Are You An Addict?

That's a loaded question and I'm sure many readers immediately reacted with a resounding NO! I'm not an addict. Well, I beg to differ. I'm going to suggest you're a rare person if you're not an addict.

Okay, let me clarify this a bit. I certainly hope you're not an alcoholic or drug junkie (either prescription or recreational drugs) or pornography. I also hope you're not addicted to gambling, sex, food and binge eating, smoking, binge shopping, life threatening adrenaline rushes, work (for an employer or, especially your own business) and similar. Alcohol and drugs, just plain BAD. Pornography is a controversial issue. The others, in moderation and as appropriate, meaning it doesn't jeopardize your family, financial security, home, physical being and so on, but you do some of these occasionally when it's reasonable and safe are probably okay.

Now, here is what I'm really talking about. Are you addicted to:

Facebook

Email

YouTube

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

Messaging

Texting

HSN

QVC

Netflix Binge Watching

Amazon Prime Binge Watching

Hulu Binge Watching

Vimeo

Mindless Reality Shows

You can add to this list as necessary for you personally.

Now, please don't kid your self or insult my intelligence by saying no to all of these. The reality is, that virtually everyone is addicted to at least one of these things and most likely more than one. And, worse yet, you may not even realize it. Most addicts, as I'm sure you're aware, are in denial. Some never accept their addictions and may suffer serious negative consequences many times as extreme as loss of family, financial ruin and even death. “Gees,” you say, “he's really serious about this isn't he?”

Yes! I am! This subject has been banging around in my head lately. What triggered this article was a blog post the other morning by a voice-over colleague from Las Vegas, Nevada. Dave made me stop short and think about the thoughts I mentioned that were rolling around in my noggin. He included a couple links to some very revealing thoughts on this subject. One of them included a TED Talk link. I read them and watched the TED Talk with great interest. If any of this may be ringing a bell with you, then read on.

The Land That Was

Photos-of-the-Week #232 Blast From The Past, Gone But Never To Be Forgotten, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, August, 2008

This unassuming building with the antique Chrysler parked out front and the ExecutiveBooks.Com sign is not what one would assume from the outside. It was, in fact, the personal library of my dear, long-time friend, the late Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. I write this in the past tense because Charlie died October 16, 2008. I took these photos on my next to the last visit I had with my friend about two months before he passed away.

As you can see from the other interior photos, this building held a treasure in old and antique books and other memorabilia. There is nothing new in this room. There are no new or current books. There are no new or current recordings. There are no new or current paintings, photos or graphic works. Even the fliers, brochures and booklets on the tables are vintage or antique. . . READ MORE 

Book Review: Priceless Gifts by Barbara Glanz

Books! I don't care what format they are in; paperback, hard cover, ebook or audio book, they are the backbone of modern society. Ever since old Johannes Gutenberg invented the moveable type printing press in 1439, the book became a more and more integral part of our society. Amazingly, so far, books have remained in essentially the same format for 576 years. However, the "Digital Age" is changing that fairly rapidly. Here's the thing, no matter the format, a book is still a book.

Each of us has our own reading preferences. Some of us are voracious readers. Others, like me, are simply regular readers. And still others are occasional readers. Some of us like fiction in its various genre. Others, like me, prefer mainly non-fiction. One kind of book I really like is the anthology book encompassing brief chapters or essays by several authors or a book by a single author with numerous essays by that author. They are easy to read and you can pick and choose from a variety of topics. One of my favorite authors is Robert Fulghum.

But, this review is about a new favorite author. Her name is Barbara Glanz of Sarasota, Florida. Full disclosure is appropriate. Barbara is a long-time, personal friend of mine and a delight to spend time with. I could write an entire article just about Barbara, her background, experiences and adventures. For example, she is the only professional speaker in the world to have spoken to audiences on all seven continents (that includes Antarctica). But, Barbara will be the subject of a future guest interview podcast. This review is about Barbara's latest book endeavor, Priceless Gifts - Using What God's Given You to Bless Others.

Voluntary Simplicity - Book Review - Revisited

The Voluntary Simplicity book review was very well read. It dates back to February 17, 2012. Since the topic is an ongoing one in this blog, I thought perhaps it might be a good time to allow you to revisit it. If you haven't read it before, then now is a good time for you to become familiar with an interesting and topical book. I'm not going to republish the article here, I'm simply going to give you the link to the original article.

Voluntary Simplicity - Book Review

Book Review - "How to Live in a Car, Van or RV" by Robert Wells

I don't know about you, but a book title like this would likely attract a very small reading audience. Fifteen or twenty years ago, it would have interested me, but I probably would have bought it and put it on the ever growing reading pile of paper/ink books until, maybe, at some later date, when nothing else seemed to grab my attention, I would have picked it up and read it.

But, let's look at a few factors. First, "how to" books are among the most popular non-fiction books in the market place. Everyone seems to want to learn how to do something or, typically, several new things all the time. A second factor is that people, in my opinion, tend to lead routine, humdrum, rut-like, boring lives. The sense of adventure seems to become muted once one (male or female) settles down to what, I guess, is considered the more "traditional" American lifestyle. A third factor is that most "how to" books are not written for a large, mass audience. Rather, they are written for a specific niche or targeted group of readers. And finally, a fourth factor is that there has always been, but I believe there is a growing unrest in a certain small segment of the population. This group wants to distance itself from the conformity and boredom of the "traditional" American lifestyle and revert back to the more primitive, simplistic, compact, nomadic, hunter-gatherer instinctive lifestyle of our very ancient human predecessors. THEY are the small group who will be attracted to a book with this kind of title.

Let me be the first to state that I have no problem with how anyone else chooses to live his or her life. That is, and should always be, a personal human right of choice. I grew up in the New York City metro area with some estimated 15,000,000 other people. When I left that area in 1967 to move to upstate New York, I moved to a much smaller metro area surrounded by vast expanses of rural country and small hamlets, villages and towns. I experienced a much different lifestyle and one that was much more in harmony with me. Over the years I've lived in a few other larger metro areas including Washington, DC. But, I kept looking to move further and further away from the maddening crowd.

I've often said that I'm really happy that so many people love living in the densely populated and congested suburbs of big cities. They leave their half-acre of nature and fresh air to those of us in the minority who want that space and freedom. We are willing to forego all the "conveniences" of the major metro areas for the peace, quiet, an unobstructed view of the heavens and stars. We can enjoy the ability to find an isolated spot when we want to where no other humans are near and we can lie back on the grass looking at the sky and contemplate the shapes of the clouds floating past.

