Eudaimonia

Happy New Year, everyone! We’ve been having a lot of fun the past several days, which culminated—after a very full day of baking for me yesterday—in a raucous, chaotic, fun New Year’s celebration. Lobo’s cell phone started pinging regularly in the late afternoon our time, with texted New Year’s wishes from friends in Belarus; it continued somewhat as the transition swept this continent, and also bled over into some phone calls. That was a pleasant, fairly sustained addition to the celebratory mood. The snolfs once again had a piñata, filled not with candy but with other treats—coupons from Lobo and me for various goods or services (like taking their turn at dishes), money, and real money (junk-silver quarters)—it resisted the onslaught longer than any of its predecessors, then provided some enormous ersatz party hats once it did succumb to the stick.

So, we had a very nice holiday celebration. Underneath much of it, however, and beginning around Thanksgiving, I’ve felt a current of change beginning within me. Those of you who’ve been around a good while know that I am not in the habit of making new year’s resolutions—my position has always been if change is needed or desired, it should be undertaken then, not left to wait for a “special” turn of some arbitrary time-marker. On the other snakey coil, if one comes up from the bottom of the pool near one of those special dates, delaying changes simply for the sake of avoidance of the date would be just as silly. Thus it is that I’m starting to shed some old, now unhelpful ways today ... consider yourself forewarned: self-indulgent rambling ahead.

When the snow first started falling days ago, Darlin’ Daughter stated, with that absolute certainty that’s characteristic of youth, “We’re going to have a white Christmas!”. I explained to her that even though we had a lot of snow and the temps were cold, there were several days ’til Christmas still, that the weather was atypical, and not likely to last throughout that span. She remained adamant.

The snow didn’t completely melt off, and I awoke today to a few flakes dancing down to earth. That has now escalated to a full-fledged snowfall, with several inches expected to accumulate. She will be thrilled.

Winter is arriving in fine style here, as those of you who read the news and/or follow the weather know. As I mentioned earlier, we got a lot of snow earlier in the week, and yesterday evening, the winds picked up and more snow started flying. It almost feels like I’m back in Wyoming! Except Wyoming doesn’t have the monster evergreens that are everywhere ... nor the green that persists here, even this late in the year.

Well. I must’ve done something right by the weather spirits this year. I have been privately commenting on how much I’ve missed the snow—and as if on cue, the other day we got a decent (for here) accumulation. Amazingly, it’s stayed cold enough for it to mostly hang around. I awoke this morning to cloudy skies and a slightly thicker blanket of snow; and now, the snow is flying thick and fast—enough to compete with any plains or upper midwest snowstorm. The forecast is calling for 3–6 inches today, with a little more possible overnight.

Despite all my whining and complaining here, I do have much to be thankful for. There are now eleven of you regular readers, and you along with the conspirators and others grace this place with your contributions to the conversation. Whenever I start feeling overly sorry for myself, either a snolf comes along and cuddles me or a friend drops a note in my inbox, reminding me that I am not bereft of companionship, nor understanding. Yet, as thankful as I am for the wonderful things in my life, this year I would like to set some intentions ... goals that I plan to be thankful for achieving a year or so from now.

Relationships are ever-shifting things, and although I think most adults know this it can still come as a surprise when a relationship that was considered steady comes undone.

Part of my recent bout of quietness here stems from various relationships being in a fairly obvious state of flux. Some of those changes are obviously to the good; others aren’t, and a couple others are being deliberately tended, to see how they might grow. An online acquaintance from some years ago has recently popped back into my life, and in so doing has got my brain buzzing with ideas and contexts I’ve not considered much, if at all. A major theme in our explorations is relationships. I expect to say much more on that here as the conversations spool out, but for now I’ll toss out this little thought–grenade: he is, without deliberately trying to (so it appears to me), slowly persuading me that the family metaphor is not the best one for the pro-freedom community. Sorry, Kirsten.

Because some relatively newish friends of mine have been exploring the issue of principled voting and nonvoting, I’d been toying with the idea of writing on the subject again. But I simply haven’t been able to summon any enthusiasm for the task—not even framing it in terms of it being for their possible benefit. Perhaps I’ve already devoted my allotment of life force to the issue, I dunno ... but I’m happy to say that someone else whom I respect has written an excellent piece on the subject:

... I love this country, but I hate its government.

If it is alive, government wants to kill it. If it is valuable, government wants to steal it. If it is beautiful, unique, or quirky, government wants to standardize, regulate or get rid of it. If it is interesting, risky or in any way not already completely safe and benign, government wants to dumb it down to manageable and predictable levels.

And no, putting your favorite idiots in charge will not fix it. Even putting smart people or caring people in charge will not fix it. ....

... [I]s it better for me to vote for an evil tyrant or not vote at all? Seriously. Those are the choices as best I can tell. For another thing, if it doesn’t matter who I vote for, then why does it matter that I vote at all except to prop up a system which I vehemently oppose? ....

