I've fallen behind in posting to my blog. Considering my current living conditions, maybe that can be understood. Out here, there is only enough electricity to power my laptop for an hour or so each day. And I have other priorities so blogging gets moved to the back burner.
But when I can, I'll update my blog. I have been writing my blog entries into a notebook, and when I can, say on a sunny day when the solar power generation system is fully powered, I turn on my laptop and copy the entries into "gedit," a very basic opensource text editor that is installed on my laptop. But I don't have an internet connection, so how to post? Every few days, I will make the 30 mile bike ride down the mountain to the public library in town. Once there, I'll use the library's wifi connection and copy-and-paste blog entries from the .txt files on my laptop and paste them into bluelight's blog submission form.
What have I been writing about? Well, here's the first entry. I'm interested in some of the ideals that became popular in the 1960s. Some of the original but now mostly extinct hippies pursued things such as: living simply, sustainable living, organic farming, self-sufficiency (in food, energy, water, waste, income, barter), a DIY (Do it Yourself) work ethic which practically has its own sub-culture, eliminating class barriers, not running in the Rat Race, not participating in American style Consumer Culture, pacifism, freedom from religion, and artistic pursuits.
But currently, I can't enjoy many of those things. I live in an urban area. It's a hostile environment. There is too much noise, too many people, and not enough elbow room. And there's never enough time when living in a city because your day gets eaten up by dealing with basic daily functions including empty things like commuting. Then, there are obnoxious neighbors. And then there's light pollution. Astronomy is my hobby. The house next door hates a starry sky; they keep their outdoor flood lights turned on all night turning the area around them (and my house) from night into a permanent island of day. Thus, I can't see the stars here. I can't even make out the Big Dipper, the easiest constellation to spot in the Northern hemisphere. I have no idea why they do this. There is no crime in this neighborhood, but strangely the use of flood lights is a common practice here. They are not the only house to do it.
Add to that the observation that too many people, whether they are old or young makes no difference, are inconsiderate, pushy, rude, grabby, nasty, ignorant, stubborn, and have this nauseating sense of entitlement. Many, complete strangers, will go up to you and say mean, hurtful things. It's as though all of the vile things anonymous people say to one another on internet forums are just below the surface in their real lives and it kind of seeps out of many of them when you interact with them, no matter how briefly. I thought I could avoid nearly all of that by working at a research university (rather than the higher-paying but soulless corporate jobs that have been available to me at various times). I pictured a university full of students and faculty with their optimism and high ideals. Sadly, that wasn't what I found. The one good thing I got out of it was that I could study everything I wanted and perform research in whatever area I wanted.
Not only is urban life stifling, but the laws in this country are as well. They are numerous, obscure, strict, and disconnected from Justice and basic human needs. All of these rules and restrictions on basic freedoms are suffocating to the point where they have caused me to experience soul-crushing stress and paranoia.
The motivation behind the creation of some seems obvious. 1000s of them have been created for the purpose of "safety." I feel so safe that life here is no longer worth living. I mean, you need to follow some 300 laws and fill out stacks of paper work just to breath.
The motivation behind many others seems sinister. The legal system has gone so far, I've read, that you can't go a day without committing 3 acts which, no matter how seemingly innocuous, federal prosecutors can pin on you as arguable felonies (according to Harvey Silvergate, an expert on criminal law and a civil libertarian, in his book "Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent"). Skeptical? Have you ever downloaded anything? Have you ever shared a joint with a friend? And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
As for getting away from society, I might try in later entries to describe experiencing life in the wilderness (off the grid of course) and communing with nature. But for now, I'll say that I enjoy reading naturalists such as Muir, Leopold, Pinchot, and others. I can relate to some of what they describe, whether its Muir's Jainist devotion to all things living to the extent where he refuses to swat mosquitoes feeding on his body to Leopold's impassioned descriptions of archery hunting of deer in the wilderness.
So, I'm leaving it all behind. I am paring my life down to the bare necessities (for the most part). I'm going back to what I started two years ago. Just as I did then, I'm selling, donating, and putting into storage most of my belongings, although they don't amount to much. Without the distractions of a city and my superfluous possessions, I'm going to try to focus on those things in life that have meaning, from art and writing projects to physical fitness, backpacking, astronomy, building and programming electronic gadgets (maybe), and Buddhism. [As an atheist, I don't believe in Bible God, so Buddhism's non-denominational spirituality and lack of mandatory dogmatic beliefs, its system of ethics, mental discipline, introspection, and meditation practices all appeal to me. In one sentence, Buddhism attempts to democratize spirituality.]
The library is about close. Today has been in the 90s, and I rode here wearing only a T-shirt, bike shorts, and Teva sandals. Soon after dark, the temperature will drop down to the 40s, and I haven't dressed for that. I need enough time to ride my bicycle (a Surly touring bike) the 30 miles back up the mountain before it gets dark and cold. I'll continue this another day.
xxxx
