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By: Shane Radliff/Coordinator Rayo2
Back in VonuLife, March 1973, Rayo published an article sharing the same title as this one, comparing different lifestyle changes and strategies as being “not worthwhile”, “probably not worthwhile”, “worth consideration by a few”, “worth consideration”, and “worth strong consideration”. While there’s still plenty of value, this article is 50+ years old and so I thought a redux version was a wise idea. I may pass over writing about some of the potentials he discusses, like living in a ghetto, but the format will remain similar. Please enjoy.
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NOT WORTHWHILE
Political crusading. I won’t waste too much time on this one, nor rehash the typical anarchist arguments against voting. The only one I care about is that when one puts their faith, time, or effort into the political system, they’ve disempowered themselves and have subsequently limited their own liberation. This philosophical argument doesn’t even take into account the “conspiratorial” reality of history – that, like the world financial systems, political establishments have been fraudulent and criminal for at least 100 years. When governments become unpopular, the swing to fascism (“corporations”) ensues; when folks are dissatisfied with those “monopolistic corporations”, governments come in to “save the day” and restore good faith in markets. We’re currently in the “shift to monopolistic corporations” phase: Peter Thiel/Palantir, Elon Musk, et al.
This isn’t to mention that the (s)election most folks care about the most and that has the most fanfare is the Presidential one, the one in which individuals have the LEAST, nay, NO influence in. As per the Bill of Rights (12th Amendment) and Article 2, Section 1, Clauses 2-4 of the 1787 federal Constitution, your vote means literal dogshit in a Presidential (s)election, UNLESS you’re an elector. After folks (hopefully) do their due diligence and stumble over to the Heritage Foundation Constitution archive to easily verify my claims, this is the time where I have them do a Wikipedia search to find out who the electors are for the state of New York – Bill & Hillary Clinton, Cuomo, etc. – and then in their own respective state. And let me speak confidently: I am sure that YOU are not an elector, NOR do you personally know any – if you did, you might also know some folks on the real Epstein list. With that in mind, think about the spectacle of Presidential debates. What purpose do they serve, if the folks they are trying to “convince” don’t actually have a say? Right – propaganda, distraction, and manipulation.
Speaking in terms of vonu, there is no “privacy” when it comes to politics. Your voter registration is tied to your physical address. There’s not even a potential benefit from a compromise, like KYC’ing yourself for First Realm banking, your information and data is just sold off by your State and National Committees, as well as handed off to any Joe, Dick, or Harry that wants to run (i.e. candidates request lists of voter rolls in their district).
The ONLY beneficial caveat is if a self-liberator is trying to acquire documentation for a US citizenship or other paper tripping purposes – though this is hypothetical and I’ve never encountered a situation where this might be the preferred route. Regardless, though, with how much the State wants you to have a voter registration, and how much stake the entire society puts in it, a voter registration can have some potential identity verification potentialities. But, I’ve found there are easier alternatives – a cell phone bill, bank statement, etc. can fulfill the same purpose and you don’t have to dox yourself directly to the government.
In conclusion, harkening back to personal experience, specifically my early days in the alternative media, political crusading deters actual, real courageous efforts towards restoring freedom. Patriots were participating in civil defiance: multiple armed standoffs with federal agents (see Bundy Ranch and Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation). There was no fucking begging. Weapons were on hand and they said, “We will have our freedom.” 2015/2016 came around and many of those Patriots went from wielding weapons to pencils in a voting booth.
Join a movement. As the original Rayo elucidated in the 1960’s, the only way to actually achieve some sort of semblance of freedom is to exorcise those collectivist spooks and achieve it on a smaller scale. Whether it’s the “Libertarian Party”, an anti-war movement, or whatever, movements are co-opted, radical goals diluted to achieve wider membership, and the eventual unrecognizability of the “organization”. You can’t have foundational principles AND be trying to reach the general public.
Having a decade experience, I agree. You’ll only find freedom individually, and with small groups who also exercise the microcosm of the macrocosm.
