This page is part of the archives of the IshCon.org discussion forums, as they existed from November 2002 to January 2007. Some links and other content references may be outdated or broken. For more information about IshCon, visit www.ishcon.org.
Topic: Community
Part of the forum "Chit Chat" in the IshCon Forum Archive
| Poster and Date | Post |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 03:54 PM |
I participate in another message board with people I consider my friends; over time I have come to know and understand them and how they think, and we are a fairly close-knit community. I think one of the best things we did to foster that sense, and to care for each other, was to learn our real names; we usually use those names rather than our avatars. I know there are some who wouldnīt want to share their names due to security concerns, but I am not afraid to share mine, and in the interests of "knowing each other a bit better", I invite everyone here to share their real names here, in this thread, and perhaps call each other by our real names instead of by our Avatars. I think the best effect of this is that it can draw us together and really build the community we seem to want to build here; it certainly canīt hurt! Itīs nice to have a support group when we all go out into the world and try to introduce it to a new way of thinking. That can be a hard and unhappy job, and itīd be nice to come "home" to a place you consider to be part of your community. Without further ado: My real name, which I would be pleased if you addressed me by: Patrick. |
| Corrina Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 04:27 PM |
Patrick-ARe you a student? How old are you? Corrina Corrina |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 04:28 PM |
Iīm curious as to why youīre asking me this - Yes, and 21. |
| Corrina Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 04:34 PM |
Because you said in the war post that you are a scientist and engineer, and I was previously under the impression that you were a student. PS You werenīt at Ishcon were you? |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 04:49 PM |
I have two semesters of lab classes left to finish my degree; my professors regularly refer to me as a fellow engineer, and I have the knowledge and skills that come along with that designation. I wasnīt at IshCon.. what is IshCon... is it related to this website....? Doh!  Pardon my ignorance... |
| Corrina Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 04:57 PM |
Ishcon was the the gathering that Chris (moderator or this site) and my friend Tony organized last year, and there was one 2 years before that one. We spent a weekend together sharing ideas and the like in Richmond INdiana at the Quaker Center. Iīll try to find the pictures I have from that weekend to post. Or maybe Iīll see if Chris still has some to post. On the topic of your designated career...what are your planns after college? |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 05:05 PM |
Richmond Indiana?! Hey, my uncle lives there! Do you know of Earlham College by any chance? Heīs one of the theater arts professors there. Heīs a Quaker, too.. I wonder if you and he have met... Michael White. I would love to see some pictures, Iīve always wondered what people do when they get together to discuss Ishmael and the such.... Thanks!As for what I want to do after college... ugh. You know, 6 months ago I would have confidently answered "Boeing or Lockheed Martin!" Aerospace is my one true love, I have a fetish with spaceships (Iīm a total Scifi geek), so I want to build them too. Ahhhh but you know, I donīt want to be a wage slave, you know? Iīve been thinking alot lately about whether thereīs anything else I can do thatīs a little (a lot) less harmful for our planet; the aerospace industry is one of the worst polluters. I suppose I could get into the field and see if I canīt clean it up some; Quinn himself says that in those kinds of industries are where new minds are needed most. I canīt decide.  I keep putting off thinking about that because Iīm like "Hey, itīs still 2 years away, I donīt have to decide yet." Well, itīs not that far away anymore.. and now I have to decide... Iīm finding it very hard to do. |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 05:06 PM |
Oh yeah, Corrina, is Corrina your real name? |
| Corrina Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 05:21 PM |
You do know that Boeingīs headquarters is located in Chicago right? We began a protest there against the TABD right in front of Boeing. They also make alot of weapons you know? Iīm just curious as to how much info you have on Boeing. Yes, my name is Corrina Corrina. Ishcon topic: there were some kids from Earlham there, but Iīve never been there. Iīm not a Quaker though, just so you know. [ this message was edited by: corrina on 18-04-2003 16:22 ] |
| BalanceofJudgement Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 05:25 PM |
I know they make alot of weapons; Lockheed Martin does too. But they also have fully developed Aerospace divisions that are unrelated to the weapons divisions, and thatīs where my interests lie. īCourse there are alot of other companies that are purely aerospace, no weapons, particularly one that was in the news recently for coming up with a magnetic compressor drive that can shorten the trip to Mars from 2 years to six months. Cool stuff.. |
| Corrina Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 05:28 PM |
Yea, I think the weapons free field would be the way to go. Aside from the maufacturing weapons, Boeing has a pretty shaddy deal going on with my very own home town Chicago. Did you know that Boeing doesnīt even pay property tax? They have a beautiful huge headquarters here, literally free of charge. Then on the flip side, Chicago has a very big problem with gentrification...ITS EVERYWHERE!!! We are sorely lacking in affordable housing, But the men with the big guns get the nice downtown location. Dispicable! Our mayor sucks! Hes in bed with every one and their mother!@ |
| Ron Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 07:14 PM |
Great idea, Patrick. I hope some of the others respond. My name is Ron, and Iīm 33 years old. I grew up in Orange County, CA - went UCI, got a degree in Philosophy. Now reside in beautiful Seattle, WA with my wife Kelly and 18 month old son Tyler. |
| sanik Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 07:46 PM |
sanik= Karl 24 yrs old graduate of the university of washington (seattle) political science currentley bored/frustrated in san antonio tx and trying to decide the next step (any suggestions? wondering if i should pursue grad school, law school, medical school, an intentional community or just īaccede to homelessness/travelī for a while my brother just got accepted to grad school in nuclear (better pronounce it correctly) engineering, his undergrad in aerospace... heīs going to be studying propulsion... kind of interesting coincidence, eh? |
| Doug Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 07:50 PM |
Good thread, Patrick. Iīm also on another message board where over time I have made a few friends, and Iīd like to see a similar atmosphere around here. My name is Doug, 23, I grew up in Little Rock, AR . . . after transplanting to Boston for a couple of years to get a degree in anthropology I am back in my hometown for the time being, living with my girlfriend of almost 2 years. I plan on starting law school this fall. |
| lakelia Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 08:11 PM |
Hey everbody. My name is Leilani. I grew up in Orange County too! Irvine. And my dad teaches at UCI. Another coincidence... What city are you from, Ron? Iīm 19, but find myself surrounded by and identifying with people at least a little older these days. Iīm living in Boston with my boyfriend of almost 3 years ... and trying to decide what to do with (at least the next year of) my life. I have many passions and questions and frustrations, but Iīm (oddly?) content and hopeful at the moment... Monday we are heading to the Northwest to visit schools and see if college makes sense for the near future. And Iīd love to see pictures from Ishcon too! [ this message was edited by: lakelia on 18-04-2003 19:12 ] [ this message was edited by: lakelia on 20-04-2003 10:44 ] |
| Leaverish Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 10:25 PM |
