Hey all. Hope you’re doing great. I’m kinda back in the saddle. For a change, let’s make this thread open to everyone who subscribes (not just paying subscribers) I wonder what’s going on in your world? Are you prepared for the coming economic storm where interest rates get up over 10% and induced recession kicks in?
I hearing of upcoming food shortages as well as sky rocketing inflation. I wonder when are we as a society gonna move on from capitalism and into a more sustainable and humane system.
Another fun synchronicity just this morning. I’m rereading a book titled The Age of Absurdity by Michael Foley. It’s a funny and serious book about the ridiculousness of modern life with an attitude not unlike Civilized to Death. I hit a specific quote this morning, supposedly the last words of the Buddha, “All accomplishment is transient. Strive unremittingly.” Sounds like something the Buddha would say. There was a footnote and for some reason I followed it, it was the 24th footnote and I hadn’t followed any yet. The specific quote was from a Karl Jaspers book titled Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus: the paradigmatic individuals. But as my eyes scanned the page, I noticed the first footnote on the page was for the book Buddha by Karen Armstrong. Three days ago I wouldn’t have known who Karen Armstrong was but on Friday I listened to Dan Harris’ podcast Ten Percent Happier and he was interviewing Karen Armstrong. She has just published a book titled Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World.
Please share any of your own synchronicities, we never know where this may lead.
I think some of you may find this interesting. It is a YouTube video of a modern-day hunter and gatherer..somewhere in an undisclosed part of Oregon. All he needs is his sheep and his cart they tow.
Hey Chris and other fellow Humanoids. I was sent this recently and wondering how it’s taken 9 years to reach me - the moment I heard it I wondered if you had, what makes this song great? Well everything. Not only is it just a darn good tune from a tap my foot, feel good vibrational standpoint but lyrically the message this puts out is right on! But the stand out about this track is how the dude stops the track then start looping syllables together to eventually form something just incredible, it’s insanely intelligent and after watching it over and over I still have no idea how he does it. It has to be heard and seen to be believed. Enjoy. Richard
Prediction: Putin, fearing assassination from his closest generals, will not start WWIII. He will not nuke Kyiv or a NATO city like Warsaw or London. The oligarchs and elite have more to lose than almost everyone else. Sacrificing their luxury lives with second homes in the French Riviera and mistresses in New York for Russian glory and ideology is simply not realistic.
The western elite are in the same boat (yacht). Protecting their own and family's lives is tantamount.
No armageddon.
However, he very well might launch a 'tactical' nuke at some inland Ukraine city noone has ever heard of in an abrupt attempt to end the war. Despite the drumbeats from the military industrial complex, we will not retaliate in kind.
Noone heard of Hiroshima or Nagasaki prior to the nuclear events. This will be the same.
Meanwhile the recession will exacerbate the class struggles of the west leading to more autocracies and austerity and brutal living conditions for everyone in the bottom 50%. The civil unrest from this will eventually hit a tipping point and an Arab Spring-like event could erupt in the United States.
I can't comment on the article thread about Israel, so I'll just do it here. First, I'll say I'm Israeli - so I am going to insert a viewpoint from a biased perspective. Also, I have to admit - it feels like many people who speak on the topic from outside (on both sides) often don't really understand what's going and have a limited perspecitve.
I think the emphasis of whether it's religous/racial/cultural is a bit missing the point. The conflict is religious, cultural and land-based. It's not one of them. Also, Jew is a complicated categorization, because it's often more cultural/ethinc than religious. For example, many of the early Zionists who founded Israel were Jewish, but secular and even atheist.
Second, when reffering to apartheid in regards to Israel it's important to distinguish between who. There are Arabs in Israel (20% of the population), who although are poorer and worse off, have the same rights as any other citizen by law. Reffering to apartheid in this regard is tantamount to saying there is apartheid in the United States in regards to African Americans.
Now, the real question of apartheid reffers to the Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. Now, here you could make a case for it - but I'll just put in the Israeli perspective so it's heard. Yes, settlements are awful, yes Israel does a lot of unjustified, awful things. However, (and I am not using this to justify everything else), much of the occupation is due to security reasons. That big ass wall we built - was due to security reasons. We suffered massive terror attacks, doubling down on security and building a wall helped stop these attacks dramitically. Yes, it comes at cost to people's rights to move freely. Yes, it has huge negative consequences. But, the main reason was security. Now, that's the West Bank.
Then there's Gaza which is a whole other issue with other factors and histories.
But that's my point, it's a lot more complicated than is it racial or not racial....
Hey Chris. Maybe it would be interesting to hear how the economy throught your life has affected your life and your ability to travel/live cheaply. Is this a luxury of a succesful economy and low housing prices?
Hey Chris, thanks for being one of the older/wiser folks acknowledging the impending economic shitstorm rather than blindly believing in the ‘good ol American economy’ as many of the ‘grown ups’ in my life do. Good call on the meet ups. Cities do suck.
My man and I just moved to Taos from Colorado for environmental remediation work (job security) and luckily found a humble casita to rent. We have been looking to purchase our first home, but don’t have enough saved to compete with all-cash offers and rising interest rates. In the meantime, squeezing the juice out of life as we ride the ride 🤙🏻
Hi Chris. I know you mentioned you will be in the American Southwest for the next few months, any plans on being around Albuquerque, NM, in mid December? I am planning on visiting Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon (among others) and I am always up for a listener meet-up, or up for just buying you and Anya a round. I know you mentioned you are going to sort of cut back on them, but have you thought about doing a listener meetup at a campground? Maybe an out-of-the-way location? I think it would be cool to have people spend a little more time together.
