Ok Kanye!

We need to de-couple.

I don’t mean you and me.

I mean us and them. But really I mean all the people simply desiring to live a good life themselves and with their family, friends and neighbors. Are you a person like that? Then “we” need to de-couple. The problem with it is, you may not live in a place where it’s possible. Most places it isn’t possible. But there are places where it’s possible and those are the only remaining hope for civilization. We can define civilization but I’ll tell you quickly that civilization is not slavery.

Vermont is such a place. A place where de-coupling is possible. So if you live in Vermont and you’re one of those people trying to live a good life for themselves, their family, friends and neighbors…this is for you and you should share it everywhere you can.

Most can’t articulate what’s happening. I’m not sure if I can, but almost all, maybe all, can feel that something’s wrong and, if we’re honest, it’s been wrong for most of our lives, for most of our perception. What’s wrong is that it’s getting harder and harder to live a good life. We can define a “good” life later, but for now, I’ll take it that you know what I mean.

There is always going to be sacrifice. Living a good life doesn’t mean no sacrifice. The thing that makes it a GOOD LIFE is that you are aware and willing to make the sacrifice because you see the value that your sacrifice provides. As soon as the value of the sacrifice is not equal to or less than the value it provides, you are a slave.

Let me try to say this another way.

The bank charges me more than 1/3 of what I make in a month in interest on my mortgage, including all the fees…after (if) I am finished paying off my loan to the bank (in 30 years) I will have paid them 3 times what I paid for the house itself. If the system I live in tells me that this is necessary to own a house, although I may still continue to perform this exchange, I don’t do it out of the value of the exchange itself, I don’t do it out of the excitement to own property or the gratitude for the exchange which might even come with the desire to help others, I do it out of fear and obligation and out of a state of lack. Lack of resources to achieve what it is I want, maybe what it is that is necessary to the foundations of a good life. After all, would you say that having a house you own is a much better foundation to having a good life than not?

And so I obligate myself to make this exchange. I know it’s pure foolishness. I know I have no choice. I know that if I don’t make my exchange, I will no longer be able to keep the house, in which my family lives.

I am a slave to this exchange. I am not grateful. Gratitude does not come from obligation or fear. And when you think about how much time and energy you put into making your mortgage payment, how many things you cannot do because of the time you put in and how you probably don’t even know what you’re missing because you don’t have time to think about those types of things.

The “government” then takes another 20,30,40 percent of the income you make from working, before you even see it. Complex enough so that you must pay people if you want to retain more of that money or get it back some how at another time.

And when you’re out providing necessities for yourself, your family, your friends and neighbors, food, fun, clothing – the government takes more of your money before you can receive those goods.

And what if you get hurt.

And on and on it goes. If I were to write more I would be exacerbating the cliche. The cliche that is true.

We, the people, who want to only live a good life for ourselves, our family, our friends and neighbors can no longer do so because the method in which, originally was created for this, has been corrupted by people. More clearly, it is the system that is corrupt but it is people that make the system. The system is a reflection of the people in the same way that the quality of an aquarium is an effect of the filter.

We have become slaves. Just not in the way we’ve always known slavery. And we have become what some before have written about, we have fallen in love with our chains. But it would be one thing to love our chains, even, if we were a gentle old and insane elephant. But we are being worked in another way and the value we are producing is not just obsevational, the value we produce goes out to those that have created and control the chains.

I’m sorry. This is so boring. It’s all been said before.

I have to find another way or just go back to loving my chains.