Well, since everybodyīs sharing, iīll join the fun. I started my life in Israel as "Nehemia", a name i never really liked and that cannot be pronunced correctly in english. Never went to college - I never figured out what i wanted to do, and wanted to be free to learn what i wanted when i wanted without beeing restricted by an intitution. I pretty much did the same anyway when i was in school - if i wasnīt interested it was almost impossible to get me to learn the subject - i was quite the wild child. Came to the U.S. 10 years ago when i was 23 when Israel became to much for me - i knew i was gonna leave since i was 16. Anyway, my friends and coworkers call me "Joe", but thatīs always been a `temporary` name, till i find out who i really am. I finally know who i am (about time, iīm 33!), but havenīt decided on a first name yet. At least i know my last name is Leaverish. I actually came to the realization last week that iīm a tree, and that would probably guide me in choosing a name (anybody whoīs interested in hearing that story should check the `message from the Hopi elders`). Iīm leaning towards Redwood or just Red, i like the tree and the color, but i donīt know if this sounds presumptious or not, i definately donīt consider myself to be the tallest oldest most impressive tree around here. Does anyone have any ideas/comments? P.S. Ron, are we the elders of the tribe? And Leilany, theres nothing odd about being hopefull and content - i was in the pits of misery and despair when i found this community, and the change in my outlook is nothing short of miraculouse. My own Mom didnīt recognize my voice(!!!!) on the phone when i called Israel last Sunday - it was 2 weeks since our last conversation, and that was before i joined this here fine community. DEcivilize!! [ this message was edited by: leaverish on 18-04-2003 21:33 ] |
| Darwinian12 Fri Apr 18th, 2003 at 10:41 PM |
Well my name is Matt. I am 21, student at the school where a kid is being sued for 98 billion, yes billion, dollars for mp3 piracy. I am studying bioinformatics, a blend of molecular biology and computer science. And in my spare time enjoy fighting using brazilian jiu jitsu- a fight club sort of(interesting note: some cops joined our group==>i get to fight cops without being arrested) I feel that fighting brings raw human emotion to my table and keeps me balanced. Also my interests include non linear dynamics, self organizing systems, and chaos theory. One other interesting thing is i eat grasshoppers. They are nutritious and very tasty. Thats me....a bug eatin, fighter/scientist from Michigan. |
| Ron Sat Apr 19th, 2003 at 01:29 AM |
Hi Leilani, I am from Anaheim. I usually say Iīm from "Disneyland".  But I lived in Costa Mesa during/after college. I miss the surf...What does your father teach? Hi Leaverish, I think Red suits you fine. Itīs definately a name you can grow into! I donīt think I deserve to be an "elder" at 33, but we just may be the oldest around here. I am enjoying all the young minds, if I can say that without sounding in any way condescending. |
| BalanceofJudgement Sat Apr 19th, 2003 at 05:33 AM |
Hey everybody, thanks for responding! I just hope we can make good use of this getting to know each other. Iīll certainly try. Ummmm so details that everybody else included though I didnīt ask for... I was born in Portland, Oregon during the worst thunderstorm there in like 20 years, according to my mom; this is probably why I love thunderstorms and rainy weather so much. I grew up in Southern California in a little town called Redlands, about 60 miles east of LA, right next to San Bernardino (hello, everybody from Irvine and Orange County and the such I am now a student at UC Berkeley working in a Mechanical Engineering major and a Philosophy minor (no time for the major...). I am 21 but my mom says I was born 37 and am now 110. She and I share the same birthday, and have similar personalities. |
| Teefs Sat Apr 19th, 2003 at 11:47 AM |
I just found out about IshCon a couple of days ago, so any of you can email me a hello at teefs99@hotmail.com. I love discussing almost anything. As for my real name, itīs Brian and Iīm from Ottawa, Canada [ this message was edited by: teefs on 19-04-2003 10:48 ] |
| Leaverish Sat Apr 19th, 2003 at 05:03 PM |
Hey Ron, thanks for your input regarding the name. BTW my `elders` comment was meant as a joke - i donīt think i deserve to be called an elder either (in case anyone misinterpreted me), just as you point that we might be the oldest ones here - and that makes one feel a little old.... P.S. This is a great thread Patrick, thanks for sharing!! |
| lakelia Sun Apr 20th, 2003 at 11:42 AM |
Hm, Karl, sounds like your options pretty much cover the whole spectrum... Mine too, right now. Canīt really say I have much advice, but I hear ya!! Matt -- I recently got into Tae Kwon Do, and I feel the same way about the "raw human emotion" thing. I have all this fighter, power energy inside me that doesnīt have much chance to get out in the course of a daily life in peaceful times (peaceful where I am, anyway). Itīs so great. So, how do you eat your grasshoppers? Do you just find them and bite? Do you kill them first, or cook them or anything? Just curious... Ron, sometimes I say Iīm from Disneyland too! More people have heard of Orange County now, though, after the movie... My dad teaches Chinese history, some economics and comparative history. I think most of the people I know at UCI are in history and biology. I like the name Redwood too, it doesnīt sound presumptuous. Then again, my Chinese name means Auspicious Orchid... Gee Patrick, yer old. |
| Shahriar Sun Apr 20th, 2003 at 04:22 PM |
Hi everyone. great idea for a thread patrick! My name is Shahriar, Im 21, read Political Science and Middle Eastern and African History at the University of Toronto before that I lived in Switzerland, and wasborn and raised in KArachi, Pakistan, which is where I am right now. Im going to law school this September.. Meanwhile Im working on a proposal for a new university, and trying to get an expedition up K2 this June, among other fun stuff Nice to know a little more about us. |
| Leaverish Sun Apr 20th, 2003 at 11:21 PM |
Ok i guess itīs setteled. I hereby anounce my new name (and iīm quite serious this how iīll be introducing myself to people in the future) to be Redwood, with the nickname being Red, so everyone is invited to use either name when addressing me. Thanks for the input guys... |
| ledbetter Mon Apr 21st, 2003 at 09:54 AM |
My name is Daniel. I am 26, I manage a stock portfolio for a living, I live in the suburbs of Nashville (and have all my life), and I am married to a great woman. I have a couple degrees from Middle Tennessee State University and I teach there a little. As far as hobbies and such, I read, play the guitar, write, and talk turkey with all you good people. Matt, itīs so cool that you find release in fighting. I took praying mantis gung fu for a while and found it to be a great release as well. I eventually stopped because it is hell on my schedule (as well as my shins!). I wish I had stuck with it. Hang in there, more power to you! Leilani has got to be one of the coolest names ever. Redwood, if you have not done so, check out Original Wisdom. There is much writing there about the significance of trees and how tribal peoples connect their spirits with them. Fascinating stuff.... [ this message was edited by: ledbetter on 21-04-2003 08:55 ] |
| yawamai Mon Apr 21st, 2003 at 03:49 PM |
I think Id like to start posting here more often.... My name is: Jeff. I enjoy playing guitar, listening to music such as pearl Jam, the Beatles, pink floyd, I enjoy watching movies, being outdoors, reaidng, and thinking. |
| ledbetter Mon Apr 21st, 2003 at 05:20 PM |
glad to see so many Pearl Jam fans here. I went to their concert here last week. It was the most unique one from them Iīve seen yet. They sang the Clash song Know Your Rights, did a cover of Fortunate Son with Steve Earle and Sleater Kinney, and did an extra special rendition of Bushleaguer that ended with Ed kissing a mask of GWB. Fun was had by all.... One of the things i loved most was the fact that every person in the crowd new ALL the words to Do The Evolution and Cropduster. The latter contains the lines "This aint no book you can close when the big lie hits your eye/Everyone is practicing/ this worldīs an accident/ I was a fool because I thought I thought the world/ Turns out the World Thought me." I think this is a reference directly to Ishmael.... Anyway, welcome Jeff, glad to know you. |
| Leaverish Mon Apr 21st, 2003 at 08:52 PM |
Hey Daniel, thanks for the recomendation. I was going to check it out anyway after reading your `original wisdom` thread, but after seeing your personal recomendation here, i went out and baught it tonight on my way home. Iīm really looking forward to starting reading tomorrow (i would have started tonight on the train ride home, but i had to finish `fight club` - in case you havenīt read it itīs a great read - extremely powerfull). |