THAT is what Bob Wells wrote about in his book, How to Live in a Car, Van or RV--And Get Out of Debt, Travel and Find True Freedom How to Live in a Car, Van or RV. Okay, so the title is more pragmatic sounding than wistful. But, when I began reading the book, I swore that Bob had taken my personal feelings about freedom and a non-conforming lifestyle and articulated them in a book for all to read. Certainly, Bob is not the first or only author to put these thoughts and feelings into words. And once you get past the introductory part of the book where he introduces the basic premise, the why and his own personal experience the book delivers a more "how to," pragmatic batch of information. This is where the individual who is fed up with any number of or all of the rapid changes in our American and world society has the opportunity to truly begin evaluating if this is a lifestyle change he or she can adapt to and embrace as an alternative lifestyle.

The Two Motivating Factors

Bob Wells' approach to the subject covers a lot of territory. Not only does he touch on some of the more philosophical aspects of this simplified, economical, challenging and non-conforming lifestyle, but he also discusses the two main motivating factors for those who choose this way of life.

Basically, there are those who choose to live in a car, van or RV because of circumstances, typically, beyond their immediate control. This could range from the loss of a job, no work available, health matters, some form of calamity or natural disaster, divorce (as in Bob Well's case) or any number of other issues.

The other motivating factor is simply one of personal choice. By that, I mean the individual, male or female, has a home, good job, adequate (or more than adequate) financial security, but becomes disenchanted with the so-called "American Dream" as it has evolved in the 21st Century. They make a conscious and educated choice to revert back to the earlier definition of the American Dream of "life, liberty (personal freedom) and the pursuit of happiness."

There were no guarantees in the original American Dream (still aren't, but the expectations have changed considerably). There was a lot less keeping up with the Jones' and acquiring status symbols in the original dream and more striving to live a life that was fulfilling to the individual regardless of what everyone else had or wanted and he or she was happy. It's interesting how many people who grew up during the Great Depression have said to me, "We were a pretty happy family." "We didn't have much, but we had what we needed." "We didn't know we were poor." Poor is a relative word. If defined in financial terms, it means little or no money to live on. But, there are so many people I've met who may be poor in financial terms, but they are wealthy in spirit, in nature, in expressing themselves through their artistic and creative talents, in a network of non-judgmental friends, in freedom to live anywhere and any way they choose to and in any number of other ways.

Car/Van Dwellers and RV Dwellers

Bob also did something that was very helpful for me, personally. He defined the major differences between the average full-time RV (motor home, travel trailer and fifth wheel trailer) kind of person and mentality and the car or van (Econoline cargo, passenger or high-top conversion vans, box cargo van, step van, school bus conversions and utility trailers) kind of person and mentality. I know people living both lifestyles. Each has his or her reasons for choosing the particular lifestyle. I won't go into those differences here, Bob does it very well in his book.

I can say this, when I began seriously considering my lifestyle change something over five years ago and then made the leap of faith to becoming a houseless, nomadic, living free person, four and a half years ago, I was convinced I needed a 38' to 40', Class A, diesel powered pusher, motor home with one or two slide out rooms providing me with about 320 to 340 square feet of living space plus a ton of basement storage space. I am so glad I didn't fall into that abyss. There is nothing wrong with those vehicles or those folks who choose them. I, fortunately, discovered in time that it was the absolute wrong choice for me. Some of my full-time RVer friends who have these kinds of motor homes or fifth wheel trailers are wondering why I didn't go down that road. Well, I came up with my own conclusions, but Bob Wells confirmed and affirmed my findings and choice in this book.

Some of the Topics 

Here are just some of the topics in Bob Well's book. As you'll see, some are philosophical and answer the "why" questions we all have and others answer the pragmatic "how to" questions.

A Life With No Regrets

Ten Reasons You Should Live in a Van

Setting Priorities

The Yin and Yang of Vandwelling

Reconnecting With Your Authentic Self

What Kind of Vehicle to Buy?

And some of the "how to's"

How To Buy a Vehicle

Getting Ready to Move In

Boondocking on Public Land

How to Go to the Bathroom

How to Shower and Stay Clean

How to Cook In the Van

Writing Style

First, let me say that Bob Wells is no John Steinbeck and this book is no "Travels With Charley." But, let's not forget that John Steinbeck was a Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize winning best-selling, author of fiction. Even his "Travels With Charley" account of his trip around the U.S. has been found to be more a work of fiction based on his actual travels.

Here is what I'll say about Bob Wells. He is a pretty good writer (and as a former book publisher, I feel qualified to make that statement). The book is organized. His writing style is conversational and both from the heart and from his real life experiences. His book is not a work of fiction or fantasy. Bob walks the walk and has for more than ten years, thus, I find him fully qualified to talk the talk. I didn't find anything that I would consider exaggeration in the book. It might even be a bit understated from time to time. Much of Bob's content was derived from his very popular Web sites including CheapRVLiving.com and CheapGreenRVLiving.com and his popular blog, cheaprvlivingblog.com. I refer to these sites regularly and I recommend them to anyone who expresses an interest in an RV or vandwelling lifestyle.

Bob's book is a relatively fast read, but he talks one on one with the reader and makes all of this easy to comprehend for even the newest neophyte just exploring this lifestyle. As I said, Bob Wells is not John Steinbeck. He didn't write this book to win Nobel or Pulitzer prizes or to make it on the New York Times, US Today or any other best seller lists. He wrote it for people researching and exploring this unique and interesting lifestyle change. These are people like himself and like the thousands of RVers and vandwellers he knows personally and has inspired over the years.

I highly recommend Bob Wells, How to Live in a Car, Van or RV, to anyone interested in learning about the lifestyle and, perhaps, trying to make the tough decision to downsize, economize and live a mobile lifestyle. But, I also highly recommend the book for anyone already in the lifestyle - whether a relative newbie or an experienced veteran. First, we can always learn something new. Second, Bob is one of us and has been contributing to the lifestyle for years through his Web sites and blog. He's not going to get rich off this little book. With a price tag of only $2.99 it's less than the average tab at McDonald's or Wendy's and considerably less than a book you'll buy at Camping World or most other stores we may patronize from time to time.

