a year off to promote peace and good vibes

I'm now a second semester senior in high school. Pretty soon, I'll graduate and move right along into the next phase: college. After talking a lot with my mom about this, I've come to realize how much of a financial hardship college is going to be. I'm the third kid in four years to go to school and the support comes mainly from my mom as my dad doesn't really pay child support. I have about a year's worth of tuition saved for school and at the same time, my sister, who is a sophomore, is about to run out of funds. In all honesty, I'm not too psyched about the college thing. Our world needs change sooner than four years from now and I simply can't wait. At the very least, I'd like to take a year off to promote change in the U.S. I could give most of money to my sister to help her finish school while I hit the road as an activist.


Here's my plan:

Find a partner. Work this summer to save money for my trip. Buy a minibus and convert it into a camper to comfortably sleep and sustain the two of us. Paint the bus with positive energy to create visual stimulation of peace in people's minds. Hit the road in August, carrying a message of peace and love across the country. Stretch funds to California and spend about a month working and living with some relatives to generate more money for the trip. The rest is yet to be determined.

Right now, I'm looking for ideas on how to maximize our impact during such a trip. How do we reach out to the trouble minded people of America? When my dad was in high school, he and his friends sold empty bottles with labels that read "Good Vibes", "Sex Vibes", "Party Vibes", etc. I thought a good idea might be to recreate this business and sell "Good Vibes" and "Peace Vibes" on the road. I'm obviously looking for a more effective way of promoting our ideas, but this is at least a small way.

All thoughts are greatly appreciated. Please respond.

 

Thanks, Lotus. Your trip sounds like a great idea too. Maybe if everyone on this board hit the road spreading a message of peace, we could make a big difference. I know that's asking a lot, but imagine thousands of people passing through your town with positive energy and good vibes? Who could resist change then? It's just a dream for now, but maybe we could make it a reality. Also, tell me a bit about the raw-food diet. How does it work and why does one do it?

 

Your plan is almost identical to the one I had last year, unforutnately I couldn't get it into motion. Now, I've withdrawn from college for mostly personal (I never really wanted to go)(and some financial) reasons. I'm just trying to work myself out of the quagmire that is accepted existence in a society. I never seem to have much to say, but here's what I do have... I little cash can go a long way if you plan and think things out. Also, making as little change as bringing a smile to the face of a stranger can make all the difference in the world.

 

ummmm no offense but your idea doesnt seem too realistic. i think you have much more of a chance being heard if you go to college. You might change a few minds, but i know most people in cities wouldnt stop to hear someone in a tye dyed van selling plastic bottles full of air. im sorry to sound harsh, but i think it would be better if you found out from me, then going out there and being broke. also, if you do drugs or anything, a tye dyed van would not be good because thats like an invitation for cops to look for a reason to pull you over. if its only you and ur mom, fill out a FAFSA see if u qualify for financial aid or scholarships or something. go to community college like i do (btw i live in chicago as well), or if you dont want to go to college, spreading politics by being affiliated with a group, even if its your own, is better than driving around the country living in a van. stay safe bro

 

College is just not for everyone Doob. Don't get the man down about spreading peace and good vibes. If he goes out on the road and can't make it on what he's got, then he will find another method or resource to use. If all else fails, he could go to college. There is no harm in at least trying.

 

not trying to get him down, just trying to be realistic. i know college is not for everyone, but the original poster asked how to 'reach out to the troubled minds of america' and 'maximize his message', i was just giving my advice. peace

 

I apologize. I took your comment the wrong way. Its easy to forget sometimes that when people make comments that may sound discouraging, it is really just a concerned word of caution.