| DirtyGreek Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 12:03 AM |
Hey, everyone I havenīt had a chance to read all your info, but I will once Iīm done with the next few daysī worth of final schoolwork. My name is George. Iīm 21, 22 May 7. I am about to graduate from N.C. State University with a BS in Computer Science, which I will promptly be putting to absolutely no good use. Quinn and others have allowed me to finally let go and start to live by my dreams and my heart, instead of my wallet and societal pressures. I have a supportive family who understands that I want to go out into the world and learn, grow, and teach - and thatīs what Iīm going to do. Not sure precisely where or how yet, but any suggestions are welcome |
| ledbetter Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 09:03 AM |
Thanks for the recommendation, Red. Is the book Fight Club worth reading after seeing the movie? George, my best suggestion is to look at as many options as you can and take the one that appeals to you the most on an emotional level. None of them appealed to me on an emotional level so I chose the one that had the highest prospects for salary. That was a HUGE mistake. That said.... If you enjoy computer science, do that. There is a huge need for people in that field. The process that goes into constructing the hardware is one of the most destructive processes ever (refer to the Computer chapter of the book Stuff for a run down on that). Almost every business has an IT department that does at least some programming and procurement of software. There is a huge need to move to paperless functioning. Computers were supposed to eliminate all the need for paper but they havenīt. Online periodicals should replace hard copies, fax machines should be eliminated in favor of LAN Fax systems, etc etc. There is much work to be done in that field, and you would be a great candidate for getting some of it done. Best of all, it would reduce costs to the employers, which means you can probably get enough income to make this work indefinitely.... |
| Corrina Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 10:45 AM |
Allright, so you want the goods on Corrina???? Here ya go.. I am 22 years old, will be 23 on July 30th. I live with Kris aka B-leaver in a happy home with our kitty Winnie (who is evil). By the way its Krisī birthday today!!!! The big 23 for B-Leaver! So happy happy birthday Baby! What else...well, I work as an admin assistant at Northwestern University, and when Iīm not building pyramids, I make hemp jewelry, Iīm a sometime, but not in sometime actor, and I am looking forward to someday opening my own space to the public and making available healthy/organic food, hemp jewelry, etc. and letting people use the space for showīs, concerts, and a meeting place...that is very children friendly. So, thats Corrina Corrina (Iīm also named after a song by the greatest poet that ever lived, Bob Dylan). Any questions??? [ this message was edited by: corrina on 22-04-2003 09:47 ] |
| eco Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 10:49 AM |
Hi everyone....great to get to "know" you all a little better. I love the idea of being part of a closer-knit community, and feeling supported by eachother in our difficult task of changing the world. My real name is Kim, and Iīm a 21 year old university student, about to finish up my first undergrad (a BA in anthropology with a minor in biology). Next year, I plan to start a second undergrad in environmental studies, my major interests revolving around agricultural practices. As for what I want to do with my life....thatīs a tough one! Iīm sure it will involve some type of alternative/organic food production, and hopefully lots of time with my family and just being outdoors (not in the city!). Iīm originally from a (very) small town in rural Ontario, and feel very out of my element in the cities I have lived in for school. Itīs not that I "donīt fit in" - I just donīt like the city! Unfortunately, I will need to be in the city for at least a few more years (we still canīt completely factor finances out of our lives), but when we can afford to, my boyfriend and I plan to move to the country and settle. I like the idea of ībecoming native to a placeī - I borrow this from a community in Kansas called Matfield Green....a group of people (from the Land Institute - another story in itself) who are concerned about the loss of knowledge about local systems that is occuring because of urban migration. I am having some trouble reconciling my views about agriculture with Quinn....I donīt think that all agriculture is wrong, but Iīm not sure what he thinks. Any clarifications? I would love some input about this. Obviously agriculture is a fundamental motif in Quinnīs books, but is it the practice of agriculture that is bad, or just the locking up of food? Anway, enough rambling....hope to see some more posts on this thread! |
| ledbetter Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 11:30 AM |
Wow, this is so cool, I never would have guessed these profiles.... Just wanted to reply to Kimīs question about Quinn and agriculture.... From the Ishmael Community Q&A (# 20  , Quinnīs reply to a question:"If 6 billion people can be fed by totalitarian agriculture, then the same 6 billion can be fed by sustainable agriculture. The difference between totalitarian agriculture and sustainable agriculture is not technique or output (since a turnip is a turnip however itīs produced) but rather program. The program of totalitarian agriculture is to increase food production in order to outpace population growth that is fueled by the very increases it produces, and this is what makes it unsustainable. To put it even more plainly: Itīs the program, not the agriculture, that is unsustainable. This is why I can be certain that we donīt need totalitarian agriculture to feed us. It isnīt the program thatīs feeding us today, itīs the agriculture, and the agriculture can feed us just as easily tomorrow-without the program." Hope this helps! |
| Heretic Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 at 04:34 AM |
This was a hella cool thread, Patrick. Anyways, my name is Ryan. Iīm 24 living in Crown Point, IN. Iīm a probation officer by trade, dreamer by design. And Iīm desperately wishing I had read Ishmael prior to my going to college. Iīm no longer as interested in the legal system as I used to be. And I spend far too much time harassing Christians than I should. Daniel - I definitely recommend reading Fight Club. The book has so much more than the movie, actually explaining the purpose of Fight Club, and later Project Mayhem. Tyler stated several times that he wanted to destroy civilization to make something better. I equate him to the man riding the flying machine in Ishmael, except he realizes halfway down that it isnīt working. And if anyoneīs looking for more like it, check out Lullaby by the same author, Chuck Palahniuk. Another statement about the condition of our culture. Iīm looking forward to reading Original Wisdom, Daniel. Iīm also gonna check out some other books people have talked about here. Thanks to everyone for making this site great!  "We are inextricably part of nature, but human uniqueness is not negated thereby. "Nothing but" an animal is as fallacious a statement as "created in godīs own image." It is not mere hubris to argue that Homo sapiens is special in some sense-- for each species is unique in its own way; shall we judge among the dance of the bees, the song of the humpback whale, and human intelligence?" --Stephen Jay Gould (The Mismeasure of Man) |
| Heretic Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 at 04:49 AM |
Oh, I just wanted to add that you can usually find me lurking in the chatroom, though I may not always be at my computer. Sorry Iīm never around when you message, Corrina. |
| Corrina Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 at 05:30 PM |
Matt!!- Iīm sorry, this may seem like I havenīt been paying attention to you, but I just saw on your post that you are in Nashville, Tennessee! Thats crazy! My motherīs whole family is in Lexington, Tennessee. And my mother and I will be down there in 2 weeks! Trippy coincidence? I think not! |
| Darwinian12 Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 at 05:45 PM |
Corrina. Not me, I am in various parts of Michigan...must be someone else. |
| Corrina Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 at 05:53 PM |
Oops! My bad, I meant Daniel! |
| ledbetter Thu Apr 24th, 2003 at 09:03 AM |
Hey Corrina, thatīs pretty cool! Lexington is about 2 hours away from me, pretty close to Jackson, TN. I guess Memphis would be closer but I donīt think they have a Southwest terminal, so will you be driving/flying through Nashville? Kris coming with you? |