“They don’t want people that are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago.. They don’t want that, they want obedient workers” - George Carlin, The American Dream 2005 🇺🇸..
Chris, to your question. We have fumbled the ball! Too long have we been stealing from the future generations. The time has finally come that the piper must be paid. This will unfold with the further perpetuation of the have/have not dynamic we increasingly see amongst us. I do not see a future where Civil War is not the probable outcome. Unfortunate! Much love!
Hey, I would like to know wether the Persian version of Sex at Dawn is still available? I would like to send it to my Iranian friend who is in a very complicated relationship with her husband. Greetings, Riku the map maker
I also saw the potential for interest rates spiking and hyper inflation occurring. I wanted to be financially secure and didn't like my "project management" job anymore, so it was time for change and regrouping.
Last year I sold my four bedroom, two bath house and downsized from a hot housing market to a colder housing market about a three hour drive from my original location in Ontario, Canada. The net result being that I now live mortgage free in a two bedroom, 1-1/2 bath house, that is so much easier to maintain as a single guy.
I just started in a college program at the age of 45 to become a CNC Machinist. After being in the corporate world for the last 15 years I've decided to do what I love instead and create and fix things with my hands and problem solving. I've fixed my own cars since I was 16 and it's always been a calling of mine, but as the son of Mexican and Chilean immigrants I was pushed to be a "professional" and I felt obliged to fulfill my parents wishes.
The best thing is, is that the college is paying me an hourly wage to go to school! I took a scary leap and the doors opened up for me and it seems to be working itself out.
And even better than that, two months ago my family (parents, sister, & three nephews) decided to do the same and sold their homes and bought one house together here in Windsor only a ten minute drive from me. We're all living within our means now.
We've shored up as best as we can for the upcoming economic storm Chris. I'm wishing everyone out there all the best of luck and opportunity in the coming years.
I talked about synchronicities a couple months back on an open thread….and it happened again. I’m in San Diego visiting my son. Was looking for some live music to check out yesterday. Out of the blue my brother texts me and asks me about a musician I had turned him onto last year. I couldn’t remember who he was talking about and I scrolled through my music library and didn’t see anything that sounded like what he was looking for. I did see a couple of albums by Daniel Romano that I remember liking. Then I checked the live music in San Diego and of course Daniel Romano from Canada is playing in San Diego. Then my brother sends the video I had sent him last year and it’s Daniel Romano. So my son and I went and saw the show, small club on the outskirts of town, small crowd, 15 bucks to get in and it was fantastic. His opening act was Carson McHone and she was really good too, never had heard of her. Romano produced her last record and his band backed her for her performance. I’m usually very pessimistic about the universe’s intentions but events like that give me a little hope.
Hey Chris, on your recent roma podcast you apologised for being absent for the past month or so due to covid and that 'subscribers didnt get their moneys worth'. I cant speak for everyone but just want to let you know that its all good! Each month I look at my bank statement and I am always happy to see the $ deducted for you, and its literally the only direct debit that makes me feel that way. Paying car insurance or my phone bill doesnt make me feel good, but knowing that I am sending $ to you does.
And then you return with a podcast with Rick Beato, which is the crossover I didnt know I needed, so awesome that you guys are buds, I am a guitarist and he has been my guitar guru for a few years. And then an episode with Stanley Krippner, who is my all time fav TS guest, he is just so delightful, I love the way he says something then pauses and says "....and" and then says something else connected to it "....and" hes just so interesting!
G’day all. Erik the ‘Hiking Viking’ here. I hope everyone is doing as best as possible given the current madness going on around the world at the moment.
Not hungover today, but still sending BIG LOVE to all you beautiful tangerines out there wherever you are ❤️ (Listener intro from Rick Beato podcast).
“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.”
~ Arundhati Roy
Much love from Erik THV on the Bibbulmun trail in Southern Western Australia 🐍
Personally I have some flexibility as not tied to dramatically rising mortgage repayments and no dependents. Living back with family is the nuclear option which I am blessed to have.
Here in the U.K everything is royally f***ed. (or working smoothly if you’re invested in widening inequality)
We have inflation that may hit 17%, wages that have been stagnant for 30 years, a cost of living crisis and an energy crisis (its doubled since last year) due to our leaders’ unwillingness to invest in cheaper, greener renewables for decades due to political reasons.
Scotland are always 2 steps ahead of England though, looking at freezing rents and evictions. (though King Charles has lobbied for an exemption on his properties) *rolls eyes*
At this stage I believe that the more unconventional your life, the more you’re insulated from this broken system committed to inequity. Insulated financially, mentally and spiritually. They won’t even let us have weed (at least Biden is changing the discourse on that)
Empathising deeply with those who will be facing homelessness and the ensuing mental health challenges that will be largely ignored.
I'm so glad to hear you're feeling (somewhat) better! Covid kicked my butt soundly for 5 months and I'm still feeling the repercussions over two years later. I had to quit my healthcare job earlier this year because of the effects, both mental and physical.
That said, we've got our fixed rate mortgage at 2.75%, we are debt free, and we have a fully funded emergency fund. It's not a bad place to be in when it feels like the world is burning around you. My husband and I thank our younger selves every day for working and preparing so hard and well. I haven't been blessed with a new job yet (boy, am I trying, but finding a company that treats humans like humans with liveable wages and benefits is like...well, like looking for a unicorn!), but my husband's meager wages allow us to make ends meet. We are feeling the pain at the grocery store and can't afford much travel, but other than that, we are doing great compared to so many others.
