No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Where are you and where are you going?
sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

Work Notes

I do not plan to publish these notes until after I leave employment. Perhaps in mid November, 2015. (Note: Today is my last day at work)

Early October

I am in my last three months of work as far as I can tell. I am leaving work because I can afford to, but I am also leaving because of the poor way in which I am being treated. In these last months I intend to change my approach to work due to my impending escape.

I have stopped trying to fix the organizational problems, but I will try to fix problems in my area of responsibility as best I can before I leave. I will try to continue to do a quality job but will not start new projects (if possible).

I have stopped complaining about the hostile treatment. I am trying not to make jokes about the incompetence, mismanagement and dysfunction. I am angry and bitter, which makes it difficult to not make nasty remarks. I expect to be battered around a bit and I will defend but not go on the offensive. I will try not to gossip and comment to others outside of the organization about the problems.

I will continue to document problems in a way that anyone checking my old emails will be able to understand why I am leaving, but will not make grievances or complaints.

I have a checklist of things to do prior to quitting.

Later in October...

I gave notice at work that I will be leaving at the end of the year. I asked that I be allowed to take my leave time as vacation, which provides me with health insurance to the end of the year. Surprisingly, I had enough vacation and sick time to stop working in mid-November. I am very close to ending my employment and suddenly having a lot of time available.

I am trying not to call it retirement, and I correct people who congratulate me on retirement. “I didn't retire, I quit!”. This is not the most gracious thing to say but I don't want to give anyone the impression that I am leaving under agreeable conditions. That makes things too easy for the bullies. Perhaps I should back off on this, it doesn't help me much and only serves to make enemies out of those who are left behind in the organization, both good and bad people. Don't burn bridges might be a better strategy.

It is difficult to find the correct words to explain. Retirement means something different than what I am doing, but it may be the most convenient explanation. But it is not really true. I may be returning to work somewhere else, so am I really retiring? I am not collecting retirement pension payments yet, so I am not really retiring.

I will no longer be associated with the organization and its decisions, my reputation may survive unscathed by the bad decisions that are currently being made. I just need to make it through a couple more weeks without losing it.

I am leaving work for two reasons:
One, I can afford to live a lifestyle that is more satisfying to me.
Two, I do not like the way I am treated or how the organization is managed.

My focus now is on the former, since that is the future. The latter is in the past and while not forgotten, it will fade away over time.

We bought a camper van, which has made it very easy to explain why I quit my job. We are going to travel out west and spend a few months this winter where it is warm. Instead of focusing on many minor complaints about the job as a reason to leave, I can give a reason for quitting that is positive and adventurous, that will resonate with many people who would like to do the same. Everyone understands getting out of Michigan in winter. Without a van and a plan, it would be far more difficult to get through these final weeks.

A Few Days Prior to Quitting

I am mostly sad about leaving my job. I am not sure how I will fill my time. I still believe that leaving my job is the right thing to do. I am halfheartedly looking at advertisements to find another job. What will happen when the yoke is removed from my neck? It has grown into my skin and is painful to remove. Perhaps the first thing I should do is find another yoke?

I was given a very nice send-off reception. A lot of colleagues attended and it was overall a very happy event. I received proclamations thanking me for my work. Many people have thanked me and congratulated me for reaching retirement. If the work environment were better, I might feel guilty for leaving. But I don't feel guilty at all, mainly I feel relief to be away from the negative situation.

Sometimes I think about going back to fix the problems in the organization. I may do this, but I want to spend a good amount of time away. Then I will assess whether I really care enough to take on that job. I have to be careful that it is not done as revenge, which would be damaging to me and the organization. It certainly would be deserved, and there would be satisfaction in doing it, but I am not sure that I want to dedicate years of my life to the work needed to fix the problems. I need to take time to separate self from organization before committing to any such path.

My Last Day

Today will be my last day of work. I am not planning anything special. I have a few tasks to accomplish and then will wish everyone well. I have a work meeting this afternoon to tie up loose ends and hand off my responsibilities. I have no sadness about leaving. I am leaving because I have other things I want to do. My desk is organized. My computer directory is the way it should be. I will leave my keys and card on the desk. I will need to take my umbrella, coffee cup and folder (notepad) home with me at the end of the day.

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jennypenny
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by jennypenny »

Congratulations! I can't wait to hear all about your camper van adventures.

People are dropping like flies around here lol.

sea
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sea »

Congratulations! Maybe you don't need a yoke at all? That sucks that your workplace was so hostile, but you are free now. I applaud you for taking the high road though, it's tough to do when the culture is toxic.

I'm not FI, but I did take some mini-retirements already. What I did to reintegrate back to myself was explore things I used to love to do again or still enjoy but want to spend more time (e.g. hiking, travel, dancing, music, art, reading) and see what I still liked and try completely new things (street medic training, teaching English, community health worker massage training, kombucha brewing etc). Do you think you won't be able to fill your time? Especially with a new camper van? Traveling around sounds awesome! Do you have specific places you want to visit out west?

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

I don't think that I will have a problem finding things to do. That was a fear that I had, most likely an unfounded fear.

We are going to be following warm weather, wherever that takes us.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

Thank you everyone for helping me stay on track.

George the original one
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by George the original one »

It's a bold thing you've done! Step lively into the new life.

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Ego
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by Ego »

That's great! I look forward to reading about your transition while camper vanning.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

November, 2015

I transitioned from employee to non-employed person in mid-November, 2015. These notes were written at various times in the month. There are some self-contradictory statements because of my different mental state at different times.

Camper Van

As expected, I have moved from one obsession to another, from backpacking to van camping. At this point in mid-November, the van is ready and equipped to take a trip. Buying and preparing the van is a money sink but it offers the ability to move cross country without needing hotels, and provides a comfortable home when parked in the wilderness or a parking lot.

The Adventure-Security Cycle

I seem to be someone who is constantly planning and preparing for adventures, which often turn out to be extremely short excursions (if I ever go on the adventure at all). I could blame it on being full time employed, which leaves me with little time to do what I want to do and a lot of desire to do something, anything different.

An adventure is an escape from routine and monotony. During the adventure, experiencing adverse conditions, one's thoughts may turn to seeking of comfort and security. This sets up a pendulum of adventurous planning at home, adventure plan execution and then running back to sit by the woodstove at home. At home, the monotony drives one to imagine and plan great acts of endurance and adventure. Out in the wild, faced with danger and discomfort, a warm bed at home looks very good. A never ending cycle?

With this history, committing to a 3 to 4 month van trip is somewhat disconcerting.

The Path Untraveled

Every choice leaves an infinite number of possibilities unchosen. How do you define success in selecting the path? Is it better to accept that fate is in control, rather than question one's every decision? Make big plans then let fate and synchronicity take over the details? Or perhaps do nothing, because if you did something, it might be wrong?

For many years I have been part of an organization where big decisions are made by others, and the decisions that I have made have been part of a bigger plan of action. My decisions have always been up for scrutiny and approval by groups of people, because their impact was on large numbers of people. My life and time were regulated by code of ethics, organization rules, expectations of others, schedules and calendars. I had a limited amount of time to do what I wanted, and even this time was influenced by what I thought that others thought that I should do in my leisure. I was unsatisfied with what I did with my free time.

Upon leaving the organization, my decisions are now impacting only my wife and I. The weight of deciding what to do is upon us. The potential choices and options of what to do with one's time are almost infinite. The decisions are just as crucial, as they determine how we will develop our lives and find satisfaction in our remaining time. The freedom that occurs upon leaving an organization and taking control of ones time is somewhat daunting because personal responsibility increases and failure directly impacts one's life.

In the organization, it was easy to blame my personal lack of dream follow-through on lack of time, job stress or something other than my own laziness. In fact, I have been wearing the ruby slippers the whole time, and could easily have freed my mind by making a decision and taking action. Instead, I huddled behind an excuse that something else was holding me back. Now, with no organization to blame, I know it was really just laziness that kept me from accomplishing dreams that I had desired.