And, it's not going to take up any space because it's only available as a Kindle E-book. Perhaps, it may eventually become popular and in-demand enough to warrant Bob having it published as a paper and ink book through one of Amazon's other publishing programs. Frankly, I think most of us should be embracing E-books as a matter of principle with regard to our chosen lifestyle. For the few people who might read this book review and be saying they don't have a Kindle to read a book like this with, that's no excuse. Amazon has free Kindle Reader applications you can download to your Apple or Windows computer, iPhone or Android smart phone and iPad or other Tablet computing devices. I have an entire library with me on my Android smart phone wherever I am and I don't have to be weighed down with heavy paper/ink books. You can take that from a former paper/ink book publisher.

I interact with Bob Wells from time to time on at least one of the several RVing and Vandwelling Internet forums I participate in. It is my sincere interest when I get out to "Wells Country" in the southwestern part of the U.S. to meet up with Bob. I know our conversations will be stimulating, inspiring and enlightening.

The link for Bob's book is in this book review. Click on it, download it, read it and let Bob know what you think.

Addendum: Added May 16, 2020 - Here is another resource you may wish to peruse as you consider the nomadic lifestyle of an RVer or Vandweller. It's by Chris Cole. It's a good precursor to Bob Wells' book. While it's not as comprehensive as Wells' book, it covers almost everything you'll need to think about when considering the full-time lifestyle. If after reading Chris's Beginner's Guide to RV Living you're still intrigued or possibly even more intrigued by this lifestyle, then you should purchase the Bob Wells book. Here's the link to Chris Cole's guide:

https://naturesportcentral.com/rv-living/

The Challenge from Down Under

So, my Auckland, New Zealand, brother (actually, one of those people who is like the brother I never had), Brian Morris, has sent me a challenge. Do, I accept his challenge? Brian, who is five years my senior, later this week, has a correspondence school he operates internationally from Auckland. For the last year or so, he's been working at transitioning out of the school business and developing an ebook publishing business.

Oh yeah. The challenge, you ask? Brian has also been teaching some workshops in ebook writing and publishing and his assignment to his class is to publish a new ebook for distribution through the Amazon Kindle publishing program by January 31, 2013. He, of course, as the instructor, is setting the pace by publishing his next ebook by that same date. Brian has been on my case for months and months about me getting some ebooks published. So, he has challenged me to write and deliver an ebook to him to launch on Amazon by that same January 31st deadline. Of course, due to the time difference and the international dateline, I'd have to meet that challenge by January 30th.

So, do I accept the challenge? What are the pros and cons? Certainly writing is not an issue for me. Actually, the number of words he requires as a minimum isn't actually much more than some of my longest blog posts. Most of those are written in less than a day. Research? Heck, with the Internet, any topic I select has a wealth of information at my fingertips, literally. Actually, I could probably scan back through my more than 200 posts and find one on a topic that I could easily expand into a small ebook. Of course, I could certainly do a book on my 12 Steps for Living Free, but I have that earmarked for a larger book I'll be publishing myself. Getting this first book done through Brian's challenge will get me off "start" and hopefully result in getting the aforementioned 12 Steps book completed and launched as well as a few others. Time is not a serious problem. Certainly I have the time to undertake the challenge, but time management is a bigger issue for me.

I honestly can't think of any cons or downsides to accepting the challenge. So, what's holding me back? Personal inertia! That's it. Nothing more or nothing less. Getting off stop and putting the pedal to the metal.

Accordingly, I believe I'm going to accept the "Challenge from Down Under." The first step is selecting a topic and coming up with a good "grabber" title. Twenty-one years ago I was in New Zealand conducting a series of seminars on "Making Money at Home" organized by my buddy, Brian. But, the world has changed a lot since that time.

Cell phones were still expensive, heavy and limited in the functions they provided. Computers were still large and laptops, notebooks, net books, ultra books and tablets were a thing of the future. There was no Internet open to the public, yet, and the World Wide Web, email and texting didn't exist for the vast majority of the world. Accordingly there was no Amazon, Ebay, PayPal, Facebook, Google, Skype and Square-up, to mention only a few, and desktop publishing was still in its infancy. The terms on-line, ecommerce, ebooks, podcasting, iTunes, uploading, downloading and others hadn't been coined, yet. It was a very different world exactly 22 years ago this month when I went to New Zealand to conduct those seminars.

I was a one person business back then. I operated from my home. My desk overlooked the lake I lived on. I was the CEO, Chairman of the Board, producer and the janitor. For all practical intents and purposes, Brian operated his business on very similar terms about a half a world away. Our leashes (freedom to leave our offices/homes) were pretty short back then and limited to remotely accessible electronic voicemail if your phone company offered it, a magnetic tape based answering machine that could be accessed remotely by touch-tones if voicemail wasn't available and a phone company issued phone calling card that allowed you to make long-distance phone calls from almost any phone or payphone in airports, hotels, etc. The two final items were a very large brief case carrying all your heavy, paper-based, necessary files, letterhead, envelopes, stamps and good typewriter skills adaptable to whatever typewriter might be available. Essentially, one-person, home-based businesses just didn't allow for a lot of freedom.

I did something in January 1991 that I had never done before. I left my office on January 2nd and out of the 31 days of that January, I was gone, approximately 25 days out of the month returning for only one short period to dump my bags, run some wash, repack and head back to San Francisco on another project for about four or five days. This was unheard of for me up until this point in time. The impact on me was the development of an an appetite for more. Yes! A lot of things didn't get done at the office/home that January. Yes! I was busy and stressed catching up when I got back. But, I began looking for ways to make this freedom more realistic and practical.

It took several years. I got my first very expensive, bulky and primitive cell phone in the spring of 1992. I upgraded my computer to a Windows based system, retiring my trusty but limited Radio Shack "Trash 80" (TRS-80). I began getting involved in the emerging Internet in 1994 and began using email as a major form of business communication. As the cell phone services and the phone technology continued to evolve, I upgraded to gain more and more freedom. In 1999 I acquired my first notebook computer and realized even more freedom.

While my businesses still utilized wired business phones, a fax machine, file cabinets full of paper and an array of "tower" computers, networked together and all on the Internet, my main personal business computer was now a notebook. In 2008 I bought a net book computer, smaller and lighter, but capable of doing virtually everything I needed to do on the road. I bought my first smart phone in 2007, providing even more capability and freedom. I began moving my working files to small, portable hard drives in 2011, so I have every file I might ever need with me anywhere in the world and they take up little space and don't add any significant weight.

My latest generation smart phone currently allows me to do almost anything I can do with my computer including access the Internet and even connect my computer to the Internet through my phone. I'm also in the process of moving certain files to the "cloud" and adapting to cloud based application programs like word processing, spreadsheets and similar.