 

Thanks for everyone's input. I've been discussing this idea with several people and it seems there is a better way to do it. The initial setup for the trip (buying a bus, converting it, etc.) is going to take a lot of money. Also, I'd like to get the bus running on veggie oil, which will cost about another $800. That being said, I need a lot of time to get this thing together. I'm going to go ahead with the FAFSA and CSS forms and see what kind of aid I can get. If I get enough money, I'll go to Oberlin College (where I've been accepted) and probably major in environmental studies. I have a close friend who is very interested in the bus venture. We'll both be going to college at the same time, working jobs too. I figure we can set aside small amounts of money each month or so and work up enough for the bus set up in a few years. Now, Oberlin has this thing called Winter Term. Instead of taking a long winter break like most schools, the students spend the month of January working on projects for school. I figure Winter Term would be a perfect opportunity to demo the veggie oil diesel engine and get credit for school. So the idea is still a dream, but a possibility in the future. Thanks for the ideas, Doob. The voice of reason is always helpful Take care, friend.

 

sounds like a good plan... good luck....

 

wow man sounds great! im out in the western suburbs of chicago and im majoring in Earth Science, which is verrry similar to environmental studies. stop by for a smoke or somethin on your trip, haha good luck

 

Somebaody asked me a question, where did it go? Oh, nevermind, I found it.

Good Question. I could say either "one that is altered", or "the Old Line State, Maryland, that is." Why do you ask?

 

I kind of just wanted to throw my comment in as the other point of view.

After 2 years of college I was very much starting to get the itch for traveling and a much simpler lifestyle. I bought a bus with the intention of taking a trip. Well, the trip never happened because I was always too fucking busy either working or doing school work. I'll graduate in June and the past 3 years have been incredibly difficult for me because I've come to realize that I cannot be a part of this society. Sure, I'll finish my degree, and it's a good one: engineering. But now I'm left with 40 thousand dollars in loans and an even stronger desire to leave this society. Obviously that poses quite a dilemma.

Anyway, I'm not suggesting you drop out of society, but I am suggesting you DO consider a year off to explore and find yourself, so to speak. You may realize you don't want the "american dream" of a big house in the suburbs with 2 SUVs and a shitload of debt and pressure.

Just something to think about...

humandraydel

 

humandraydel :Yeah, if you know, really know that you're not interested in having a part in middle-class USA society then the loans probably shouldn't hold you back from doing whatever you want to do.

The worst they can do is sue you and take up to 25% of your wages (in most states, some like PA & TX don't even allow that) or take any major assets you have, & if you're not in the mainstream, you probably won't have anything they want, although I'll note that you can't escape school loans with bankruptcy. But even if you ever do decide to get back into the rat race, you can, by law, renormalize your student loans by making 6 on-time regular payments (they would hit you for a whoping amount of interest though).

So, as lotusblossom says, "flip the debt" if you're sure you're tuneing out, because the only threat they have over you is taking away part of an income you won't have if you're living on a commune, living on a farm, or selling hemp jewelry in Taos! They don't have debtor's prisons anymore.

 

To Solargarlic: man, try Oberlin. You can always drop out & take a year off if you don't like it there, but it's worth a try & if you want to help the environment, you'll be a lot more effective with a degree in environmetal studies. But don't skip the trip either (take one during a break)! See which lifestyle works best for you & go with it.

That's my 2 cents worth - good luck

 

humandraydel, why would you finish a degree you don't want or need, and that will only chain you to that which you do not want (society, because you'll be a slave to that loan till it's paid). To not pay a loan you were given is stealing, whatever the law says on it (i have no idea what the laws are). You borrowed the money, then say "well, i changed my mind, i don't need the thing i bought with it" but don't repay the lender? You obviously can't give the product you bought back, because you bought a service.

I don't want that karma on my back, so right now I'm working to pay off my school loan (thank god it's only a few thousand) then I'm gonna drop out, of school and society. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I've got time before my debts are paid off, so I;m sure I'll think of something.

 

AmeriCorp gives you some money for college after you do a term of service with them...they got some really cool looking programs...http://www.americorps.org

Rather you want to help the environment, the homeless, etc...that's what I'm looking at, most likely before I go do to a community college.