Be brave. Go boldly as you move through the atmosphere. Do not second guess decisions. Do not regret decisions that are rescinded and replaced by other options. Go with the flow, bend with the wind, roll with the punches. Continue to consider and select the path that leads to the desired destination.

The key to avoiding indecision is keeping a good idea of the destination in mind and constantly testing your situation to see if you are moving in the right direction.

Sauntering

On our van trip, my primal urge will be to drive many hours a day until exhausted. I wish to relearn this behavior to saunter my way along. In other words, travel slowly and stop often along the way to see interesting things, talk to people, ask questions, etc. This is an important skill and it takes discipline to stop the vehicle. It is easier to keep on driving.

My strategy is to drive long days in the midwest, and start to slow down in New Mexico. However, if there is snow and cold weather, we will likely keep moving until we find warmer weather. Then I hope to saunter my way along.

Minimalism, Simplification and Creative Destruction

I have a concern regarding reducing and simplifying. As one gets rid of things and expunges bad activities, will one experience a loss of self? Reducing and simplifying leads to removal of ways of thinking that one once may have identified with as part of one's identity. Eliminating things results in elimination of one's way of thinking about acquisition, use and disposal of material objects. But elimination is a process, not the end goal. How does one know where to stop?

In some cases, people define themselves by what they own, its maintenance and methods of using it. Their thought process cpu time is taken up by focus on material things and activities surrounding those things. Following a path of simplification can result in a loss of identity for those people. This is not a loss of one's whole identity, but of a part of one's identity. This can lead to confusion and disturbing inner chaos, as one searches for familiar thought patterns and behaviors that no longer are valid as the material counterpart is removed.

Often a person's identification with material things is based on what they are taught. Often, people are conditioned by media through advertising and broadcast shows which provide examples for how to consume products. I would offer the premise that thought based on consumption is generally low level thought. I believe that media, marketing and advertising are making a concerted effort to keep people thinking in a low level, material based way of thinking.

There are higher value ways of thinking than consumer driven thought. Creative expression in arts. Social interaction. Science, invention and engineering. Cultural expression. These ways of thinking are available to replace consumer thinking, and are generally more stimulating and satisfying than consumption based thought. The loss of identity and elimination of material focused thought patterns that one may experience when one simplifies one's life may be replaced with new, more complex, higher level patterns of thinking and behavior.

As one simplifies one's life, it can be disturbing to lose known routines and thought patterns. One wonders if simplification can go too far. However, there are many other things that can replace thoughts that revolve around material good ownership and consumption. My hope is that as simplification progresses, it opens up mind time to thoughts that are of a higher value. As a process of simplification develops, it transforms from a process of elimination to a process of seeking high value thoughts and experiences. Behavior and thought focused on social engagement, creativity and self awareness fill the void as one reduces slavish attention to the maintenance of material things.

Then there is the idea that finding satisfaction in simply being (with absense of compulsion to act) is the highest form of thought. Slowing down the inner conversation to reach a level of peace may be the idealist's goal, rather than substituting one type of thought for another. I am not close to reaching that level, but perhaps that level of thought will explain itself as one progresses in self development.

At this point, I must stop writing about these concepts, because they are so far away from my experience that I cannot distinguish them. I am not an ascetic, or even a minimalist. I am just another person living in excess who imagines that life might be improved somehow with less responsibility for material things. I am on a tall steed on top of the highest hill looking across the prairie to the west to see as far as I can, yet the world goes on and on, far past my horizon of vision.

Days of FI

Days 1 and 2 were ecstatic, as if life would be Saturday everyday. On Day 3, I was pleasantly surprised that I was calmed down enough to listen to music and just look out the window, which normally I was too jittery and nervous to do. Days 4 and 5 were under a dark cloud, a storm passed and for some reason I did not feel well, perhaps I ate something bad or had a flu. I avoided people.

The problem when one has no established work responsibilities is that one's feelings tend to move into the front position of thought. When I did not feel well, it became a crisis event. In the past, I would have put the feelings aside, with work responsibilities and discipline in the forefront of my thoughts and priorities. In a non-employed, non-structured environment, my minor aches and pains were loud and in the forefront of my thoughts, and caused me distress, questioning whether I could succeed in “retirement” and whether I would fail in all my aspirations. Silly despair. A self-created crisis. Luckily, I did not make any important decisions during that time.

On Day 6, the sun came out, I had a wonderful walk and life is good again. Crisis averted, but it is frightening how vulnerable one can be to mood changes.

As an FI ninja, my defensive reaction today against the melancholy moods is to create structure for part of my life. Getting outside and walking have proven to be a preventative against sadness. I like to walk in the morning, because it is peaceful and it is a beautiful time of day. So my daily structured behavior is to wake one hour before sunrise, do morning hygiene, make coffee, do morning stretches and exercise, drink a cup, and walk for one to two hours.

Originally, I had hoped to sleep as long as my body wanted, and naturally find a sleep/wake pattern. But I became very frustrated when I tried to follow my “feelings”. I became lazy and in my laziness, did not exercise and began feeling unhealthy and weak because of it. My Day 4 and 5 crisis was a message that I need to change things. Therefore, I will spend the first three hours of my day doing a morning routine that I hope will give me energy for the rest of the day and help prevent laziness and resulting melancholy (Note: this ambitious plan crashed and burned).

Sunday, Day 6, I am living a day that usually ended in sadness that came from knowing that I had to return to work on Monday. Now it is different, I am not going back tomorrow. I have a few minor tasks to do, that is it.

Monday, Day 7, I went about my day, and late in the day was reminded that I usually would be working. I laughed loudly and any thoughts of regret about leaving work were chased away from my mind. I am starting to not care about getting things done in the morning.

Day 14, I am somewhat lazy with exercise and I am sleeping longer. I do not use the alarm clock, instead, I keep an east window uncurtained so the sun can light the room. I get up when the room lights up. When I discuss my old job I get somewhat distressed and depressed, so I avoid the subject. I have had a job offer which I politely sidestepped. I'm pretty happy as long as I don't start thinking about my previous organization. I generally am happy on the days that I get my walking hour in. Lack of daily exercise leads to depression. I am getting my checklists of things done but they are not too ambitious. Even in lazy mode, I am able to get quite a bit done because I have all day to casually get things done. I have time to focus and think, I am generally able to do things with clarity and care.

Another week and we start our van trip, which will be another routine breaker as well as completely changing the surroundings on a daily basis. New places, new people. I will not have internet access except through wifi hotspots. That may help reduce screen time.

Day 20, Took a walk this morning, which makes my mental state good. In fact, I think that the path to happiness starts with a daily walk.

In this log I have written about mundane, simple challenges that everyone faces. The reason that these mundane things are of interest is the transition that is taking place while I write this. I have taken the time to write this to help others who might fear the transition from work to early retirement. I do not plan to continue describing these everyday simple dramas of life, but they are an important part of transition, so here they are.

Daily Routines Which Have Been Challenged This Month

How long should I wear my soft morning clothes (sweat pants, slippers, sweater)? Morning clothes are comfortable but not socially acceptable to be seen in public. Morning clothes are not good when you are working on something in the garden or workshop and might get dirty. My goal is to be dressed in street or work clothes by noon. Ambitious, yes, but I am a disciplined individual. Morning clothes can double as exercise clothes for a morning walk around the track. 10am is a typical time when I dress for the day.

Hygiene: showering versus washbasin. In preparation for van camping, I went for about a week washing myself using a washbasin and washcloth rather than the usual morning shower. The washbasin is a satisfactory alternative to keeping clean, but does not provide the warm massage that a shower does. I suspect that the washbasin is healthier for the skin. The washbasin should be adequate for long term camping.

Shaving: Upon leaving employment, I stopped shaving. The first week of not shaving is typically an itchy, uncomfortable week where one avoids being seen in public looking like a bum, so looking pretty scruffy did not help dealing with transition issues. However, my beard is a symbol of freedom to me now. I may or may not go full Amish with the beard, my wife hates it.

