I am taking a quick stop in the Cafe to charge my camera, and as luck would have it, they have free WiFi. Surprisingly less free WiFi than I expected, but still many places that do have it. I am a tad bit surprised that they do not have the sort of WiFi infrastructure that Portland does, given the size, tourist draw, and “dynamic growth” London experiences, but then, Portland is ahead in the “hipsters need internet” category, so I suppose there is additional pressure there.

Short detour from London to Wall Street for a moment. I saw a post today that equated OWS (Occupy Wall Street) to a medical condition. I want it to be known that, if you are not aware of this fact already, every right and privilege you have access to today in the modern world was earned or established because someone, or a group of someones, was willing to stick their necks out to bring about the conversation that would bring about change in that area, resulting in a greater movement and thus the establishment of that privilege or right. You may be one of those many folk that look at the occupy camps with dislike. It’s dirty, messy, and apparently unorganized as far as you know. They just want free handouts and drugs, right? They’re just bitching about being overworked while you, and ‘the rest’ of society actually makes a living, yeah? Well, hey, who am I to question your misguided beliefs? Who am I to say that your perspective is founded in laziness within yourself, at not doing your research? Is it my place to tell you that you are in fact the one that has looked at the mess we are facing today and put your ‘nose to the grind’ expecting your avoidance and naivety to pay off? The answers are a resounding: I am Douglas Cedric, a citizen of the world, I am a member of the human race, and yes, it is in fact, most definitely, my place. I have heard both sides, I have seen the camps, I have read the statistics and talked to the people (and police). I have done my fucking homework. You see, the great thing about the free world, for now anyways, is freedom of speech. So you are most definitely free to avoid all honest understanding of the situation and voice your opinions, and it is my right to tell you that you are, in fact, an idiot.

This is absolutely NOT to say that I support the way the camps function in most cases. This is not to say that I find the drug use or party scene in some of the Occupy groups to be idoneous. Nor do I think the disorganization that IS present is helpful. I think there is a more productive way to do it. But, these things do not discount the hard work and positive effort that IS present, and they do not, contrary to your ‘truth’ represent what the movement is about, nor belie the actual organization and direction present.

If you don’t like the way they protest, that is fine. This is the spark to the fire, the hop to the step, and the ambient light before the sunrise (hopefully). It cannot be considered the entire movement, but more so one facet of a very complex polygon. Your response should not be to say that it is wrong, broken, and stupid, but to think to yourself, ‘I see the point, I am aware of the problem. I don’t like your method, so I am going to try my own’. Until you step up and get involved in the flow of progress, you will find that the protest is not so much ‘the wrong way’ but simply another way.

I mean, hell, I do not, by a long stretch, consider krumping and a proper form of dance… but I will not discount that it is a tight community of young folk doing their own thing, making friends (and enemies) and getting together for a good time.

Back to London. I am sitting in a strange location by which I am being warmed from a heater vent above me at the same time that the window to my right bleeds of an impressive amount of cold air. Or, to be more physically correct, it bleeds off heat to the outside and I am in fact experiencing the thermal flow out of the building. I might go so far as to suggest that I am sitting on the precipice of a thermocline, if you’ll allow me the leeway of using the less common material reference to air. Needless to say. My elbow is cold.

As a last remark, or possibly an aside, I would have it be known that the ‘idoneous’ you may have caught earlier, is in fact a gift for one David Clemmer, and a concession that, yes, those big words are kinda fun sometimes.

-Douglas Cedric

We’re now sitting solidly in the year 2012. The famous year of evolution, reform, destruction, ends of eras, beginnings of the future. Between the occupy movement and the current international and political atmospheres, the environment, and the climate, spirituality and science, there is a lot going on. So far ancient races, at least half a dozen, have suggested that we’re at our doom’s end this year. That we won’t last. Others suggest we are simply at the turning of a tide, the end of an era, a new world. Well, I think that the odds are in their favor to be right, in some way or another.

Between the government, environment, climate, social evolution, interstellar events, political unrest, corporate corruption, and plain ol’ metaphysical woowoo, chances are good that we won’t come out the other end of this year as we are now, if at all.

Rest assured, I am going to start this year, the beginning of the rest, the last of the past, the turning of the times, doing something fantastic. I am embarking on an exploratory mission unprecedented in my life. I’ve been asked why I am taking a 22 week vacation, but at some point (somewhere after 4 weeks?) it no longer exists in the same experiential construct as a “vacation”. More so, it is a lifestyle change. One that I will, theoretically, change back from after, but will likely return changed forever. What a complex thing.

