Recently, I was following a thread on an Internet forum
started by a fellow who identified himself as Van UK. His email address
was that of Yahoo UK and what he wrote gave me no reason to doubt that he was
from the UK.
In one of Van's posts, he expounded on his philosophy of
personal and natural freedom as he spoke of being a "Free Man of the
Land." I must say that I related to Van in his thoughts and ideas. While I
may have never thought of it in exactly that term, I completely understood
where he was coming from. Long ago growing up in New Jersey something influenced me to start believing this way.
I know my father, who was never a "free man of the
land," but wanted to be and who died by his own hand very prematurely at
age 42, was a significant inspiration for me, whether he realized it or not. My
public school education, while typical of the 50's and early 60's stirred up a
certain rebellious nature in me. My religious training in an American Baptist
church and what I came to realize was a doctrine of oppressive
beliefs to me, had some impact, too.
I'm going to quote what Van said in one of his posts as the
thread passed from one person to the next.
I understand
common law, the straw man, free man, etc. very well. Magnacarta, U.S
Constitution. Let me assure you, there have been many times when I have been a
true free man of the land. I have been described as a Ghost by my, now, bank
manager which some times goes against me.
Due to
this there are jobs I do not get because of the breaks in my job history or
career breaks as I like to call them. I dip under the radar whenever I feel
like it. I live my life on my terms. No one has leverage on me and that is the
way it will remain till I die. I am not better than anybody nor is any one
better than me. I don't care who they are. We are all born equal and I will not
change or be controlled by anybody period.
Freedom
Comes in Boxes
Van's
words rang with a certain passion to me. I related to what he said. Of
course, I believe all people want to be free or believe they are free. In one
sense, everyone is free. But, it's how we each define what freedom means for
our individual lives that differs. We will often hear the expression "free as a
bird." Certainly, there is something about watching a great eagle, hawk,
condor, turkey vulture or other soaring bird that seems to epitomize freedom
for many people. The seal of the United States employs the bald eagle as the symbol
of freedom.
Like most
things in a human's life experience, freedom or being free comes in degrees.
The life of a slave (a despicable practice still carried on in many parts of
the world) and the life of a prisoner represent two of the least degrees of
freedom. Many depict society and the laws of a society as a "Box"
allowing everyone within the confines of the "Box" certain defined
freedoms. Depending on the nation/society/form of governance, the amount of
freedom within that box can vary considerably.
Some
people believe that the accumulation of vast amounts of money, assets
("stuff") and property provide freedom. Unfortunately, for many,
accumulating money and acquiring stuff and property to achieve what they define
as freedom actually becomes an obsession. This obsession often results in an
individual becoming a "wage slave" or a slave to his or her wealth and stuff. This simply means an individual
has created and built his or her own form of prison and the cell is the job and
home.
Every
society has to have some kind of laws, regulations, rules, ordinances and
covenants to protect the rights and property of each member of the society. In
many societies the government or ruler is actually protecting its or his/her
own interests with little or no concern about the individuals. These laws, etc.
are created by some form of governing body or ruler ranging from monarchies,
empires, dictators warlords, tribal chiefs, parliaments, congresses, unions,
homeowner or apartment associations to several others forms. Not only do these
bodies (or individuals) create and implement these laws, etc., they also
enforce them. All of these laws, regulations, rules, ordinances and covenants
create boundaries or the "Box" that defines the freedoms of that jurisdiction.
The vast
majority of the people living within a "Box" are indoctrinated and
taught where the boundaries of freedom (the "Box") are beginning from early
childhood by parents, religious leaders, community leaders and some form of
educational/training system. As adults they are subject to and required to obey
and abide by the laws defining the "Box."
However,
in most developed societies or what we label as First World (and even Second
and Third World) nations, the citizens usually live within the boundaries of numerous "Boxes" and
have to conform and abide by the laws, regulations, rules, ordinances and
covenants of all the "Boxes." What makes it more challenging is
that often the laws of the various "Boxes" are contradictory. That is, while you are obeying the laws of one "Box"; you may be breaking laws of one or more other "Boxes." Without question, all of this becomes confusing, complicated and
limits the individual's freedom even more. A typical example in the United States might be where an individual is subject to federal laws, state laws, county
laws, city laws, homeowners' association covenants, job rules, union rules and
even religious doctrines. That is eight "Boxes" controlling some
facet of one person's life.