I think of this amazing community often. Sometimes I feel so alone seeing how wrong our world has gone, but then I remember there are amazing people like all of you that see it, too, and it's such a comfort!
Hiking everyday up in the mountains in southern Poland 🇵🇱 with my old man, taking some time out of regular busy London life, to reconnect with Nature, getting out of the head and into the body.
I'm flying to London tomorrow with my partner to surprise my sister. She just moved there! Am kinda bummed I may miss the Oakland meetup though, been looking forward to attending one of them. Just recently moved to Sacramento and holy shit... I have to admit I was surprised by how expensive everything is out here. Not looking forward to a recession ooof.
Just shooting from the hip here - perhaps "bosom buddies" is metaphorical in the sense that the two 'buddies' are as close as two breasts of the same bosom.
I've been traveling long-term, low-budget doing house sitting and staying with friends + family. I gave up my apartment in Western MA and left on this road trip in July, and I am currently on the Central Coast of CA linking together house sits. I'd probably be doing this regardless of the economy, but it's a nice way to travel for a long time without spending a fortune. I work remotely, don't have kids or pets, and live a pretty minimal lifestyle, which I know isn't everyone's situation. I'll be in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area for a couple weeks starting this weekend, if anyone wants to meet up.
Wow…all of you are so great! Immensely grateful to be a part of this community, and even more so now with the opportunities opened through the map.
I am 30 and I have what they call “no credit score.” Because of some privilege, hard work, and luck, I’ve never taken a loan or had a credit card. I went to college on a full scholarship for Cross Country. After graduating, I worked a couple years as an environmental engineer, but partially because of this podcast, I quit and haven’t gone back to traditional work since.
For the past 3 years I’ve been working “part-time” [by American standards] as an assistant for my friend that has a physical disability, while spending most of my remaining time living at and building out a rural property in Upstate NY I bought with my partner.
Now due to factors largely out of our control, we are separating, and I am choosing to purchase her half. The money I had to travel and continue developing this rural sanctuary in the U.S. [for myself and community] is now all going to the buy-out.
So shit…probably not a good time to be considering loans and credit eh? I’ll certainly be okay, but this is a big wake up call to some “risks” of my non-conventional lifestyle. Ultimately though, the Henry David Thoreau quote Chris often references, is what I truly believe in:
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
…and fuck am I happy just in the woods soaking up what it has to offer.
Definitely not ready for all that, I am ready to join the NALCAP program in Spain as a teachers assistant though. Ive got zero experience in that field, A (unfulfilling) well paying job in the SF bay area and no family of my own yet. I think now is as good a time as ever to give the the U.S the peace sign (or the middle finger) and experience life somewhere else for a while. Thanks Chris!
I have a 3-year-old boy and currently live in western NC. My wife is 100% Polish, was born there, has citizenship and speaks the language fluently. Unfortunately, we just don’t seem to fit into that “American dream” box or have the thought process to go with it. We think public schools in the U.S. are something more akin to a prison or temporary holding cell for children. Currently, I don’t feel comfortable sending my kid to school in America. After some thought, my wife and I have decided it would make sense for all of us to move to Europe in the next few years. We’re hoping a change of culture will do us some good. Giving my son the opportunity to learn two languages and experience different cultures is too hard to pass up, in my humble opinion. This, of course, is all pending what happens with the current conflict in Russia -- seeing Poland is so close in proximity.
I think preparation is pretty futile when so much is so unpredictable. The best preparation is to be able to adapt to anything. Might be time to get a van...
Nope, not at all prepared. How can you be when you are poor, with medical expenses? My hatred of this country and of it's selfish "rugged individualist" character grows every day. Our institutions need overthrown yesterday
Greetings from the middle west. Thanks for creating and holding this space, and I'm glad you're feeling better. Things are quiet and good here in Missouri. I'm prepping for a winter of working on our home and prepping the garden for the spring. I feel fortunate in that I do feel ready and prepared for the future, but it comes with many of what this community may call "trappings." A Wife, kids, & a mortgage keep me from finding our guru in India, hiking the PCT, and starting that cruelty free clothing line for disabled gerbils, but I'm happy, healthy, and surrounded by loved ones.
Recession is no problem when you're already a minimalist. Been nomadic for a year and a half now. Narrowed my worldly possessions down to a hiking pack, a couple pairs of wornout shoes, and a few boxes of clothing and books that are stashed in my parents' basement. Currently living in that rural Illinois basement to catch up with my family after 14 months of traveling around Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East. Existence was misery for years before I hit the road, and now I'm the happiest guy I know! Who says you can't run from your problems? I say all of this only to give thanks for all the inspiring Tangentialistas. Whether you're a world traveler, a homesteader, or a family person who has stayed local for a lifetime, I see that you all live mindfully, morally, and intentionally. I genuinely never would have left Illinois were it not for the inspiration I've found in this community. Much love to you all.
Years ago I had a gun pointed at my head because a cop thought my “brown” ass was someone else, I’ve been told over and over again by the church that the world is gonna end so I better avoid hell and repent, I’ve been broke for a life and friendless since the pandemic. Everyone ask, are you ready for this; “are you ready for you ready for that…?” How many people ask, “are we ready to love each other…?” Jesus could come back tomorrow with gold pouring from his ass, and if love isn’t there he’d be strung up by his balls the next day! It sounds simplistic …but if we are ready to love each other, it doesn’t matter what the dollar does or if inflation goes 1000%. Because I’m your lifeboat, you are my sun, she is my ocean, they are my sky. Until the humane race embraces that concept we are the monkey with his head in the jar refusing to release the banana while the hunter points the gun at his ass.