| Corrina Thu Apr 24th, 2003 at 10:22 AM |
No, unfortunately Kris is not coming with on this trip. My mother and I are driving down. We go every year for the first Sunday in May, are you familiar with that tradition? Its pretty big in Lexington. But Kris will be coming with us in July when we go back and we will be staying a week. Maybe we could arrange a meeting for that trip! Corrina Corrina  |
| ledbetter Thu Apr 24th, 2003 at 10:34 AM |
YES, this is a must. When July gets closer, please drop me a personal email (to my email address in my profile here) and letīs get ths particulars squared away. Cool! |
| Kaitiaki Sat Apr 26th, 2003 at 01:27 PM |
Leaverish pointed this thread out to me on the civilization? thread. I honestly had no idea how it seemed that everyone already knew each othersī real names and stuff about each other......so anyway, My nameīs Steve and I live in Pittsburgh. I like the word "Kaitiaki," introduced to me by Bruce Stewart in Derrick Jensenīs interview of him....But I do prefer Steve, for now, even though I would one day find a better name. Cause really Steve is pretty boring when it comes right down to it. Other than that, Iīm 20 years old and an anthropology/writing major at the University of Pittsburgh. I call myself a writer, which is only slightly hubristic since I did (and will resume doing at some point in the future) write & get paid for it as a columnist for the Pitt News, a publication read by 40,000 people (and if youīd like to read any of my stuff let me know and Iīll post a link or 3). Now I have to be at class in 3 minutes. |
| Leaverish Sat Apr 26th, 2003 at 03:29 PM |
Hey Steve! Glad to know i did something positive for a change... I, for one want to read your stuff, so please post a link (or 20). BTW, please call me Redwood, or Red... |
| Leaverish Tue Apr 29th, 2003 at 09:35 PM |
What this thread needs right now is a BUMP |
| yonosoymedico Wed Apr 30th, 2003 at 01:00 AM |
Alright, my names Adam and currently I am a student at a small college in kentucky. But, im leaving VERY soon and plan to take some time off, then go to Evergreen State College(which i recommend everyone look at, even if youre just browsing) and studying Native Americans/sustainable agriculture... My whole life has been a precursor to my new found knowledge...I always wondered "why is the world īso fucked upī" and now i know. I was assigned to read Ishmael in an Anthro course and it changed my life. I read the Story of B quickly, and recently finished my ishmael... uhm, thats about all i can think of right now, but Iīm definitely here to make a change, its pretty much my only goal...its all i see that is fit for my time and energy... see you all around Adam also anyone who has AIM, please IM me... |
| DirtyGreek Wed Apr 30th, 2003 at 04:43 PM |
you know, you should really all get AIM if you donīt have it, and if you do have it, you should all have your names in your profiles so we can talk to each other outside the forum oh and feel free to IM me any time [ this message was edited by: dirtygreek on 30-04-2003 15:43 ] |
| Ghost Thu May 1st, 2003 at 03:17 PM |
Hey there. My name is Matthew and Iīm from Montreal. Iīm a theatre student about 6 days out from graduation. If any of you live in Toronto or western Canada, Iīll be doing a Fringe Festival tour out your way this summer. I view Quinn like Newton. Newton didnīt invent gravity, he was just the first to quanify it. He left it to others to use it to make sense of the universe. Quinn has done that with the law of life. I would suppose that my greatest strength and greatest shortcomming is that I can be impatient when it comes to action. I can be a very decisive person. I believe in the Hagakure quote, "Decisions should be made within the space of seven breaths." When it comes to saving the world, Iīm big on descisive movement. I meditate on this subject constantly and I have a lot of ideas. Iīm a good essayist and public speaker and I enjoy boiling down big concepts into manageable chunks and teaching them to others. My belief is that it is up to us all to save the world. Forums like this are important for us so that we can dicuss our views and figure out routes of action; however, I strongy believe that the key to changing this whole mess is for people such as ourselves to write our new stories and enact them. Nothing short of becoming Leavers will save the world and so that is the goal. Peace and Love and Empathy, Matt |
| Ghost Thu May 1st, 2003 at 05:14 PM |
Iīve been working my way through some of the threads. This site is pretty cool. Additional info. Iīm 28 and born and raised in a suburb of Montreal called Pointe-Claire. Big up to my fellow Canadian peeps I studied at Dawson College in Montreal and am actually in the computer lab there. I gotta go now, I have a show tonight. Peace and Love and Empathy, Matt |
| Leaverish Tue May 6th, 2003 at 11:32 PM |
One more BUMP Silas, do you think itīs possible to pin this thread to the top of the forum? With new people joining daily, this could help reduce the amount of clutter and bumps to this thread. |
| Darwinian12 Wed May 7th, 2003 at 07:00 AM |
I told you my real name: Matt. But I would prefer being called by my screenname. Thank you. |
| Zwanya Wed May 7th, 2003 at 12:32 PM |
My name is Anya, and I am a Billy Corgan addict. I was spawned in both a time and place that could be described as Hell (dog days of summer; 1986; the Bronx, NY) and now I live in La Grange, a town consisting strictly of farmland and identical suburban neighborhoods. Itīs so small it doesnīt have its own post office, so we use Poughkeepsieīs post office. Which is why I tell everyone Iīm from Poughkeepsie. Aaanyway... The only two useful things Iīve done with my existence as of May 7, 2003 are: 1) writing and publishing the first novel in a trilogy 2) founding an Ishmael Club at my high school Actually, come to think of it, we have a meeting tomorrow. Our faculty advisor teaches biology, earth science, and natural disasters and is trying to get the school to let him teach a course on evolution. Usually, we meet in his classroom but this week weīll be meeting in the woods behind the schoolīs sports fields. Weīve been reading My Ishmael and will be discussing the school system. Iīm sure the club members will have some very strong opinions on the matter, and some stories to tell, so it should be a good meet. (To give you an idea of the kind of people in this club... people with normal-colored hair are in the minority. An aerial view of us would resemble a rainbow.) |
| Corrina Wed May 7th, 2003 at 01:56 PM |
Whats your book about Anya? |
| Zwanya Wed May 7th, 2003 at 02:11 PM |
Iīm kind of ashamed about this, but is has absolutely nothing to do with Ishmael or anything that could even remotely be considered Ishmaelic. I began writing it before Iīd even heard of Daniel Quinn, and since becoming a New Tribal Revolutionary, I kind of feel guilty when I advertise it. Like... "These people should be reading HIS books, not mine." My book (I think) has a pretty important theme and I hope it will have some kind of positive impact on the world, but itīs not anywhere near as Earth-shattering as Quinnīs... itīs basically about this 13-year-old boy who was raised in a homophobic, Christian fundamentalist family and heīs beginning to realize that heīs gay. Basically, itīs about prejudice. You can sample some of it here: http://books.iuniverse.com/viewbooks.asp?isbn=0595271618&page=1[addsig] |
| nawsh2002 Fri May 9th, 2003 at 06:39 PM |
My name is Shawn. Iīm 19. Iīm from Frankfort, KY, the smallest and best state capitol ever. Last year I attended the Universtiy of Dayton in OH, but I will transfering to UK this fall. Right now I dont have a major nor do I have any idea what would be worth studying. Suggestions are welcome. Basically Iīm in college so I dont have to support myself and to figure out what Iīm actually going to do with my life. I was introduced to Daniel Quinn (and this website) by Adam who I believe will actually save the world...with the help of the rest of of us of course. I dont really no what else to tell you guys except that I love music, especially Phish and that I canīt wait to see them in July in IN. Also my AIM name is the same as the one I use here: Nawsh2002 feel free to IM me. layder Shawn |
| BalanceofJudgement Thu May 15th, 2003 at 05:11 AM |
Bump |
| Ghost Sat May 17th, 2003 at 01:56 AM |
Hey Silas, can we please get this pinned to the top of the forum? Thank you. Peace and Love and Empathy, Matt |
| Jeebus Sat May 17th, 2003 at 05:05 AM |