See a therapist/doctor. For most anyone reading this, seeing a therapist or a doctor is probably not a wise idea, unless you have one of the amazing “unicorns”, like a Dr. Barre Lando or a therapist/psychologist that specializes in advanced techniques, such as past life regression, and disavows the quackery of most depression/psychological pharmaceuticals. Other than for emergency or life threatening situations, it’s best to just avoid these death dealers and mind manipulators.
PROBABLY NOT WORTHWHILE
Buy a farm/buy land. Owning so-called “private property” in an individual’s given “government” name is troublesome today. Not only do you hand over your physical location, but other issues, such as property taxes, nuisance abatement, and potential loss of capital are risks. Of course, I’m not speaking of traditional monocrop farming, which is even more vulnerable to regulation and harassment.
The best possible solution (so far configured) is the use of a proxy merchant to acquire land. That is, utilizing a third party who will handle interactions with the State, probably an ally that wants to see the expansion of the Second Realm, while your name stays far, far away from being tied to where you’re staying.
Live off the land. In this context, “living off the land” is envisioned as a necessarily mobile lifestyle, wherein an individual earns the vast majority of their sustenance from Nature – food, water, and shelter primarily. While such primitive lifestyles are certainly possible and maybe preferred for a few, it’s not common and not necessarily encouraged. Even Rayo, camping in his polyethylene A-tent in the Siskiyou, didn’t forage for most of his foods.
That said, this isn’t to deter folks from weeks/months long sabbaticals into wilderness (i.e. hiking the Pacific Crest trail), or knowing what is available in your area, and when. A couple years ago, the freewife and I spent a lot of time foraging for edible mushrooms – not all delicious, but in a pinch, a mushroom stew can be made delicious…especially if you’re hungry!
WORTH CONSIDERATION BY A FEW
E-Bike nomadism. This is probably one of the most unique, new liberated lifestyle opportunities available in the modern day. My conception is a blending of a “primitive” lifestyle, alongside “high tech”. Doing the bare minimum of research required, it appears there are at least a couple options for e-bikes that can be charged via solar. Combine that with a low profile solar setup, a small EcoFlow generator/battery bank, and you could even do the remote working nomad thing too. I have tested the EcoFlow + solar panel setup, and its way more than enough to power a laptop, router, phone, fan, etc. for days.
Finally, these e-bikes are rugged as shit – I could totally see them being a great complement to those already inclined towards a sort of pedestrian nomadism.
Perpetual traveling/country shopping. Regardless of the form of nomadism one’s liberated lifestyle may take, the important part is that the self-liberator remains invisible to the coercers, so he can remain invulnerable to them. Generally speaking, this is called perpetually traveling, or country shopping in Rayo’s day. Depending upon where someone is (i.e., Chicago or Iraq), picking up and moving can greatly increase freedom, or similarly, lessen coercion.
This is categorized as “worth consideration by a few”, as most folks’ financial situations preclude them from perpetual traveling – that is, they must report to an office/stationary location each day. The exception here would be perpetual traveling via something cheap like van nomadism, which is available to anyone. The only thing is, for those with stationary employment, it may require some vonu in cities and will look less like true perpetual traveling.
Nonetheless, in this “sovereign individual” world, freedom pioneers will (and already) have their market selection of governments – some may provide tax benefits for bitcoin/crypto-currency, cheap/easy second citizenships, a freer regulatory environment for research, etc.
Start a “new country”. Back in the late 1960’s, Erwin S. Strauss published a book called, “How To Start Your Own Country,” which highlighted various approaches, examples, and case studies to the venture, some smaller scale, some less serious, some directly challenging to the local government, and he even wrote a chapter on vonu. Depending upon how far one desires to go, is the deciding factor on whether this is “for a few” or “for more”.
Let’s take The Free Republic of P.A.Z.NIA, for example. The “learning curve” here isn’t from the new country part – we aren’t trying to gain recognition from the United Nations, we aren’t trying to open up “diplomatic lines” with U.S tyrants; and we don’t envision any armed standoffs with the “host” government, like what happened with Sealand some 30 years ago or so. Rather, the learning curve from P.A.Z.NIA are the privacy and security principles that undergird it.