My husband and I are using this time as an opportunity to work on our finances! It feels good to save money or spend money on things that you planned to, not on impulse driven highly marketed bullshit that is shoved down our throats day in and day out!
As ready as i'll ever be! At least when the interest rates rocket up, that should help me with a cash purchase at a lot better price. I'm thankful to be in that kind of situation, and don't even mind being labeled a bottom feeder!
Hopefully be sipping coffee outside the cabin, staring at the mountains, bottom feeding the shit out of it.
Greetings from Norway. As a freelancer who struggled this summer with not having any work, I've suddenly been thrown into multiple, fun, decent paying projects for the next month or so. I'm an animator and cartoonist that works from home most of the time. The wet, cold and dark fall has settled here in Norway and it's magic mushroom season. Time to make soups and stews to stay warm. Also finally watching the X-Files and staying booze-free for October.
With the end of my PhD in sight, not looking forward to fully entering the capitalist rat-race, and often thinking about ways (to at least partially) escape it. However, money issues and the possible loneliness of a life outside civilization occupying a big role in the back of my mind.
Manageable, fixed-rate mortgage on our apartment in Barcelona. Self-employed, working from home with diverse clients so even if a few go under or tighten the purse strings we *should* be OK. I started my business in 2008 so it's not like recession here is unfamiliar territory. Plus, it's Barcelona. Life is always at least pretty good here.
Thanks for opening up the thread, Chris. Glad to know you’re feeling better—what a mind-fuck, and every other kind of fuck, Covid has been so far, except of course for the good, pleasurable kind of fuck. Also heartening to hear that people are out there supporting one another and living their lives. In these grim times, personally I’ve been finding refuge in different kinds of beauty, and I thought I’d share a couple of short poems with people, by w.s. merwin and Paul Auster.
After the Alphabets
I am trying to decipher the language of insects
they are the tongues of the future
their vocabularies describe buildings as food
they can instruct of dark water and the veins of trees
they can convey what they do not know
and what is known at a distance
and what nobody knows
they have terms for making music with the legs
they can recount changing in a sleep like death
they can sing with wings
the speakers are their own meaning in a grammar without horizons
Happy you're better. I'm kinda your polar opposite in situ while a true brother in spirit. A US expat (Cali>Sweden), 4 kids, bundled up in a society that tries do good. Can't be too smug now with the threat of fallout blowing here in the wind. Sole proprietor but started teaching. Looking to install a cast iron stove in that unused fireplace. I really really enjoy your work, and maybe that will help in getting through this unnecessary strain on humanity. Hope one day our paths cross...
My sister and I are looking to buy a house. Possibly the worst time to be buying here in Western Australia. The house prices are still on the rise and doesn’t seem like they’ll go down like most other states.
Interest rates are only at 2.6 and the reserve bank said they won’t go over 6%. But I don’t trust anything they’re saying.
I'm trying to make the best of it all. Running a couple Airbnb businesses and trying to buy another property in the next month or so before rates go above 8%, just trying to keep building something I've so far found success in despite some rocky predictions. If I can cover the bills, maybe provide a cool place for some family to make memories in, and hopefully build equity in these properties to eventually sell as some point and live off that, that's enough for me. Much love to you all.
Left the Midwest in March solo pulling a 22’ travel trailer, white water kayak, and two pups headed westward-ish-north after Austin. Best decision of my life to hit the road with no destination other than following my intuition. It’s restored my faith in humanity getting to know so many lovely traveling souls and kindred spirits of all ages and nationalities. Eminately empowering to meet so many strong solo females out doing the same and who will not settle for the word boring to ever enter their lexicon.
Was an unintentional ally in the ceremonial “Nights of Grief and Mystery: ROUGH GODS” tour in Salt Lake City recently. Huge honor and privilege to meet the humble duo after the show. Currently in Blackfoot Hills of Idaho, reading and hiking. Experiencing this country’s graceful beauty on the road has taken my breath away and cracked my heart so fucking wide open that if I died tomorrow I can say that I’ve lived a full and meaningful life. I’ve never felt more grateful to be alive than in this very moment. Cheers to all you beautiful humans in this lovely community.
I'm allowing my (knowingly ridiculous) football addiction to come in full throttle as a prime distraction. At the same time, I'm working/volunteering 4 jobs that deal with the environmental crisis, all the while constantly wondering if all of that is just a massive waste of time. But I forge ahead because I don't know what the hell else I would do.
Glad you're feeling better from the shit virus, Chris.
For some reason, even though I set this up to be open to all and comments open to all, it's still restricting comments to paid subscribers. I'm flummoxed. Reaching out to technical assistance now.
I hearing of upcoming food shortages as well as sky rocketing inflation. I wonder when are we as a society gonna move on from capitalism and into a more sustainable and humane system.
Another fun synchronicity just this morning. I’m rereading a book titled The Age of Absurdity by Michael Foley. It’s a funny and serious book about the ridiculousness of modern life with an attitude not unlike Civilized to Death. I hit a specific quote this morning, supposedly the last words of the Buddha, “All accomplishment is transient. Strive unremittingly.” Sounds like something the Buddha would say. There was a footnote and for some reason I followed it, it was the 24th footnote and I hadn’t followed any yet. The specific quote was from a Karl Jaspers book titled Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus: the paradigmatic individuals. But as my eyes scanned the page, I noticed the first footnote on the page was for the book Buddha by Karen Armstrong. Three days ago I wouldn’t have known who Karen Armstrong was but on Friday I listened to Dan Harris’ podcast Ten Percent Happier and he was interviewing Karen Armstrong. She has just published a book titled Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World.