Sleeping pattern, alarm clock or sunlight is the question. Being able to sleep in is a luxury, but like all luxuries, excess can corrupt. This time of year it gets dark shortly after 5pm and light around 7:30am. One might theorize that one should sleep when it is dark, but that is too much time to spend in bed. I am finding that 10pm to 8am is a pattern that I am fitting into (with some variation). I wake several times during the night and might read or think for a while before returning to sleep. Sleeping later than about 9am leads to mental self-punishment for being lazy. No alarm clock is necessary unless I have an appointment. I don't like appointments.

The Three Vices

The three vices that I fear the most are alcohol, reclining chair and screentime. In the first few days of FI, I have spent many hours on the computer, have drank beer about half of the nights, and spend most of my day in the reclining chair (where I am writing this now). I am very disappointed in myself. I am writing this on the laptop, sitting in the recliner while drinking a beer.

Next month, I will be traveling by camper van which will allow me to break from my usual behavior patterns, perhaps toward a better lifestyle.

Present Mind, Future Mind, Past Mind, Dream Mind

The present mind is the human thought that reacts with the current material world surroundings.

The future mind is the planner, scheme maker, good intention dreamer and task giver. The future mind's focus is to change material reality, hopefully in a desired direction.

The past mind is the memory of past experience, often full of pride or regret for things that have happened in the past. It often appears as an angry self-loathing for what one has done or not done in the past. It generally makes the present mind painfully aware of problems, but does not do anything to help one solve those problems.

The dream mind exists in the world of abstract idea and dream, outside of the dimension of time. Often enlightening, but frequently confusing and transient.

Before FI, I was often in the future mind, making plans, preparing for projects, wishing for a different life and imagining what that life might be like in the future. Both work and private life were heavy on future mind activities. There was also present mind activity in accomplishing the plans, but out of dissatisfaction with what I was doing, my thoughts constantly escaped from the present to the future mind.

As I thought about life after FI, I had good intentions to do many interesting things. With that much free time, just imagine how much one could get done! My future mind ramped up the task planning for all that free time.

As a man of FI leisure, my present mind has taken control of my thoughts and actions, and it overpowers the future mind. I have good intentions to wake early and exercise, yet I sleep in late and take it easy. I make lists of things to do, and may get around to doing them eventually. I sit around and relax a lot.

I am fairly productive, I have continued to walk for about an hour every day, which is my main hobby and activity. I get other checklist items done, because I have a lot of time to do them. But my motivation level to fill my day with productive activity is low. I listen to my present mind and my body, which tell me to enjoy relaxing in the early morning, and it overpowers my future mind which has planned an early morning walk at sunrise.

Despite this relaxed attitude toward getting things done, I feel that I am using my time well. My mental state seems to be more coherent and organized, perhaps because it is less stressed and jarred by frenetic life. I am still setting priorities and arranging life in a way that should result in improvement in happiness. My focus is still on simplification of my life, although our plan to go van camping this winter adds some planning and preparation responsibilities as well maintenance of a complex system. Hopefully the result of this effort will be an interesting winter of freedom and adventure.

Days when I get out early and walk an hour are usually good days.

The present mind has overpowered the future mind. Life is much better lived in the present.

Notes from the Essene Gospel of Peace:

Fast. Go and fast alone, show your fasting to no man. Put off your shoes and clothing and allow the air to embrace your body. Seek the fresh air of the forests and fields. Put off your shoes and clothing and cast yourselves into the water. Take an enema regularly. Put off your shoes and clothing and allow sunlight to embrace your body.

Love one another. Do not kill animals or eat them.

Eat herb bearing seed, tree bearing seed, green herb, milk, fruit, grain, grasses, honey. Eat living food, do not eat that which fire, frost or water has destroyed. Don't heat your food hotter than your own blood. Sprout grain, crush it, make thin wafers and dry them in the sun, turning them. Don't cook food, don't mix foods together. Be content with two or three sorts of food. Do not eat to fullness, only eat to two thirds full. Eat at noon and sunset only. Eat what is ripe and in season, from your own trees, not from other lands. Eat each in their month of harvest: barley, wheat, wheat wafers, grapes, grape juice, figs, sun dried figs and almonds. Eat dried figs and almonds in the months when trees bear no fruit. Eat herbs and milk.

Breathe long and deeply while eating. Chew your food well. Eat slowly. Do not eat in sorrow, anger or without desire. Only eat when you are hungry. Fast on every seventh day.

Wake with the sun. Do not sleep during the day. Do not remain awake at night.

Do not drink alcohol. Do not smoke.

Shun all that is too hot and too cold.

Be at peace with others. Be at peace with the earth. Be at peace with the heavens.

http://www.spiritual-minds.com/religion ... Peace1.pdf

Note: I believe this document to have been written in modern times, as if it were from ancient documents. I am not a practitioner of this gospel. I am a meat eating, alcohol drinking backslider, yet I do have good intentions. My first suspicion is that I find it hard to believe that an ancient writer would promote enemas using the name of Jesus. Another suspicion is that the “translator” went on to write more books and eventually form a cultish health club and religious organization, all based on the original “translation,” making the translation seem like a self-serving forgery. If anyone ever finds the original document that the translation was taken from, I will recant my accusation of forgery, however at the moment I do not believe that this is an ancient text written by Essenes.

Having said that, there is some good advice and assistance for those seeking a more peaceful life. The diet plan is likely more suited to a short term cure than a permanent diet, but moving in the direction that the writer recommends is certainly a good thing.

Reading

Maps
Nag Hammadi

Transition Part Two: Travel

I have eliminated television media from my life for a number of years. There is an entire culture and history happening in media focused society that I am unaware of and uninfluenced by. Media culture is a self-referencing castle in the clouds. Media has very little traction to influence my personal behavior, although it has a great deal of power at the level of society.

I am no longer a part of a large organization with its rules, customs and schedules.

I am about to travel, taking away familiar landscapes and replacing them with new views every day.

The people that I know will be replaced by new people: all new, all the time (at least at first).

The comfortable familiarity of house and home will not be part of my life. Bye bye, reclining chair.

My high speed internet connection will go silent, I will go without my information addiction for days between hotspots.

In truth, I can always return to my home, and expect to do so eventually. But I do not think that I will be the same person.

The disassembly of the complex facade which surrounds the self will continue.

sky
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Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

December, 2015

Most people driving the highway between Quartzsite and Yuma probably see a desert barren of life. And for the most part, the low elevations are dusty sand deserts which are not all that interesting. But, take a five mile ride on a rough gravel road towards the mountains, and the desert becomes beautiful.

We are camped in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, which protects the desert from the scourge of off road vehicles, and the natural beauty of the desert in the hills is far more apparent than where man has touched it in the valleys. This campground appears to be an old national park campground, long abandoned. It has 50 to 100 campsites, and there are three groups camping here. There is water here, but it is in an open tank, so it would need to be filtered to be drinkable. It would be adequate for washing or bathing.

Quite a few years ago, I read about a black box proposed by Buckminster Fuller, a box that would produce the basic needs of people, such as food, water and clothing. The box would allow people to live anywhere, with minimal effort needed to maintain the body's needs. One would hope that humans would then be able to spend their time in a way that pleased them.

Living in a van in the desert is not an ideal black box situation, but it is a way to approach the ideal for periods of about a week at a time. One can fairly easily replenish the systems of a camper van in about one day per week.

The systems that need replenishing are gasoline, propane, fresh water tank fill, drinking water jug purchase, groceries, black and grey water tank dump, trash dump and laundry. Perhaps a visit to the post office and a wifi hotspot would round out the needs of the semi-recluse van dweller.

This assumes that one has a self-contained van to live in. A van with a bed, toilet, comfortable chair, cookstove, place for one's daily hygiene, and perhaps a heating system for cold mornings. These systems may be complex, as with a full on class B camper van, or they may be more simple, as with a stealthy homebuilt camper van. For the frugal person who has a mind to constantly simplify and make the systems more efficient, the stealth van will be the result as one optimizes over time.