If there were ever an opposite to the term "articulate", I think I would be it. Iīve always been a listener rather than a talker, and I donīt intend to post frequently, but I have been prowling these boards since Ghost/Matt introduced me to them a few weeks ago, and would like to introduce myself to you. I'm 28 years old, and met Matt 6? years ago when I joined his band as bassplayer. I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being a vegetarian, which was probably the most difficult change I've ever been through in my life, I still struggle with cravings. I'm embarassed to say that there isn't much to tell about myself otherwise, I've been "searching" since I left college, and have yet to find my path in life. I read Ishmael back when I was in college, and was heavily influenced by it. It spurred all manner of incremental changes in me, which I hope to persue by reading these threads. Jason edit: added some detail about myself |
| Leaverish Sun May 18th, 2003 at 12:06 AM |
Hey Jeebus! Doesn't sound inarticulate at all, but can you (maybe?) tell us your name, and maybe a little something about who you are? That's the point of this thread.... :wink: |
| jenoline Mon May 19th, 2003 at 12:31 PM |
Hi. My name is Jennifer, I'm 27. I live in North Carolina with my husband, Joe (who just registered last night as Cygnus), and our 2yr old daughter. I stumbled across Ishmael during college (around 1994), devoured it and passed it on to Joe, who I was dating at the time. It really made an impression on us. We both read Story of B (and every other Quinn book) as soon as it came out. I think this was actually a more influential book for me, although I'm not sure what I would have thought of it if I hadn't read Ishmael first. I tend to lurk a lot (I've been lurking for awhile, actually), and I read a lot more than I post. I am a stay-at-home mom to my daughter, and, while I can find time to read/scan some posts quickly it is more difficult to find the time to sit and write a well-thought post/reply. So, even if you don't see me, rest assured that I am here ;) Jennifer :-) PS MSN messenger handle is jenoline, and AOL IM is tutemi. Feel free to PM me. |
| BalanceofJudgement Mon May 19th, 2003 at 09:45 PM |
Hi Jennifer! It's nice to meet you and see you here... I'd love to hear your insight and any ideas you have. I think getting more people to post here would be a good thing. But, don't take that as an obligation to post, I just mean to say, don't be afraid to if you want to input something. :) The more the merrier.. Anyway, welcome to the board! (You know I'm just trying to welcome you to the board before Leaverish (Red) does... get a little COMPETITION going... ;) ) |
| Leaverish Mon May 19th, 2003 at 09:53 PM |
Patrick, I beat you to it!!! :wink: Check out Jennifer's `continuum concept` thread..... Who da man?? I da man!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Is everyone :roll: yet? :wink: |
| NativeMind Thu May 22nd, 2003 at 04:18 PM |
Hi, My name is Al and I actually represent a larger community over at Gortbusters.org. The community started from a class that the TheAborigine taught in high school called Myths, Dreams, and Cultures. The foundation for this class was reading Ishmael. We went on to explore many cultures of the world, myths of american culture (and others), and personal enlightenment through dream exploration (know thyself). The site involved to what it is today, though not centered around Ishmael like Ishcon, it looks at the world from a leavers perspective. Finding out that 'nothing that is so, is so' and the myths that people perceive within society. As for myself, I recently attended The Tracker School, which anyone who has read any of Tom Brown's books (The Tracker, Awakening Spirits, etc) will be familiar with. I'll be going into the woods this weekend to work on my primitive skills and commune with nature. Peace. Al |
| Xavin Sun May 25th, 2003 at 06:47 PM |
I'm sure a few of you already recognize me. The length of this thread is a bit intimidating. My name is William. I'm 19. I think I found Ishcon through the Ishmael Discussion list on Yahoo Groups. I read Ishmael 2 years ago, followed closely by The Story of B, My Ishmael, and Beyond Civilization. I'm going to college, studying piano, and not really sure if I want to be going to school anymore. I recently founded an Ishmael Discussion Group in Dallas, TX, so if you are interested, just get in touch with me. |
| randomweights Tue Jun 3rd, 2003 at 08:06 AM |
Hi everyone. My name is Torrie, I'm 28 and am currently living in Australia, but am soon moving to Japan to teach. While studying business at university many years ago and working in management I began to realise the futility of the corporate ratrace and so left the profession to pursue a personal training business. My whole life at that point was bodybuilding and weightlifting despite the everpresent self doubt regarding the purpose of that kind of lifestyle and its obsession with the ego. After stumbling on Ishmael during a period of much soul searching, I quit the lifestyle, went back to university and am currently completing my post graduate studies in Elementary (Primary) teaching where I hope to one day imbue the new generation with the ideas I have learned in Quinn's books. Australia is a land of blind, ignorant apathy, and I hope to speak with others who have some ideas on how this apathy and ignorance can begin to be changed. Thankyou Ishcon.org for the opportunity to meet and speak with other likeminded souls and I hope to be a regular poster. |
| Leaverish Thu Jun 5th, 2003 at 11:11 PM |
I just noticed today is my two month anniversary since joining!! Happy anniversary to me... :lol: :lol: :lol: It seems it was ages ago since I joined, but I guess the calender doesn't lie... This also happens to be the two month anniversary since I quitt smoking pot, so it's a double anniversary!! I hope no one minds my rambling, It's pretty late, and I'm in an exceptionally good mood tonight. I've had a very productive evening (been posting for 4 hr's straight), and that usually get's me going big time. Better than getting stoned, I can tell you that much. :D :D :D |
| Huby7 Fri Jun 6th, 2003 at 04:30 PM |
Hello, My name is Curt. I'm 28 years old. I live in Northern Wisconsin. I enjoy reading, fishing, hunting, spending time with my family and friends and talking about ways to abandon or bring down civilization. I use to actually be a logger, of course this was before I read Ishmael. The thing is Ishmael didn't make me give up logging(killing trees) I was just very unhappy doing it, were talking to the point of serious depression. One day after being in one of my states massive confusion I decided to quit working and take some time off or else go insane...:-) A few months later I was talking with a friend of mine about spirituality; she said, "your ready for Ishmael". After reading Ishmael a whole new world had opened up for me and hope was restored. Since than I've been devouring books by Daniel Quinn, Derrick Jensen, Doug Brown, Howard Zinn, Thomas Berry, Thom Hartmann, etc...etc. As of right now my girlfriend (who is a member of IshCon) and I purchased a old thirty two acre hobby farm with a trout stream running through the middle of it. Were just about finished putting the garden in. Our next project is putting up fencing for a horse pasture. Anyway.....I would like to say thank you for IshCon and all the wonderful people involved with the community. Keep up the great work everyone! Take Care Curt |
| Erin Sat Jun 7th, 2003 at 08:48 PM |
Hi, Someone asked me to write a bit about myself here so here it goes: My name is Erin and I live in Fairfield Ohio about 30 minutes north of Cincinnati. I am a 19 year old student and have been reading Quinn for about 3 years. I have been a member of Ishcon since the old site was up but havnt had much time to do any posting until now. I can talk about many subjects so I will enjoy talking with you guys. I love camping and spending time outdoors and have a great love for animals. I have always enjoyed reading fiction and non-fiction - just about anything. My favorite Ishmael related topic would have to be tribalism, at least thats what I find myself to be most apt to learn. The thing I most enjoy about Quinn and other similiar authors is that I can take a third road of thought. I love how non-biased everyone is compared to the normal person I talk to. Everything stems from what the right thing to do is so I don't find myself arguing over beliefs as much as I used to. This is a great community with plenty of intelligent and genuine people! Will be purusing the discussions later so talk to you all then :) --Erin |
| gregb Fri Jun 13th, 2003 at 11:00 AM |
