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Thursday, March 07, 2013

Visions of a Moneyless Tribe

Writing this post is scaring the caca out of me.
Then I think:
If it is meant to be, let it be.
If not, let it be not.
Ultimately, the flow of the river is out of my hands,
so why worry?
Only trust, trust.
Then I feel peace, whatever happens.

In Fruita

Last week I hitched here to Fruita, Colorado to visit my parents... rather, I should more accurately say, the parents of this body I ride in.  I am finding really good new friends in Fruita, feeling a developing sense of community, that I'd never found here before.  It makes the idea of possibly moving here someday a joyful possibility, as I may have to live with and take care of the parents, who are both 85 years old.

But, right now, I can't let what could be or should be keep me from my walk.  Cross bridges when they come.

Possible Moneyless Tribe

Thus, I'm still brainstorming with some friends about beginning a moneyless tribe soon, inshallah:  we are envisioning a walking pilgrimage, in open invitation to all who are willing to give up all money to their name.  It can't be half-way, half-hearted.  The hearts of those who join must be fully here and now, not somewhere else.  Only then can our hearts be exactly where our treasure is, within us (here in heaven), fully committed to our present walk.

Two-Fold Mission:

I'm thinking this moneyless tribe might officially begin at the national Rainbow gathering, a place to meet and rally others, and its mission two-fold:

1) To walk to cities, towns, organic farms, intentional communities, monasteries, ashrams, and churches across the country, and do service, raising awareness of gift economy, infecting the nation with freely giving, and freely receiving.

2) To walk to native reservations in an act of repentance to heal wounds and raise our nation's awareness.  This means bowing before native elders and presenting them with our statement of repentance for the atrocities we as a culture and a religion have committed against them: our genocides, our robbing of their lands and homes, our destroying their food sources, our stripping them of their livelihood, our stealing of their children to be indoctrinated in our schools, our breaking of nearly every treaty we ever made with them, etc., etc.

I had this inspiration at the very time my friend Carolyn released the trailer for this film she and her friends have been working on, and I took it as confirmation:


Daring to be Adults, Dare to Repent

I myself have been finding myself really sick of religion and often wonder why I bother with it, feeling on the verge of giving up on it.  But I keep feeling a glimmer of hope, and perhaps this is a last chance to salvage good hidden beneath its hypocrisy.  Actually, I'm not sensing just a good, but a powerful good, hidden.

Are you with me?   Do you dare hear me out?

In short, professed Christianity has done so much harm something must be done to find healing.

Here's how:
we would bow to Native elders and own up to being hypocritical Christians and repent for not following the core teachings of our own religion, which we have insisted on cramming down Native throats.  Jesus clearly taught giving up possessions, sharing all things, freely giving and freely receiving, and we have not only done totally the opposite, but persecuted any who have even hinted at practicing such teachings!  Sharing things in common has been a principle of Native religion, making it more Christian than our own religion.  As long as professed Christians don't practice these teachings, we continue our genocide.

"Repent" is the very first recorded commandment of Jesus.  To repent means "to turn, to change."  It means action, not just words.  Our call for repentance cannot work until it is more than words, backed by action.  Our religion has been notorious for talk: very, very loud talk which does not listen. By giving up our money, giving up "our" possessions, which were never ours in the first place, we make our quiet statement of repentance with powerful sincerity, heard above all the loudness.  By giving up possessions, we give up being possessed, freeing ourselves into powerful love.   We must own up to our genocide, not as something our ancestors (they) did in the past, but that this genocide is ours, a spirit and mentality as alive and strong today as it was in the past.  Nothing will ever change until we own up, become adults, take responsibility, and stop blaming some "them".


We don't think it odd that a warrior leave home and give up everything to go to war.
What if we did the same for a greater cause: truth and justice and peace?


Repenting for our arrogance, 
which breeds genocide

Our very mentality of thinking our religion is right and all others are wrong will always breed genocide.  Egotism can breed no good, any more than a bad tree can bear good fruit.  We must repent for not keeping the Golden Rule, Rule above all rules.  We must repent of our arrogance in thinking our religion is right and all others are wrong.  Only then will we be able to do unto others as we would have them do unto us: listen, and consider that they could be right.

Why Christianity:
hasn't it done enough harm?