For those less driven by efficiency and frugality, an RV style camper van makes using and maintaining the systems easy. Typical weekly costs for a weekly supply run for two people in a class B van are:

Gas, $20
Propane, $10
Water tank fill, $4
Drinking water fill, $10
Groceries, $120
Black and grey tank dump, $10
Laundry, $10
Trash, free

The total base cost for two people is $184 per week. These are conservative numbers but be aware that it is easy to increase your expenses by buying additional items (frequently useless in the desert) and by driving excessively. Add in the expense of any of your personal vices or entertainment to get a more accurate total. The stealth camper van with one person can lower these expenses somewhat.

There are hundreds of free, fourteen day campsites available in this area. Most free campsites are found at the end of a long, remote gravel road, so having a reliable vehicle is important. Four wheel drive and high ground clearance are not a requirement if you are attentive to your driving and do not try to drive through sandy areas, or after it has rained.

Once your rig is set up, and you become accustomed to the routine of camper van life, the next challenge will be what to do with your time. Sadly, humans have been taught to deny their needs to the point that most people do not know what will satisfy them and have difficulties when separated from media entertainment. Boredom is a frequent complaint, and a problem that requires one's own creativity to resolve.

One can seek exercise through walking, climbing or running. One can seek intellectual pursuits through stargazing, reading, writing or contemplating. One can socialize with others, seek out social gatherings or create social events. One can seek pleasure through sunbathing, massage or gastronomy. One can create art through painting, photography or video. One can pursue one's vices in solitude. Discovering what fascinates you is an important part of creating a life worth living.

A camper van in the Arizona desert is a way to maximize your free time in a place that gives you as much solitude as you want, in an area of natural beauty with relatively good weather in the winter.

Notes on a Simple Stealth Camper Van System

Hygiene

I find that using a washcloth and washbasin in addition to baby wipes to be a satisfactory long term personal cleaning system. If it is cold, I use a small bowl with one cup of unheated water, and one cup of water heated on the stovetop to scrub myself down with a washcloth. If it is warm, I use "room temperature" water. Generally a washcloth bath in the morning and evening is enough to feel clean and comfortable, but anytime I feel like freshening up, I will do a quick scrubdown. I use baby wipes several times a day to clean my crotch. These are disposed of in the trash.

Toilet

For urination, a pee bottle is essential. All one needs is a bit of privacy to have a convenient urinal. Empty the pee bottle daily by selecting a plant worthy of fertilization, and pouring the bottle near its roots. Rinse the bottle with a small amount of water daily. A bottle of 1.5 to 2 liters works well for daily disposal. Laundry softener or detergent bottles are frequently used. I do not know what comparable solution is available for females, and will let a female take the lead in recommending a solution.

For defecation, a marine portapotty can be used. Dispose of the portapotty contents in public toilets. Another option is to use a pail lined with a plastic trash bag. Double bag and dispose in a dumpster with your trash.

Water

A simple water solution is to build a storage box for two five gallon plastic carboys (jugs) of water. These are readily available where you buy groceries. Purchase a pump that fits on top of the carboy. It may be desirable to have separate jugs for cleaning water, and reserve purchased purified water for drinking and cooking. Ten to fifteen gallons is a good amount of water for one person who is conserving water.

Wash Water Disposal

Disposal of small amounts of wash water (less than a half gallon or so) is best done by pouring it on the ground. This includes both dishwater and personal hygiene water. Minimize the use of soap.

Heating and Cooking

With nighttime temperatures above about 40F, heating a camper van is not a requirement, but it is a pleasant convenience. The real solution is to have warm bedding that allows you comfort down to the mid 20's F. In the desert, there are daily temperature swings that will allow you to hide under the warm covers when it is cold and dark, and be active as the sun warms up the environment. This can mean long periods of time under the covers waiting for the sun.

As an example, my bed of a sheet, blanket and sleeping bag is warm enough down to about 25F outdoor temperature with no heater running. Our van has some insulation but not on the windows, which is where a lot of heat is lost. My favorite trick for comfort is to get in bed with the covers up to my chin, and take a small fleece blanket and lay it over my forehead and nose, draping it down the sides of my head to my shoulders. With only my nose and mouth exposed to the cold, I get plenty of fresh breathing air but am very warm and protected over the rest of my body.

Parking the van facing the sunrise is a good way to capture the sun's warmth when you need it most. Heating water for coffee in the morning also provides a good amount of heat. A catalytic heater such as a Mr. Buddy heater can make mornings warmer and more comfortable, but in the desert, where the sun warms things up quickly, a heater is not a necessity.

Cooking and heating water can be done with a simple butane stovetop. If one has a propane tank for heating, it is more economical to use a propane stovetop.

Solar

Every van should have a house battery system separate from the starter battery. This allows use of the house battery without danger of discharging the starter battery, leaving one stranded. The house battery should be normally disconnected from the starter battery, but when the vehicle motor is running, the house battery should be automatically connected to the starting battery by a solenoid switch to allow for charging by the alternator.

A solar power system for lighting, data, music and fans is a desirable luxury (200W solar system). A refrigerator powered by solar or propane is another desirable option (400W solar system or propane)

As a convenience to allow for more electrical use, one can add batteries to the house battery bank, and one can add solar panels with a charge controller to charge the house batteries while the vehicle is stationary. As a general rule of thumb, a basic system to power lights, data and music would be a 200 amp-hour battery system (two deep discharge marine batteries) and a 200 Watt solar system with a charge controller. More batteries and more solar panels are always better, but this would be a good system to start with.

High Top

One of the most important features of a comfortable camper van is the ability to stand up while changing clothes or moving around. A high top van with enough room to stand in is an important feature of a camper van.

Ventilation

A roof vent is an important feature for warm weather van camping.

One Month Review of Van Dwelling

After almost a month of van dwelling, we have become part of a group of vandwellers whose basecamp is a somewhat bleak gravel plain, just a few miles from a highway exit and close to a small village with RV services. We get out and explore the surrounding area, but the need for community brings us back to basecamp every few days.

Despite being on a great adventure, we do have down days, and it takes time to get used to this lifestyle. Some of the complaints that we hear (and have) are:

Boredom, homesickness, cold weather, lack of natural beauty, frustration with one's rig or equipment, missing family and wifi problems.

Still, this patch of barren land is far better than parking in rows of RVs in an RV park.

User avatar
C40
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by C40 »

I read through all of your journal yesterday. There are a lot of journals here and I don't keep up with them all. I found a nice surprise with yours. Congratulations on retiring!! I really enjoy journals describing the transition time and afterwords. It's nice reading about your daily activities and efforts to improve your habits.

How did you convince your wife about getting a smaller campervan instead of an RV?

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

She liked the Road Trek, a small van was OK for her.

skintstudent
Posts: 82
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by skintstudent »

Just read through your journal - congratulations on your new found freedom! We also enjoy camper van holidays and it is interesting to hear how you are faring on longer stints.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

January, 2016

I cut short my report last month to post it while I briefly had internet access. I had wanted to discuss how trivial most of the van dweller complaints were, and how the solutions are for the most part internal, meaning that the solution lies in one taking action, making a decision, or changing one's perspective. The solutions are in one's control.

At the moment I need to examine a more important issue. I am approaching the edge of a watershed of sorts, cresting a hill and looking at entirely new territory. The previous watershed was related to career, dissatisfaction with career, strategies to escape career and reaction to leaving career.

The new watershed is what to do with the time of life.

Serenity Now

My naive perception of inner peace was influenced by my life during employment, when my thought time was controlled by needs of the organization. Inner peace was the absence of external interference and noise. When separated from employment, my initial goal was silence and stillness. I was able to accomplish this on several days, sitting in a folding chair in the sun outside my van, looking at the mountains on the horizon. This silence did help the healing process.

Eventually, boredom set in.

I'm sure that there is a higher inner peace that one can achieve through silence and meditation. I am now questioning whether that is a goal worth focusing most of my time on. I could see spending an hour a day to learn meditation, but it would not be the main focus in my life.