Please share any of your own synchronicities, we never know where this may lead.
I think some of you may find this interesting. It is a YouTube video of a modern-day hunter and gatherer..somewhere in an undisclosed part of Oregon. All he needs is his sheep and his cart they tow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoZacUdPm1g
Not sure if If it's worth thinking that far ahead. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
https://youtu.be/tryfeLEMxxw
Maybe try to comfort us with your soothing voice.
Hey Chris and other fellow Humanoids. I was sent this recently and wondering how it’s taken 9 years to reach me - the moment I heard it I wondered if you had, what makes this song great? Well everything. Not only is it just a darn good tune from a tap my foot, feel good vibrational standpoint but lyrically the message this puts out is right on! But the stand out about this track is how the dude stops the track then start looping syllables together to eventually form something just incredible, it’s insanely intelligent and after watching it over and over I still have no idea how he does it. It has to be heard and seen to be believed. Enjoy. Richard
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fU7hZ3smj0g
Prediction: Putin, fearing assassination from his closest generals, will not start WWIII. He will not nuke Kyiv or a NATO city like Warsaw or London. The oligarchs and elite have more to lose than almost everyone else. Sacrificing their luxury lives with second homes in the French Riviera and mistresses in New York for Russian glory and ideology is simply not realistic.
The western elite are in the same boat (yacht). Protecting their own and family's lives is tantamount.
No armageddon.
However, he very well might launch a 'tactical' nuke at some inland Ukraine city noone has ever heard of in an abrupt attempt to end the war. Despite the drumbeats from the military industrial complex, we will not retaliate in kind.
Noone heard of Hiroshima or Nagasaki prior to the nuclear events. This will be the same.
Meanwhile the recession will exacerbate the class struggles of the west leading to more autocracies and austerity and brutal living conditions for everyone in the bottom 50%. The civil unrest from this will eventually hit a tipping point and an Arab Spring-like event could erupt in the United States.
What a shitshow.
I saw this last night. 70's working class van people!!!
It's on Amazon or Fandor, somewhere:
https://youtu.be/_aud2DnN4Us
Finished watching the Sopranos and found this interesting article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/magazine/sopranos.html
A lot of the themes from the show and article hit home as a 90's baby. Is the end near?
I can't comment on the article thread about Israel, so I'll just do it here. First, I'll say I'm Israeli - so I am going to insert a viewpoint from a biased perspective. Also, I have to admit - it feels like many people who speak on the topic from outside (on both sides) often don't really understand what's going and have a limited perspecitve.
I think the emphasis of whether it's religous/racial/cultural is a bit missing the point. The conflict is religious, cultural and land-based. It's not one of them. Also, Jew is a complicated categorization, because it's often more cultural/ethinc than religious. For example, many of the early Zionists who founded Israel were Jewish, but secular and even atheist.
Second, when reffering to apartheid in regards to Israel it's important to distinguish between who. There are Arabs in Israel (20% of the population), who although are poorer and worse off, have the same rights as any other citizen by law. Reffering to apartheid in this regard is tantamount to saying there is apartheid in the United States in regards to African Americans.
Now, the real question of apartheid reffers to the Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. Now, here you could make a case for it - but I'll just put in the Israeli perspective so it's heard. Yes, settlements are awful, yes Israel does a lot of unjustified, awful things. However, (and I am not using this to justify everything else), much of the occupation is due to security reasons. That big ass wall we built - was due to security reasons. We suffered massive terror attacks, doubling down on security and building a wall helped stop these attacks dramitically. Yes, it comes at cost to people's rights to move freely. Yes, it has huge negative consequences. But, the main reason was security. Now, that's the West Bank.
Then there's Gaza which is a whole other issue with other factors and histories.
But that's my point, it's a lot more complicated than is it racial or not racial....
Hey Chris. Maybe it would be interesting to hear how the economy throught your life has affected your life and your ability to travel/live cheaply. Is this a luxury of a succesful economy and low housing prices?
Saw this and thought to share it here. "In just 48 years, the world population has doubled in size, jumping from four to eight billion"
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-the-worlds-population-at-8-billion/
Love ya, Chris. Glad you're feeling better.
Hey Chris, thanks for being one of the older/wiser folks acknowledging the impending economic shitstorm rather than blindly believing in the ‘good ol American economy’ as many of the ‘grown ups’ in my life do. Good call on the meet ups. Cities do suck.
My man and I just moved to Taos from Colorado for environmental remediation work (job security) and luckily found a humble casita to rent. We have been looking to purchase our first home, but don’t have enough saved to compete with all-cash offers and rising interest rates. In the meantime, squeezing the juice out of life as we ride the ride 🤙🏻
Hi Chris. I know you mentioned you will be in the American Southwest for the next few months, any plans on being around Albuquerque, NM, in mid December? I am planning on visiting Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon (among others) and I am always up for a listener meet-up, or up for just buying you and Anya a round. I know you mentioned you are going to sort of cut back on them, but have you thought about doing a listener meetup at a campground? Maybe an out-of-the-way location? I think it would be cool to have people spend a little more time together.
