Do not fight the system. Go around it. Play with it. | Squat the Planet

Do not fight the system. Go around it. Play with it.

maxiyou

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Hello there!

I want to share my thoughts on the "western" system of the world that many of us exist in.
Many of us start in the system, going to school, many times being lectured by everyone around completely not conscious about what they are saying is based on artificial mindset and way of life, that is bound to only work with the machine of civilization. And it's not anyone fault. Fault is maybe in our genes, that tend to lock us in comfort zones, just to keep us alive, than to look for new possibilities and widen our consciousness. That's why many of us are offered with full time jobs that will in general enslave us into doing same things over and over again, for some credits that will help us ease the pain of losing the only two valuable resources in this universe for us - time and life energy.

From my experience I feel that fighting, having a primitive rebel against all of it only gives the energy to the cause that you are fighting with. It's too big of a machine. It will devour us freedom-addicted people.
What we need is a language of love. Of happiness. Even if someone wants to enslave us, we try to give them the most positive energy we are able to. Love is inspiring. Not trying to persuade. People will hear what they want to hear. Forcing the way for someone is a nature of evil. Living and let live is a simply just nature.
The more you love yourself, the more you love the universe in fact. If you won't love yourself, you will look for love everywhere else on planet but you will never be satisfied.
Hate will end up in creating another cycle of hate, unless all of the people are dead.

What we need to do is to acknowledge that all of the happiness is already inside of us. We don't need any supply of the external materialistic world, besides essentials like food, warmth etc. That's a another big topic.
We can focus on minimalism. On ways of creating happiness by our creativity, any way of expression, doing essential life chores, taking care of someone, doing sport, having a beautiful relationships. Attending the festivals. Living with nature. Caring about the nature. Having a conscious relationship with our environment. Etc.
The need for consumption will drop significantly. Thus, the need for money.
We can guide ourselves with love and no law written by "dead people" in the law bible, where papers communicate with each other.

We can try to find people that are alike to us. Try to make solid connections. I think that our world needs to be consisted of many small societies, where everyone knows each other.
Something like tribes. In today world we have a lot less everyday life contact with our neighbors. In the past there was no capitalism - we had to depend on each other.
Someone in the village was being a flusher, a smith, a shoe maker etc. There was a barter. Someone's friend was building a house, you were helping him. Then he would help you in the future building yours. It's kind of social energy, happiness that is very present in our genes. The ability to feel like a family among the "strangers". Having not the same goals like other people, but having the same destiny. The goal would be to have a good relationship with the land and with all the inhabitants. To live freely, to experience.
When we start creating local communities it's important to try to organise meetings where someone can share their knowledge, craftmanship to the others. Like lecturing on herbs, foraging, survival, farming etc.
Permaculture is a topic that you maybe would like to dive into if you like what I wrote.

I've been attending a couple of meeting with local pagans from Poland. In the past times, we had our own religion which was focused mainly on having a relationship with the land that you are living on and with everyone around. We meet regularly to put all of our common intention and praise the life, exchange the energy, speak some promises, being thankful and respectful to everything around. I've never ever felt that specific kind of "social happiness" like during those meetings. It was very primal and soon I realized how much I need it in my life. Thus I realized how we are socially distancing from each other in today civilization.

We should learn how to live with each other and know the importance of every man and woman around you.
We humans are good at developing things and wanting more and more. But we need to know "when" is actually a good enough.

We can make our lives much easier financially for example just by "borrowing" goods from corporation stores. We can try to look for our own water supply, learn how to farm, think about ways of producing renewable energy. If it fits your beliefs, you can think about social benefits that you can get so you can pay your basic bills. Try to understand the law in your country, so you know what laws you can avoid or fit to your benefits and not hurting anyone.
You have to remember that laws are ideals, pure ideas and we are not perfect beings. We can dodge many laws and threats that come with the laws just thanks to the natural mental-laziness of many humans.

I really recommend anyone a book called "Walden, life in the woods" by Henry David Thoreau. Do your own research. The guy is a extreme proof, that anyone of us can live happy with a minimalistic approach while trying to separate from system.
 
