A preface: This will be a lengthy post as it's the first time that I've actually expressed much of what I'm about to say. If you take the time to read and respond, you'll have my undying gratitude. I just found hipforums last night and decided to join. Since late adolescence, I've been searching for something that I couldn't put a name to. I've had an idea that I couldn't articulate. I went to school for years listening to one version of the "truth" day in and day out. Critical thinking was frowned upon. You didn't have the option of evaluating several sources of information and drawing your own conclusions. No, you were forced to regurgitate whatever "facts" were dictated to you. When I graduated from high school, the most valuable skill that I had learned was the ability to resist indoctrination. From there, I went to college. I was led to believe that college would be different. That highschool was the test and college would be the golden gated kingdom of free thought. Wrong. My experience at college was hardly different than highschool. The teachers with Ph.D behind their names were incapable of entertaining the thought that their ideas might not have been the only correct ones. I dropped out of college. Since that time, I've bounced from shitty job to shitty job while still living with my parents. Some of these jobs paid decently well. In all of these jobs, I was inside the belly of the beast. I supported greedy multinational industries in exchange for a paycheck. I ended my last stretch with such a company nearly two months ago. I've decided that I'll never be happy in a working situation that forces me to compromise my values. I don't need to make a lot of money to be happy. I don't need and can not tolerate a culture that worships the dollar at the expense of relationships, personal growth, and social progress. If you ask a random person on the street about their general sentiments about politics and the media, they're likely to tell you that politicians are largely criminals who sell their constituents out for payoffs. They'll tell you that the media sideskirts real issues so that they can give Paris Hilton another hour of air time. People know that something is wrong. They know that this system is broken, but what do they do? They sit down, night after night, in front of their TVs and digest it all anyway. With an endless stream of reality TV, they wash away their sense that their freedoms and best interests are being undermined. And when that's not enough, they try to drown their discontent in alcohol. People have lost any sense of control in their lives; they feel completely helpless. I battle this feeling every single day. While I know that my full acknowledgment of this state of affairs is an important first step in escaping these conditions, I'm left to wonder, "What can I really do?" How can I maintain a meager yet rewarding existence outside of the Babylonian system? I have one friend who is even close to being likeminded and while he has a grasp on the rhetoric, he's complacent with corporate slavery as long as he can continue to buy expensive things to impress his girlfriend with. I, on the other hand, have nothing. I have no close friends. I feel alienated because the mass media has so completely saturated everybody around me. I can't imagine trying to maintain a meaningful relationship with somebody who worships the dollar and celebrities. The only real relationship I have is with my parents and, as you'll find out, places me in a bind. I generally dont allow anybody's expectations govern my actions. My parents are upper middle class and exhibit values that are typical for the socioeconomic bracket. The value the dollar at all costs. They value economic stability over all else. Now, they know that I'm not like them. Over the years, I've become more and more transparent with them. They know that I have no belief in a god. They know how I feel about the state of politics in this country and they're as accepting as I could expect them to be. My happiness is and always has been their primary concern. Now, I'll draw this lengthy post to a close in stating that I'm ready to make a move. At this time, I have very little cash. Maybe enough to survive on for another month or two. I need to make a living that doesn't support deceit, corruption, or exploitation. I don't need much. $500-$1000 a month would be plenty. I need some kind of social life. I need likeminded people with whom I can share and grow. I'd really like to help people around me to truly wake up. And I have no problem with relocating. What would you suggest to help me get this ball rolling? I'll be 22 this September and I feel like I haven't even started living yet.
I share your thoughts. I am almost 21, and I feel like I am going nowhere fast, because I refuse to compromise my values in order to be successful in a corrupted society. I would love to just be able to find roomates to share a home with. That is the first step. My parents don't live green, don't conserve anything, blow money constantly. As long as I live here with them, I am living against my values. I don't think you can make the shift from Babylon all at one time. The first thing is moving away from the parents.
Ho we scorched the skies and Julead05 Check out Green hornet's thread http://hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243039 they started last year and are still in building a community on the ground floor. There are others who speak of it as well. Check out www.ic.org; community listings. Should you get up to the fingerlakes you could stop in here...but the Hollow has a tendency to call those into Spirit and self empowerment...while we ascribe to and use altenatives, we are still too tied into the system for the need of money - though we may be further along than many starting communities. As Blinkin says - the first step away from Babylon with her corrupt values is to recognize it for what it is. There Are alternative living situations out there and it really does not take as much as most think to start it going on your lonesome ....the challenge being just that - so nice to share with likeminded. You start the ball rolling by deciding not to partake in the old failed paradign...but you also must put energy into making something real for yourself that has your fire and passion. I tend to suggest to people that they take a vision quest - a time alone to seek their own vision/dream of who and what they are and want to be. Be assured that their are far more than your own environment might suggest that Are doing something to have real value in the lives they lead. Blessing to you both along your Way Namaste
Check out the FEC: http://www.thefec.org/ These communities are devoted to living in an egalitarian and non-violent matter. Also, I am working on the website for the Communities Conference: http://www.communitiesconference.org/ . This conference will have a lot of workshops on alternative culture. There will also be many people from many different communities there. Good Luck! -bucket