“They don’t want people that are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago.. They don’t want that, they want obedient workers” - George Carlin, The American Dream 2005 🇺🇸..
Chris, to your question. We have fumbled the ball! Too long have we been stealing from the future generations. The time has finally come that the piper must be paid. This will unfold with the further perpetuation of the have/have not dynamic we increasingly see amongst us. I do not see a future where Civil War is not the probable outcome. Unfortunate! Much love!
Hey, I would like to know wether the Persian version of Sex at Dawn is still available? I would like to send it to my Iranian friend who is in a very complicated relationship with her husband. Greetings, Riku the map maker
I also saw the potential for interest rates spiking and hyper inflation occurring. I wanted to be financially secure and didn't like my "project management" job anymore, so it was time for change and regrouping.
Last year I sold my four bedroom, two bath house and downsized from a hot housing market to a colder housing market about a three hour drive from my original location in Ontario, Canada. The net result being that I now live mortgage free in a two bedroom, 1-1/2 bath house, that is so much easier to maintain as a single guy.
I just started in a college program at the age of 45 to become a CNC Machinist. After being in the corporate world for the last 15 years I've decided to do what I love instead and create and fix things with my hands and problem solving. I've fixed my own cars since I was 16 and it's always been a calling of mine, but as the son of Mexican and Chilean immigrants I was pushed to be a "professional" and I felt obliged to fulfill my parents wishes.
The best thing is, is that the college is paying me an hourly wage to go to school! I took a scary leap and the doors opened up for me and it seems to be working itself out.
And even better than that, two months ago my family (parents, sister, & three nephews) decided to do the same and sold their homes and bought one house together here in Windsor only a ten minute drive from me. We're all living within our means now.
We've shored up as best as we can for the upcoming economic storm Chris. I'm wishing everyone out there all the best of luck and opportunity in the coming years.
I talked about synchronicities a couple months back on an open thread….and it happened again. I’m in San Diego visiting my son. Was looking for some live music to check out yesterday. Out of the blue my brother texts me and asks me about a musician I had turned him onto last year. I couldn’t remember who he was talking about and I scrolled through my music library and didn’t see anything that sounded like what he was looking for. I did see a couple of albums by Daniel Romano that I remember liking. Then I checked the live music in San Diego and of course Daniel Romano from Canada is playing in San Diego. Then my brother sends the video I had sent him last year and it’s Daniel Romano. So my son and I went and saw the show, small club on the outskirts of town, small crowd, 15 bucks to get in and it was fantastic. His opening act was Carson McHone and she was really good too, never had heard of her. Romano produced her last record and his band backed her for her performance. I’m usually very pessimistic about the universe’s intentions but events like that give me a little hope.
Hey Chris, on your recent roma podcast you apologised for being absent for the past month or so due to covid and that 'subscribers didnt get their moneys worth'. I cant speak for everyone but just want to let you know that its all good! Each month I look at my bank statement and I am always happy to see the $ deducted for you, and its literally the only direct debit that makes me feel that way. Paying car insurance or my phone bill doesnt make me feel good, but knowing that I am sending $ to you does.
And then you return with a podcast with Rick Beato, which is the crossover I didnt know I needed, so awesome that you guys are buds, I am a guitarist and he has been my guitar guru for a few years. And then an episode with Stanley Krippner, who is my all time fav TS guest, he is just so delightful, I love the way he says something then pauses and says "....and" and then says something else connected to it "....and" hes just so interesting!
Anyway, much love bud, from Australia.
G’day all. Erik the ‘Hiking Viking’ here. I hope everyone is doing as best as possible given the current madness going on around the world at the moment.
Not hungover today, but still sending BIG LOVE to all you beautiful tangerines out there wherever you are ❤️ (Listener intro from Rick Beato podcast).
“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.”
~ Arundhati Roy
Much love from Erik THV on the Bibbulmun trail in Southern Western Australia 🐍
Personally I have some flexibility as not tied to dramatically rising mortgage repayments and no dependents. Living back with family is the nuclear option which I am blessed to have.
Here in the U.K everything is royally f***ed. (or working smoothly if you’re invested in widening inequality)
We have inflation that may hit 17%, wages that have been stagnant for 30 years, a cost of living crisis and an energy crisis (its doubled since last year) due to our leaders’ unwillingness to invest in cheaper, greener renewables for decades due to political reasons.
Scotland are always 2 steps ahead of England though, looking at freezing rents and evictions. (though King Charles has lobbied for an exemption on his properties) *rolls eyes*
At this stage I believe that the more unconventional your life, the more you’re insulated from this broken system committed to inequity. Insulated financially, mentally and spiritually. They won’t even let us have weed (at least Biden is changing the discourse on that)
Empathising deeply with those who will be facing homelessness and the ensuing mental health challenges that will be largely ignored.
I'm so glad to hear you're feeling (somewhat) better! Covid kicked my butt soundly for 5 months and I'm still feeling the repercussions over two years later. I had to quit my healthcare job earlier this year because of the effects, both mental and physical.
That said, we've got our fixed rate mortgage at 2.75%, we are debt free, and we have a fully funded emergency fund. It's not a bad place to be in when it feels like the world is burning around you. My husband and I thank our younger selves every day for working and preparing so hard and well. I haven't been blessed with a new job yet (boy, am I trying, but finding a company that treats humans like humans with liveable wages and benefits is like...well, like looking for a unicorn!), but my husband's meager wages allow us to make ends meet. We are feeling the pain at the grocery store and can't afford much travel, but other than that, we are doing great compared to so many others.