After a good discussion recently, it has become clear to me that not voting in and of itself is not necessarily a sufficiently clear message that I have no faith in and no respect for the system. Therefore, I am spelling out my message explicitly right here.

I will not vote in this election.

I will not participate in this distraction and sham, and neither laziness nor apathy is among my reasons behind my choice.

I think most of the possible voting choices are unethical. Specifically, I believe it is unethical to vote to place another human being in a position of power over a peaceful person who cannot opt out of that system if there is a reasonably realistic chance your choice might prevail. I believe it is unethical to vote to steal a peaceful person’s property- be that theft in the form of taxation, eminent domain, zoning, gun control, the drug war, fines or penalties for victimless activities, or any of a bazillion other activities I could list. I believe it is unethical to vote to take away any peaceful choice a person could make- be that choice to carry arms either openly or concealed in public, to fuck bicycle parts, to wear clothing with distasteful graphics, to speak, publish or read offensive material, or again any of a bazillion other things that do not violate anyone else’s right to their own equally individual choices.

Kirsten says much, much more that is worth your attention in Casting My Whole Vote. She’s captured my thoughts and feelings much more concisely than I probably ever could.

It was Billy Joel who wrote a song some time ago about love relationships ultimately being “a matter of trust”. While that’s true, the larger point—and the reason the song has been repeating in my mind for a few hours now—is that all relationships are built upon trust. Every contract, formal or informal, every market transaction, happens because there is some degree of trust between the participants. It appears to me that trust is such a deep, implicit part of that most of us probably don’t recognize its role, unless something happens to disturb it and therefore bring it to our attention.

I have work to do. But I’m waiting. It’s been overcast and rainy, and my solar panels have not kept up with my time on the computer, so now I need to give them the time they need to catch up with me. I sit. I’m reading a beautiful book, a memorial to John Lennon. (Imagine!) I glance out the window and admire the stark beauty of the thunderheads building against the rich blue background of high desert sky. Time is money, I think. And then some other part of my brain pipes up and says, “WHAT???” I sit up a bit straighter and try and figure out what just happened.

I have at my hands a bit of reality. The sky is beautiful; it’s quiet. There was a small herd of elk grazing outside my window last night that blew me away. Three mothers and two children; the mothers grazed while the children settled themselves down to rest in the tall grass. After a bit, they moved on. Time is Money. “What?”

What is time, to the elk? Last week I happened across the statement, “There will never be a time when it is not now.” Hugh Prather wrote that. I have no idea who Hugh Prather is, but he has changed my world in some way. Time. Clouds. Elk. Waiting for my solar power. It just is. It is what it is. Time is Money. What?

What can that mean? Time going by is an expense? But all I have is time. There is nothing else. When my time stops there can be no debt, for there will be no more time. Can debt exist in nothingness? No, of course not.

I glance outside as I notice the sky darkening. There goes my solar power, I recognize. Has time changed? Time is money. The clouds pass and I get more solar. Has time sped up? Maybe I need to consult with Einstein on this one. Does elk time speed up when the sun is shining and slow down when clouds intervene? I look outside. Yep, there it is, the world around me, just being. Everything is just as it should be. I hear a rifle crack. It’s elk season.

In St. Paul, at the Republican convention, the riot police were herding people into cages. It’s ... “people” season? They’ve decided. They’ve decided who will be allowed to express his or her opinion, and who will be herded into cages. It’s the democratic way. Time is Money.

What IS money? It’s time. (t=m m=t)

The only way that I can figure time is money is if money is the measure of my life. The clouds pass overhead and I must stop and allow my batteries to rest, I can’t get done what I need to do to “make the money” I need to pay the taxes which are coming due. Time is Money. Taxes are due. Taxes are due regardless of the clouds. Taxes are due until the rifle crack ends time for this elk. Time is Money. Time is Life. So... Money is Life. Life is Money. ... Ah, there we have it. Money is life. I’m a commodity! Cool! I get it now.

Okay, so what we have here is that my life has a certain tax value. I must spew out taxes at a given rate, minimum. Otherwise I’m of no value. I’m a cash cow. Without my taxes the democratic machine will starve. We can’t have that. Democracy minus Money equals ...? What, freedom? Democracy minus Money equals no one to put people in cages for desiring to speak their opinions.

But I’m not spewing money, I’m sitting here while the sun and the clouds tease my solar panels. While I contemplate the elk and John Lennon (Imagine!) and revere the essence of simply being. I am not a cash cow. I’m an elk. I am. That is all. I don’t need any reason, I just am. My time is not money, my time is love. My time is life, the will to create each day and make it worth the gift of just being. I don’t owe you. You can’t take me. If you take me you have a shell, you don’t have my life. Life is a gift, and by definition, a gift can’t be taken, it can only be given.