I’ve known what and who I wanted to be more or less since I was a kid. But solidly between 15 and 17 years old I decided that a few things were simply facts of my existence and who I am. I am Douglas Cedric Adam Clitheroe. Born to my parents as Douglas, evolved by myself as Cedric. I am a metalsmith, blacksmith, bladesmith, jeweler, ranger, hunter, camper, wanderer, guard, guardian, watcher, sentinel, life coach, friend, fighter, drinker, brewer, baker, cook, shaman, man man, human. I always sort of knew these things were who I am, but now, I get to put them to the test.

I feel like I have really settled into these realities over the last year, and this year is the year that I refine and define, establishing myself as a power amongst the powers. And really dig in for the fun part. What better way than to start with a trip around Europe to visit friend, see sights, learn things, meet other makers, and live apart from the places that I have been, to find out what aspects of Me are truly of myself and disconnect from Place and Thing. Come along with me, it will all be here, as best I can, with links to photos, etcetera.

-Douglas Cedric

Of course this is counter to our social programming and we have to simultaneously overcome that programming while trying to problem solve this new idea. We’ve been told for centuries that trade is the only way. I am assuming that this developed waaaay back when the Earth’s potential space and resources we’re exponentially greater then what we were using. At some point we decided to create a system by which value could be assigned to goods and services. In a way this made sense, because we were a relatively small group of sentient beings with a fairly vast area to work in, and more importantly, we were dealing in goods and services that required a great deal of energy to move. Currency simple allowed for deals to be made BEFORE the goods were moved, adding a layer of efficiency.

Fast forward and we find that the very system meant to make life easier for us has in fact crippled us as a race, and hindered our advancement. Medical science is so heavily geared towards pharmaceuticals and symptom-based response. What if that money was put into medical research for betterment, not profit?

Of course, based on that model, we could re-assess many things. Why are we spending so much time fighting each other when we could be wandering the universe? Why is the focus on controlling what we have definitive proof is a VERY small portion of the KNOWN universe? Why do people slave away at menial tasks when we can easily automate them with machines?

Lets look at the system we have now. We buy stuff from the store, that buys goods from wholesalers, that buy materials from producers, that buy those raw goods from harvesters and process them into those goods, that work them out of the earth, and they buy equipment from the industrial wholesalers that make them, whom get the parts from producers, that get the materials from harvesters….. Right? I mean, if we zoom way the mother-eff out, nothing of significant impact that occurs within our economy, govt, political systems, or interactions as humans, extends beyond the boundaries of the planet, right? War is physical conflict over earth-based things. Economy is the trade of goods and services at the best possible price, on earth based things. So it’s a closed loop.

If it is a closed, effing, loop, then why are we squabbling over shit? Why are we working so hard to one up the competitors by working longer hours for less pay doing boring tasks when we can EASILY automate a massive portion of what we do? I think I’d prefer to maintain trade on goods that are not sustenance or basic-needs. That way, people can produce things they want to produce and trade them for other things. But we have the technological capacity to solve most medical issues, and most work-force limitations, and so on, that we could negate the need for humans in menial task jobs, and negate the need for wages, and money in general.

The only reason we NEED money is because industries, companies, and economic flow have taken over the availability of need-based goods, ie fire, water, food, shelter. Say, just for example, that the human race as a whole took a step back. Refocus work-forces into educating our population, which would produce an extremely extensive research and development sector. automate anything we possibly can, leaving only enough workers there to maintain productivity and repair machines(until that can be automated). Negate the currency-value system. replace it with a non-essential point system to allow for trade of fine arts and crafts.

Since we automated everything, we don’t need 9-5 hours of people doing menial tasks. Without the currency system, suddenly education is free, because people can go to universities and learn, and then if they choose, remain there to teach those behind them. It won’t take long for that to result in a massive flood of highly educated people entering the research and exploration sectors. Science will take off. Medical advancement will take off. Without currency, we won’t be fighting over everything and there will be a massive drop in crime, so military and law enforcement efforts can be put into safety, rescue, and exploration. Humanity will expand into the solar system. More research. More education. More resources. More exploration. Repeat.

The real trick here is that we are about 200 times past neck deep in this currency-based system, so changing it is going to be tough. But hey, with everyone defaulting on their currency based issues, we may not have to worry about it. We’ll be put into a position where we have to act. Gotta love Mother Nature, sticking her neck out and getting her hands in on everything. We think because we’re not “in the wild” that we’re exempt, that we can just defy the natural balance and all the universe’s force behind it. But the flow of reality tends to have it’s effects on us either way. “Oh, you don’t want to change for the better of everything and everyone? Well, shoot, now you have to. Life is tough, take a chill pill.”

thanks Mom.

Video that spurred this thought process:

http://youtu.be/wDJ18m6KUW4