As told by Al. S for 'verbatim'

I'm just a regular guy who likes camping out a lot. When I stay out there, all by myself most of the time, it feels like I can be my true self -- whatever that true self is.

One sunny day, while I was walking through the bush with my backpack on, I saw a tall guy who was wearing only jeans and a T-shirt. I was miles from any civilization and very surprised to see him. He was collecting berries and didn't even notice me coming. I said "Hi!" to his back and he turned around. There was no surprise, no fear or suspicion in his sky-blue eyes. In fact he was already smiling like he was meeting an old friend. That puzzled me. One meets all kind of people on the trail -- not always the good kind either -- and the rule of the thumb is, 'Better safe than sorry'.

But this guy didn't seem to care. The broad smile that broke out on his bearded, suntanned face left no doubt as to his identity. He sure was "one of ours". I asked him where he was camping and without any hesitation he led me into the thick forest. In the opening there stood a small log cabin.

I put up my weather-beaten old tent nearby and started cooking myself a lunch. He joined in and soon we were chatting away like two friends. It felt a little weird but, with this guy, there were no interpersonal barriers. None at all. And here is his story.

He used to be a well-off guy with a nice paying job. All of a sudden he realized that the life he was living was not his real life -- not the life he was born to have. He just had it with the "rat race" so he took off. He left it all behind and went back into nature. After camping out for a while, he found a nice place in the woods next to the sea shore. He stayed there until the end of summer.

When the temperatures started to drop, he built himself a small log cabin inland. He made a stove of stones and clay which kept him warm in the winter time. He told me that supplies were not a problem either. A guy in a motorboat that he met on the beach one day befriended him -- like minds -- and brought him enough food to last through the winter. He took water from a small spring nearby, so he was all set.

But there was more to surviving than keeping warm and fed. Very quickly, his whole attitude started changing.

He doesn't belong to any religion but what happened to him sure looks like "enlightenment" to me. Once he cut off all the external "noise" that doesn't allow us to think straight, he started to understand the simple things about life ... the basics of survival.

Sitting there by the campfire, we talked about everything. I always had my mp3 player ready and he didn't mind my recording his "lessons" -- that's what I called them. And lessons they were. Lessons in the natural way of thinking from a person who lives in nature. And so here is what I learned from him:

Lesson 1: Your heart is where your wealth is.

Everybody seems to know it and yet nobody gives it a second thought. We all know that wealth is basically money. But what is money? It's just worthless pieces of paper with pictures and numbers on them. Can you eat it? Can it keep you warm when it gets cold? Neither. But you can buy food and a nice house with it. Why? Because we live in a virtual world and everybody has agreed that money has value. In the virtual world... the world most of us live in everyday. But once you get out of the virtual world, the money has no value at all.

Right now, some people have already realized this and they are trying to get rid of paper money. They buy precious metals, gold and silver. They think it is more real than paper money. But once again you have to ask, 'Can one survive on gold when there's nothing else around? It's darn heavy, for one thing, and what if you need change back from your gold bar?' The answer is obvious.

O.K. But what should people do right now?

The time when shit hits the fan is just around the corner. The logic is simple enough. If we don't believe in all that end-of-the-world Mayan calendar stuff and do nothing, will it be good for our survival? No way. As long as there is the slightest possibility of negative outcome -- the possibility of the end of the world -- your chances of survival will be close to zero. And what if you prepare for the worst case scenario and it doesn't happen? Then you will have a nice retreat packed with all kind of food and camping gear to enjoy in the summer time. And you won't have to worry about supplies for a very long time. It's your decision.

This really got me thinking. I'm kind of a happy-go-lucky guy who doesn't really care what happens to him tomorrow. But what he was describing is a matter of life and death -- my survival instincts flared up. I'm not a rich guy but I can put together some cash and buy myself enough supplies to last a couple of years. I kept thinking about what he told me.

A shelter is no problem as long as one can find a nice cave or dwelling 3000 feet above the sea level...

Why so high?

When all those huge tsunamis start destroying the land it will make perfect sense. Again, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Lesson 2: There's no way you can make it on your own.

So now you're sitting in your nice little shelter with all the supplies stashed safely away and you think you're all set. Wrong. The chances of survival on your own are very low even in a well-protected place.

Why is that?

Just imagine yourself going out for a walk, slipping on a stone and breaking your leg, with no one around to help you. That's it. You've got your personal 'end of the world' right there. That's why there should be at least three guys in one shelter. Five is a crowd and people start forming rival groups as they grow in number. So three is the limit. And if the guys are straight there should be a girl around. A happy little threesome will add some spice to the dull life in a shelter.

It takes a little trying to create a crew like this. Learn to talk over everything with your crew members. Holding something back creates inner tension that sooner or later results in an emotional explosion. So talk it all out -- with anybody, anytime.

If you have a family then you've got your crew already. There's no choice left. Just take them all along, for better or for worse. Do not forget about the gender balance though.

Cultivate your will to survive and adapt to whatever is thrown at you. Learn self-reliance even if there's somebody around to help you. After all this is what it's all about.

Lesson 3: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Once you're 'out there' all kind of things can happen to you. It's a good idea to always keep your emergency backpack at hand, whatever you do or wherever you go. Shit happens all the time. People can get pissed off for no apparent reason and sometimes they get strange ideas… You can come back to your shelter only to find it empty with all the supplies gone. Always have plan B and C. Make a list of everything that can possibly go wrong.

All this sounds a bit depressing.

There's really no other way. The material world has its rules so you have to play by them as long as you are in this world.

Lesson 4: Go up the spiritual ladder.

Never forget that you were not put in this meat grinder to save your body. It really doesn't make much sense if you become the perfect predator to survive. The soul is so much more important. So cultivate your instincts but try to enlighten your soul too. And going the spiritual way will make your new life so very much easier to take. Learn how to leave this world with all its problems behind and be happy in any circumstances. After all that's what life is about -- happiness.

Tell us your story from the heart. Tell us if you are ready for something new, something real.

Gary Vey / editor / (reply to: myristicin - at - hotmail - dot - com)

 

Back to VERBATIM

Viewzone Magazine || Comments? || Body Mind Spirit

COMMENTS: