im having the worst urges to... just go! just to leave my town, with just a few things, and get on bus with other people, and learn and grow and live... i want to experience life, other than here in IL... its just hard.. everyone here is so closeminded, it hurts.. i actively try to open minds, i really do, just no one accepts what i say or do... i mean, i just think it would be GREAT to go off, on my own, with a few belongings and just experience life, without the opinions of my family, teachers, and others influencing me... i would love to see the world.. and i just feel.. oh i dont know.. trapped... because im only 16, theres not much i can do now, because the whole parents thing... and its just hard... 2 years.. 2 years and i can go.. possibly... and 2 years just seems too long.. i wish i could just gooooooooo.... im sorry.. this is just a kinda ranty thread.. im just feeling a little fustrated at the moment... im bored with life!! i love you all, and may the vibes of peace and happiness lift your spirits, jeana
you are at a tough age and situation. you are at the age when you are capable of thinking for yourself. but according to the laws in most states you are still under the control of your parents. this makes it difficult for both you and any community which you would like to join since if you leave home without your parents consent they will likely place a missing person report. now if you are over 16 and there is no sign of kidnap the cops won't follow up too hard unless your parents put heat on them because there are so many runaways every year that they can't keep up. but if they find you and want to be hardass it is a crime to harbor runaways just as it was a crime to harbor runaway slaves. so this is where the community is at risk. at new world rising and our sassafras house collective living project we harbored quite a few runaways. things went both ways with some parents being glad that their kid was in a safe situation where they were learning something new and other parents threatening us and calling the police leading to our house being raided a few times. i was charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors once and the media ran an article claiming we were feeding kids drugs and comparing me to charles manson which was a scary situation for me to be in. but the charges were dropped since they didn't find the runaways on the premises and they refused to testify against me. but that didn't stop us from offering shelter in the future but we had to be more careful. so this is to just point out that there are problems involved and this is in addition to the fact that there are people in this society who victimize young womyn. so there is a need to consider security issues. so that is some of the problems to consider. on the other hand there are many benefits to getting away from restrictive parents and society because there are many loving and creative people and community projects developing where you can enjoy and learn a lot more than you can in high school. from my perspective you are the tip of the iceberg. the canary in the coal mine. a voice and vision who can see that the current society is a mess and getting worse and is questing for a better way. i'm sure that there are many other youth who share a similar perspective and are just looking for another way to live life but haven't heard about the community living movement. as our movement grows and becomes better known we can expect many other youth to choose the path of freedom and sustainable living. in 1967 it is estimated that 50,000 runaways went to san francisco for the summer of love. obviously all their experiences weren't peaches and cream especially since our movement was not ready to handle such an influx. but i'd bet that most of them look back fondly on their experiences of freedom and learning. so i guess that my message is to think thru what you want to do with your life and investigate your options before you make any decisions. and you may as well at least finish this school year since summer is a lot better time to travel and explore than winter. another thing is there tend to be grateful dead type tours and rainbow gatherings in the summer where you can meet many new loving and caring and sharing friends. so keep us informed on your thinking and findings. peace nwrfred
sucks don't it. I have about three months left yet about 4 months til I actually head out. I would suggest that u be patient your probably not going to make it two years on the run. I tried hard to keep a low profile and I only made it about three months, and now Im glad I did get caught cause otherwise I wouldn't have found a good project with such an excellent vision like the one I'm becoming a part of next summer. I don't know what to tell ya though, keep yourself busy so u don't go crazy over it. Personally I plan, study and work, and that keeps me goin decently. I like the point's above about societies opression of our naturaly given traits, well put.
Erowid, what is this project you speak of? I'm rather interested, and would love to hear what it's about.
peacelovebarefeet: Hold on, try to find a safe way out that is also rewarding. Maybe an alternate living situation with people your parents will accept or a resonable intentional group or community. I guess it depends on what kind of people your parents are, but try to escape in a constructive manner that does not put yourself at extreme risk or cause you severe hardship. There are a lot of woderful people out there, but also some not so benevelont ones. Please try to understand the difference before you leap. . . .
I've done it myself...thought about it when I was 16 too, but do yourself & your parents a favor and finish high school first.
screw safe. the universe is pulling you in a direction. trust all that is creation. go! do it! just stay in tune with your passions and all will be well.
you're under 18 you won't be doin anytime I suppose, it was certainly the best 3 months of my life when I gave it a shot
yeah but what fun is it if she goes now and has to hide and worry about being dragged home? i think at 18 you will also have 2 more years of maturity and wisdom under your belt plus the freedom of age. start saving now so you have something to fall back on if you need it. also the money might be used towards airfare etc to other countries. my advice though is wait and then go go go i did a bit at 18/19 but not as much as i would have liked. now i have a kid so i'm limited for the next 7 years at least.
when you stay in your passions you will be ok. You have the ability to be happy anywhere. You don't need to run away to be passionate. stick with who you are and you will magnetize others like you in your life. do not dwell on what you do not have. dwell in your dreams, of what you will be.
It's fine to say "trust all that is creation" and "stay in tune with your passions" but that only works if you have a calm mind. When I was 16 and chomping at the bit, my mind certainly wasn't clear: it was full of my own projections, fears, dilusions and dreams wishing for an ideal world that doesn't exist. Only through meditation and reflection will the truth emerge, not through impulsive action. Let the impulses sort themselves & season a while and then act. Many of the run-a-ways I met when I lived in New Orleans who had fallen into grave danger, addicted to drugs, mal nutritioned and destitute attest to the fact that running away from a situation isn't always the right choice, especially if you're 16. There are times & ways to leave a bad situation, but blind despiration rarely leads to prudent decisions.
P.S., Jeana: I'm well into adulthood & sometimes I want to run away with just a few posessions on a bus in the night . . . wonderful, romantic notion. Don't let them wear down that creative impulse, hold onto it, build with it . . .
Question is - how well do you know yourself and how much do you trust that person ? Yogi is right - IF you know what you want - If you are following your bliss (ala Joseph Campbell) - If you recognize that you create your own lessons and draw them to you so that you can Grow, and by your own choices draw those very lessons to you . So what do you want to do. I was instrumental in getting my 14 year old brother able to be on his own and stay apart from family - at 15 he married a 26 year old lady with 5 kids - they had one of their own and are still very happily married - he turned 48 last dec. Has a wonderful life. My own sons left home (with my blessings) the oldest at 19 the younger at 17 - both are doing well. Life IS what you make of it - Now. Whatever you do, recognize that you are literally giving your life to what you are doing Now - no promises that you will be alive to wake up tomorrow - respect your Self and Do what makes you True to your Self Blessings along your Way