Self-proclaimed Christianity has done enough harm, this is my point.  But I have also seen good Christianity, a small and hidden remnant, easy to not spot.  I bring up Christianity because it is our culture's dominant religion (in word, not in deed), and our culture's religion is our nation's heart.  Cosmopolitan city dwellers out of touch with rural religious America don't realize how true this is.  No action will be lasting until it pricks our culture to its very heart!  Those who control a nation's religion have power over the nation, whether or not many citizens are religious.  Our politicians know this.  Hitler knew this, using Christian lingo, placing his Nazi flag in churches across Germany.

Now, in the US, greed-heads have hijacked and control Christianity.  Recognize them by their zeal, yet notice how they won't touch Jesus' basic teachings with a 10-foot pole (see Here's the One Point We Know the World's Religions Agree Upon), even as they harp on Jesus being the only way.  Religion is a powerful tool, under our very noses, that few who care about social justice and truth are using!

This movement must be ecumenical, open to people of all faiths and to those who aren't religious.  Its purpose is not to convert people to Christianity or to create a new religion (the last thing on earth we need).  Its purpose must be to use what already exists, to put a mirror up to our nation's self-professed Christianity, and for those who identify with Christianity to repent as Christians, and for those who don't identify as Christians to stand in solidarity with us.  Martin Luther King's movement was open to all, but his Christianity was his driving force.  Imagine Christians bowing before Native peoples, us repenting for our atrocities against them, repenting for our hypocrisy, not somebody else's.  We have been masters of harping on splinters in other culture's eyes, never seeing the lumber yard in our own.  Who is willing to say "our hypocrisy"?  Can you imagine something more powerful and healing and awareness raising?  Imagine us bowing before Native peoples, not arrogantly trying to "help" them in our usual self-righteous condescension, but admitting that we are the ones who need help!  Only then can the division between us and them dissolve.

The few examples of good religion 
have eclipsed the many bad examples

David Walker, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, 
Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, John Brown
Yes, our culture's deepest heart is its dominant religion, Christianity.  This is why, in this country social movements (e.g., the suffragists and abolitionists--such as Quaker movements and movements led by folks like Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas--and the Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King) were so effective, because they took back a Christianity hijacked by nationalist greed-heads.  We saw the same happen in India, led by Gandhi using Hindu ideals, and we saw the end of Apartheid in South Africa taking back Christian ideals stolen by the racists.  People can find flaws or sins in Gandhi and Martin Luther King, but neither Gandhi nor MLK claimed to be a saint, and the people who find flaws in them can't see the forest for the trees, the greatness of Gandhi's and King's actions, despite their sins.

The small walking in truth
overpowers the huge walking in lie
as a small lamp lights a room of dark

A small group of admittedly imperfect people walking in truth and love is more powerful than a whole nation walking in hypocrisy.  The tiny overpowers the huge, the David conquers the Goliath, the small hero conquers the huge dragon, the stone that the builders reject becomes the chief capstone, and the tiny cottonwood seed becomes a giant tree: this is the theme of the world's myths, the theme of all biology, all life.

The faith of the tiny mustard seed: the driving principle of all nature.

Secular activist movements are good, 
and we must work with them

Secular activist movements are good, and I can in no way knock them, and we must work with them.  But movements that use the tool of religion are more powerful and lasting, because they are etched into the deepest consciousness.  Their purpose is not just ending an injustice, but ending the root of that injustice.  This is a risky proposition, because religion is usually used for bad.  What I am proposing is dangerous, risky, and could get us imprisoned or killed.  This is why the Cross is such a powerful symbol, once taken back from the greed-heads.  The Cross means giving up fear of death, standing for truth, even if it gets you crucified.


Having no overseer or ruler, 
but led by consensus

And what if, this time, it were led by no single person, but a movement of consensus, like, as Jewish scripture says, "ants, having no overseer or ruler"?  People often see ant colonies as models of conformist tyranny, but in reality they are perfect models of anarchy at work.  Each ant, by following its own instinct, not the dictation of anyone, works in perfect harmony with the other ants.  The "queen" is not a ruler dictating, but a mother laying eggs.

Can a group move as one mind, in consensus?

According to the scriptures of our culture, the secret of a group having one mind in consensus is revealed.  But we don't know whether or not that secret of one mind is true because nobody practices it, nobody dares prove it!  It might be a sham, but we don't know until we take a chance and practice it!