The question of what to spend time doing arises now and then. At the moment, I am content with looking at nature, walking, exercise, exploring and socializing.

Disconnection from Babylon

At home, I have a cable internet connection. On the road, I have none, other than finding free wifi hotspots. I have a laptop, tablet and phone without service (no phone or data plan). Disclaimer: my wife has a cell phone with data, so we do have instant communication available.

Starting out on this trip, I wanted to experiment with using wifi hotspots as my means of communication. It is working for email, but frustrating for other uses. I am now considering a wifi jetpack, but am holding back because of the cost and because there may be a mental benefit to being disconnected.

PROs of jetpack data plan

Able to use navigation apps
communicate with friends, email and voip
read and post on forums
satellite imagery
map backgrounds on nav systems
online work or business?
use of gas buddy, sanidumps, propane finder and other location apps
use of online resources

CONs of data, benefits of no connection

Clingy communicators have no power here
zero cost is possible
Timewasters may take over my mind with a data plan
mental clarity?
power hog
no phone wanted
more time available for creative work

After one month without internet connection, I may be past the internet addiction phase. Should I pay for internet so I can use it as a tool?

I am leaning against getting a jetpack mainly because without an internet connection I am spending time talking to people. My screen time is reduced and much of that screentime is creating content (video) rather than consuming content. However, I spend a lot of time searching out wifi hotspots and am often frustrated with low bandwidth on free hotspots. It costs gas to drive to a hotspot. This limits my ability to upload video. I may eventually break down and get a jetpack.

Current screentime activities include making videos, reading offline reddit subs, reading email, writing email to be sent at next wifi hotspot connection, reading ebooks, watching downloaded videos (generally documentaries downloaded with Tubemate), playing solitaire and writing this journal.

I have avoided television media for quite a few years now. On two occasions this month, I watched television while eating at a restaurant. The commentary on the sports games was inane, meaningless. I felt mentally poisoned by the advertising. I wonder if I am becoming alien to the world of normal humans.

Freedom, Pleasure and the Good Life

Moving to a lifestyle with greatly enhanced freedom leads to imagining what the potentials for freedom are. My interest in traveling by van was originally based on the desire to explore and see different things (a noble purpose). Now that we are out here, I see a great potential for comfortable living. If the weather were warmer, it would be possible to create a life focused on good food, exercise and enjoying the sunshine, in particular if surrounded by people doing the same. I am very interested in the difference in philosophy and life effect of an ascetic minimalist lifestyle compared to a more comfortable, pleasurable lifestyle. A life of sunbathing, swimming, eating well and socializing has its attractions.

The Three Vices

Reclining Chair

I spend time in a folding chair, in the driver's seat and laying in bed. Generally, I think that my seating choices are more healthy than a reclining chair, although I would not make the claim that my fitness level has improved. The constant climbing in and out of the van is sort of fitness training. Just getting out of bed involves sit ups and gymnastics.

Screentime

Lack of internet access reduces the need to research things on the internet. I tend to spend time talking to people face to face rather than online. I replaced my dying laptop with a cheap WalMart HP 15, and now enjoy less power draw on the batteries and faster operation. Most of what I do on the computer is now creative rather than consumptive.

Alcohol

Despite best intentions, I am still swilling beer, perhaps less so than when living in a house. Not every night, but often.

Walking

I have not kept up with my walking, although I do walk shorter distances and stand around a lot talking to people. I am starting to increase my walking time.

Vandwelling

Living in a van in the desert is easy and requires very little of my time to maintain the systems. I am very content and have no desire to move back into a house. This is a very sociable lifestyle, with many opportunities to meet people. Most people are great, some are best avoided. It is easy to move on without drama if things aren't right. We still have a house and will return in the spring, but I could easily make this a full time lifestyle. There is a great deal of free time and you can choose the place you live in, so it can be very pleasant.

I am starting to turn backpacker feral, bathing in the river, using catholes and pee bottles, growing out an untrimmed beard and wearing dusty clothes for a week or more before washing. I love it, this is real life.

sky
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

For millions of years human evolved and the one thing they always had was a Nomad mind, that kept them on the move with the seasons, animal migration, climate changes, population growth and many other factors.

The humans that developed a NOMAD MIND survived and thrived while those who didn't died. Evolution has selected humans to be NOMADS. Some of us moved constantly and some moved slowly--but we all moved.

Then 10,000 years ago we adapted agriculture which forced us to stay in one spot, we stopped moving. By staying on one spot we needed communities, states, governments, laws, police--all of that led to CIVILIZATION. But, our old ways of thinking and feeling no longer worked so we slowly developed a whole new mindset and worldview called the CIVILIZED MIND..

Farming meant we were no longer free to roam and travel, it meant we had to obey laws. As capitalism developed the laws of the market place became the dominate power over our lives and now it is our absolute LORD and MASTER. Society summed it up as being "Good productive members of society.) but it really meant we became:

wage slaves,
worker drones in a hive
cogs in a machine
rats in a maze
no longer human beings, simply units of production, like any other tool to be used and discarded at will

When you stop working and move into a car, van or RV everything about your life changes and you start living like a nomad again, but you still have your civilized mind that wants you to be PRODUCTIVE above all else. But nomads aren't productive, they are free and happy. Your civilized mind hates that!!!!! Every moment of your life you were told it didn't matter if you were happy, only that you were productive. Suddenly you are happy but not productive and your mind rebels at that and demands that you DO SOMETHING!!

Do anything because you are a tool, a machine and all your value comes from production. Happiness is totally irrelevant--production is all important.

You're going through that now. When you retire and move into a car van or RV the civilized mind hates it!!

But, the nomad mind is still in there, that's the reason you feel this strong urge to become a NOMAD, it's literally written into your DNA, it's your normal, natural human way of thinking!

The nomad mind is sane
The civilized mind is insane

Because it's your normal, natural mind, eventually you will regain your sanity and the insanity of civilization will slowly drop away.

For awhile it can be very difficult to make the transition and you have to be willing to go through the chaos that will reign in your heart and mind while the poison of civilization is leaving you. It's very toxic and by disobeying it and not producing but being happy instead, it will punish you and you will be miserable for awhile.

There is nothing to do but go through it and let the toxic poison of the civilized mind out of your heart and mind.

Bob Wells
cheaprvliving.com

1taskaday
Posts: 463
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Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by 1taskaday »

Loving the journal.

sky
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Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

February, 2016

Since I have so much leisure time, I have been reading up on Greek and Roman philosophy. I struck gold with the discovery of Epicurus (a stoic philosopher). With some adjustments for modern times, I find his advice very compelling. Pleasure, virtue, prudence, sober reasoning and tranquility are Epicurus' goals for living a good life.

"When we say, then, that pleasure is the end and aim, we do not
mean the pleasures of the prodigal or the pleasures of sensuality,
as we are understood to do by some through ignorance,
prejudice, or willful misrepresentation. By pleasure we mean the
absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. It is not an
unbroken succession of drinking-bouts and of revelry, not sexual
lust, not the enjoyment of the fish and other delicacies of a
luxurious table, which produce a pleasant life; it is sober
reasoning, searching out the grounds of every choice and
avoidance, and banishing those beliefs through which the
greatest tumults take possession of the soul. Of all this the
beginning and the greatest good is wisdom. Therefore wisdom is
a more precious thing even than philosophy; from it springs all the
other virtues, for it teaches that we cannot live pleasantly without
living wisely, honorably, and justly; nor live wisely, honorably, and
justly without living pleasantly. For the virtues have grown into
one with a pleasant life, and a pleasant life is inseparable from
them."
Epicurus, in his letter to Monoeceus

How a should a human live to have a good life? This is an extremely important question that everyone should examine for themselves. The world would be a much better place if people would ask themselves why they are doing what they are doing.

This month, I am spending much of my time in a free campground near a free hot spring in Southern California, near the Mexican border. It is a real pleasure to be here due to the warm weather and the daily dip in the hot spring, which is a social event with the other campers here.