Twenty-two years ago I couldn't have dreamed how technology would "unleash" me to wander the globe as I can today. I take care of business while sitting inside or in my car at all kinds of locations. Some of them include: McDonald's, Burger King, Denny's, Starbucks, other coffee shops, my all time favorite - Panera Bread Cafes, many on the road travel centers, airports, interstate highway rest areas, clients' offices, friends' homes, public libraries and many other places that are easily accessible to anyone traveling. Heck, this past summer I was even checking email and sending emails from 30,000 feet in a big silver tube hurtling through the sky.

Many of us take this all for granted. Many of us have figured out that technology has truly "unleashed" us and opened opportunities we never would have dreamt of before. But, I dare say, for each of us who have embraced this technology and put it to work for ourself, there are five, ten, maybe even hundreds or thousands who don't have a clue. I think it's time for me to update my "Making Money at Home" topic and make it "Making Money from Anywhere Using Technology."

So, there's my challenge. I'll let you know how it all pans out and when you can find the book on Amazon's Kindle site.   

2013 - The Plan!

It's nearly upon us. IT is the new year, 2013. I don't know what happened to the last 12 months, but they surely have passed rapidly. The reality is that time passes at precisely the same rate it did when I was born. It just seems like it's passing more rapidly. I've read some scientific explanations for why time feels like it flies, but I'll let you research that for yourself if you have a mind to.

The fact is that in just 7 more days 2013 will commence. It's later than it's ever been and tomorrow and each succeeding day will be the first day of the rest of my, oh yeah, and your life. I had to throw in a few clichés. I couldn't resist.

So, The Plan is the topic of this post. I began planning for 2013 a couple months ago. As of January 1, 2013 I will have been living my nomadic, living free lifestyle for 50 months. I still have no regrets. It has been an educational and enlightening time. A few important changes have occurred during this period. One is that I realized that I didn't really need a 38' to 40' diesel pusher motor coach. In fact, I realized that I need far less space than I originally thought I'd need. This is good for the planet because I have and will continue to have a much smaller footprint than I've ever had except for a short period of time while I was in the Air Force.

I've also learned, after spending about three years staying in the northern Virginia/Washington, DC area during weekdays, that I don't want to live in any large or medium sized city again. I also learned that after 26 years (longer than the 22  years I lived in my native hometown of Clifton, NJ) that I could leave and not miss Winchester, Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. I learned the same lesson when I moved to Winchester from Annapolis, Maryland, but my Annapolis residency was only a ten year period.

I've also learned that it is very easy for me to adapt to most any situation and fall into a comfort zone. Yes! I've had some road time during these past 50 months, but only a small percentage of the time I had planned to traverse the country. This is a personal disappointment. My biggest challenge is "inertia," i.e. an object at rest remains at rest until acted upon by an outside force (motivation). This is another of the many personal challenges I have to overcome. Everyone has their own set of personal challenges and as I've stated here before, this living free lifestyle is a never ending learning process that includes plenty of trials and errors.

So, 2013 is upon me (us). It is time. I have been doing the soul searching I need to determine why this "body" has remained mostly "at rest" and what the "external force" and "action" is that will propel this "body" into motion. Okay, so I won't try to delude myself, it's excuses. Yep! I have a million of them. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I have lots of them, pretty much all without basis.

Thus, I started contemplating a plan for 2013 a couple months ago. It's almost like the plan when I decided to make the change to the living free lifestyle and leave the ranch at the end of October 2008. I don't believe in New Years resolutions. Many people seems to make one or more resolutions, but few follow through on them. Accordingly, I'm making no resolutions. My 2013 plan is more like a life map of where I'll be going and what I'll be doing for the year. And, of course, I'm allowing for a few diversions and detours. Plans have to have a certain amount of flexibility to allow for unforeseen circumstances, opportunities and serendipities.

Currently, there are certain things already on the plan. They include some annual doctor appointments in the spring. Then there is a planning committee meeting for the Veteran Speakers Retreat I have coordinated for a dozen years in the spring and the annual Veteran Speakers Retreat in August at Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. This is my last year as the retreat coordinator as I'll pass the baton to a new team in August. Then I'll be in San Antonio, Texas in October for the annual CFDD conference that I help my former partner with each year. There is also the possibility of at least one conference project with my long-time friend and client in Fairfax, Virginia, whose office I use when I'm in the Fairfax area. I don't have dates or locations yet for any of his 2012 programs. These various events will move me around the country a reasonable amount, but only represent a small amount of the available time in 2013.

The first priority for 2013 is to liquidate any remaining assets in the form of professional audio & video gear, some antique amateur radio equipment, various technical books (audio and book publishing) and anything else still in storage in Winchester (some in West Virginia) that I will never need or use again. This will allow me to close and eliminate the storage unit in Winchester and hopefully downsize the already small storage unit in Keyser, West Virginia.

Concurrent with the final downsizing project I will be completing the build in of My McVansion (my van) and get it road ready. Any known serious issues are repaired and it appears to be in excellent condition for nomadic vandwelling around the U.S. Both projects will be complete by Spring.

The e-book project also begins during the first quarter of 2013. My New Zealand buddy, Brian Morris, has been after me to get started with publishing several e-books. Brian already has 22 books published, so I have some catching up to do. Most of the writing for several books is already done. The major work is editing and formatting now. I have been dragging my feet for several years in making the transition from book publisher to book author. It's time to launch this new part of my career.

I'm planning my shakedown cruise through West Virginia in the spring. While I've had the opportunity to travel through parts of West Virginia over the years, there is so much to see in this beautiful state. I have friends in various parts of the state that I'm planning to visit. The trip will give "Mickey V" (short for My McVansion) a chance to see a lot of Blue Highways, country roads, small, rural towns and plenty of hills and small mountains to traverse. It will also allow Mickey V to show what she's made of.

These past four years have afforded me a lot of time to contemplate what I want to do and what I want the third half of my life to stand for. This is a country of fantastic diversity in people, ideas, businesses, music and art. I've come to the conclusion that my mission over the next decade, or possibly longer, is to meet as many of these people, listen to their music, view their art and learn about their businesses. Then I'll write about what I learn in a variety of blogs and share recordings and interviews with you and others interested in how folks are living their dreams and living free.

I'm also creating some ideas to help some folks who are can benefit in some positive way and then help others by paying it forward. I haven't determined the details. Later in the year I'm hoping to make it down south and up north to visit a number of friends. After the shakedown cruise I'll begin planning specific time slots for the trips.

So, 2013 is stacking up to be a busy year with a lot more travel and some exciting new experiences planned. More details will be forthcoming. I trust you have an exciting 2013 planned.       

