Trees. Plants. Animals. Flora. Fauna. Outdoors. Nature. Those things are not us, right?
It seems that we live a life not connected with nature. Our cities exist with a plentitude of buildings, streets, houses, and sidewalks but a very small amount of parks. On a much grander scale though, the Earth and natural environments are the place where we exist and we've made bubbles within that macro environment. We've made bubbles seemingly cut off.
Cut off from the womb. Cut off from the place which bore us. Which provided for us. Our civilization would not exist if it weren't for the resources which we've pillaged from the earth. Our civilization would not exist if it weren't for the knowledge and wisdom gleaned from natural functions developing life. Just like our civilization would not exist if not for the hard work and ingenuity of those before us. The ground was tilled and planted and found fertile. What shall we reap? What shall be our harvest?
That's up to us. We have many great examples to help guide us. But we need some modern heroes. People who are willing to do something different. People who are willing to walk the road not taken, because that's what makes the difference. We need people who aren't going to sit in front of the television/entertainment device all day. We need people who aren't going to walk staring at their smart phone. We need people who aren't going to buy their way out of the hole that's been dug but instead people who are willing to get muddy and banged up.
We need people like Brad "Darby" Kittel from Tiny Texas Houses. We need people like Brett McKay of The Art of Manliness. We need people like John Michael Greer of Ecosophia. We need people who are willing to walk the talk. People who make changes by being the changes. Modern day Gandhis.
Modern day people willing to make peace with living the change they want to see. One of the biggest changes I want to see is more respect and communion with nature. We've got some great examples from the past providing some headway into being in harmony with nature. John Muir. Henry David Thoreau. Ernest Thompson Seton. Aldo Leopold. Sigurd Olson.
What I'd personally like to start working towards over the next year is to lay the groundwork to start developing some nature organizations similar to the Woodcraft League. Organizations which would both encourage and help people to get outside and develop a healthy relationship with the world from whence we came. Would you like to help me or get involved somehow? Post a comment!
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
The Perfect Place to Live
I spend a lot of time thinking about and researching the perfect place to live. I've learned a lot about different ecosystems and gotten very familiar with the geography of not only the USA but various other places around the world. Occasionally, the knowledge can be fun to share in conversation with others. Overall though, it's been a complete waste of my time and life. Sometimes wanting to find a perfect place consumes me. What places have houses available that are affordable. What places have schools I want my children to go to. What places have a climate that I would enjoy. What places will have snow during the winter holidays. What places have mountains. What places will offer the best opportunities for my children in the future.
Place certainly is important. It has a lot of impact on a person and their future self. But what is perhaps more important than that is what you're doing with your life right now. What skills are you trying to learn. What are you practicing. What are you developing. What are you cultivating. What are you learning. What are you experiencing.
With those things in mind, picking a place which imbues you with the energy to achieve the things you are interested in makes a lot of sense. You get energy from your environment. And it can be cyclical. Areas that have longer winters may mean less energy in the winter and more in the summer. Personally, I've been someone better with consistency, with fewer changes day after day. Having a nice rest for a week or two is great, but a long winter is hard on me. The same goes for short days and long nights, or long days and short nights. I prefer more balance.
Ultimately, I know I need to move somewhere to a place which is going to give me what I am looking for, a place which is easy to get outside in, to grow food and plants, to create parks, and opportunities for more time outdoors. And more importantly, I just need to enjoy and make the best out of what I currently have.
Place certainly is important. It has a lot of impact on a person and their future self. But what is perhaps more important than that is what you're doing with your life right now. What skills are you trying to learn. What are you practicing. What are you developing. What are you cultivating. What are you learning. What are you experiencing.
With those things in mind, picking a place which imbues you with the energy to achieve the things you are interested in makes a lot of sense. You get energy from your environment. And it can be cyclical. Areas that have longer winters may mean less energy in the winter and more in the summer. Personally, I've been someone better with consistency, with fewer changes day after day. Having a nice rest for a week or two is great, but a long winter is hard on me. The same goes for short days and long nights, or long days and short nights. I prefer more balance.