Sealand would be the contrasting example – most do not want to get into armed standoffs with governments or play “nuclear chicken” with major nation states, but again, for the select one, two, or few, there are very interesting possibilities in this rapidly changing world.
Rig a tent in the woods. For the most radical vonuans, or for those who desire to spend the entirety of their existence in Nature, primitive camping (i.e. rigging a tent in the woods) is always a possibility. Combine this with the skills and knowledge to live off the land and you can certainly remain invisible to coercers, public or private. Climate/location matter for more drastic temperatures, but as discussed in the e-bike nomadism section above, even the most primitive lifestyles could be supplemented with some “high tech” now.
Form a security team. Some context, first: early on in my path, I worked with an old Patriot named Gary Hunt, who ran the Outpost of Freedom Newspaper, then blog. During Waco, Gary was one of the Patriot reporters on the ground, and around that time, formed a security team with a small number of his trusted compatriots. I’d recommend listening to the discussion in full, but the idea is similar to Freedom Cells, in that it’s a small number of folks, probably seven or less; but the security team’s existence should only be known to the security team.
What does a security team do, though? Depends on what threats they are facing at the present time. Gary’s security team assisted when a couple of their members were accused of shooting a cop; they were mobilized to destroy a printer that had incriminating evidence; and much more. During the most “critical” times, Gary even talked about having a “dead man call” every day. If they didn’t hear from him within 15 minutes, they would have activated a search party.
Point is, it was a small, totally private, secretive group whose sole goal was to look out for the wellbeing and freedom of the others. One final note: the reason this is likely “for a few” is that most folks probably haven’t vetted folks in their personal lives well enough to have more than maybe one or two they could truly trust or have the skills necessary in these potentially dire and risky situations.
WORTH CONSIDERATION
Van nomadism. Van nomadism has been the classic, tried-and-true, first and last resort for survival or liberation. After all, many have been relegated to living in their vehicles following drastic changes in living/financial situations. It can be an extremely cheap way of living, but also comes with numerous disadvantages. Back when Rayo was around, he disliked the strategy because of its reliance upon “slave tags” (driver’s licensure, registration, etc.) for maximum invulnerability to coercion. Driving without tags is a surefire way to secure an interaction with a bludg on the side of the road.
In the modern day and age, though, travel via the government roadways is even worse for your privacy and security. Automated license plate readers, endless cameras, and sophisticated AI technology. To retain one’s privacy, a self-liberator would basically have to drive a car with a fake or “borrowed license plate (or registered via a privacy-enhancing corporation), wear a mask and sunglasses when traveling anywhere, and hope for the best. It’s not impossible – for me, if I were to pursue van nomadism anymore, it would be outside of the USSA. Maybe Mexico, South America, Canadian wilderness. Who knows. But not here.
Nonetheless, van nomadism is still a highly recommended strategy. As old man Rayo pointed out, it’s a great transitional lifestyle out of the servile society, and into a new and better one of your choosing. And for some, of course, it can be the end goal. Fantastic! Vonu is yours for the making.
Strategic relocation. For some individuals or families, simply just picking up and relocating can greatly increase freedom (or, an invulnerability to coercion). Just consider a family whose homeland is getting bombed in Iraq, or a drive-by shooting ridden, degenerated suburb of downtown Chicago. Merely getting out of those situations is advantageous.
And like van nomadism, this is a strategy very accessible to many – if you’ve moved in your life, and if you can do a bit of research comparing/contrasting the advantages & disadvantages of various locations, you can strategically relocate!
It’s really quite impossible to make adequate recommendations on locations/areas in this short article, but suffice it to say, if you’re considering making a move, prioritize trying to move near others of like-mind that you can build with; from there, with an IRL network and close proximity, the possibilities are endless!