That secret is giving up all possessions and sharing all things communally!  You would never know it, looking at today's conventional  Evangelical, mainline, and Mormon churches, which emulate private property and capitalism as if God-ordained!  But this communal principle is taught as the ultimate model in both the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.  Here are the scriptures:

The Bible:
Acts 2:44-46,
Acts 4:32.

Book of Mormon:
4 Nephi (the first half of this short book)

Maybe it's bogus, maybe not.  We'll never know until we practice it.  It's risky business.  But in our hearts we understand, and are at peace.  Anybody want to take the plunge with us?







53 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Not sure yet. Doing work on my parents' house. Maybe I'll be done in a few days.

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  2. I must say I am not very religious. Seeing more the words of Lao Tzu, Jesus, Siddhartha etc. as guidlines for wholistic health (body, mind, soul. Every ones) I see religion more as people doing things because some one says so, rather then letting their proccess unfold naturally (like Jesus, Lao Tzu, Siddharth etc. did)
    However this is not to say I do not agree with using 'religious' texts/traditions to shine light. As many are attached to it still.
    For christianity I feel if the whole concept of "the kingdom of heaven is within" can be emphasized on, alot more people would see the good in their religion on their own. Not listening to others interpritation, but by whats in their hearts.
    I can not bow as a christian, but as a human who has partaken in a completely imbalanced life style at the harm of others. Not just harming Natives but to ALL people, even those in the monetary system.

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    1. When our hearts are open, not hardened, religious texts tell us what we already know, and that confirmation, that reminder, gives us joy that we are not alone, like sharing experiences with a friend. But when we are cut off from our own wisdom, scriptures become law that we don't understand, a rod that whips us into submission contrary to our natures, and weapons to judge others. It's better to burn scriptures and denounce religion if they become this to us. Its better to insult and reject scriptures and religion than to insult and reject the Spirit, the Law written on our hearts, the Law that existed before any scripture, language, or thought.

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    2. We aren't on different pages friend ;)

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    3. I know you to well to think otherwise :-)

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  3. Great Post :) Anything said directly from the heart always is. A realization and repentance of our selfish and destructive culture is long overdue friend. I can't wait to join you on this adventure! Message me your moab coordinates when you get the chance. Here is some inspiration for you and anyone else checking this out :)

    Matthew 4:17-
    From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

    Mark 10:21-
    Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

    Matthew 6:25-
    "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

    Matthew 6:34-
    Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

    I find myself pondering why I still read scriptures. After all, we read books to gain the knowledge of what they have to say. What use are they if you have read it before?

    Then I remember, like any religion, ritual, philosophy, or spirituality, they are channels. Pathways. Routes to link the person to a higher sense of self and meaning. Enlightenment. Why not use it and know it? Especially since it is found almost everywhere in our country and can be shared indefinitely, and super extra especially since most who claim it don't adhere to its message! :O :) Ha,

    and like that, as my mind's ponderance comes around full circle, I smile happily, and Party On! :)

    (Fact) Religion hijacked and abused by leaders/rich?
    -Keep calm, read it loud and proud and Party On!

    (In my case) Farmers destroy your natural shelter during the coldest time of the year?
    -LMFAO! and oh well, Party On!

    (In Phil's case) kids raid your snacks from your tipi?
    -It's diving time friend, Party On!

    (Usted) La escritura del artículo le da miedo hacer caca? -Tiempo de Fiesta!!

    Just think about how good this will be :)
    It has to happen sooner or later anyways. Like the butterfly, we have to emerge from our chrysalis and acknowledge we were once destructive like caterpillars, and vow to never revert to that stage again.

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  4. Dear Mr. Suelo,
    From the perspective of a 17 year old, you seem very wise. I am excited to hear more about the prospective moneyless tribe. I first learned about your blog when I read The Man Who Quit Money, recommended to me by my parents. Since I am supposed to be thinking about my future and college and such, I really appreciate the different perspective. Maybe I can make more of a difference in other ways than I previously thought? Your blog posts have addressed and helped me with a lot of questions I have about religion, etc. For now, I will keep musing and figuring! Thanks much, and I look forward to your next post. --Alexa

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    1. That's a very nice thing to hear Alexa. You must have amazing parents. :) If you want more to read: www.tomiastikainen.com/sunhitcher/download

      Love,

      Tomi

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    2. Yes, Tomi is living without money on the other side of the ocean, wandering Europe. Maybe coming to this continent?