It's probably fair to say that many people consider the United States the greatest
nation in the world and the greatest nation there has ever been. Yet, while considered
a free nation, it probably has the most laws, regulations, rules, ordinances
and covenants of any other nation in the world, free or otherwise. Thus,
while not realizing it, citizens of the U.S. may actually be more restricted or
limited in exercising their natural freedom and rights than individuals in
countries considered to be less free or oppressive. Is this good or bad? That has to be
determined by each individual regarding his or her own life and collectively
for the greater freedom of everyone in the society. One must also remember that as an
electoral democracy, supposedly, the collective of the individuals in the U.S. have given
an elected entity and ruling class the authority to create all these
"Boxes" that control, limit and restrict everyone's life.
The
Free Man/Woman or the "Outlaw"
Reverting back to what Van from the UK had to
say, I live my life on my terms. No one has leverage on me and that is the
way it will remain till I die. I believe that is the essence of Van's
definition of Free Man. I have, of late, begun thinking of this kind of person
as an "Outlaw."
The Free
Man that Van speaks of or the "Outlaw" that I speak of is not someone
who breaks any laws or, to put it in a milder way, fails to obey any laws with
criminal intentions. As I define it, these are the people who
"stretch" the boundaries of the "Box" or, sometimes, simply
find a way to escape the boundaries of the "Box" in a manner that
does not infringe on anyone else's rights or perpetrate any bodily harm or
property damage on anyone else. They have chosen to live outside the confines of the
"Box," independently, in a quiet, peaceful, unassuming manner.
Their
lifestyles will vary one from another. They are, obviously, non-conformists.
They typically will live simple, frugal and minimalist lifestyles in locations that don't
attract a large population density. While many become self-sustaining and live
off the grid, others may choose a hybrid lifestyle living off the grid and
self-sustaining as as much as they are comfortable with while using the mainstream
infrastructure as they need it. Thus, when they use local, county, state or
federal roads they obey the laws of those roads and jurisdictions. When they
purchase gas or diesel for their vehicle, they are paying gas taxes for the use
of the roads. When they shop for groceries, staples and sundries and other
merchandise, they pay sales taxes. They do their best to obey the laws of the
"Boxes" as those laws (regulations, rules, ordinances and covenants)
apply to them, seeking ways for those laws to have he least direct impact on
their lives and lifestyles as possible.
Some of those I
consider "Outlaws" are people who live full-time in vans, utility
trailers, converted school buses, RV's of all descriptions, tiny houses and
other forms of alternative dwellings and lifestyles. I also believe
"Outlaws" are those who actively seek ways to earn what they need to
sustain their lifestyles by alternative means. Such individuals might be
traveling musicians, artists, photographers, writers, Internet marketers,
crafters, flea market vendors and include a slew of other professions or
occupations that the mainstream inside the "Box" members of society
won't consider or don't consider as something they could make a living from. The
list could be quite long.
Living
Outside the "Box"
So, are
you a Free Man or a Free Woman of the Land? Are you an "Outlaw?" Or,
are you playing it safe by staying inside your "Boxes?" Maybe you
just bump into the walls of the "Boxes" occasionally to see if they
have expanded or contracted or become more pliable. How do you define your own
freedom? Are you content staying inside the boundaries of your
"Boxes?" If so, then, perhaps, you're living a Walter Mitty kind of
existence. In other words, you read my blog and the blogs of others who are
similar to me and daydream or "zone out" about what it would be like
to take the leap of faith and escape the boundaries of the "Boxes." You might enjoy
watching (if you haven't already) the recent movie, "The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty" starring Ben Stiller, adapted from the James Thurber short story.
Actually,
I honestly don't propose that most people stretch the boundaries or escape
their "Boxes." I don't believe the vast majority of people in today's
world and societies can handle as much freedom as many of us "Outlaws"
have. Over the millennia, since humans became civilized and began creating more
and more complicated, restrictive, limiting and (often) oppressive societies,
people have become much less self-reliant and much more co-dependent. They look to some kind
of "authority" or governmental entity to, supposedly, make their lives better, less complicated, safer
and freer, while, unfortunately, I believe exactly the opposite has resulted.
Already more
than half the world's population lives in cities and towns and by 2030 that number
will exceed 5 billion. Unfortunately, urbanization seems to spawn larger degrees
of poverty (due to the higher cost of living) and higher violent crime rates (again
as a result of the cost of living, potential lack of jobs and increasing poverty).
The illegal drug problems will likely increase, possibly, exponentially. All of
this will require even more laws, regulations, rules, ordinances and covenants.
Those will result in even more limitations and contraction of freedoms.
So, where
do you find yourself? Are you a Walter Mitty daydreaming about freedom or an "Outlaw,"
Free Man or Free Woman of the Land?