Get a boat. This one should probably be classified only for “a few”, but anyone who’s followed The Vonu Podcast, knows I have a strong desire and dream for the open ocean…and also, I just see some quite amazing potentialities, especially considering the development and affordability of technology compared to old man Rayo’s day.
And for me, it all starts with energy independence, and maybe even breakthrough energy on the open ocean. Executive P.A.Z.NIAN, John Gier, has aspirations of living on the open ocean, harvesting ORMUS (i.e. monoatomics) for health, and even the generation of power with the ORMUS setup. Ocean thermal energy conversion is well-known, highly plausible, and even less “mystical”.
With investment and R&D from organizations like The Seasteading Institute, and brief projects like Marinea & The Free Isles, innovative open ocean shelters are being developed – and hopefully soon, some Second Realm bitcoin/monero millionaires will invest in a decommissioned aircraft carrier, really expanding the possibilities herein.
But what about individual self-liberation? There is the hurdle of learning the ins-and-outs of operating a sea vessel and some potentially high initial investment costs, but once in international waters, the suited self-liberator could live a damn free, non-subsistence life.
WORTH STRONG CONSIDERATION
Ethical enclave trading/agorism. Many are familiar with Samuel Edward Konkin III’s concept of agorism – i.e. trading in the black and grey markets, areas unregulated and unlicensed by the State, or otherwise in a “grey” area. Prior to that, Rayo, the founder of vonu, discussed ethical enclave trading, which is essentially the same thing.
Whatever version you’re familiar with, it’s worth STRONG consideration! So much so, that whether you’re a hardcore agorist or a Boomer Karen running a garage sale, you’ve participated in the counter-economy. Even further, for many, the counter-economy isn’t a choice, it’s necessary for survival.
So, go sell that unlicensed raw milk, process that meat at an unapproved USDA facility, hook-up a buddy with some high quality cocaine, forge some vax cards, 3D print those guns, or whatever other ethical and moral activity you decide to partake in. And make sure to have fun!
Crypto-anarchy/privacy-enhancing technology. Like Rayo, early cypherpunks and crypto-anarchists saw both, the potential advantages and huge problems, with the Internet and coming digital world. The proliferation of information, communication, and technical development was promising, but privacy was an afterthought.
Thankfully, foresight was had and privacy tools and privacy-enhancing technologies are available to help the self-liberator become more invulnerable to the coercion of the surveillance State. Whether we’re talking tools like Monero, encrypted communications platforms like Jitsi, GhostPads or GhostPhones via Liberty Under Attack Publications, in this technocratic age, every self-liberator really, really needs to step up their security culture, or else get swept up in this Babylon dragnet.
Self-Defense: firearms, hand-to-hand combat, home hardening. It goes without saying that if you’re dead or severely injured, it’s going to be hard to pursue mental, physical, or spiritual liberation. It should also be noted that, even if the State disappeared tomorrow, private coercers would still exist. There is no such things as a utopia, and a human race that has entirely foresworn the use of coercion would be a hive mind nonetheless, a hive mind in which freewill, personal growth, and the striving for liberation are moot concepts…not to mention, just impossible.
Like with the digital self-defense in the above crypto-anarchy section, every self-liberator should consider becoming proficient in at least one or a few self-defense disciplines, whether that’s firearms, martial arts, stick fighting, and/or whatever. You or your family’s lives may just depend upon it someday.
Conclusion. Since at least 2016, and especially now, the argument that there are really no ways to freedom or liberation in the modern age is more so an excuse – an excuse to not have to do the physical work in cutting ties to the servile society; an excuse to not have to do the grueling internal work to bring coherence between the two realms; and maybe, an excuse covering up an underlying fear, a fear of the unknown, a fear of what it takes to freedom pioneer. It’s understandable, and also why the numbers of dedicated self-liberators will be on the lower side.
To close out, I’ll leave you with the words of G.I. Gurdjieff.
“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.”
Thankfully, so long as we put in the individual work necessary, the fate of remaining a slave is not and will not be our fate, our future. Onward to Paradise!