I think of this amazing community often. Sometimes I feel so alone seeing how wrong our world has gone, but then I remember there are amazing people like all of you that see it, too, and it's such a comfort!
Hiking everyday up in the mountains in southern Poland 🇵🇱 with my old man, taking some time out of regular busy London life, to reconnect with Nature, getting out of the head and into the body.
Much love and respect to all here 🙏☀️
I'm flying to London tomorrow with my partner to surprise my sister. She just moved there! Am kinda bummed I may miss the Oakland meetup though, been looking forward to attending one of them. Just recently moved to Sacramento and holy shit... I have to admit I was surprised by how expensive everything is out here. Not looking forward to a recession ooof.
Just shooting from the hip here - perhaps "bosom buddies" is metaphorical in the sense that the two 'buddies' are as close as two breasts of the same bosom.
I've been traveling long-term, low-budget doing house sitting and staying with friends + family. I gave up my apartment in Western MA and left on this road trip in July, and I am currently on the Central Coast of CA linking together house sits. I'd probably be doing this regardless of the economy, but it's a nice way to travel for a long time without spending a fortune. I work remotely, don't have kids or pets, and live a pretty minimal lifestyle, which I know isn't everyone's situation. I'll be in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area for a couple weeks starting this weekend, if anyone wants to meet up.
Wow…all of you are so great! Immensely grateful to be a part of this community, and even more so now with the opportunities opened through the map.
I am 30 and I have what they call “no credit score.” Because of some privilege, hard work, and luck, I’ve never taken a loan or had a credit card. I went to college on a full scholarship for Cross Country. After graduating, I worked a couple years as an environmental engineer, but partially because of this podcast, I quit and haven’t gone back to traditional work since.
For the past 3 years I’ve been working “part-time” [by American standards] as an assistant for my friend that has a physical disability, while spending most of my remaining time living at and building out a rural property in Upstate NY I bought with my partner.
Now due to factors largely out of our control, we are separating, and I am choosing to purchase her half. The money I had to travel and continue developing this rural sanctuary in the U.S. [for myself and community] is now all going to the buy-out.
So shit…probably not a good time to be considering loans and credit eh? I’ll certainly be okay, but this is a big wake up call to some “risks” of my non-conventional lifestyle. Ultimately though, the Henry David Thoreau quote Chris often references, is what I truly believe in:
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
…and fuck am I happy just in the woods soaking up what it has to offer.
Definitely not ready for all that, I am ready to join the NALCAP program in Spain as a teachers assistant though. Ive got zero experience in that field, A (unfulfilling) well paying job in the SF bay area and no family of my own yet. I think now is as good a time as ever to give the the U.S the peace sign (or the middle finger) and experience life somewhere else for a while. Thanks Chris!
I have a 3-year-old boy and currently live in western NC. My wife is 100% Polish, was born there, has citizenship and speaks the language fluently. Unfortunately, we just don’t seem to fit into that “American dream” box or have the thought process to go with it. We think public schools in the U.S. are something more akin to a prison or temporary holding cell for children. Currently, I don’t feel comfortable sending my kid to school in America. After some thought, my wife and I have decided it would make sense for all of us to move to Europe in the next few years. We’re hoping a change of culture will do us some good. Giving my son the opportunity to learn two languages and experience different cultures is too hard to pass up, in my humble opinion. This, of course, is all pending what happens with the current conflict in Russia -- seeing Poland is so close in proximity.
Thank you, Chris, for the great content!
I think preparation is pretty futile when so much is so unpredictable. The best preparation is to be able to adapt to anything. Might be time to get a van...
Let's get some replies from long term/full time travelers in the US
Nope, not at all prepared. How can you be when you are poor, with medical expenses? My hatred of this country and of it's selfish "rugged individualist" character grows every day. Our institutions need overthrown yesterday
Greetings from the middle west. Thanks for creating and holding this space, and I'm glad you're feeling better. Things are quiet and good here in Missouri. I'm prepping for a winter of working on our home and prepping the garden for the spring. I feel fortunate in that I do feel ready and prepared for the future, but it comes with many of what this community may call "trappings." A Wife, kids, & a mortgage keep me from finding our guru in India, hiking the PCT, and starting that cruelty free clothing line for disabled gerbils, but I'm happy, healthy, and surrounded by loved ones.
Recession is no problem when you're already a minimalist. Been nomadic for a year and a half now. Narrowed my worldly possessions down to a hiking pack, a couple pairs of wornout shoes, and a few boxes of clothing and books that are stashed in my parents' basement. Currently living in that rural Illinois basement to catch up with my family after 14 months of traveling around Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East. Existence was misery for years before I hit the road, and now I'm the happiest guy I know! Who says you can't run from your problems? I say all of this only to give thanks for all the inspiring Tangentialistas. Whether you're a world traveler, a homesteader, or a family person who has stayed local for a lifetime, I see that you all live mindfully, morally, and intentionally. I genuinely never would have left Illinois were it not for the inspiration I've found in this community. Much love to you all.
Years ago I had a gun pointed at my head because a cop thought my “brown” ass was someone else, I’ve been told over and over again by the church that the world is gonna end so I better avoid hell and repent, I’ve been broke for a life and friendless since the pandemic. Everyone ask, are you ready for this; “are you ready for you ready for that…?” How many people ask, “are we ready to love each other…?” Jesus could come back tomorrow with gold pouring from his ass, and if love isn’t there he’d be strung up by his balls the next day! It sounds simplistic …but if we are ready to love each other, it doesn’t matter what the dollar does or if inflation goes 1000%. Because I’m your lifeboat, you are my sun, she is my ocean, they are my sky. Until the humane race embraces that concept we are the monkey with his head in the jar refusing to release the banana while the hunter points the gun at his ass.
