Uganda

My first trip to the African continent was an adventure to say the least. Traveling on a Catholic pilgrimage with a bunch of white retirees as an atheist was interesting and more of a challenge than any culture shock waiting for me in Uganda. I mention both white and retirees for a reason. Most of theses pilgrims were well traveled but very coddled in their travels. They had the money to be insulated from any potential uncomfortable situations and the color of their skin blinded them from seeing any issue with those particular travel choices over the years. To be clear we were fairly well insulated on this trip as well although there were plenty of bumps in the road to disrupt total comfort for my senior companions.

The country of Uganda has tremendous beauty in both scenery and people. Simply put they are the kindest people I have ever encountered. Unfortunately they are victims of civilizations march towards oblivion. Their government desperately wants a piece of the ever dwindling pie and colonialism has damaged the core of this ancient culture beyond any certain repair. Catholicism/Christianity has spread its wings and capitalism has followed her lead. Uganda is near the bottom of the hierarchy and is trying to climb out of the mud and into a place where industry and tourism blend into a blossoming economy. The people of this wonderful country know hardship and so the descent of economic collapse will be less damaging than it will for me and my privileged cue tips. However the concern of people relying on markets was expressed by an organic farmer who also happened to be a Catholic priest. He is trying to spread his knowledge throughout the town of Jinja and by the looks of his garden he has the goods to pull it off. So even in the poorest countries in the world reliance on the industrial machine is ever present.

The children in Uganda are caught between two ever changing worlds. On one hand they cling to their cultures and on the other end they are being inundated with massive propaganda from their government and churches. The schools I visited had a blend of cultural dances and recitations of Catholic/Christian/capitalistic inspired propaganda. They were dancing one moment and the next moment speaking in repetitive unison about how thankful they are for white people (no joke) and technology as a relief to boredom (again no joke). Most of these ideas are placed in their heads by their teachers who have gone through the same system. Of course our system does the same thing only less obvious to some of us.

When collapse comes I know the people of this land will suffer but I believe their spirit and past trials will carry the day. As for me and my ilk I think we ought to enjoy our last few moments on top because unlike the Ugandan people, our citizens will not adapt well to the type of change that is steamrolling towards us.

Learning curve

As my wife and I plan our escape from the trap called civilization my stomach begins to churn with anticipation, fear, and excitement. We are feeling our way through the choices that need to made. How will we live? Where will we live? Will we live? We of course have a skill set of most civilized. I have never built a house, planted a garden, searched for drinking water. I don't know a thing about plants, the seasons, or my capacity to suffer. I do know this is something I have to do and fast. I no longer can play this game. My wife is a rock and will be the spine of this whole "adventure" as she calls it. Because that's what this is an adventure of a lifetime. So as I head to Uganda this summer with my eyes wide open it is with a sense of energy/urgency my body has never felt before. My life is going in a direction I never imagined. Hell, I'm going to be one of those crazy people who abandons the world as we know it and starts growin' shit...oh boy.

The Entitlement That Is Civilization

I just finished reading Derrick Jensen's Endgame Vol 1 and 2. I have never read so much so fast. Civilization is killing us. I have followed the peak oil crowd for sometime now but this is beyond the scope of the looming oil fiasco. Jensen has called out the big boy in charge. He accuses civilization of murder. Much like Tim Wise's book White Like Me blew my mind about privilege Jensen's book did the same for me when it comes to civilization itself. Abuse is rampant and the denial is deep. Do we act or do we hope peak oil will take care of it for us? The entitlement humans have is obvious but somehow we have a veil that blinds us to it. There is no doubt the planet is in peril and DJ wants action from us. This action is dangerous and necessary but the risks keep most of us from acting. I love the twenty premises he uses to challenge the fence sitters. Hope is not working and pacifism is it's ugly brother.

Well I'll tell ya Pilgrim

I have a picture on my Facebook page where my wife and I are dressed up like Pilgrims. We live in AZ and obviously immigration is all over our local headlines. Unfortunately Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the patron saint of racists in our state and we get to see him all over the news. We decided a couple of years ago to be Pilgrims for Halloween and place signs around our necks that read, "Original Illegal Aliens." We got a little bit of attention that night and a tad more when I placed it as my profile picture the last two Thanksgivings. Recently the picture gained the attention of radical feminist Nikki Craft. She liked it enough to take the image and add her own artistic flare to it. I have been fortunate enough to have some small email exchanges with her. She is amazing and her work and activism speak for themselves. I have been reading some pieces she suggested (after I inquired) and I'm being challenged daily about how I view the world. I have met some amazing people recently via the Internet and I look forward to the journey of exploring new thoughts and ideas. Here is a link to the picture if you're interested.

www.nikkicraft.com/genocide/index.html