Hi Everybody, Well, this seems to be the place for us newbies to start on IshCon. So here it goes... My name is Greg and I live in mid Missouri. First read Ishmael 6 years ago, and then read all the rest of Quinn's stuff except Providence and Dachau. Someday I'll get to them also. For the last year I have been practicing "unschooling" with my kids. It is going great! :D (For those unfamiliar with the term, it is a style of homeschooling that is like the educational ideas presented in My Ishmael) Prior to this I was an engineer for a long time, mostly designing new products. (Designing new things is very creative and fun, but unfortunately some company then goes and produces thousands or millions of them. More un-need-ed doodads...) Being a stay-at-home dad means my family learned to live well on one smaller income, how to walk away a few steps. To get to this point took us about five years. Basically an addiction withdrawal followed by a creation of a new lifestyle. We used our own program that grew out of pieces from the books "Your Money or Your Life", "Die Broke", and bits of some voluntary simplicity books. If anybody wants to discuss this maybe there is a thread I can join or start. This past winter and spring I facilitated an Ishmael book discussion group. We had 8 people involved and went through Ish, My Ish, Beyond Civ, and the population video. It lasted 9 weeks and went very well. It is a great way to help change minds, and a rare chance to carry on an ongoing face-to face talk about these issues. We created a series of discussion questions that is available if anybody else would like to try organizing a book discussion group. Lots of fun/little work/great results! A major interest of mine is culture change: why/how it happens, and what can be done to help it happen again. (Culture in a worldview sense, NOT an infrastructure sense. Though changes are often made to infrastructure to make them fit the current worldview.) In my opinion, right now we are in the middle of a culture change. It may not be a sweeping enough change to end the taker culture, but it will end the consumer culture. 8O This is something I would really like to have dialogue on because I see it as fitting in so well with "changing minds" and "saving the world". As a teaser on these changes, check out the book "Schizomania" at www.schizomania.com There are other books that come up with the same sort of conclusions from very different angles, but Schizomania is the most 'straight to the point' (kind of like Ishmael in the way it rocks your foundations...) Look forward to meeting you all, Greg |
| Huby7 Mon Jun 16th, 2003 at 06:53 PM |
gregb, Welcome to the community and thank you for your story. It's stories like yours that give me hope......:-) |
| silas Tue Jun 17th, 2003 at 09:11 PM |
Many of you have asked me to post on this thread. I've refrained until now, because I wanted to do it right. Here's my post: :) An Earnest Desire Thoughts on Ishmael, IshCon, and Saving the World http://www.ishcon.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=116 Enjoy. I'd love to hear any responses/reactions you might have. Silas |
| Nocternal Wed Jun 18th, 2003 at 01:58 AM |
Nocternal. But you can call me Nocky. I live in Hamilton OH just 10 mins from Erin's house. Erin introduced me to Quinn and this board. I'm trying to get my band together and hope to open a magic and game store someday. Other than that i'm just your ordinary spooky kid. |
| ledbetter Wed Jun 18th, 2003 at 10:36 AM |
Chris That is a wonderful piece! Good to know more about the mysterious Silas. Starting IshCon was a great idea, we should all be so successful. Nocky Welcome! Please look around and immerse yourself in the community here. I look forward to your input. What instrument do you play (voice is a legit answer, of course)? ********* Daniel |
| BalanceofJudgement Thu Jun 19th, 2003 at 01:56 PM |
Wow, so many new people here since I last posted in this thread! It's a pleasure to meet all of you and see all of you here! Some boards have a tendency to attract the "less desirable" among us, but not this board - you guys are all A+ material. I look forward to.. dialoguing.. with all of you. :) Here's to hoping I see some of you jump into the fray on the "General Discussion" board... ;) P.S. Nobody has answered my "Not-So-Modest Proposal" thread :P |
| Nocternal Sun Jun 22nd, 2003 at 07:12 AM |
Hi ledbetter, Right now my budget has limited me to vocals. Altough my bestest buddy in the whole world and lead guitarist has lent me her spare guitar. |
| jefgodesky Sat Jun 28th, 2003 at 09:48 AM |
So I'm to understand this thread is the official place of introduction, yes? That would be the custom here? M'tey! My name is Jason Godesky; I recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in computer science & anthropology (yeah, I know, what a combo!). I plan to help save the world with computers, and anthropology is so I understand what just the !@#$ is going on here! :lol: These days, I'm hard at work trying to set up a digital publishing tribe called Tribal Dawn (www.tribaldawn.com), where we do web design, computer games, photography, and anything else our m4d c0ding and gr4phics skillz can accomplish to eke out a living. But you're not your job; you're not the car you drive; you're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f**ing khakis. Right now I'm kept pretty busy with the affairs of every early-20s young man in civilization: putting my life in order. I'm interested in shamanism, and one of these days I'll probably date again, but for the moment, my life is pretty much utterly consumed with my work. :( Fortunately, my work is something I usually enjoy, and since I'm doing it tribally, it's a little more humanizing every time we take a step forward. |
| gabriel Mon Jun 30th, 2003 at 07:19 PM |
Hi all I have been monitoring this site almost daily for some time, so its about time I introduced myself. My education background is in accountancy, but I have never practiced. This was because as I was completing my degree I became involved with a six year old boy called Luke. Luke had a rare recessive genetic disorder and lived in a community home because his challenging behaviours were too much for his family to deal with. Luke only lived to 11 years old but, for all Luke's issues he had a profound effect on all those around him. When one of the hundred or so words he could say was your name, you can't help but be affected. I got more involved with the advocacy group that supported Luke and at 22 was managing ž of my cities residential services, had a $2 million budget to play with, 20 staff and about 50 clients who's lives where greatly influenced by decisions I made. By age 24 I was disillusioned. The human rights organisation I was working for had a great philosophy of the breaking down institutions, but had become an institution in itself. So I retired and walked away from a good career, girlfriend, and family to go backpacking around the world for the next six years. Before I left NZ I wrote a pamphlet (as it was only 30 odd pages, my friends would not allow me to refer to it as a book) called “How to save the world- one person opinion”. It stated what I thought the main issues for the world were and possible solutions. It was very idealistic, but it helped me clarify my thoughts at the time. About two years later a friend of a friend that I was having a drink with for the first time in London, said that he had read my pamphlet, and the he ran off and bought me a copy of Ishmael. Now back in NZ I own and run a wine retail business and am currently involved in the development of a backpackers hostel. The hostel will hopefully be a place people with changed minds can gather to promote and develop Quinn's ideas, and act as an example of one of the many ways to live beyond civilisation. Come visit sometime |
| jadjad Tue Jul 8th, 2003 at 10:22 PM |