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    3. Yes! I am quite lucky. They are supportive of everything I do. Thanks much for the link/stuff to read, Tomi! Wandering Europe, huh? Sounds like a good time. :)

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  5. I would like to donate to your cause,Suelo.Assuming this doesn't detract from your purpose ,that is.I'm not ready to make the leap of moneyless lifestyle now,but find great value in your aims.Post where to contribute,if it is acceptable to you.-Sharing in the SF Bay Area

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  6. Maybe this is a test, or maybe you are new here, but this is how it works:
    I, or my "cause," accepts no money. If you are talking of mailing a non-monetary contribution, I can't accept that, either. The idea is that what I need must be available in the present, locally and now. This means needs are met as they arise, in the place they arise at, as happens in wild nature. Everything in wild nature happens in its season, never out of season. If it isn't present, it is not needed.

    Money's purpose for being invented was to facilitate trade from far away, to bring goods from out of place and out of season. Helping someone in your locality, as their need arises is the concept of *loving your neighbor,* not somebody far away.

    But I would be elated if you donated to this cause! I'll give you the address: where you are. When you see somebody in need in your local, and you have something at hand to offer (goods or services) they need, give to them, in that moment! If they don't need it, don't give it to them and burden them.

    When you don't offer money, you must be creative and make neighborly contact, maybe hang out with them (which is the greatest donation). If everybody did this, all would go into balance, back into season, and, I propose, money would go obsolete!

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  7. SF Bay, another way you can donate to this cause is, if you feel you have too much stuff & don't know who to give it to, put it out on the streets (like many in SF do), and those who need it can take it. I have felt magical love when I came across something in SF from an anonymous donor that I needed.

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  8. Yeah, i do much of that stuff Suelo.Care of the earth,Care of the people,Share the surplus.Wishing a successful journey.-Sharing in SF Bay Area

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  9. Thank you for this post. It is a wise pointer. This is indeed truth as truth is in Jesus. May you be blessed in this. May the tribe begin. Each day I pray Morning Prayer, in which we are asked to pray for 'the world and its needs' among other things. I have been praying for quiet, humble people who live in simplicity and reverence to proliferate, because I reckon that's what the world needs. I see an answer to this prayer in what you are proposing.
    At the present time I feel called to live simply, but not yet ready to take the step you suggest. But what you are doing calls me back to simplicity when I wander from it, and encourages me to live with deeper simplicity that I have been. I am not yet where you are, but I am on the journey. So thank you; your way will be blessed - how could it not be? What you have chosen is inherently blessed, it *is* blessing.
    What I can undertake to do is travel towards what you are suggesting, to commit to a deepening practice of simplicity and a humbler, more trusting generosity; and where I can, to help others who live in this way.

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    1. Reading your words makes my eyes all watery.
      This prospect can be disconcerting, like getting ready to jump into icy water, but your words of blessing stoke the fire of warm strength inside. Sounds like I'm trying to be poetic, but that's the best way I can describe what's going on inside me. Thank you, Ember, and blessing rebounded to you.

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  10. Do we know where & when in Montana the gathering will be? One love

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    1. It's not even definite yet if it will be in Montana, but it's planned for that states region, anyway. The scouts (who determine where) haven't even started yet! We never know for sure each year until just weeks before.

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  11. everything i think and want in life is how you live your life mr suelo. my name is corey i live in new hampshire and hope to meet you some day.

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  12. Me, my husband and our two little boys are moving to some rural land down south in just two weeks. We're super eager to homestead and practice real sustainability; an earthen home, permaculture, forest farming, etc. But he is under the impression we'll buy whatever we need, and I'm of the mind that the Universe will provide for us when the time is right and that we'll get by just fine. Thank you so much for being an example that we can to look to of someone Living It. I'd really love to start our new life with as little as possible from the old, and for me that includes money and the disconnect from community.

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  13. This is by far the most enjoyable blog of yours I've read.
    Ever heard of 12 tribes. They hold the Bible references you listed to heart. Christianity isn't what it used to be or should be. Most don't walk by faith anymore, including myself. The culture has shaped Christianity. The most important of Jesus' teachings is you must be born again.