A Free-Range Human in a Caged World

That is the title of a new book written by my good friend Roger Gilbertson. Roger and I are kindred spirits in many ways, yet live very different lifestyles. Like me, Roger is a true genius except Roger really is a genius and I'm just an average genius (yes, my tongue is in my cheek as I label myself a genius). I've honestly lost count of all the degrees and certifications Roger has earned, plus, he's a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. I dare say this man has allowed no grass to grow under his feet during his 76 year lifetime. If you should choose to order Roger's book, A Free-Range Human in a Caged World: From Primalization Into Civilization," from Amazon.com, and I highly recommend that you do, you'll get a very clear picture of this free-range human I'm humbled to call my friend.

Roger honored me with the privilege of reading an early manuscript of his book and he sent me a pdf file of the final manuscript as it was going to press. One of the things I like about Roger Gilbertson as a "free-range human" is that he is unconventional. I might even go a bit further and say he is a non-conforming conformist. What I mean by that is that Roger had a distinguished career as a U.S. Naval Reserve officer. It's no simple path to reaching the rank of Rear Admiral (or the equivalent in the other services). Just think about the fact that a person has to live under the civil and criminal laws of the land as a U.S. citizen PLUS anyone in the military must also live under the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). The UCMJ, while in many ways is parallel to the U.S. civil and criminal codes, is also much stricter with more severe penalties for infractions. So, being a non-conformist in civilian society is a challenge enough, doing so under two systems of laws is a huge accomplishment.

You will also be set back a bit by Roger's writing techniques. First, understand that whatever he undertakes, he learns everything he can about it - including, in this case, book writing, composition and publishing. Frankly, my book editors from my publishing days would have a field day with Roger's manuscript. I doubt that a sentence would go by without being marked up. But, Roger writes as he thinks and speaks. Having the great fortune of knowing Roger for a number of years, I've come to appreciate how he thinks and speaks. Reading his book is like listening to him talk to me. As a publisher, I would have made Roger play by the "publishing rules." Thankfully, I'm not his publisher and I'm totally okay with his free-range writing style.

The book is 163 pages long according to my pdf copy of the manuscript. Amazon shows it as 170 pages in paperback. Roger writes like a machine gun with bursts of thoughts, ideas, philosophies, experiences and recollections. There are two tables of contents in the book. The first one is a single page of what he terms as a Summary Contents and shows the front matter, the two parts with the 14 chapters and the back matter. Both the front matter and the back matter have lots of interesting input. The second table of contents he calls Full Contents and it goes for 7 pages (in the pdf manuscript version) and gives a page by page list of every chapter and every topic covered on a page. The pages may have as few as one topic to as many as five topics. Everything seems to follow a path and appears organized, even though some of the thoughts and ideas may feel a bit random at times. Roger had a plan.

Part one is only two chapters but is about being a Free-Range Human and Part two is about a Caged World. I dare say that between the covers of this book, Roger Gilbertson covers so many facets of the human experience comparing how we reached this caged world, as he terms it, state of civilization from the free-ranging hunting-gathering bands during the very primal period of human existence. I also dare say that anyone who can't find some relationship with Roger and the facets of the human experience is hopelessly trapped in the caged world.

But, listen, I could go on and on and still not scratch the surface of this book. Personally, I find it fun, enlightening and thought provoking. For someone like me, who promotes a philosophy of living free or at least as free, unrestricted, unlimited, unfettered and uncontrolled as is reasonably possible in the civilized, caged world of today, this book is a bit of fresh air. Am I a bit biased? Without question. I am lucky enough to count Roger Gilbertson as a personal friend and fellow seeker.

Good fortune is being able to include as many interesting, experienced people as friends as possible. I learn from each of them like my late friends, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones and Zig Ziglar (who passed away last week), both noted motivational and inspirational speakers and authors. Or my friends, Jerry Coffee and Charlie Plumb, both seven year guests of the "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War. Or my friends Suzy Sutton,  Barbara Glanz and the late Rosita Perez, authors, speakers and women who worked their way from humble beginnings to speaking, inspiring and training some of the most powerful people in the world. And, then there are those I know who inspire, enlighten and mentor me, who few people have heard of, but everyday they do miraculous things that make this caged world a better place. It is my mission to remain as "free-ranging" as possible and push the barriers of this caged world as much as possible, thanks to Roger Gilbertson.

Get the book. I know you'll gain lots of perspective and live a much freer and happier life.   

Book Review – “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World,” by Harry Browne

"Freedom is the opportunity to live your life as you want to live it.”

That’s the first line and paragraph of the Prologue to Harry Browne’s book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World Harry Browne had his book first published in 1973, the year I was discharged from the U.S. Air Force and regained my freedom. Okay, I have to be honest, yes, I was bound to a four year active duty contract, but my life in the Air Force was not only not bad, it was pretty darn good. Of course, I had to learn to live on next to nothing. But, then again, I had just completed four years of college, a year of graduate school and a year of part-time teaching and part-time audio freelancing, so I was quite adept at living on nothing.

I learned about Browne’s book from another blogger, Glenn Morrissette, who blogs of his own freedom and nomadic wanderings in his To Simplify blog. After buying the Kindle version and reading it, I truly wish I had found Browne’s book when it first came out and I was leaving the Air Force and embarking on my own life . . . FINALLY.

How different my life would have ended up had I found this book back then. But, I didn’t and so the woulda, coulda, shoulda factors don’t matter now, because I didn’t find the book. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t even looking for books of this nature back then. I was hell-bent down an entrepreneurial track to build a dynamic, multi-media corporation. That dream began in graduate school when I was already running my small (freelance) audio recording business and discovered tape duplication. The paper that I submitted to complete my master’s degree in Television & Radio was the business plan I had submitted to a venture capital firm in central New York to build the first of its kind multi-media production and duplication business in central New York. Unfortunately, the aforementioned invitation from my Uncle Sam precluded those plans.

So, while in the Air Force, I continued planning to venture into the world of multi-media production, tape duplication and several other related areas of the industry. The commercial office space was leased, furnished and equipped three months prior to my five-month early release from the Air Force. So, I simply moved from one office/studio to another office/studio from one day to the next. I had also made a commitment to get married and thus, I had drawn the preliminary plan for my life and launched it.