I visited a natural spring that I had heard about and discovered using aerial photos. After a long walk through the dusty desert I came upon muddy pools of water that had been used as a dumping ground in the 50's or 60's. Beautiful birds attracted to the rare standing water flitted their way through mounds of broken glass, debris and tires. So many beautiful places have been spoiled.

I have been asked to get a phone by several people.

It is silly not to be able to get a weather report
not to be able to get texts from others
not to be able to call others
not to be part of conversation among groups
not to be able to research things on the internet

But, at the same time, it is therapeutic not to have a phone or be connected to the internet.
Despite my constant agonizing over whether to get a phone plan, I still do not have one.
Sometimes I wonder if my escapism from media and communication is a weakness or mental issue. It probably is but at least I recognize the issue and have responded in a way that seems to benefit me. Besides, as soon as I get a decent WiFi connection I start wasting time watching funny gifs on Reddit as my top priority for use of bandwidth.

This month I faced a couple of tests.

I had to replace the fresh water pump in the van, which had failed. A Class B camper van is a pain when it comes to repairing things. I had to remove a partition in order to access a pipe, which took a few hours. There are some areas where the pipes are completely inaccesible, such as behind tanks. I recommend building a more simple camper van to anyone considering van camping. I passed this test but did not do so well on the peace of mind aspect, I panicked to a certain degree and was in some mental distress for the three days of repair.

The second test was getting a cold, which was a test of liveability of the camper van. Dealing with a cold in a camper van is not much different than at home.

We drove to San Diego and stayed a few days. A beautiful city, perhaps the nicest I have seen. Despite lots of traffic and constant jet and helicopter noise, it was a very attractive city. I considered getting a job and settling down.

The people that I met were friendly but there seemed to be a war on homelessness, and people living in vans were the target of the moment. There were overnight parking restrictions everywhere, and other vandwellers complained of tickets and harrassment.

Everyone I met was friendly, but still there was a weird vibe of paranoia, with everyone warning me about getting ticketed. During the time that we camped in a beautiful waterfront location, there were RVers in decrepit RVs parked overnight in city parks with no tickets issued while we camped there. But after a few days, I felt that the mental healing that I had gained in the desert was getting worn away.

On top of this, it was difficult to find a way to fill my fresh water tank, apparently regulations in response to the drought required most water spigots to be locked up. I probably could have found a source eventually, but I got tired of asking and looking for a water spigot. After three days, I decided to return to the desert so that I could get water and to get away from the traffic.

I did eventually find a water source thanks to a kind gas station manager, but by that time I was near the top of the mountain, trying to escape from the city and its sociopsychological disorders. A sign that I have recently seen posted in many California businesses is "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone". A great customer service statement to set right out there where everyone can see it. This pretty much sums up my experience in California. In many ways, California reminds me of Chicago, bad drivers, heavy traffic and strange customs. Time to head east. But not too fast, it is still blizzarding at home.

I like California very much (despite the silliness) and am very tempted to start applying for jobs. I would like some toys and to add to my savings. There is also a desire to use the skills that I have. However, we are rolling back east at the moment, and just crossed the Arizona state line.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

I recently reviewed this essay with the help of other students of Epicurus and revised sections 16 and 18. Here is the revised version:



The Pursuit of Happiness: 21 Steps to Continuous Life Improvement


Learning how to examine one's life and change it to maximize happiness is a very powerful skill. Increasing one's tranquility and happiness can lift the human spirit to a high level of grace and dignity.


In this text, we propose a process of examining one's life and carefully reconstructing it to maximize tranquility and happiness. We encourage each reader to examine his own life and make improvements based on his own judgment and free will.


This strategy is not for everyone: it requires a certain level of discipline to be able to choose behavior and action that benefits one's life over the long term, rather than selecting instant gratification. If one is able to make decisions with maturity, the process of Continuous Life Improvement can lift one to a high level of happiness and contentment.


1. Be Sensitive and Learn From Your Senses!


Listen to what your body is telling you about the world. Your senses are your most direct and real connection with the physical world, and should be trusted more than dreams, imagination, things that you have heard from others or what you have been taught by others. Be sensitive to how your mind/body processes and reacts to physical sensations, and learn to recognize and distinguish negative sensations (pain) from positive sensations (pleasure).


Our written language is somewhat limited in the meanings it can convey through a single word. The words "pain" and "pleasure" are not adequate to describe the positive and negative sensations which we receive from our environment. Some synonyms for pain that one may sense include distress, dismay, discomfort, worry, anxiety, disturbance, fear, bother, discontent, displeasure, stress, distastefulness and unpleasantness. Synonyms for pleasure that one may sense include joy, peace, relief, comfort, contentment, enjoyment and satisfaction.


Learn to recognize which of your own feelings are positive, and which are negative by "listening" to or being aware of your own senses. Try to connect events, behaviors and actions which trigger these positive and negative feelings to identify cause and effect for positive and negative feelings.


Many sensations are not strongly painful or pleasurable, but one can often recognize that the body prefers one behavior over another, for example, depending on the outdoor temperature, the body may prefer sunshine to shade, or vice versa. Be open to these types of subtle sensations, both positive and negative.


2. Respond to Negative Feedback!


Be conscious of negative sensations and identify the actions, behaviors and situations that cause them. Find ways to change those behaviors to reduce or eliminate the negative sensations. Negative sensations include pain, discomfort, distress, anxiety, stress and fear.


When you recognize a negative sensation, try to determine which behavior or action caused the negative sensation and change it. Continually be aware of your sensations and strategically make changes in your life that relieve negative sensations. Eliminating behavior and actions that are the cause of negative sensations is a very powerful way to improve one's life. Repeating this process over time will create enormous improvement in one's life.


3. Be Rational!


The senses occur in the present moment, so one must use the rational mind to evaluate the cause of that sensation, which may have happened in the past. For example, "after drinking that tea, I became somewhat nervous and agitated...", which might lead you to suspect that drinking that type of tea causes a certain level of distress. One can then eliminate this behavior to reduce one's level of distress.


It is not always clear which behavior caused which sensation. The rational process of identifying cause and effect is an important skill and requires one to recall one's actions over time and discover clues that indicate which behavior affected one's sense of well being. Use cause and effect analysis to choose how to modify your behavior to reduce negative sensations.


4. Develop a Strategy!


A behavior or action which causes a negative sensation should be modified or eliminated to reduce the negative sensation. There may be a number of behaviors and actions that work together to cause negative sensations. Because the world is complex, this may require a multilevel strategy in response as one improves one's life.


Changes in one area may have unintended consequences in other areas. A unified strategy that makes changes in many areas may be more effective than making a single change at a time. Learning from others and comparing strategies may be effective if others are following a similar philosophy.


5. Be Good to Yourself!


Choose behavior that maximizes positive sensations. Fill your day with pleasant places, people, activities and events. Listen to what your senses are telling you, and take action to move toward that which is pleasant. Seek out beauty, comfort, joy and contentment. Continually reassess a behavior or action to determine whether it continues to be pleasurable, or if it is becoming less positive over time. Improve your life every minute by constantly thinking about how you could increase your happiness and tranquility.


6. Use Long Term Cost/Benefit Analysis!


It is important to rationally choose behavior and actions which maximize positive sensations. Use a long term cost/benefit analysis to assess whether a short term pleasure is worthwhile over the long term. For example, a sexual relationship may cause emotional distress in the future if one is not selective about the type of person one has a relationship with. Avoid behavior that causes long term negative impacts on one's life.


Assess a short term negative sensation which may resolve a problem based on the long term positive effects which it might bring. A visit to the dentist is unpleasant, but it can relieve a toothache and promote long term dental health. When considered on a rational basis, one can endure the short term pain for the long term benefit.


There are many such compromises which one must make in life. By focusing on the long term benefit, one can remain aware of the reason one is accepting the short term negative sensation. When the long term benefit no longer exists, one should then end the short term negative sensation.


