what_can_be_done misstree so much talk of revolution, but we are all screaming at the wind if we have no direction.... so what can be done? i have only a small handful of answers. i hope that others have more. Live. each moment is vital, squeeze it 'til is juice runs sticky through your fist. Create. leave your mark anywhere you can, make the world take note of the footsteps of an idividual. look people in the eye. smile at strangers, wake sleepwalkers. treasure the contributions of individuals. seek out farmer's markets, private shops, craftsmen. the best bread i have ever eaten was bought from an amish stand at a farmer's market. the best clothes i have ever worn, i have sewn myself. the barter system is still alive and kicking in these areas, where money is only a useful symbol; take advantage of the opportunity to trade a piece of yourself for a piece of someone else. and don't forget about local artists and bands--they're your neighbors, and they're baring their souls so you can have beauty without ticketmaster and stadium seating, without commercials and lowest common denominators. beauty without greed tastes better. learn skills. fixing your own plumbing, sewing your own clothes, you interact with the World, and the result is more rewarding than the hours you would spend with your mind and body indentured to another to pay for it. live simply. chasing after fancy, expensive, extravagant, will sate you temporarily but leave you emptier than when you started. open your eyees to layers of lies. socialization is a veil, it blinds us to individuals in teaching us how to think of Everyone Else. know that three the_five_horsemen_of_socialization make their living by lying to you and placating you (media, government, religion; the other two are peers and family). refuse to blindly accpt their empty dogma, and speak words of truth. put forth effort to find other opinoins, other sources of information, and put those through the same bs filter; just because something is "alternative" doesn't mean it's earned blind acceptance. Carpe F*cking Diem. do it now. later is a fiction. bring joy to others. it's a rough, nasty world, and healing and helping eachother is hwy humans need eachother. believe. whatever idea you hold dear, never speak against them, never stand contrary to them. these deep-held lvoes are all we have; defend and champion them, as they are your own life. evolve. every moment brings new wisdom; embrace it and grow, reject it and stagnate. stagnation and calcification is death to living creatures. become politically aware and involved. most free spirits and dissidents are disgusted and afraid of the state of the state; i tell you it is on these same vital spirits to change it. avalanches start with no more than an echo, and it takes only one person to start a march that becomes a crowd. your voice is even louder than one that is not normally heard. and, important as any other, Shout. a free spirit cannot survive in a world of hatred and lies, and that is what our air is slowly filling with. society is made up of a group of individuals, and you are an individual. throw your weight around, make demands for your own life, for the life of everyone and everything you love. that's it, my fingers are cashed, but these are all the more or less concrete things that i know to do to try to make life livable, and worth living. any other suggestions? 030915 ... minnesota_chris What a wonderful list. Spend time seeking out and doing things that bring love and happiness, turn off the things that are wastes of time or atrophy the brain. I hope you find lots of happiness miss tree. 030917 ... Dafremen Yea...keep on taking_it_to_the_streets tree. 030917 ... realistic optimist balance. (this one seems multiincarnate) accept, without making scrutiny taboo. breathe. smile. remember but let go. shine brightly, and to yourself be true. to empower ourselves we must hone our weapon of expressing our personal truths articulately, artistically. getting together and sharing that piece of ourselves. adding to the groups positive energy, synergistically. so you're ready when your chance comes, wake up! begin your biomecca, become the path, be god. have compassion, inspiration, and passion for life Let's dance 'round this mortal coil of sod! 030920 ... oldephebe misstree - "..our air is slowly filling with lies" okay why is that in direct quotes, because i took some liberties with your words..but the power and spirit of the phrase i think is still intact..incredible..spirit in variegated bloom.. ROpt and MChris i was equally inspired by you guys words..this is a special place..a quorum of quintessence.. you guys at least in this pristine construct of a projected reality..definatley keep it real ... 030920 ... misstree shucks, guys, i wouldn't have written it if i weren't inspired by all of you. ideas die in a vacuum. 030921 what's it to you? who go blather from