Decentralized Jungle
In 2005, I made a moral decision to disengage with the blood-thirsty FED after learning about fractional reserve banking and all the shenanigans that it finances. My morality couldn’t reconcile the mercenary nature of the U.S. foreign economic policy any longer. I didn’t know how I was going to survive, since the majority of my conditioning was ECONOMIC. The people I had gravitated towards all had simple professions that centered around the hypocratic oath; first do no harm. Almost done with my third decade of being, I packed up and moved to the jungle where I could live an honest day-to-day life. One might say I became Eco-Gnome-Like.
The jungle provided a slower pace and a natural setting where I could defrag. The particular community I was in had a nice balance of natives and foreigners all blending into a hodgepodge of entrepreneurship. There was enough to go around. Many of us discussed plans for the most egalitarian lifestyle possible, but the Central American Free Trade Agreement(CAFTA) was passed, and the tide shifted. Local food prices doubled overnight and certain things became scarce. I was afraid that the money lenders had spoiled my brief exposure to paradise.
In examining what really irked me in the States and my new barrio, it was apparent that the ‘Middle Man,’ was my problem. Why should I give my labor and effort to that which is wholly unnecessary? There is no need for the FED, and hence no need for a income tax. There is no need to ship local wares away; especially if it’s not profitable to the producers. Watching how thievery is made acceptable through ignorance and propaganda ruffled my feathers. My cohorts and I discussed how we could make a local currency that we could trade amongst ourselves that was clean.
As Sitoshi’s white paper circulated our community, the depth and breadth of his creation couldn’t really land. You have to understand the setting. Where I was, only a few people had cell phones. We had to drive to town to get on the internet once a week while our North American counterparts had Smarty Phones. The concept of internet cash as a means of exchange when none of us had wifi devices was both mystifying and awesome. One of the drawbacks to being off-grid is that the convenience afforded by the grid isn’t present. Luckily, our neck of the woods rapidly adapted a 3G network and the internet was ours.
It’s hard for many to realize how powerful an internet sabbatical for four years can be, especially from 2007-2011. No Googling for answers, no social media, no interactive webinars and, in some ways, no opportunity. A tech friend of mine, who was a very early adopter, was talking to me about data mining a couple of months before the winter Solstice of 2012. In our community, many people believed that there was going to be a massive shift in consciousness on the day of the solstice as supposedly professed by the ancient Mayans. Listening to him about the growing, decentralized super computer of the blockchain did arouse my paranoia. I’ll admit it, I loved the Terminator movies.
As my fear dissipated, I realized this was the answer I had been looking for. A money form who’s value is determined strictly by the market. Bitcoin was something I could trade my effort for and not have it extracted away by the magic of inflation. It also didn’t have the stink of the war machine on it. Taking the Authority out of the equation just felt good. As a pisces I do that sometimes: lead with what feels right. I could finally live by the Sorcerer's credo:
If I am not a party in making the rule I do not have to abide by it.
Flash forward to the present moment and I am giddy with anticipation to see what real capitalism looks like. I am of the opinion that we have been in a rigged game that appears to have free-markets. I call it rigged because countries pay to have their money made, and capital is controlled through Crony filled bottlenecks that limit innovation to protect investment. War and illness are the big profit generators for the centralized banking model. Now there is a sea of hacker types bloodying the nose of the establishment with multiple currency work arounds.
My life in the jungle still centers around nature and has the rustic quality of literally being off-grid. Now that the digital nomad-ness has permeated all of this green, the incredible opportunity that only the web can provide is being revealed on platforms like Steemit. Watching the wisdom of crowds call bullshit on institutionalized behavior is a joy for my soul. I look forward to the continued innovation and creativity that only a true free market can provide. And as the jungle has taught me, it’s beauty lies in it’s unpredictable and diverse nature.