What an interesting collection of people! Im very excited to have joined this website now. Ive been dangerously in need of inspiration and this seems just the thing. A bit about me. Im 23 years old, male, live in melbourne Australia, studying to become a naturopath (almost finished), I work in a supplement store and enjoy aspects of it, but on the whole feel revolted by the pushy selling i am obliged to do as part of the job. As most of you are American i assume you will know the health food chain "GNC". They are fairly new in Australia and their sales tactics are very fast food "would you like a multivitamin with that?" But the pay is good, and at least it is vaguely related to what i am studying. I wont be suprised however if joining this site prompts me to quit and get something less sickening! From a very young age i became disatisfied with our culture. I loved documentaries on 'leaver' cul;tures and perhaps naively envied their lives. I turned vegetarian when i was 12 years old. I was very interested in environmental issues, animal rights issues, etc all through highschool. Through wanting to stay healthy as a vegetarian i also became deeply interested in nutrition. This, combined with interests in evolution and traditional diets and healing methods lead to me studying naturopathy. It seemed like the only interesting option after finishing highscool, apart from running away up north to join a commune (still always an option that keeps me sane). I love what i am learning, but am always questioning what i really want to do with my life. My dream is to build my own mudbrick house with my boyfriend in the tropics, and grow my own fruit and vegies, and somehow make money to travel the world! Im not scared of criticism and freely acknowledge that i am often a total hipocrite, so dont be scared to let me know if anything i post sounds stupid. I read Ishmael two years ago, it validated for me thoughts i was having already, and made them all the more clearer. Im stuck on where to go from here. Hopefully this site gives me some ideas! Oh, i tend to waffle on a bit too much and type too much, i dont talk about this stuff very often with friends, so when i come online i get overexcited! Anything else you want to know about me just ask, or email - glowyrm@hotmail.com Oh yeah and my name is Jad |
| MitchellTrupia Thu Jul 17th, 2003 at 09:43 PM |
Hello, my name is Mitchell. I am the owner/moderator of the NYC Ishmael group on Yahoo. I'm an artist, musican and photographer hell bent on changing the world. NYC Ishmael is about to celebrate our One Year Anniversary! Thanks to all you guys that created IshCon. I love this place and I hope to visit much more often. :lol: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nyc_ishmael/ *** is there anybody out there? *** |
| ledbetter Fri Jul 18th, 2003 at 09:21 AM |
Welcome, Mitchell. Leaverish (Redwood) is also in NYC, you guys should PM! Daniel :D |
| eco Fri Jul 18th, 2003 at 01:37 PM |
Wow, I've been away for a while, and so many new posts! I think everyone has already been sufficiently welcomed, so I shall abstain. Congratulations Silas on creating and facilitating an amazing community and most of all: thank you! You really have accomplished something amazing here, and it is only getting better. It's really good to read all of your thoughts and ideas, especially at this point in my life....I really never thought I could draw this much strength from a computer! It makes me very happy :D Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm back (for now anyway), after a wonderful period of travel and rest....not too sure I'm happy to be back in civilization, but definitely rejuvinated and inspired! I'm going back to school in September in a new program: Environmental Studies....I really don't know what else to do, plus I think it will be useful. I've decided I want to research and develop Natural Systems Agriculture in a hardwood forest environment (in Ontario)....there is a whole lot of work to be done though! Any plant geneticists or ecologists looking to get involved in something exciting? Just checking.... peace everyone, kim. |
| Steve Sun Jul 20th, 2003 at 05:08 PM |
Hey everybody, I've been spending a lot more time around Ishcon recently and wanted to take the opportunity to share a little more about myself. First, I would like to say I am very grateful for the work everyone here has contributed to make the site what it is-- simply the best Ishmael-related site around. I feel very fortunate to be able to experience and participate in all that goes on. Thank you! I read "Ishmael" about four years ago, shortly after joining a band that played a song by that name. At every show, before we played the song, the singer would say something like 'Read the book...' --Piqued my curiosity! I started my 'educational journey' with Quinn then (after figuring out that Ishmael wasn't a reference to "Moby Dick" LOL!) and havn't looked back since. I guess you could say music or art is my religion-- that is to say, my way of expressing myself and relating to, and interpreting the world. My posts are rarely definitve-- not my style. I prefer to just splash around a couple ideas... throw down a couple lines... and see what takes shape. In addition to Daniel Quinn, two of my favorite artists are Jimi Hendrix and musician, Richard Bona. Richard says that he believes as artists 'we have a responsibility to remind people how beautiful the world is'-- creation; vision; filling our lives with meaning-- These are aspects of Quinn's work I like the best. I would also like to add--- "Art" is not something just for professionals or for people who call themselves 'artists.' If you've ever appreciated a song, a picture, or a good book (which I figure applies to everyone around here :) ), you already know something about art-- Just dive in, you know? So, thanks again, to Chris and everyone else who makes this site such an enjoyable place to visit. I'll see you around... Steve |
| ouroboros Mon Jul 21st, 2003 at 01:27 AM |
'allo I've been around awhile now. lurking in the corners and eavesdropping on everyone's conversations. Figured now as good a time as any for an intoduction (as I'm leaving for a couple weeks to BC to evade the ho hums of work). Name's Scott, and as my bit of info says to the left, I hail from Winnipeg. Digging a bit deeper I make my living colouring comic books and finding time to (one day) work on my own stories and art. Something that I figured I'd do since I was 3 apples tall but only just starting to discover what that really means and starting to work on a universe of my own. One day I'm sure I'll make a shameless advertisment here for my work to eek out a bit more of a living on something that I do regardless of pay. Through Quinn I've added onto budding ideas within me, and since finding this site, have found a few more things to add to my list of ideas and expressions (a special thanks to steve for the link to Afterculture--too many ideas for me to even begin filtering. Thank god for holidays). Anyhoo, better get going, but a short list of personal favorites (which do not neccessarily have any relation to this site, but make up me regardless) before I go: Pearl Jam, Lord of the Rings and Myazaki films, Star Wars and Matrix, Joseph Campbell, Nail Gaiman, and Travis Charest. Cheers |
| shogun Mon Jul 28th, 2003 at 06:10 PM |
Hello All! I'd like to start off by saying a big "thank you" to both the people that created this site, and also to those who frequent it. It's nice to know there are others out there sharing these same feelings I have. I know that's the cliched saying around here, but it's the absolute truth. I felt quite alone after I first read Ishmael. When I tried to talk to people about it, no one wanted to. For those who have read Jensen's A Language Older Than Words, I always felt like the little boy who asked his mother while boarding a plane, "What if the plane crashes." I was either "shushed" by my peers, or laughed at because the matter involved talking about the dreaded, HISTORY. Not that I couldn't identify with their selective ignorance, I too was one who hated history with a passion before I read the book. What immediately followed was amazing to me. I searched out every book I could find. I even bought Western Civilization textbooks from college bookstores. It was all there, plain as day. I couldn't believe I had missed it. I think, and might not be completely correct, that I missed it because all the way through my public schooling, the focus on history was the differences of periods, and of course, the reduction of prehistory to "Unga-Bunga." Different names, different places, etc... All I could see were similarities. War and conquest, insert names and dates here. The closest I ever came to having a teacher agree with me was when he told me, "From the beginning, it has always been a struggle for power." This was one of the most misleading statements ever, and the exact type of misleading Quinn talks about in his books. "From the BEGINNING, it has ALWAYS been a struggle for power." Bold words being the lies of course..... you know that. I was livid. I now understand why Noam Chomsky is such a good political critic, with his knowledge of linguistics. The notion that most of the men in our history books were heroes never sat well with with me. I say "most" because I did like studying some characters, John Brown and the Harper's Ferry incident intrigued me. As did Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad (sidenote: I'm white, I just never had parents that brainwashed me into racism). Generally, stories of triumph over evils. Most of the other stuff seemed like competition, something I was never a fan of (My mother once tried to drag me kicking and screaming to soccer camp, I got my way). Not knocking anyone that digs sports, it just was never my bag. Actually, I take it back..... I loved playing sports with my friends in the neighborhood, I just could never conceive of competing with people I didn't know. Tackle him? He's never done anything to me...... Now I see those games for what they were... a healthy way to get out aggressions towards those you are close too, without actually hurting them. Contrastingly, by having fun. Wow, I just realized a tribal way of working things out........... OK, I'm off on a tangent now. I didn't mean to lie down on the couch Dr. Ishcon. My point was thank you for being here so I can rant like that. Damn, way too long. Sorry. :roll: -Shogun |
