October 20, 2003
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I must admit that since I left civilization I have acquired a more
coherent perspective of my life, the ground I live on, the biosphere in
which I live, and of activities within the confines of geo-political
boundaries. My sleeping habits have not changed though; instead of
waking up in the middle of the night with confusion, I wake up in the
middle of the night with frustration. Therefore, I begin with thanks to
the ageless mind for my friend, Robin, who understands that I am a
writer, that I cannot not write.
Getting out of civilization is not easy for anyone, even though none of us is born into it. Manufactured from childhood to function with and within civilization, we do not live a natural process within its confines. Mutant species, naked apes, lost without the natural realm; largely by our own hands we have mutated ourselves and created the present and unprecedented, unnatural state of affairs, the suicide of the species, the ecocide and death of our planet's life. Whatever path you choose, emerging is the most natural thing to do. Staying out took several attempts; persistence and willful resistance becomes unrelenting motivation. These days, "croatan" is as much a perspective as a place and those damaged by civilization, then young again in this world outside civilization, prefer dwelling in quietness and sleeping in "natural" and "wild" nests, in the borderland. From here, at the edge, just outside, patterns emerge with greater definition and the perspective and distance comfort us. Therefore, it is for those of us out here in croatan, and those edging their way here, to sort through humanity's frantic and dysfunctional extravaganza and bring clarity to human consciousness. On this occasion, I will expound from the middle, that is easiest for our middle-minds, and move toward the apex, then into the singularity. Within the hierarchal order, within the confines of geopolitical boundaries, we see activity becoming more frantic and dysfunctional. The superstructure of civilization teeters in the winds of time, too rigid for survival, collapse inevitable, on a foundation long-rotted, with very dangerous explosives and fallout inside. Through Realpolitik, the story, extreme polarization is increasing and causing emotional detachment from nature, the collective mind of all life and its companion. Civilization is running its course, finishing its race, and the story is unfolding with a view toward Armageddon, the final chapter. Why would anyone hope for anything less? A quick and uproarious end to the capitalization of all things will leave us with more life than if the demise is postponed. Why prolong the suffering; why offer fixes; why not help with the demolition? If not for the explosives and fall-out, and the potential for collateral damage, I might not care about those struggling to hold the structure together, that they are blind to their own, inevitable destruction and that of the structure itself. Then again, here in croatan, we have no enemies, only friends. In its polarized state, our species does not seek or receive nature's consciousness, our commonality with all life, but rather excitation and engagement of the most rudimentary senses, those selfish and remote from nature. Commodification of the universe has become the basis for human existence within the bounds of hierarchal order, and human concepts of ownership have created master/slave relationships that nature, through cycles of time, will inevitably reverse. We enslave many animals for use as food, clothing, cosmetics and cultural fancies. Then we find they are disappearing because we care little for their natural state and habitat, nor comprehend their importance. They cannot survive our enslavement and are abandoning us in huge numbers, leaving us to our own devices. We enslave the land, demanding it produce for us the crops we use for our existence, consumption and pleasures. We plow it, we seed it, we irrigate it and we harvest, only to find that soil is the underpinning of all life and that we destroy it when we enslave it. We enslave energy and commodify it. Those materials used to produce the energy we depend upon are finite and the means of production are inefficient, but we continue to use them as if they have no end. However, the end is quickly upon us. Here at the apex, sitting out here on the edge, wondering how it all went so wrong, the depth of civilization's depravity strikes me. The overwhelming length and breadth of misunderstanding, misguidance and mischief is undoubtedly a consciousness with an accompanying belief system as ancient as human history. Where did it come from; what is its genesis? It was created through creation stories. We have all heard them, though not all of them, for there are many and many have been lost. I have never heard of an indigenous people without at least one creation story; many have several. Numerous religious orders share the most prevalent of creation stories and I suppose we are all familiar with it: "In The Beginning, God." Whether animals or humanlike, deities reign, create and destroy; they usually have names and exhibit human characteristics, that makes it much easier to identify with them. Upon reflection it is clear that all creation stories share one aspect though, that of hierarchy. Therefore, they are all superstitions. The genesis of the universe condensed into energy and matter as it expanded to its present form and stasis. It is quite clear that singularities have attraction for each other, as evidenced through observation of binaries, and not only consume all energy and matter but assimilate each other as well. Near the end of this time-cycle, energy and matter consumed, singularities will draw toward each other, collapsing the universe to its genesis, again. One time-cycle ends and another begins. It is important to remember that life created within a time-cycle is a naturally occurring process, it occurs throughout much of a cycle, is broadly distributed, and occurs within every time-cycle. Life does not create the time-cycle or energy or matter; it does recreate itself and procreate other life, and inevitably creates consciousness. Consciousness exists in conjunction with life, it is as fragile, is extinguished as easily, and is not created by anything other than life. Moreover, of course, time cycles through eternity. · · · · · ·
Resources and Related Internal Links Biocracy - Michael W. Stowell (Feb. 2001) Look Deep Beyond Civilization - Michael W. Stowell (Feb. 2003) Free-Style - Michael W. Stowell (March 2003) Taxman - Michael W. Stowell (April 2003) Impotent Bananas - Michael W. Stowell (Aug. 2003) How to NOT play the "Game" on Swans Michael W. Stowell is a local activist in Northern California. Do you wish to share your opinion? We invite your comments. E-mail the Editor. Please include your full name, address and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Please, feel free to insert a link to this article on your Web site or to disseminate its URL on your favorite lists, quoting a few paragraphs or providing a summary. However, please DO NOT steal, scavenge or repost this work on the Web without the expressed written authorization of Swans. This material is copyrighted, © Michael W. Stowell 2003. All rights reserved. |
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