My husband and I are using this time as an opportunity to work on our finances! It feels good to save money or spend money on things that you planned to, not on impulse driven highly marketed bullshit that is shoved down our throats day in and day out!
As ready as i'll ever be! At least when the interest rates rocket up, that should help me with a cash purchase at a lot better price. I'm thankful to be in that kind of situation, and don't even mind being labeled a bottom feeder!
Hopefully be sipping coffee outside the cabin, staring at the mountains, bottom feeding the shit out of it.
Poor and content
I live in a jungle paradise
Free of responsibility, traps and trappings
The wide nets cast all about us
Greetings from Norway. As a freelancer who struggled this summer with not having any work, I've suddenly been thrown into multiple, fun, decent paying projects for the next month or so. I'm an animator and cartoonist that works from home most of the time. The wet, cold and dark fall has settled here in Norway and it's magic mushroom season. Time to make soups and stews to stay warm. Also finally watching the X-Files and staying booze-free for October.
With the end of my PhD in sight, not looking forward to fully entering the capitalist rat-race, and often thinking about ways (to at least partially) escape it. However, money issues and the possible loneliness of a life outside civilization occupying a big role in the back of my mind.
Manageable, fixed-rate mortgage on our apartment in Barcelona. Self-employed, working from home with diverse clients so even if a few go under or tighten the purse strings we *should* be OK. I started my business in 2008 so it's not like recession here is unfamiliar territory. Plus, it's Barcelona. Life is always at least pretty good here.
I plan on burying gold in my backyard. All I need is to get some gold. And a backyard…
Hi all,
Thanks for opening up the thread, Chris. Glad to know you’re feeling better—what a mind-fuck, and every other kind of fuck, Covid has been so far, except of course for the good, pleasurable kind of fuck. Also heartening to hear that people are out there supporting one another and living their lives. In these grim times, personally I’ve been finding refuge in different kinds of beauty, and I thought I’d share a couple of short poems with people, by w.s. merwin and Paul Auster.
After the Alphabets
I am trying to decipher the language of insects
they are the tongues of the future
their vocabularies describe buildings as food
they can instruct of dark water and the veins of trees
they can convey what they do not know
and what is known at a distance
and what nobody knows
they have terms for making music with the legs
they can recount changing in a sleep like death
they can sing with wings
the speakers are their own meaning in a grammar without horizons
they are wholly articulate
they are never important they are everything
w.s. merwin
Credo
The infinite
tiny things. For once merely to breathe
in the light of the infinite
tiny things
that surround us. Or nothing
can escape
the lure of this darkness, the eye
will discover that we are
only what has made us less
than we are. To say nothing. To say:
our very lives
depend on it.
Paul Auster
Happy you're better. I'm kinda your polar opposite in situ while a true brother in spirit. A US expat (Cali>Sweden), 4 kids, bundled up in a society that tries do good. Can't be too smug now with the threat of fallout blowing here in the wind. Sole proprietor but started teaching. Looking to install a cast iron stove in that unused fireplace. I really really enjoy your work, and maybe that will help in getting through this unnecessary strain on humanity. Hope one day our paths cross...
My sister and I are looking to buy a house. Possibly the worst time to be buying here in Western Australia. The house prices are still on the rise and doesn’t seem like they’ll go down like most other states.
Interest rates are only at 2.6 and the reserve bank said they won’t go over 6%. But I don’t trust anything they’re saying.
I'm trying to make the best of it all. Running a couple Airbnb businesses and trying to buy another property in the next month or so before rates go above 8%, just trying to keep building something I've so far found success in despite some rocky predictions. If I can cover the bills, maybe provide a cool place for some family to make memories in, and hopefully build equity in these properties to eventually sell as some point and live off that, that's enough for me. Much love to you all.
You should do an episode about your thoughts on coping with the foreboding future for your average listener.
Left the Midwest in March solo pulling a 22’ travel trailer, white water kayak, and two pups headed westward-ish-north after Austin. Best decision of my life to hit the road with no destination other than following my intuition. It’s restored my faith in humanity getting to know so many lovely traveling souls and kindred spirits of all ages and nationalities. Eminately empowering to meet so many strong solo females out doing the same and who will not settle for the word boring to ever enter their lexicon.
Was an unintentional ally in the ceremonial “Nights of Grief and Mystery: ROUGH GODS” tour in Salt Lake City recently. Huge honor and privilege to meet the humble duo after the show. Currently in Blackfoot Hills of Idaho, reading and hiking. Experiencing this country’s graceful beauty on the road has taken my breath away and cracked my heart so fucking wide open that if I died tomorrow I can say that I’ve lived a full and meaningful life. I’ve never felt more grateful to be alive than in this very moment. Cheers to all you beautiful humans in this lovely community.
I'm allowing my (knowingly ridiculous) football addiction to come in full throttle as a prime distraction. At the same time, I'm working/volunteering 4 jobs that deal with the environmental crisis, all the while constantly wondering if all of that is just a massive waste of time. But I forge ahead because I don't know what the hell else I would do.
Glad you're feeling better from the shit virus, Chris.
For some reason, even though I set this up to be open to all and comments open to all, it's still restricting comments to paid subscribers. I'm flummoxed. Reaching out to technical assistance now.