In some cases, the best strategy may be to select a behavior which minimizes the negative effects of an activity which has some benefits. Working to earn money is a neccessity in today's world. One can select a career with a minimum of negative impacts on one's life, and one can live frugally to minimize the amount of money needed. The negative aspects of one's time being controlled by others can be rationalized by the money which one can save for a future life unencumbered by work.


7. Control Desires!


Recognize that there are some desires which are needs that every human must satisfy, for example, the need for food, water, shelter and friendship. Respect these desires and focus on satisfying them with appropriate responses.


Desires which are not necessary for one's basic needs are often desires which can damage one's happiness if one pursues them. Pursuing desires for political power, sexuality, wealth, conspicuous consumption and fame might bring fleeting satisfaction, but over the long term cause distress and pain.


Learn to recognize the difference between desires which are necessary for one's happiness, and those desires which are unnecessary and often destructive to one's long term happiness. Use discipline to say no to unnecessary desires. Consciously reduce one's thoughts about unnecessary desires.


8. Be Loyal to Yourself!


It is important to be relentlessly and completely true to your own self-interest. Every other person who you are in contact with will try to influence your behavior toward their interests. Organizations and governments will try to impress your mind with the "duty" to put their interests first. Businesses will try to influence your behavior in a way that is likely to increase purchases from them and will increase their profits.


In order to find true happiness, it is important to put your interests in the primary position. Delegating decisions which serve the best interest of others can lead to bitterness, dismay, and the feeling of being cheated. By following your own best interest, you will be honest, true, predictable and reliable to yourself and to others.


9. Choose Wisely!


There will be many decisions made throughout your life. They are all important. It is crucial to rationally choose the path your life follows, and to have the discipline to follow through with those choices. Many choices are difficult, and only by carefully considering the potential outcomes can one choose the optimum path. The best method is to rationally consider long term outcomes of action in the present. Consider, decide and act to live your life.


10. Cultivate Friendship!


Friendship is a necessary human need. Your state of mental well-being is affected by the mental state of those around you, in particular family and friends with whom you have frequent contact over a long period of time. It is human nature to need association with friends.


Seek out people with positive thoughts and lifestyles and get to know them. Reach out to communicate with friends regularly. Invite others and meet with others as often as you can to build a group of friends. Eat with friends, share your food with friends. Help friends, and ask friends for help when you need it. Learn how to develop friendship and how to respond to the social dynamics within a group of friends.


Support your friends to help keep them in a positive state of mind. Work to maintain lifelong friendships. As friendship develops over time, one gains trust and the friendship strengthens to the point of one's friends being almost as important as one's self.



11. Add Behaviors Which Bring Happiness!


As you make decisions on behavior throughout your life, be sensitive to feelings of joy, kindness, love, beauty, grace and other positive emotions. Select behavior and seek out situations that promote and maximize these feelings.


12. Shut Down Negative Thoughts!


You are enjoying something, and suddenly a thought comes flying out from your deep subconcious that causes you doubt, guilt, fear or anxiety. For example, you are taking a nice hot shower and enjoying it. Suddenly a thought comes through telling you that you should not waste hot water. Consider that thought, assess whether it is valid, and if not, let that thought pass, and continue to enjoy the shower. Don't jump every time your subconcious mind comes up with an objection to something that you enjoy.


13. Recognize and Avoid Ascetisism!


Ancient ascetics believed that the spirit was good and the body evil, and by punishing the body one enhanced the spirit. Some ascetics pursue this philosophy to the point of causing pain through self-flagellation, self-starvation and purposefully living in pain or discomfort. Some ascetics use a display of their self-torture as a way to draw attention to themselves. Avoid this behavior and always seek to increase happiness and tranquility in your life.


Ascetisism includes simplifying or minimizing one's life to an extreme level. When simplifying one's life, do it to the extent that it increases happiness and tranquility. Don't punish one's self with pain or suffering for any reason other than cases where one gains a long term benefit through short term pain.


14. Ignore Negative Inputs!


Listening to negative news is debilitating. The information that enters your mind is what shapes your mind. Choose your incoming communication deliberately. Avoid media which push programming and choose media which allow you to select the information you wish to receive. Avoid people who are caught in negative thought patterns and who constantly speak about threats, dangers, crime and injustice.


Develop the state of your mind by choosing what enters your brain. Seek out a group of like-minded people to fill your day with thoughts of friendship and caring. Be kind and greet others with a smile to help others rise above the negativity. Doing so will benefit you as much as others.


15. Know that Happiness is Easy to Achieve!


It is easy to get the things necessary for basic human needs: food, water and shelter. A person who can obtain these basic things can be happy.


If your thoughts start to worry about how you are going to earn money to pay for something, ask yourself if you really need that item. Be calmed by the knowledge that basic human needs are easy to acquire, and anyone who has the basic human needs can be happy.


In addition to these items, by nature a human needs friendship, fascination (intellectual focus) and physical fitness. Friendship means social interaction and being part of a group of friends and family. Fascination and intellectual focus are the things one is passionate about. Often fascination is related to learning, building or creating. Physical fitness allows a person to be active and able to do a wide range of activities and it promotes health.


Note that the last three types of human needs can be satisfied without the need for money, if one chooses the right methods of obtaining these needs.


Comfort yourself with the knowledge that happiness is easy to achieve.


16. Preserve the Health of Your Body


Your level of happiness over the long term depends on how you treat your body. Neglect and abuse can bring pain. Eat healthy foods, exercise and use your body to maintain your fitness level. Use appropriate hygiene and preventative medical care. Exercise is an example of a short term discomfort that has long term benefits. Strive to achieve a healthy mind in a healthy body.


Our senses are the most direct and true connection with the natural world, far more direct than our understanding and learning about the natural world that we receive through communication with others. One should carefully guard against anything that would disturb, modify or distort one's senses and sensory observation of the natural world. One should moderate the use of intoxicants which distort one's perception of the world. Avoid alcohol and drugs in excess.


17. Stay Frugal, But Enjoy!


Would you like to be able to decide how to spend your time each day? Frugality can give you this choice by reducing your expenses to an amount that you can fund with part time work or a small investment income. Reducing your desires to those things which you actually need will help you reduce your spending.


It is very important to spend less than you make. Spending more than you earn, buying on time, taking on credit, all of these bind you to servitude. When you spend money, think about the time that you will need to work to pay for that item.


It is good to save and invest. The purpose of savings are to allow you to live without work taking up your available time.


If you are fortunate to have a level of savings and are financially well off, feel free to do things with your money that bring you happiness. Be generous to others.


18. Rational Behavior Decisionmaking


In order to use reason to live a life of happiness and tranquility, one applies rational decisionmaking to ones life based on the philosophy of Epicurus.


Rational Behavior Decisionmaking involves selecting one's behavior and activities, including:


Which activities we choose to do each day

Which people we associate with

How we speak to and treat other people

Recognizing nature through our senses

What we consume

Distinguishing between pleasure and pain, and determining which actions or events led to the experience of pleasure or pain


Levels of Rational Behavior Decisionmaking


Present Moment Comfort Enhancement


Be attentive to one's body and how one could improve comfort and contentment.


At frequent intervals, one should be aware of one's current physical state and imagine what one could do to increase comfort, such as drinking to relieve thirst, finding a good sitting position, wearing clothes that do not bind or chafe, or getting up and stretching after being inactive for some time. When physically active, enjoy the exercise but know the limits and take a break when appropriate.


Present Moment Positive Emotion Enhancement


Over one's life, one should learn specific behaviors that enhance feelings of joy, kindness, love, grace and other positive emotions (pleasurable emotions). Behaviors which bring pleasure might include calling a friend for a conversation, preparing a meal, writing a poem, taking a nap, designing a project, organizing one's desk, reading a book or going for a walk. The behaviors which an individual finds pleasurable are individual to that person. Each person must make themselves aware of the types of behaviors which enhance one's positive emotions, and in the present moment, should select that behavior which the individual feels would be most pleasurable. It may be helpful to make a list of behaviors that have been enjoyable in the past to help one remember the options that one has in the present moment.