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  14. Hi Suelo,
    Good to see someone finally seeing the world as it could and should be and truly is. Esp beneath the capitalistic BS. A ponderance does cross my mind though. Reading back over past blogs, you postulate that crime would be eliminated (my interpretation) if we did away with the monetary system and humans could receive what they needed when they needed it. How would we as a society be able to eliminate the greed of power though? Even without money or debt, would there not be those who would seek to control others in physicality, sexuality, mentality, sociality.....? I would love to hear your thoughts. Brian

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    1. Crime wouldn't necessarily be eliminated, but held in check by natural selection, as it is in all of wild nature (And we see this so in non-agricultural, non-trading hunting & gathering human tribes). But this depends on our definition of 'crime.' I'd say crime is bad for the one doing it, bad for the society, bad for the world, simultaneously. I'd actually say crime does not exist in wild nature, because if it is in balance, it isn't crime. "Bad" (negative) always arises, but prolonged bad, bad out of balance, is selected out in wild nature, so bad is always kept in balance with good, negative balanced with positive. This is common sense, basic physics, & it feels silly I even have to mention it.

      But the way of commercial civilization is to sidestep natural selection, to eliminate negatives, crushing common sense. In other words, the human mind takes control of punishment & reward (positive & negative, vengeance & payback, good & evil, credit & debt, symbolized by money & written law), which nature has automatically taken care of in balance for zillions of years ("Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says Nature). Our minds have replaced Grace with Law (knowledge of good and evil). But negatives are the law of the universe. They can never be eliminated, but only suppressed temporarily (sickness, disease, death), which guarantees they will backlash upon us in unbearable force.

      For example, how many obese, malnourished, chronically ill & decrepit wild animals to you see? Compare this with any random sample of human population.

      When we take our hands out of the water, the wave crests & troughs balance out on their own. And, even if they don't (ie the wind causes waves) there's absolutely nothing we can do anyway, except make them worse! One day we'll get it. We must, as sure as negative meets positive.

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  15. Suelo, this is a good posting. You're spot on about Christiantiy. In the U.S. (at least in Bible Belt and in portions of the midwest) the merging of fiscal conservatism and Christiantiy has done a lot to alienate people from the religion of their upbringing. It seems today that those identifying with the Christian label are the least Christ like peope one tends to meet. the lack of compassion for the working poor,the downtroddena,and the very ecosystem we depend on is lacking in these people more so than in anyone else. That's definitely the case where I reside but I can't speak for the whole country.

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  16. This is weird.

    The other day, I was reading a blog post by Robb Wolf, who is one of those paleo-diet gurus. The post talked about how we humans had been nomadic for about 90% of our time here on earth and that the sedentary lifestyle we take for granted is a new state of being brought on by the creation of city-state civilizations. One of the main points of this nomadic paradigm is the idea that humans seem to have evolved to live in tribes no larger than 150.


    I began to think to myself, "I wonder if it would be possible to form a new tribe of American nomads who could roam the countryside with no particular purpose except to live simply and help make life better for everyone they encountered?"

    Such a nomadic tribe would be "gatherers," eating whatever they may find along the way (I think it's completely possible to live well and healthy off the "Fat" of our current society). I more or less dismissed this idea to the back of my brain until I stumbled (via a Business Insider article) on to your blog and read this post about an idea for..you guessed it -- a nomadic tribe. Serendipity!

    I would like to help you in this brainstorm -- although my neurons may only represent a light drizzle.


    At this point in my life (having two teens at home) I don't know that I can actually join the tribe now but I remain open to whatever the moment may bring. In three years, I will definitely be open to this. In my heart, I know this may be the right path.

    Like you, I grew as an evangelical (even ordained as a Baptist minister) but, after also studying Taoism and Zen, I have no arrived in what I guess is my "post-religion" phase.

    I don't judge religion as good or bad. Certain religious memes and practices are either beneficial to the individual and the tribe or destructive. I suppose I more or less agree with the writings of Joseph Campbell.

    As for me, my specialty is communication. I would see myself as the guy who helps build bridges and connections between the tribe and their possible audience -- be it the media, local colleges, businesses, non-profits, etc. Given my experience as a small-town journalist in the past (1996-2010 -- now a "communications director"), I stand on the bridge between old media and social media as well as the techno-savvy Generation Y and the "old-school" Baby Boomers.

    How can I help in this vision?

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  17. If I understood correctly you want to "reclaim christianity" and start a tribe that would put Jesus' teachings into action. Is that so?

    Although my lifestyle and behavior is most of the time very "Christian" or "Jesus-like" I'd be cautious to join any tribe that attaches themselves to one religion. What's the added value of that? Just by calling it "Christian" you might shun away majority of the Rainbow people for instance.