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Raggamuffin

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Don't get me wrong, I understand ideas of getting back to nature, understanding our own countries laws etc and I think I get what you're trying to say but I also see this coming from quite a privileged way of thinking about the world. There's so many people that just don't have the choice to even think like that, nor no way or means out of the system they're born into. It's the birth lottery. If they try, fail and in the mean time run out of resources and mental capability, what then? Not everyone is out to support everyone nor born into an environment where this is possible. Not everyone will inherently think this way either, and even if they do, it could take lifetimes before they return to that. Marginalised groups have to depend on governments whether they like it or not because of things like chronic disability.

I don't believe laws are ideals. Also, laws can change from social revolution. Sometimes rebellion is the only way leading to a direct change in legislation. Time and again protest has been one of the only ways to be heard. e.g. civil rights movement, the suffragettes, stonewall riots...

Like you say people hear what they want - so would you spend a lifetime trying to give love to those who are unwilling to accept it? I do believe in compassion but remember that bees don't waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than shit.

So when you say. -- 'We can dodge many laws and threats that come with the laws just thanks to the natural mental-laziness of many humans.' -- what about when you dodge and get caught and get locked up? That's the law too. You tried but didn't quite execute properly and now your life is caged. Or you dodged the law, you did it, built your homestead, maybe even a small community and got it raided / kicked down / evicted? Is it not better to fight for changes in the law so that collective land rights and living like this can be more possible?

I love nature, I love compassion and I love the idealistic view - and it can work - look at Beneficio in Spain, dubbed 'permanent rainbow gathering' there's plenty of homes, there's a school, there's a music studio, and it works but not without external aid from Spanish towns, businesses running from inside (money is used) plus various ongoing evictions in some parts of the settlement. Spain and Portugal have many autonomous co-owned communes but as a general world view it's just not realistic. For this kind of living if there isn't private land ownership it has to be a constant battle. Especially when it comes to building any kind of permanent structure. Take England, every square inch of land in this country is already owned. In Wales, have a look at Tipi Valley, residents co-own the land and have been buying it since '76, it's successful but hasn't happened without enforcement notices and legal battles.

The West is entering into a new and ever fast growing technology era also. Collectively, we already live in an augmented reality and the rate of tech expansion does not seem to be slowing down. AI is here and this way of living you describe is slowly deteriorating alongside our precious natural resources - more extreme weather and things like earthquakes / landslides contributing to the difficulty in execution of new settlements.

A nice idealistic world view, there are plenty of small off the grid / communities that do exist, and it's great if you find you want to live there - but it also doesn't mean it's better for everyone - because your statements are too sweeping, in my opinion. Just adding a healthy realism, respectively. Huge love for permaculture and also soil regeneration!
 
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roughdraft

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I really recommend anyone a book called "Walden, life in the woods" by Henry David Thoreau. Do your own research. The guy is a extreme proof, that anyone of us can live happy with a minimalistic approach while trying to separate from system.

First of all, I think you have some good ideas here and I'm happy that you have what you have going for you.

Something I wanted to bring up about this part in particular, is just how different the world Thoreau lived in and the world we live in is.

It's the place and the time that makes the setting. Sure he lived on our same Earth but approximately 150 years ago so much was very different, simply put. So I don't think it's proof in itself, even though there is a lot of good value in that book.

Anyway man good to see ya here
 
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maxiyou

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First of all, I think you have some good ideas here and I'm happy that you have what you have going for you.

Something I wanted to bring up about this part in particular, is just how different the world Thoreau lived in and the world we live in is.

It's the place and the time that makes the setting. Sure he lived on our same Earth but approximately 150 years ago so much was very different, simply put. So I don't think it's proof in itself, even though there is a lot of good value in that book.

Anyway man good to see ya here

This is a big fact about how different the world was.
Anyhow, the philosophy and the truth about how happy we can be when we simplify our ways of thinking is timeless.
Thank you for reading!
 

Tobiko

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”to speak of anarchy, as one has had to do, on the plane of law necessarily implies a paradox, for it is contradictory (to say the least) to demand that the state recognize the right to deny the state” -Agamben

i’m interested in playing around with that perceived paradox

contradiction can be a pleasurable artform. however, like anything engaged with in a rigid and dogmatic manner, it can be experienced as something far more nightmarish.
 
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