Now, here’s the irony of it all. So much of what I read in Browne’s book was really where my head and heart were subliminally. I didn’t realize it because my vision of freedom was to be in business for myself and not be someone else’s wage slave. Even my unconscious views on marriage and relationships didn’t conform to the mainstream, traditional views of the time, nor did housing and lifestyle. But, I was the product of a typical, dysfunctional, middle-class American upbringing well seasoned by a strong religious influence from the American Baptist denomination. My ways of thinking (which is pretty much why they remained in my subconscious world) were pretty blasphemous. So, while pushing the edge of conformity, I still looked and acted fairly mainstream and traditional. Looking back, I realize I had been fighting my own true nature. I was living a lie by denying myself my own right to live free as I wanted to, but couldn’t express.

So, 35 years later, I finally figured out that it was time to follow Shakespeare’s admonition, “To thine own self be true.” It was another three and a half years after that when I discovered How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World and realized that all along it was the basic ideas and concepts committed to writing 38 years earlier by Browne that described my own true nature.

So, that’s how I got to this point. Browne’s simple opening line, “Freedom is the opportunity to live your life as you want to live it.” Immediately resonated. Simple words, but they had great impact. I relate that to when I finally read M. Scott Peck’s best selling and classic book, The Road Less Traveled, again, beginning with just a few simple words that go directly to the heart of the matter, “Life is difficult.” Sometimes we come to the realization that our lives belong to us and they are our responsibility to live as we see fit as long as we don’t infringe on anyone else’s rights or hurt anyone else intentionally.

It’s important at this juncture that I point out that I don’t agree 100% with everything that Browne lays out in his book. I also don’t agree with all of Ayn Rand’s philosophies or M. Scott Peck’s or Eckhart Tolle’s or the human authors’ of the Bible or any other philosophical authors’, past or contemporary, treatises on how to live my life. That is one of the most basic fundamental ideas of personal, human freedom. We are each responsible for living our own lives and should take that responsibility from the earliest possible time. And, yet, I find it interesting that there are so many individuals and movements that attempt to convince us that we must follow their lead because we don’t know what is right for our own individual lives . . . but they do?

“What makes you happy will depend upon your own personal nature – which is different in many ways from that of any other human being.” Harry Browne

Finding Freedom in Three Parts

Browne wrote the book in three parts. Each part is written to give you clear insight into why most people have little freedom, what each individual can do about gaining the freedom they desire and then living a free lifestyle.

Part One is about “Why You Are Not Free.” In this section the author describes fourteen traps people fall into. I dare say there is no one who hasn’t fallen into several of these traps and most likely most or all of them during some period in one’s life.

Part Two is about is about “How You Can Be Free.” In this part of the book Browne discusses how to be free eleven aspects of your life that restrict, restrain, control, regulate, legislate and deprive you of the freedom you deserve

Part Three is about “A New Life.” This is he life you dream of. It’s the life you’d live if you weren’t in many or all of the fourteen traps and restrained by the eleven aspects of life controlled by sources and forces outside of yourself.

The Fourteen Traps

 Here is a list of the fourteen traps, Brown describes. If you see a check mark after the trap, that’s because I’ve been in that trap.

1. The Identity Trapa
2. The Intellectual Trap a
3. The Emotional Trap a
4. The Morality Trap a
5. The Unselfishness Trap a
6. The Group Trap a
7. The Government Traps
8. The Despair Trap a
9. The Rights Trap a
10. The Utopia Trap
11. The Burning Issue Trap a
12. The Previous-Investment Trap a
13. The Box Trap a
14. The Certainty Trap a

I won’t go into any detail on these fourteen traps at this time. But, I’m sure you noticed that I didn’t check The Government Trap or The Utopia Track. Please don’t mistake that for ego or to make you believe I’m any different then anyone else. Simply stated, and please don’t ask me to explain why, I have never put a lot of credence in any level of government. I’ve simply accepted that in any orderly society there needs to be some level of governance. While I fully realize that the votes I cast for elected servants (after all, they are supposed to represent me/us and serve our interests above all else) have seldom ever meant that my views and attitudes would be served, I am in the trap of believing that it is a civil responsibility and obligation, almost sacred, if you will. I often state that my sole reason for voting is to preserve my “bitching” rights. I’ve pretty much let the bitching rights go by the wayside since even that doesn’t resolve or change anything. I do everything in my power to avoid any involvement at any level with any government person, elected, appointed or a “hired hand” – i.e. a civil servant. In my view, any government involvement is some form of dependency and that’s the last thing I want.

As far as The Utopia Trap goes, you’ll need to read that chapter to fully understand what the trap is, but I long ago gave up on the belief that I – me, personally – must create better conditions in society before I can be free. Now, some may say that’s a bit contradictory on my part since I state that my main life mission statement is to “leave the campground (Earth) a little better then I found it.” But, in fact, it’s actually quite in line. I don’t feel obligated to create changes that will impact a local, national or global community in such a way as to make everyone’s life better in general. I simply mean that as I go about my business of being as free and happy as I can be, if some of it rubs off on a few others and their lives’ are better for it, then I’ve accomplished my mission statement without the idea of creating some utopian society.

“It’s easy to believe that you came into the world with a prearranged program you must follow. After all, long before you arrived, other people figured out how you should live, what laws you should obey, what your obligations are, the whole structure for a “proper” life. Most people accept that program.” Harry Browne

How You Can Be Free                                                                                  

Now, here are the eleven aspects of our lives that we need to take control over in order to realize our personal freedom and happiness according to Harry Browne.

1. Freedom from Government
2. Freedom from Social Restrictions
3. Freedom from Bad Relationships
4. Freedom from Marriage Problems
5. Freedom from Jealousy Problems
6. Freedom from Family Problems
7. Freedom from Business Problems
8. Freedom from Insecurity
9. Freedom from Exploitation
10. Freedom from the Treadmill
11. Freedom from Pretense

Those are almost self-explanatory. I doubt that there's a single person, including you, who reads this review who can’t instantly name at least one (and most likely several) situation involving each of these eleven aspects of daily life.

So, not only are we dealing with several, if not a lot of the traps from Part One of the book, but we’re also coping with situations from several or most of these daily life challenges. And, doesn’t it always seem when you have just put out a fire in one camp another flares up in another of these camps. What’s the old saying? “There is never a dull moment.” However, every one of these keeps you from experiencing the freedom, peace and happiness you seek, or once sought, but may have just given up and accepted M. Scott Peck’s admonition that “Life is difficult.”

I think it’s remarkable that in a world with all the advances in technology, housing, transportation, entertainment, extracurricular activities, medicine and work to mention only a few things that there are so many different kinds of anti-depressants and anxiety drugs on the market. But, worse yet, there are so many people taking them on a daily basis just to cope with day-to-day living. Of course, the darkest side of this depression and anxiety are those people who reach the point of not coping and take their own lives. How much of the cause of these senseless suicides are from external expectations carried on their shoulders from family, jobs, business and other facets of society?