    Or maybe I didn't understand it correctly.

    Anyways, otherwise it's a great idea. Do it!

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    1. No, this tribe wouldn't call itself Christian. As I said in the post, it would be ecumenical, open to religious or non-relgious. I like to remind self-proclaimed Christians that even the Bible itself denounces calling ourselves Christian or any label, which only causes division.

      My point is, if you want somebody to hear, speak their language, make it your own language. And it is my language - the one I grew up with. Why throw out a powerful tool? Few speak the language of those who most need to hear, few challenge the dominant religion (self-proclaimed Christianity) with its own principles. Prick people at their deepest beliefs if you want to affect the culture! I can see no better way than to repent as *we*, to take responsibility for *our* actions, not stand on the outside and criticize "them," which is ineffective.

      It really doesn't concern me if doing this shuns away certain people. That simply means they have a different path, another front to work on, and that's good, too. I really doubt Gandhi's movement, based on his deep Hindu faith, shunned away non-Hindus of any significance. And i really doubt MLK's deep Christian faith shunned away non-Christians of any significance. In fact, both movements did just the opposite, and were more effective in moving whole cultures than any other movements I know of! I will risk being associated with religious people if it means moving this culture away from its nastiness and hypocrisy. All I care is that good comes about, whether by religious or not-religious means.

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    2. Tomi, I just want to thank you for your comment, because it's helping me to make it clearer on what this path is about.

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  18. When i was about 14 i started going to church pretty regularly and felt like i was nourishing my soul and doing what was right. Every sunday i would give a large chunk of my earnings that i made during the week delivering papers to the offerings plate because they would always mention during the congregation that the pastor only worked for the lord so he didnt make much money so it was our duty to give and help. One day i was leaving church and i had seen that the pastor had bought a brand new mustang convertible and seeing that really shook my faith. From then on ive been on a spiritual journey myself trying to align my way of life with whatever resonates with my soul. When i read the book that was about you suelo i could relate to the hippie fella approaching those well-to-do folks that went to your church. There is a tremendous amount of truth to your way of life suelo and i hope that one day very soon i can have faith and trust in the universe and just live. Life is alot more simpler than what we make it i notice often, its like we are making everything harder for the sake of securities. An interesting trade off. Anyways thanks for being an inspiration suelo. ps i remember reading about you having gut problems along with fatigue and anxiety. i found that eating gluten was causing me all these problems, i eliminated them and i feel fine. GL

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    1. Thanks for your thoughts, Zack.
      Hooray for simplicity!
      Yeah, I have gluten & dairy allergies, & I feel great without them.

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  19. Have you read Shane Claiborne's book, Irresistible Revolution? It describes his disillusionment with how Christianity is practiced (or not practiced!) in North America, but how an underground movement of people are rebuilding a new vision of "Church" by trying to take Jesus's words seriously. It's all about love and radical non-violence and simplicity - you would share a lot of common ground with him and his vision, I'm sure.

    Secondly, I wanted to thank you for this blog, and being willing to have your life publicized through "The Man Who Quit Money." I have been wrestling with a very specific and slightly unusual vocation. The vocation itself is absolutely clear - it's the lack of income that goes with this particular vocation that I've struggled with. As my spouse's vocation provides a right livelihood that meets our family's needs and even leaves us with some surplus to share (we live simply by North American standards) there is no need for me to make additional income. My spouse is supportive of my vocation. It's only the perceived pressure from society that makes me feel that I need to make money to prove my worth. Thank you for living/pointing to another way. Thank you for helping me to accept and even embrace the idea of separating my vocation from money, and to see that what I offer is instead part of a gift economy. It's a wonderful, radical idea.
    Rachel on Vancouver Island

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  20. Bonjour,
    Je vis en France, au pays basque, au milieu des montagnes. Depuis longtemps, je me sents une vocation spirituelle mais ne pas y plonger totalement car j'ai des obligations, j'ai donné la vie et même si du haut de ses 17 ans, il trouve son chemin, je dois être présente pour l'accompagner.
    Je n'ai pas encore tout lu de votre blog mais l'inspiration de plus en plus présente en moi, la lecture d'ouvrages amérindiens et les pensées que je peux partager avec mon ami sur la nature qui mène à la sagesse.
    Essayer de la montrer a mon fils, sans obligation, car lui, bien encré dans cette société de controle et de consommation, et avec la représentation, qu'il fait de sa mère, est qu'elle est une "dingue" de culture amérindienne.
    Je me suis occupée et passionnée par ce peuple, la création que l'on a essayé de me faire vendre, mais avec ce pincement au coeur de voir aller chez d'autres ce que je considère comme ma collection, et sans doute, une passion qui aussi m'a fait dépenser beaucoup d'argent (étant seule avec mon fils) mais fallait-il en passer par là pour connaître où était mon intérêt principal, un besoin, mieux apprendre de mon âme.