Ultimately, I know I need to move somewhere to a place which is going to give me what I am looking for, a place which is easy to get outside in, to grow food and plants, to create parks, and opportunities for more time outdoors. And more importantly, I just need to enjoy and make the best out of what I currently have.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Immigration
Somehow, immigration in this country, the USA, needs to be changed. The world has become more globalized, due to the prior policies of the USA. Citizens are all across the globe, and often leave their family members all across the globe.
My example is such. I met my wife-to-be on the Internet. A Russian studying Chinese in China. After visiting her for two weeks and seeing the opportunity to find work, I gave my two weeks notice and came back to stay. We lived together for 7 years in China and started a new family.
The single biggest reason that we never came to the USA during that time was the immigration process. During those seven years, my jobs were all for Chinese companies. I was unable to show the ability to financially support my family, despite the fact that since I was 18 I had been working, and thus had a history of showing I'd find a way to make ends meet.
So I was in a catch 22. Stay working in China to keep my family together would not allow me the opportunity to find the gainful employment I needed in America to bring my family there. The only option was to separate my family as I found work in the USA, then begin the immigration process.
After seven years, I finally tried it. Now, anyone who has been together for seven years, who has gone through those ups and downs of being together and raising a family together, they've pretty well established that the basis for their relationship is not to take advantage of a system or a government. I don't see why it is so god damned hard or necessary to keep a family separated for a year or longer. What information will be found to detract from the meaning of this establishment the family is united under?
Unfortunately, the US immigration policies don't care. The members of our government don't seem to care. I implored my Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar, for help in reuniting my family sooner. This was the response.
This is the sort of garbage that gets my blood boiling. And just to set matters straight, I did try to bring my family here once in 2014 but had the petition withdrawn because I was unable to prove the ability to financially support my family in the USA. There's a case number and everything for it. I'm not sure why the process couldn't be started from there or at least sped up a little. All the casework had been done before.
My example is such. I met my wife-to-be on the Internet. A Russian studying Chinese in China. After visiting her for two weeks and seeing the opportunity to find work, I gave my two weeks notice and came back to stay. We lived together for 7 years in China and started a new family.
The single biggest reason that we never came to the USA during that time was the immigration process. During those seven years, my jobs were all for Chinese companies. I was unable to show the ability to financially support my family, despite the fact that since I was 18 I had been working, and thus had a history of showing I'd find a way to make ends meet.
So I was in a catch 22. Stay working in China to keep my family together would not allow me the opportunity to find the gainful employment I needed in America to bring my family there. The only option was to separate my family as I found work in the USA, then begin the immigration process.
After seven years, I finally tried it. Now, anyone who has been together for seven years, who has gone through those ups and downs of being together and raising a family together, they've pretty well established that the basis for their relationship is not to take advantage of a system or a government. I don't see why it is so god damned hard or necessary to keep a family separated for a year or longer. What information will be found to detract from the meaning of this establishment the family is united under?
Unfortunately, the US immigration policies don't care. The members of our government don't seem to care. I implored my Democratic senator, Amy Klobuchar, for help in reuniting my family sooner. This was the response.
Not very helpful. And the reasoning USCIS gave was poor. Humanitarian. What does that mean anyways? From Google:
hu·man·i·tar·i·an/(h)yo͞oˌmanəˈterēən/Geez.. so there was nothing humanitarian in my request to reunite my family in a timely manner? In the meantime, my step-son is having issues finding a proper education and my wife is having trouble finding a place to live resulting in them floating back and forth between Vladivostok, Russia and Dalian, China. They lack access to adequate healthcare over there yet I have a job which would provide health insurance for all my family once they are here in the USA. And then my son could have access to a more stable education. Color me stupid but forcing them to continue separated from their father and husband, and my daughter who is here in the USA with me, that is very humane.
adjective1.
concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.
"groups sending humanitarian aid"
synonyms: compassionate, humane;
This is the sort of garbage that gets my blood boiling. And just to set matters straight, I did try to bring my family here once in 2014 but had the petition withdrawn because I was unable to prove the ability to financially support my family in the USA. There's a case number and everything for it. I'm not sure why the process couldn't be started from there or at least sped up a little. All the casework had been done before.
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