Life is. Love is. There are no taxes due. Treasure yourself as the very special gift you are. Be not the gruel in another’s bowl, be the sun that warms his skin and charges his solar panels.

I am. That is all.

That is plenty. No taxes due.

I bid you peace and love and the warmth of the sun.

_______
By NonEntity.

Readers who have perused my recent rantings on the current economic landscape may find all that at odds with the quote that currently appears atop the sidebar: “Life should be more than just the passage of time; it should be the enjoyment of time as it passes.” While it is true that I am not enjoying the current crises, nor the prospect of what’s still to come, I do mean to do my best to turn the large shipment of lemons coming our way into lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon freeze, lemon chicken ... you get my point.

Costa Rica:
Arenal Kayaks – kayaking tours and more; trusted individual with whom I have done business and been highly satisfied

USSA:
Cat’s Curiosities – Cat Farmer, Las Vegas; online bookstore and physical shop in NV; trusted individual whom I have met in person; have not done business with yet
Jill of Many Trades – Mama Liberty [email to myeft_coach at yahoo.com], Wyoming; offers EFT and other energy therapy coaching, either in person or via email and/or telephone; teaches several levels of handgun classes & is NRA certified instructor; retired nurse and knowledgeable herbalist; trusted individual whom I have met in person many times, and have done business with and been highly satisfied
Mailable Art – “A. Subset”, mobile; individual I have met in person, briefly; have not yet done business with
The Marksman’s Box – Gene McCarron, Wyoming; individual I have met in person, briefly; also vouched for by Mama Liberty; have not done business with yet
Restored Spirit Arts – jewelry, including custom made jewelry; trusted individual with whom I have done business and been very satisfied
Richardson and Bluhm – Warren Bluhm and B. W. Richardson; I have met both, and satisfactorily done business with both; highly trusted individuals
Navigating In the New World – book by Australian Shaun Saunders; individual whom I have known well for years but not yet met in person; highly trusted
J. Smith books – Jon [email to j-wyant at austin.rr.com], Fredericksburg, Texas; he’s also near completion of massage therapy training and will accept clients for cash, gold, silver, or barter, fees dependent upon session length and distance to come to you; trusted individual with whom I have successfully bartered
Sunni’s Caramels – me, WA (north of Seattle, south of Bellingham); homemade caramels, truffles, and other treats; special orders welcome; can make gluten-free chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, and regular cakes, pies, etc. for local pickup or delivery
Sunni’s Salon – Tom Ender and me; Amazon and other bookseller’s affiliate sales; Salon Payola guarantees a review; I will review books, music, movies for other sites for a fee [barter welcome]; I am also available as a ghostwriter or copy editor
Vera Verba – Sean Hastings and Paul Rosenberg; book publisher and seller (print and online, although the entire catalog is not currently available online); t-shirts also available; I have met Paul in person multiple times and have a great deal of trust in him; have not yet done business with VV

If you want to be included on this list, please send me an email [either my first name at this domain or sunni.snake at Gmail; sending to both is a good hedge against the email demons that have been intermittently bothering me] with “Agora” somewhere in the subject line. Please include a link to your web site, if you have one, or an eddress; your business(es), general location, especially if important to your work; payment form(s) accepted; and if I do not know you, two pro-freedom references I can contact to vouch for you.

Well, Joey has offered his final thoughts in our conversation, at least for now. I for one feel some sense of relief, because the thing had started to sprawl across several blogs as well as subjects, and it was getting too large for me to keep track of it all! A few pointers to some of the participants (links are to their latest contributions to the discussion, as of this writing): FSK’s Guide to Reality; David Gross at The Picket Line; and Kent McManigal. While I have much to say on each of the topics we’ve tossed around, I have neither the time nor the inclination to try to do them all justice in this sitting. Instead, I will mention that a primary raison d’être for my part of this blog is to explore these issues; and I encourage any interested invididuals to explore the archives here and elsewhere for previous ramblings on the subjects. All I’ll offer today are some general observations in response to what I perceive to be Joey’s central themes.

I have long been squirming in my seat, waiting for this day ... and in fact, I thought I’d be on the other side of this post, so to speak—in the reading audience instead of writing it. But this is good news I’ve already been waiting too long to share; and now that I’ve obtained permission to share it, I shall delightedly do so.

Yes, I continue to dwell on the “Is all fun profitable?” idea. It occurs to me that part of the reason I have difficulty with responses like Brad Spangler’s is that it’s based on something that may be ineffable for as long as humans exist: a way to objectively define, quantify, and calculate relationships among concepts including “profit”, “fun”, “cost”, “risk”, and “happiness”. I could go off on many tangents from that observation—and I may still, in future ramblings—but for today, I will simply say that I am unconvinced that an economics-based analysis is always the best course.

I recently had something said to me that I have not been able to get out of my mind. Thus, I turn to you twelve for your thoughts on the matter.