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  21. un état : je ne juge pas ceux qui m'entoure, je laisse libre choix des pensées, former ton expérience, ton caractère, tu n'apprendras rien de moi, car tu dois vivre libre de tes choix, de ma façon d'être et de vivre, peut être tu trouveras ou veras où ton intérêt te porteras ...

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  22. Suelo - I admire you for being true to yourself. Few of us dare to break free from societal conformity and follow our intuition & highest ideals.

    I have a few thoughts to share:

    * You might be interested in the life of Peace Pilgrim (peacepilgrim.org) if you aren't already familiar with her pilgrimage.

    * Also you might find Diogenes - the classic Greek Cynic philosopher who lived in an large clay jar for a few years in downtown Athens - fascinating. Through his lifestyle he directly exposed human hypocrisy and self-deception.

    *Plato's Allegory of the Cave is also worth looking into. The premise is that we are all chained to the wall inside a dark cave - unaware that our so-called 'life' is but the shadow of reality. Individuals like Socrates who have ascended to the mouth of the cave & seen actual reality and then returned to free the 'inmates' are often met with great resistance or even death (Socrates himself was charged with 'corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens' and forced to drink Hemlock). As you already know, when you challenge people's ingrained beliefs (in order to help them), they will often attack you. The original meaning of the word 'martyr' was simply 'witness', but since so many people who have witnessed truth over the years have been killed, the word now has a broader definition.

    Finally, the original, core teachings of the great religions are not just a guide to a simpler, more harmonious way of human life, but rather a path or a way to transcend the human condition - or specifically the human mind. In other words, our true being is not a physical form with a human mind which is egotistical and egocentric, but rather a pure, divine consciousness - part of what could be called the Great Spirit, or divine Mind or divine Love (hopefully more than just human words to you or anyone else that is reading this).

    I had a vision once where I experienced what can be called 'absolute reality' or divine consciousness. I was lifted up in thought into pure Light that is brighter than the sun, but doesn't have a singular source but rather permeates all creation. I saw myself as part of this Light, which is infinite and full of love & intelligence - far beyond the human sense of those words. I believe that I caught a glimpse of what John saw when he writes about seeing the 'new heaven and earth' in Revelation.

    This experience confirmed my suspicion/belief that the human realm is more or less like a dream that we need to awaken from.

    Jesus ascended above the human condition into the Kingdom of Spirit/God. Buddhists talk about Enlightenment. The ultimate is not just to 'free your mind' but to overcome your mind by transcending it - by awakening or emerging into your true being - pure consciousness.

    What I'm getting at is I think that forsaking all the idols of civilization *like money* is wonderful, but that it is simply a step on the journey HOME.

    Happy Trails my brother. I hope that someday our paths will cross. Onwards and upwards!

    ~freebird

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  23. Suelo,

    I reread my comment today & felt that it was too much of the ‘head’ and too little of the heart. I have been disillusioned with the world of money for many years now. I’ve found solace in the wilderness - which is the only place that feels like home to me on Earth. Proportionately to a location’s wildness - real wilderness, untrammeled by man - do I find a sense of belonging. I’ve walked in the mountains and deserts for years searching and seeking (so far, I’ve walked across the width of the U.S. seven times and fairly extensively in other countries). I’ve never felt like I belonged to my family or society - so I have deep empathy with other societal misfits. Being ‘dis-owned’ is not such a bad thing after all :)

    My remark about forsaking the idols of civilization being a step in the path or ‘way’ was not intended to be condescending or diminish the ENORMOUS trust & faith that it entails - especially since I personally have not yet fully taken that step(!) Using the analogy of Plato’s Cave, I would liken it to a prisoner who is has released him/herself from self-imposed chains and is ready for the transcendent ‘walk’ to the the mouth of the cave - an emergence into pure being, (absolute) Reality.

