Is this the condition that I so feared?

My kiddos, I have a confession to make:

I never wanted to write about politics in this blog.

I never want to be political. I call myself an anarcho-moderate, and I am fanatically so. I had a rule

But I broke the rule and waxed political.

I waxed political because deep down this blog is about independence. The most important thing for man (or women!) is to have the liberty to live their life as they wish. To be free.

Free from illness by being healthy.
Free from hatred, ignorance and unhealthy agendas by keeping your mind open.
Free from mental illness through diet, exercise, reflection and meditation.
Free from drugs by being responsible for your body and mind.
And sometimes, free from a corrupt government (regardless of the party affiliation - from which you should also be free!).

Many people, and myself, often say we need something. And yet a lot of people get along without. I need a car, I need a gym, I need a job.

You don't. Your mind, your ingenuity, and your positivity are all you *need*. Everything else is optional or obtainable with those things.

I know, I sound like a raving hippy.

We are hooked - chained, to the world by needs and desires - for money, for love, for sex, for food, and those chains are being used to make you act in ways that maybe you don't want to act.

Well, there are two ways to release those chains. The first is to give everyone everything that they desire. If everyone is fulfilled, then there is no way to use fulfillment to motivate someone.  While I like this  option - because hay, free stuff, I think it's a dangerous option. There will always be something that is scarce - and that means something more valuable than another thing.

Plus it requires changing the world. That step's a-doozy.

The better solution is to reject those desires. Learn how little you actually need, so that you can  find what you really want. Reduce the value of something from the demand side, by simply not desiring it. This requires you to change yourself, but it's effects, if done by the commons as whole, will be immense.

The obvious and simple example is "I need a gym." Do you really need heavy equipment to get a workout, to become strong?  Smith racks, Leg Press machines, and thousand-dollar treadmills?

Not at all.  I have a gym membership. I do not need one.  All the equipment I really need is my body - and that's free.

I have spent about 45 dollars on exercise equipment that I use almost daily. It's cobbled together, grabbed from junk yards, and works better than the gym equipment. And Instead of a treadmill, I just go for a run.

To be free, you must remove things from your life, not add. Perhaps, like Diogenes, I see things as often a distraction.  Perhaps, like Seneca, I see us all working jobs we don't like for things we don't need.

So that's what this blog is about. Independence. It's a lot of work, kiddos, but it's worth it.

So my assignment for you is to take some time and remove yourself from a habit. I spent 5 weeks without Internet, and it was extremely productive. I advise you remove something - Internet, TV, even idle reading, if you are so inclined, and ask yourself as Seneca asks, "Is this the condition that I so feared?"

More on living as independently as possible next week, my friends.