTAIN THEM.
It was not hard to do in the 80s. We did it, spending around $20,000 for land, house (building materials), septic tank, water well and storage tank, putting in driveway, electricity, and the little bit of furniture we needed (we made quite a bit of it ourselves or were given stuff). Today, I suspect it will cost between $30,000 and $50,000, unless you want something fancier and have the cash. But due to inflation, I'd say $30,000 is minimum. The ideal way to build your own home is to buy a small trailer (or large tent, if you happen to be living in a warmer climate...this won't do in Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Washington or any place north of that), live in the trailer while you build the house, then use the trailer later for storage. Or, you can buy one of those mini-cabin building kits, put that up quick, live in it for a while until your house is built (or if it is just a couple with no kids, you can live permanently in that provided you are not claustrophobic! I am, so I need at least 800 sq. ft.)
But you must be determined to "create" your own reality. That is, as far as you can be, you would be the master of it, have as much dominion over it as possible. And as I have explained in previous articles, that takes hard work. Further, if you are an older couple without the physical ability, you might have to hire someone to build the house, or buy a nice "mobile home." You shouldn't have to spend more than $25,000 for a nice one. But time is a commodity you don't have in great quantity, because the US dollar is getting less and less valuable day by day it seems, the housing market in many areas is starting to go south, and people who should have known what was going to happen are unable to stop the free-fall. For one thing, those we call wise should have been warning for years about the consequences of America's profligate spending habits. Experts knew that running up huge household debts was unsustainable but did little to warn people to mend their ways. One of the very few that I am aware of to do this was Gary North with his "Remnant Review" (click here and check it out, subscriptions are free).
And then there is THEM. The oligarchs who believe they are "masters of the universe" (and again let me make it clear "oligarch" applies to the ruling class (the Bushs, Rockefellers, Rothschilds and their ilk), their handlers (Zbigniew Brezinsky, Henry Kissinger, Strobe Talbert, Jeffrey Sachs and the like, plus the "mad scientists" who create the technology they think will enslave us), and those corporations that finance them to their own benefit. Your average rich person or wealthy entreprenuer is not an oligarch (at least until he or she seeks the kind of power someone like Hillary Clinton does. Truly, this woman is not only a danger to America but to all mankind and womankind!) THEIR way of reality is closely linked to what some Bush official told Ron Suskind, author of "The One-Percent Doctrine": "(The US) is an empire now, and we create our own reality...and it is left to the (realists and historians) to study what we do." The official was a neo-conservative, but neo-liberals like Hillary can also take part in this "reality creation." The catch is, THEIR reality is just as illusory as utopia, but they can't see that (nor can they see the consequences of what their "utopia" will bring about...their own destruction for a very, very, long time) through their own hubris and scheming. If they could, they would have done it already; no empire has ever truly conquered the entire planet, and, as I write, more and more parts of the planet are breaking free of US-Western control. Who knows? But Khrushchev, who boasted that Russia would "bury" the US, might get his wish. (Interesting, Russia and China created their own reality with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a conterbalance to US imperialism. Iran is now a member and the two powers have a duty to protect Iran {and their oil interests there}. I suspect that if we really do go to war in Iran, the result just might be the complete annihilation of US imperialsm...not that I want this war because I don't. Believe it or not Iranians are among the very few in the Middle East that yet don't hate us.) So, let THEM have their "reality": it is completely UNSUSTAINABLE! But yours is.
Like what you read? Then subscribe to the Something Happening Here Newsletter! I do not have a set time for it to come out, but I try to make a newsletter once a week or as much as possible with hints and tips on how to live better and more naturally on your rural remote land. From handling garden insects to collecting valuable resources like water and firewood to raising your children to dealing with neighbors, I believe my 25 years experience living on the land can help you make the most of your rural remote life.
Click here to read the first newsletter about how we fix out dirt driveway after rains washed them out, dealing with mice, and more. Click here to find out how to I used herbs and natural products to help with allergies, cold, and other respiratory ailments. Click here to read Part 1 of the "Gloom and Doom" scenario and here to read Part 2. Click here to learn the ten essential items you must have to begin your new life on your rural homestead. Click here to stop worrying about what we cannot change and change only what we can. Click here to find out how I dealt with culture shock after I moved from the big city. Click here for some different angles on the Ron Paul phenomenon. Click here to read about how to liberate yourself from "the matrix". Click here to test yourself to see if you are ready to move into the country. Click here to find out how the people will defeat the oligarchs. Click here for some tips on preparing for winter in the country. And click here to bolster your resolve in dealing with garden-eating varmints.