Future Distress Reduction


There are a number of problems which one can avoid in the future by taking action today. Examples are preparing a financial budget to avoid a lack of funds, excersising to improve future health, medical care to heal a wound, working today to avoid future poverty, brushing one's teeth to avoid tooth decay. Select this type of preventative behavior when a relatively minor negative experience today will prevent a major discomfort tomorrow.


Future Positive Emotion Enhancement


Some actions one can do today can reap benefits in the future. Examples are planting a seed to enjoy the future crop, getting an education which will improve one's career, investing savings so that one may enjoy free time from employment. Select this type of action strategically, with a consideration as to risk and reward, in particular regarding what one is giving up today.


Self Preservation and Maximization of Pleasure


Life is what allows us to enjoy pleasure, so preservation and extension of one's life is the prime directive to maximize one's ability to experience pleasure.


In one's rational behavior decisionmaking process, one should always consider the risk of death or injury associated with the behavior, and the impact of the behavior on one's health and longevity.


Suggestions for starting out with a system of rational behavior choices:


Make a list of foods which cause indigestion or other problems and avoid them.

Consciously select the food and drink which you consume using science-based knowledge of a healthy diet as well as your preferences in flavor and taste.

Make a list of things which you enjoy doing and which bring pleasure, so you can refer back to them when you have time and don't know what to do.

Make a list of preventative actions you wish to take and know how they need to be applied in order to be effective.

Imagine the type of life one would like to have in the future and ask oneself what can one do today to bring that life into effect.

If there is an activity which you particularly enjoy, for example, a morning walk or afternoon tea, deliberately schedule these activities on your calendar so they don't get neglected and double booked by more mundane tasks and responsibilities.


19. Avoid Politics


Politics and discussion of politics involves dispute, disagreement, suspicion, rumor, lies, deception and retribution. To avoid the negative emotions that these actions bring, avoid participation in politics.


You may wish to participate in democratic voting. It may be best to inform yourself by researching the candidates or proposals in a very focused way rather than relying on media to inform you. Elections cause the media to behave in damaging ways. Often the candidates and media will try to convince the audience that things are desparately bad and changes must be made or disaster will strike. This leads to distress among those who are convinced by the narrative. To avoid this negative impact on your well-being, avoid watching media, in particular television. Select your news source based on its rational qualities and balanced reporting. Text-based news sources are best.


In some cases, you may wish to engage in political activity to defend a cause which is important to you. Be selective about how you choose to be an activist on an issue. Working in a support role will be less damaging to your mental health than being a candidate for office. However, if there are no other potential candidates and you see a need to protect something important to you, you may wish to be a candidate for an elected position. Do your best and try not to get caught up in the negative side of politics.


20. Overcome Your Fears!


What if I become destitute?


Remember that even in the simplest shelter, with simple food and water, one can achieve happiness. The things that one really needs are easy to get. By accepting a simple life, spending less than one earns and saving money for emergencies, one can maintain a secure, if simple, standard of living and achieve happiness.


How will I find a suitable partner if I am not rich?


The way to find a partner is to be socially engaged, to have a circle of friends that includes a number of potential partners, and to have inner peace and tranquility that allows for good communication with potential partners. A flashy car, new clothes, jewelry and trendy haircut are not required.


I will miss something in life if I do not become rich!


You need some wealth to live. However, extreme wealth does not necessarily bring happiness. In fact, it is more difficult for an extremely wealthy person to achieve tranquility. Work toward a level of wealth that allows you a simple life.


21. Simplify Your Life!


Most people will benefit from reducing the complexity of their lives. Simplification frees up the most valuable commodity which a person can have: time. However, simplification and elimination of things is not a goal in itself. Simplification and minimalism have value to the extent that they improve one's life through reducing stress related to maintenance of things and by freeing up the time it takes to maintain them. It is also a frugal way to avoid unnecesary expenses. The goal of simplification and minimalism is to achieve a level of tranquility that is not disturbed by responsibilities and the maintenance of the things one owns.


Once a person reaches a minimalist state of tranquility and is enjoying the free time that simplification provides, one should seek to add behaviors and actions which increase happiness to one's life. One may choose actions and behaviors that maximize positive effects while minimizing responsibilities and negative effects.


As one learns which things truly add value and happiness to one's life, one can choose those beneficial behaviors which have a minimal impact on one's financial resources. One can focus one's time on a select group of friends that one knows are rational, kind, caring and without the overhead of drama, anger or deceit. One can spend time researching a subject which one is passionate about. One can create art, build furniture or perform music. One can express themselves through writing. Simplification of one's life can lead to a flowering of expression that is made possible by reducing one's responsibilities and maximizing free time.


Conclusion


In order to continuously improve one's life, one needs to eliminate negative behavior and select behavior and actions that promote positive emotions.


These are the things that one needs to be happy:


FOOD

WATER

SHELTER

FRIENDSHIP

FASCINATION

PHYSICAL FITNESS


All of these things are easy to get. Some require a small amount of money. All of them require one to make good decisions about how to live one's life.


August, 2016
Revised October, 2019
Last edited by sky on Thu Nov 05, 2020 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

leeholsen
Posts: 325
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:38 pm

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by leeholsen »

sky wrote:
The nomad mind is sane
The civilized mind is insane

Because it's your normal, natural mind, eventually you will regain your sanity and the insanity of civilization will slowly drop away.

For awhile it can be very difficult to make the transition and you have to be willing to go through the chaos that will reign in your heart and mind while the poison of civilization is leaving you. It's very toxic and by disobeying it and not producing but being happy instead, it will punish you and you will be miserable for awhile.

There is nothing to do but go through it and let the toxic poison of the civilized mind out of your heart and mind.

Bob Wells
cheaprvliving.com

Second.

if you worked in a corporate environment for any time and cannot conclude that it's a functional prison, you're just not very aware imo. would you really choose that type of environment just for a nice car ? I would not. although that life does provide a feeling of comfort, it is a very sad existence.

although I know many of the ere community goes carless, that's really limiting imo. I've been on top of mountain ranges on the west and east in the usa and once I have the ability to do that on any day, I'm never going back.

George the original one
Posts: 5404
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
Location: Wettest corner of Orygun

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by George the original one »

> After three days, I decided to return to the desert so that I could get water

Ironic, that you have to leave a city for the desert in order to get water!

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal

Post by sky »

We returned home mid month after a long drive across the plains. Things were great until San Diego and then we kind of lost the spirit of the trip when we headed back east. We should have stayed down south for another month to avoid cold grey weather. We had the post-trip blues for a while.

I had hoped to go backpacking but some things came up. I am pretty disappointed and not too happy about it. When the trees green up out here, I may do some local hiking.

Worked on maintenance items on the van, cars and house. Applied for a few jobs. Volunteered to work on a tall ship. Started fooling around with an internet business. Started some seeds for the garden. Tried to sell my car then decided a reliable, economical vehicle was worth more to me than what I could sell it for. I am designing a small shanty boat to take down the Mississippi (yeah, right).

I completely fell back into the reclining chair/screentime/beer swilling lifestyle. I am starting to walk a bit more now that the weather is getting better. Living in a house is quite comfortable but more boring than living in a van.

My original plan for April was to backpack the New Mexico section of the CDT, but that fell through due to some family issues. Now I am going to volunteer on a tall ship to get it ready for the season, and maybe crew on it. It is close by, I can walk to it so I like that.

However, once the van maintenance is complete, we may take off again, either locally or longer distance. The van needs a new roof vent, and I have it but am waiting for decent weather so the caulking cures properly. A nice sunny day and a little bit of ambition and it will be done.

So at the moment, a number of maintenance jobs are being completed, I have a few projects that I am working on, a potential fun volunteer job, but no real plans. I do expect to stay around home most of the summer, since we live in a great area as long as the weather is good. June to September, I'd rather be here than anywhere else. Although I do like to explore up north.

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