“It’s too easy to rationalize every part of your present existence as being necessary –“ Harry Browne

A New Life

At last, Part Three of the book lays out a basic path for you to take towards creating a new life and attaining the freedom and happiness you are seeking. I have to add that if you’re already given up and simply accept life as being that as directed by the many external forces, then this is likely to have no impact you or your future. However, it would seem that if you’ve made it this far, you’re most likely hungry for ideas to help you attain your freedom.

Everyone is different. There is no exact pattern, steps or course to navigate. You, like everyone else, have to determine exactly what freedom is for you and how much you are willing to give up of the “prearranged program” that you were born into and how much freedom you desire. Like everything else, there are degrees. Some people will always be content and get by with a small patch of green called their yard, two weeks of vacation – probably one of which will be staycation taking care of the patch of green and the security of the batch of sticks and bricks called home. This might represent 10% from on a scale of 1% to 100%. Others will choose a completely nomadic life with the least amount of “baggage” – physical, emotional, intellectual, governmental, professional and so on. Perhaps, they might aspire to 80% to 90% freedom on that same scale. Others will be somewhere between those extremes. Whatever degree of freedom one chooses and is willing to pay the price and make the necessary compromises and sacrifices for is perfectly fine.

“Don’t settle for less than the kind of life you need to make it worth having lived.” Harry Browne

In this part of the book Harry Browne puts you to work. Actually, this is where I really felt closely akin to Browne (who passed away in 2006). As you go through these pages you’ll discover just about all of my 12 Steps for Living Free. Interestingly, I didn’t even hear about this book or Harry Browne until well after I had created my own 12-step program for living free. This is the shortest section of the book, but it gets down to business and lays our some basic ground rules for changing your life. Here he discusses:

1. Who Are You?
2. Your Own Morality.
3. Is Your Life What You Want It to Be?
4. A Fresh Start
5. A Fresh Start (Part II)

While this takes you to the conclusion of the formal parts of the book, there are still nearly 25 additional pages after this with other support information and resources.

Conclusion

Allow me to make just a closing note. While I bought into Harry Browne’s book nearly 100%, I have to be candid and say there were things that set me back a few steps. That’s not unusual, however. That relates to our individuality. It’s perfectly acceptable to find things that you or I will have differing opinions about. Perhaps, during successive readings, I will gain a deeper understanding of those issues I differ with Browne on. So, should you read the book, and I commend it to you, expect to find things that may jar your thinking and even your sensibilities somewhat. Don’t stop reading at that point. There is way too much good stuff.

I have included a link to the Kindle version of the book for your convenience. Apparently there are no new print versions of the book available at this time. I hope you take advantage of the convenience and use the link I gave you. Simply click on the image of the book at the top of this review. Yes, I am an Amazon affiliate and, yes, if you order the book through my link, Amazon will place a small stipend in my affiliate account. I certainly can’t live the life of Riley on these small commissions, however, since I’ve chosen this frugal, simple, minimalist, nomadic lifestyle, having several small income streams helps keep the wolves away from “My McVansion’s” door and affords me a tiny bit more freedom. It won’t cost you anymore if you use my affiliate link than if you go directly to Amazon, So, thank you for your consideration and know that it’s appreciated.

Travels With Charley – Revisited

On April 8, 2012, I posted a book review of the iconic book Travels With Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck. The book recounted a trip around the U.S. that Steinbeck took in his pick-up truck and truck camper during the fall of 1960. Steinbeck was accompanied by his standard-size French (the dog was bred and born in France) poodle, Charley.

The book has been an inspiration for untold numbers of nomadic wanderers, campers, RVers, etc. for some 50 years since it’s original publication in 1962. You can read my review at this link: Travels with Charley book review.

The next day, April 9, 2012, I received a comment from Bill Steigerwald, a long time journalist. Bill informed me that he took it upon himself on the 50^th anniversary of Steinbeck’s around the country excursion to retrace the journey that was the basis for the best selling book. Bill actually left from the Steinbeck driveway in Sag Harbor, New York (on Long Island, an old whaling port), 50 years to the day. He wrote and blogged about his journey as he attempted to trace John Steinbeck’s footsteps (and tire tracks) across this great continent. Steigerwald titled his version of the adventure Travels without Charley.

Bill’s comments to me included that, while the best selling book was supposed to be a non-fiction work by the award-winning author of some great American fiction, in fact, there was quite a bit of fiction in the book. Upon reading that, I was a bit off put. I’m not sure I’ve ever talked to any full-time RVer, just about all part-time RVer, van dweller or other nomad who hasn’t read this book and found it to be a major inspiration and influence in their own choice of traveling lifestyle.

Bill included links to his blog and Web site where he documented, not only the trip itself, but also his research that included reading the original, hand-written, Steinbeck manuscript for Travels with Charley. Additionally, he visited libraries where Steinbeck letters from his trip were enshrined as well as many locations where Steinbeck is memorialized. It appeared, that as any good journalist would and should do, Bill Steigerwald did his homework.

After responding to Steigerwald, I undertook a second reading of the journey, except this time it was not Steinbeck’s recollection; rather it was Steigerwald’s findings. I read his Travels Without Charley blog. And for your own personal edification, I am including the links to Steigerwald’s sites here. Here is the Web site: www.truthaboutcharley.com and here is the blog: Travels Without Charley

It is not my intention of bursting anyone’s bubble and I still feel like the book is very inspiring. However, after reading Bill Steigerwald’s research and findings from his retrace of John Steinbeck’s trip, it does change my feelings about the book.

To, perhaps, put this in perspective, back in the late 50’s when I was an impressionable 13 year old. I had discovered short wave radio and became an avid SWL (short wave listener). I went to the library and found books on short wave listening and in the process discovered amateur radio or ham radio, as it’s also commonly known. I found some books about a character named Tommy Rockford. The books were amateur radio adventure books and Tommy was an 18-year-old ham radio operator. The author, Walter Tomkins, while not up to the caliber of a John Steinbeck, had the ability to engage someone, especially a young person like I was at the time, in stories that were full of excitement and intrigue, all based around the ham radio hobby. It was my interest in short wave listening and these Tommy Rockford adventure stories that influenced me to find a local amateur radio operator (who happened to be a science teacher at the high school in one of the towns that bordered my hometown) and get started studying, taking the exams and earning my amateur radio licenses. I continue to maintain my license to this day.

