Undoctrination.org

Honestly, I’d never heard of Edward Abbey that I recall until this morning. I’m doing some research on the guy and, while I disagree with some of his ideas, I like the guy a lot.

The guy has an uncanny ability to tell it like it is with the sweet, beautiful, bitter sarcasm and snarkiness that I’m in love with. He’s like a more modern version of Mark Twain, in the same mindset and humor. Very savory and refreshing in todays politically correct, artificially sanitized, homogenized, pasteurized, horribly bland and tasteless culture.

Anyway, I ran across this quote and it gave me a sense of peace…

“One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast… a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.” ~ Edward Abbey

I tend to get lathered up like my black lab does when she hears thunder booming off in the distance. She’ll bark and bark and bark and run around the yard driving herself into a hissy fit until her drool turns to foam from the frenzied commotion. Anyone who’s my friend on Facebook would say that sounds just like me… and they’re right.

This is a great outside voice reminding me to keep things in perspective and keep myself balanced… and I’m sharing it for the folks out there just like me… I’m still going to gripe. I’m still going to bitch. I’m still going to warn others… but I’m not going to let it consume me like it has so often. I’m going to enjoy my family, my life, my friends, my environment, and do the stuff that I love…

I’ve already stopped watching the news… maybe that bit of detox has allowed me to get to a point where something like this has ability to reach me. A few months ago, with as much as I was running around foaming at the mouth with that influence on me, I might have read it and told the author to stick it… but today, it’s gotten my attention and made me stop and think.

I hope it causes you to do the same.

That’s REAL freedom.