CURRENT MISSION

Transform this natural inclination towards passivity. Connect, see what this world has to offer, search out the complement of bookchair philosophising. To learn the greatest truths for the sake of improving life.

ABOUT ME

Grew up in Eau Claire, WI passing weekends by with assortments of role playing games, got picked on for being a "long hair". Never had a desire to move away from town, but left for Madison and schooling in computer programming, which didn't last long. Yet I remained in the city, fascinated by the diversity of people's minds and the varieties of foods (I cared neither for pepper nor mustard for the first eighteen years of life, to say the least, and was only familiar with canned vegetables and head lettuce when it came to the realm of produce).

Madison opened the world up for me, one spice and one herb at a time, and the encultured prejudice of my childhood began slowly melting away, and where judgment once sat dominant, acceptance and understanding began to stand.

Lots of things.

PHILOSOPHY

Tikkun Olam - repairing the world.
Whether you want to get biblical or just plain ol' thematic, not only is the world in a fallen state, but it is falling right now as we do whatever we are doing.
There are infinite reactions of how to respond to this fact, often taking one situation to be the primary enemy and target, which is a rather linear and non-ecological way of looking at things. Lack of ecology is destroying the planet, in part due to the enculturation of our brains towards binary us vs. them thought patterns, which then carries on throughout all of our being, and the relationships of our being with that of others.

The economy presumes infinite growth in a finite world, with reckless abandon with its complement, ecology. These are the letter and spirit of the law, eco nomos and eco logos.

Religion and spirituality, even if not literally true, DO contain valuable perspectives, no matter how irrational -- perspectives that cannot easily be attained by reason and sense alone. Revelation is a true experience, even though it cannot escape the language of the culture and situations it occurs in, just as one on hallucinogens may encounter elves, and another grey aliens.

The matter is to make this world meaningful, recognize our participation and immersion in nature, and thereby live meaningful lives that not only react to the state of the world, but proactively create whatever dreams and visions it may have - always higher and higher on the chain of service to life. This is the longing of our being, and our avoidance and ignorance to this truth is at the root of our misery, and continued devolution as a species. Thereby, there is nothing greater, nothing more fulfilling, than to not simply avert our communal catastrophe, but to outright invert it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Much time has been spent in the germinal states of apathy and skepticism, and growingly through time there has been an outpouring of life-affirming sprouts, some of which begin to bear fruit. Life is too short (and endangered) to focus on the negative and what's wrong in the world (though these things must surely be acknowledged), and having studied the ills and pitfalls of society, civilization, and it all, the time has come to explore and experiment with solutions and proper productive responses, proactive choices.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Been surfing on the couches of friends and family for years, and decided to take it to the internetworked level.

Interests

Words. These are both a boon and a potential confusion.
I love reading, studying, and conversing, thus words are quite important. There are many spheres of experience that can only inadequately be conveyed by these vessels, and my desire is to cultivate the discernment to know what can be properly shared, what cannot, and how best to express all things (how'd you guess this is still a work in progress?).

Love sitting in nature, letting its sounds unfold.
Love immersing myself on the periphery of bodies of water.
Prefer cloudy days over completely blue skies, generally (texture people, texture. Blue skies remind me of hospital walls).
Riding bike, hiking, walking distances (even in cities [nothing against public transport]).
Socializing.
Solitude.
Dynamics and relationships.
Spectrums and not just light switches.
Love. Meaning. Purpose. Compassion. Courage. Transformation. Fnord. Nonsense. Concepts and ideals.
Application of every last thing for the better.

Gardening, cooking, canning and preservation, fermentation. Learning about edible wild foods. Once in a great while some primitive living skills.

• culture
• cooking
• walking
• gardening
• reading
• socializing
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• ecology
• law
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Nietzsche, Deleuze & Guattari, Foucault, Emma Goldman, Kropotkin.
The TaNaKh (Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim), Jewish Literature and interpretation. New Testament, Mythology, Symbolism, Secret societies, Ritual, Finding a way to reconcile all these.