    Anyways, I wish you the best on your continued journey. You’re an inspiration to all of us who are starting to see the insanity of the ‘fake world’ - the world of money. Thank you!

    ~freebird

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    1. freebird,

      You said, "I reread my comment today & felt that it was too much of the 'head' and too little of the heart."

      In general there is too much "heart" and virtually no 'head'. There is such a disdain for truth in society, which you touch on, the urge to suppress it can be overwhelming. I wonder if this dynamic was at play here? You expressed admiration for Suelo's being true, then "apologized" (I don't know a word to use) for your own frankness and honesty. Are your statements true? And can't we be honest with each other without "falling apart"?

      By the way, I liked both of your posts. You hint at some points that would be interesting to explore.

      William

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  24. William -

    You make a valid point. I wrote the second post specifically to address the 2nd to last paragraph of the first. My intention is to encourage.

    Are my statements true? Good question. That depends on the source of the statements. If they are from Reality (ie. universal or divine Mind) they are true. If they are from the human mind, they are either false, a blend of falsity/truth, or a mere parroting of truth – which is blind belief. The answer can be gleaned by listening for inner confirmation.

    Now I’ll be honest with you. Is not your last paragraph an apology? :)

    “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” ~ Paul

    Happy Trails,
    ~freebird

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    1. freebird,

      What do you mean by "from Reality"?

      Can you give me an example of "a blend of falsity/truth"?

      William

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    2. Hey William -

      I am using 'Reality' as a synonym for God. If you think about it, what is true is what is real. So absolute Truth could be equated with absolute Reality. I've capitalized all words here when they're synonymous with God, but often hesitate to use the word 'God' b/c of all the baggage associated with it. Some people also use divine Love, divine Mind, Great Spirit, or Being. Others use the word 'Universe.'

      Most everything that we read from a human is a blend of falsity & truth. I would contend that the human mind KNOWS nothing absolutely - in other words it can only believe, but the divine or universal Mind KNOWS everything. When you have an epiphany or inspiration from Spirit, you then know something. Otherwise we just believe. I know nothing, but I knows everything...

      Socrates often claimed that he knew nothing which is as honest as Jesus' statement "I can of mine own self do nothing." These are truthful statements. They are humbly referring to their human nature.

      However, Jesus understood his real mind or intelligence to be divine - ie the Mind that is God. Hence the statement from Paul "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." That is, let the divine Mind be represented or expressed in you. Eventually when we awaken or become enlightened, we will find this Mind to be infinite.

      Aloha,
      freebird

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    3. William - I'm moving to a remote little hermitage today with only sporadic internet access. If you're interested in reading more of my blathering :) then check out trailjournals.com & search for freebird. My email is there as well.

      I wish you well on your journey.
      Happy Trails,
      freebird

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  25. Salam Suelo,
    I've just learned about you. Have just watched you on youtube and have read through your FAQs on your previous website. I'm deeply moved and feel something has stirred inside me. I think your idea for a walk is excellent. Too bad those of us with children cannot take part. I wonder though that if you go on this walk, you won't be available to help out your parents shoud something happen, God forbid.
    Semper fidelis,
    SFT

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  26. By the way, last week a group of aboriginals finished a 1500 km walk from northern Quebec to Ottawa to draw attention to their situation. Maybe you already know about this but here is the news link:
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/03/25/ottawa-walk-nishiyuu-journey-ends-ottawa-parliament-victoria.html?autoplay=true

    SFT

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  27. bonsoir, est ce qu'il ne t'es jamais arrivé, d'avoir envie d'abandonner ta grotte, pour une femme, d'espèrer, tant et tant, de pouvoir partager ton être interieur avec quelqu'un ?

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  28. que genial, realmente el no tener seguro nada y pensar en la completa incertidumbre del mañana da miedo, por eso muchos no nos atrevemos :(.. por falta de convicción.. sin embargo mientras reconocemos que los estatus son una farsa poco a poco podremos ser misioneros del antisistema. Saludos desde Colombia, Puente Nal

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  29. Hi, I'm a christian anarchist in Ireland who is interested. When is the rainbow gathering and where and how long would the walk be and is there any idea what direction it would go? Is it against the spirit of things to fly over and back to do this? Because I dont know how else I would get over. I l know maybe 3 other Christians who would be interested

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