consumerism
The Off Grid Life
the off-grid life.
untied from the shackles of strife,
2017, the modern existence,
getting on the property ladder, how does anyone have a chance?
20, 25 or 30, forced to work to pay every bill,
going to work all hours, struggling to find a way, a life against our will,
needing the money from any form of work, mostly unprogressive, unhappy
life passing by, frustrating, anger, decreasing self-worth, causing individuals to be snappy
unfulfilled, potentials are not met, working a job all day, unable to progress,
money is the key factor, for bills to be met, let me digress.
often they still aren't causing pain and suffering, stress and depression,
homelessness is rife through the country, a feeling of regression,
a feeling of being stuck, how to retrain and improve your careers?
speak to friends or family and the same conversation, doubts, and fears
if only another option was available,
one that was accepted and not just for the vulnerable,
the homeless, the people with nothing,
but how is this existence different? it is truly crushing,
once you can see that your life is consumed with working for money,
the soul has passed, your energy too, it can get so hard it's not even funny,
but who understands? in the face of consumerism, higher purchase, loans, and debt,
who is living a life, truly satisfied, and their dreams are met?
Not all people living off-grid are rich in cash!
but they aim for other needs; security in food & energy, it's worth a bash,
a growing transition for many people too,
it's not just for the hippies, the spiritual, it's for people like me and you,
think about it for a moment or two...
who would you be without your car, house and your possessions?
is that person you portray the real you? or do you blend in so people don't ask questions?
are you honest with your family and friends?
or do you sit behind a desk wishing it would end?
there is a wealth of knowledge of old traditions,
from a time when they lived without these conditions,
the conditions of social media, advertising, marketing ads or vlogs
when screen time didn't consume every waking hour, and children were fascinated with tadpoles transforming into frogs.
hours spent outside, climbing trees, playing at the park,
not allowed home unless it was tea time or had gotten dark.
a shift is happening, ecotherapy, wild schooling, bushcraft, and hikes,
forest schooling, homeschooling, people walking and out on their bikes,
scientists are noticing the effects on children's behaviors, reduced health issues,
ADHD, also a boost in self-awareness, positivity, confidence and mental health issues
is it easier to sit a child down to hours in front of the tv, or ipad?
than it is to spend a few hours playing down the park with dad?
or baking a cake with mum, the importance of these skills are being misplaced,
in this consumerism world, with employees a number, in a life so fast-paced.
Off-grid living, the communities hidden away,
all they want is a parcel of land to look after their needs, but hey,
that's not possible, 'cause where will the local council get their tax,
with the community, living off the land, growing food and chopping wood with an axe,
the need and usage of government-owned services would become minute,
living simply and within your skills of the land, renewables used, an abundance of fruit,
food preserved in many forms, jams and chutneys, frozen meat,
enough food to last year-round to survive through winter, or in the heat,
the food produced off the land, tending the garden, and grown for nutrition,
the most important for life and health also said to aid in remission.
off grid homesteaders, don't need to take the flack,
with health as the focus, working outdoors to provide, lowering the need for prozac,
comments from shallow minded people need not be said,
the power of community, working together, I want to spread,
to include children in the transition, of conserving nature and our wildlife,
the tranquil setting amongst the seasons, watching the stars, that's my type of nightlife.
Behind the Curtain
valuable
seen through your eyes
fabricated
when the lens comes into focus
ignorant bliss
choosing to not look behind the curtain
knowing what you know for certain
truth can be ignored
if your comfort can be restored
a puzzle box to contort, to distort
to simplify all matters into black and white
no room for values of gray
it must remain this way
shutting down
your sphere is a bubble
focused signals
when the message can be fine tuned
prophets can bloom
mandatory
seen in your eyes
illusions
when the lens comes into focus
compulsive bliss
choosing to ignore what is behind the curtain
knowing what you know is certain
truth can be ignored
if it doesn't corroborate all you've absorbed
a puzzle box to contort, to distort
to simplify all matters into black and white
no room for values of gray
it must remain this way
and it all turns to shit
the pieces just don't fit
the world at your hands
reduced to marketing brands
so it's always been bullshit
a toxic fallacy of choice
The American Dream
You call me in, shake my hand, and congratulate me.
I humbly thank you for giving me the opportunity, yet you shove it back in my face and tell me I’ve earned it.
That’s when you go in for the kill. That’s when the inner car salesman comes out to play and you have one shiny bright piece of shit on the playground you’re just dying to sell.
Wife, kids, house, car, dog... I just politely play along and nod my head.
And of course the humoring of what you’re saying only causes you to go even further: boat, clothes, land...
But when you say wife, I hear whores...
When you say kids, I hear an endless supply of PBR...
A dog to you is an ounce of dank to me.
You tell me I’ve just walked in on the American dream.
What many souls backstab and kill to get, I just waltzed right in on and joined the club without even so much as an initiation or password.
A car? Give me a fuckin old guitar that looks of pain and rejoicing engrained deep into the wood.
And what good is a working class man without his house and land??
But I’ll still be renting a shitty room in this shitty town with my pride intact.
Because your dream is to have all this shit, and all that stature. While you all spend money on your spoiled brats and your cheating wives, I’ll be waiting patiently like the finest of hunters.
Because our American dreams differ in the sense that you make money to piss it away on what the most entertaining Super Bowl ad sold you and I make money to smoke Camels, get fucked up and bide my time.
So hopefully one day I can get away from all this shit and live amongst those who are actually free, and home to those brave enough not to go with this crowd.