What I’m saying is that I knew that Tommy Rockford was a fictional character and that the stories were fictional, yet they still inspired me to take action and follow a path that has been a part of my life for over half a century. Accordingly, while I felt some disappointment after reading Bill Steigerwald’s Web site and blog posts of his trip retracing Steinbeck’s trip, I still find Travels With Charley: In Search of America inspiring and well worth the read. In fact, Steinbeck did take a real trip. He did pass through most of the places he talked of in the book. But, there are some blocks of time that were left out of the book by his editors. Some of the people he said he met may not have actually been real or may have been embellished. And there are other details that materially change the non-fiction journey in 1960 to a more fictionalized version released to the market in 1962.

I leave it up to you. You can accept the book as it is and as you read it. There is nothing wrong with that. You can choose to accept it as a non-fiction account of his journey. Or, if you are a bit like me, I like to know the truth, the facts and the reality. When it was so easy to read Bill Steigerwald’s journalistic account of retracing the Steinbeck adventure, I had to follow through. I have no reason to doubt Steigerwald. He appears to have done his research and his homework. I can’t see where this is any great gain for him personally to defame an acknowledged, great writer like John Steinbeck. And, I have to admit that having years of experience in media, a master’s degree in TV and Radio including courses in broadcast journalism and having been a book publisher for about a dozen years, I understand the role of the editor and the editing process in the book publishing industry. Simply stated, the editor’s job is to make a book marketable.

So, you have the links that I followed. You’ve probably read the book or at least you’re familiar with it. If you’re the least bit curious, it won’t take any effort to read what I did and then draw your own conclusions.

Voluntary Simplicity – Book Review

Kindle Version

Print Version

I just finished reading the 1993 revised edition of Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich by Duane Elgin. This is a book that I highly recommend for anyone concerned with simplifying your life, dealing with the economic challenges in our society (U.S. and global), concerned with the ecology of the world, the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources and energy and creating a sustainable future.

I’ve written in this blog before about simplifying my life. After living over 60 years of an increasingly complicated life, I finally reached a tipping point where I had to simplify and regain control of my life. I, of course, believe that everyone can and will benefit from simplification, however, it is an individual and personal decision as to how much to simplify, how to go about it and when it’s time to do it. I don’t propose to know the answers to those questions for anyone except myself. I do know that my life is far better then it’s been for most of my lifetime and I wish I hadn’t waited so long. Also, virtually, everyone else I know who has downsized and simplified has come to the same conclusion.

The book, Voluntary Simplicity is not a one-stop, follow the arrows solution for me or anyone else. What the author does is raise some important questions. He discusses some philosophical factors and gives many examples of why it is important to globally simplify and downsize. He also illustrates how some people are going about it and why there seems to be a growing trend in this direction.

Elgin doesn’t pontificate. He is not attempting to get the reader to follow some line of thinking, philosophy or action that he has created. Instead, he examines the concept of living more simply on a voluntary basis. He examines the philosophical approaches to simple living through most of the major religions and Eastern philosophies. He discusses the ecological ramifications of a simplified society and lifestyle. He created and executed
”The Simplicity Survey” that was taken by a significant number of people, each with some pretty significant differences in their idea of simplistic lifestyles. Some of the questions on the survey included:

“Would you describe yourself today as living a life of:” several degrees of living more or less simply were provided as options.

The survey asks:

At what age and circumstances the respondent began to live simply?

Why did the respondent take up voluntary simplicity?

What major changes in living arrangements resulted?

What kinds of things would prompt the respondent to live an even simpler lifestyle?

There are numerous other questions. The survey also gathered a great deal of demographic information. Thus, he was able to create interesting profiles and case studies of many men and women of different ages and different motivations. He compiled the data from these surveys and used it to illustrate, with a variety of actual answers from various people just how voluntary simplicity is allowing these respondents to live a full, rich life. To the best of my knowledge, these surveys were all blind and were submitted by mail.

The first two chapters focus on “Living on the New Frontier.”

Chapter One: Voluntary Simplicity and the New Global Challenge

Chapter Two: People Living the Simple Life

The second part of the book covers “The Philosophy of Simplicity.”

Chapter Three: Appreciating Life

Chapter Four: Living More Voluntarily

Chapter Five: Living More Simply

The third part of the book focuses on “ “Simplicity and Social Renewal.”

Chapter Six: Civilizations in Transition

Chapter Seven: Civilizational Revitalization

And in the Appendix you’ll find the actual Simplicity Survey, if you’d care to answer the questions for yourself. Additionally, there are a sizeable number of footnotes and a section of suggested readings. The book is indexed.

As I said, my print copy of the book is the 1993 revised edition. There is now a 2010 revised edition available as well as a Kindle version from Amazon. Even though I’ve read the 1993 version and gain a lot of insight, I’m intrigued enough to want to read the latest version so I’m planning to buy the Kindle version. Part of my simplification process has been to eliminate as many things that are tangible, take up space and have weight. Thus, I seldom ever purchase hard copy, print editions of books. I always look for a Kindle or ebook version since I can store them on my computer hard drive or, in the case of the Kindle, Amazon stores them for me once I’ve purchased a book. I love technology. While I’m simplifying my life in so many ways, technology is making that simplification so much easier then it’s ever been.

I didn’t go away from this book with a specific plan for simplifying my life. I’m not even sure if that’s what I was looking for. What I did find is that this book and the author are almost prophetic. So much of what Duane Elgin realized in 1981 and updated in 1993, nearly 20 years ago, has actually come to pass with regard changes in our world economically, governmentally, ecologically and lifestyle-wise. He saw then where we are today. His projections and predictions of the future are at once scary and optimistic . . . IF we take action now. Fortunately, Elgin indicates that there is a movement toward voluntary simplicity, though it may not be a large enough movement fast enough.

I think his descriptions of what has to be done in the future are interesting and practical. I think his final scenario is, perhaps, overly optimistic. While it could be do-able, I don’t think, on a global basis, that it would ever be practical or possible. Perhaps, I’m just a pessimist. But, I think it would be really difficult to realize his concept in the United States because we are the major force in consumerism and over consumption. If we would have a difficult time in the U.S. making the changes Elgin outlines, I don’t see how there is any way the entire global community would embrace this philosophy and lifestyle of voluntary simplicity.

Good reading, enlightening and helpful for anyone concerned about their own future and the future of our world. Click on the links in this post to go to Amazon to check out the book. Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich Watch for more book reviews in the near future.