| shogun Mon Jul 28th, 2003 at 06:19 PM |
:oops: Sorry again, and how that post should have read was this: Hi, Thank you all, creators and participants. My name is Shogun, and I'm a part-time musician/full-time pyramid builder. I hope someday to make a difference and create social change through the music I create. I look forward to discussing things with everyone here. -Shog |
| ledbetter Tue Jul 29th, 2003 at 09:31 AM |
Good stuff, Shogun! I liked the rant. If you have time, check out Lies My Teacher told me by James Loewen. There is a chapter on John Brown that talks about all kinds of myths (i.e. that he was a crazy, violent zealot) and the entire book is devoted to taking the heroic and nationalist overtones out of American History. It goes into the whitewashing of people such as Hellen Keller (who was a radical communist for most of her life) and FDR (who was known during WW1 as the butcher of Haiti). Aaanyway. Welcome! Daniel |
| shogun Tue Jul 29th, 2003 at 02:59 PM |
Daniel, Lies My Teacher Told Me was an awesome book! I read it a few years ago. My mother gave it to me as a gift, and after that I knew that she was aware of what page I was on, no pun intended. I think she bought it because in our conversations she has always pointed out that I am so negative. I think it was her way of letting me know that when she was saying "negative", she didn't mean "wrong". If anyone here hasn't read it, I highly suggest it. Loewen goes out and digs all the dirt for you, and puts it all in one book. Before that book, I never imagined that the Native Americans scalped as a learned behavior from us. Sometimes I wonder if spin doctoring is older than prostitution. Thanx Daniel. -Shog |
| etbnc Wed Jul 30th, 2003 at 12:41 PM |
It's a good sign that Ishcon has developed a sense of community that requires introductions. So I should introduce myself: My nickname is etbnc, and I do prefer to use that for online discussion. My first name is Eric, and I live in North Carolina, USA. My age is late middle thirties, and I've been a computer geek for over 20 years. Computerization's threat to privacy has been an interest of mine throughout; hence my reluctance to use my legal name. Obligatory old-timer credentials: More recently, I spent five years with an Internet company where I experienced the transformation of three quasi-tribal little businesses into a dehumanizing Taker monstrosity that destroyed itself and wounded some of its participants. Unfortunately I didn't have Daniel Quinn's Taker-Leaver vocabulary at the time. I encountered his books afterward while trying to make sense of the experience. With that new perspective, the little comic strip light bulb lit up over my head: "Aha! Finally I understand what happened!" Now I'm Going Local. I'm trying to apply this knowledge to improve lives in my community, and to save the world along the way. I just volunteered to work with a drug and alcohol rehab organization that provides housing, meals, transportation, and real-world work experience along with counseling. It's almost...tribal. The founder had no knowledge of Quinn nor anything like it. He just did what he knew would work, and the result began to look like a tribe. I hope to apply their methods to help folks who don't qualify for the substance abuse program. (For another account of an accidental tribe that just works, read Weisman's book Gaviotas.) That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Unless you're with the Feds, in which case this post was forged by B1FF, an EL1T3 H4CK3R, most likely in Canada. |
| username Tue Aug 5th, 2003 at 12:26 AM |
Okay. I've been lurking for a while, figured I'd take the plunge and actually introduce myself, then (hopefully) move on to contributing to the main forums. My name is Patrick. My friends call me Pat. Online, I prefer the handle of P@. (just a little online humor I came up with years ago) I wanted to have the P@ be my username here, but the system didn't allow spaces, so I opted for username instead. I'm happily married with 2 daughters. We currently reside in Las Vegas, NV, although we've got plans to move to a much smaller town in Oregon within the next year. My wife, Stephanie, is also a member of the forums, but she's not posted yet either. (We're both pretty shy) I'm 28 years old, and have just recently found Daniel Quinn. His books have really struck a cord with me, and with my wife. We have already decided to unschool our children (in fact, it was through an unschooling site that we first stumbled across Daniel Quinn, which led us to Ishmael...and the rest was history), so what Quinn is saying about our culture, to me, seems like a natural progression. Unschooling leads to unculturing. We've already opted to "walk away" from the compulsary education system. The next step is to "walk away" from the wage slavery, and the other aspects of Taker culture that are so disagreeable. Anywhat, that's me in a (very small) nutshell. I certainly hope to get to know other folks here better as I'm here longer. Now that I've taken that first important step, I'm sure the rest will be much easier. [grin] -the P@ |
| ledbetter Tue Aug 5th, 2003 at 09:04 AM |
Welcome P@ and Stephanie! I would be interested to know about teh unschooling and children experiences. My wife and I are entering the child-bearing years and these are things that have been on my mind.... So, please feel encouraged to share your experiences! Daniel |
| YONOSOYMEDlCO Tue Aug 5th, 2003 at 01:57 PM |
yes yes me too P@...I, although I'm only 19 and don't want children too soon, have also thought MUCh about how i'm going to raise my children, what i want them to experience and what I dont... for example, things in the continnum concept are GREAT, tv is no good, schools suck but on some scale their social-interaction capabilities could be good...this is why I've thought that maybe I could have a 'camp' or something similar to it where I can teach other peoples children the truth about life...which would be beautiful, and could be 'part' of my tribe... as i wish to combine a band, restaurant, garden...and maybe some other things to give me a life with a few tribes, as to not put all of my marbles in one basket... even marriages are tribal...which is why 'relationships' in general are important, later adam |
| dandylion Fri Aug 8th, 2003 at 06:13 PM |
Okay, fourth time attempting to post. Apparently you can't post on this forum if you're using AOL. It's just further proof that AOL is pure evil. Oh well. I'm Stephanie, wife of the P@, from two posts up. He said everything that I was going to say in his post so now I'm left with nothing but hi. Hi! I will write a post about unschooling as soon as I can find the time to put something coherent together. :D |
| cheech Sat Aug 9th, 2003 at 12:52 AM |
My name is Frank Cicela (pronounced Cheech-ah-la) hence the nickname "cheech." I am an alumni from Ishcon I and II and regrettably have been rather silent on this site – focusing on the family has me so drained that I haven’t had much energy left to participate in the forums…. though I do read and enjoy many of the postings! I’m a 34 year old fun loving Virgo with an open mind and even keel...can occasionally be passive-aggressive (character flaw that I wish could be regulated via daily medication -- hah! ;) Family: Married 11 years this past July 4th (so much for MY independence - wink). Have 7 and 2-1/2 year old daughters. Our second daughter was born at home with the assistance of two midwives (three additional women providing love and encouragement) ...a truly magical and mystical experience. Have a Family Bed which is WONDERFUL (most of the time). The wife nurses. Practiced Natural Family Planning up until October 30, 2001 when I got a vasectomy (figured we bagged our limit :) -- replaced ourselves - btw, there is mourning when one ends their ability to procreate) As a family we live without leverage (financial) and without T.V. Wife is a stay at home mom. Try to implement continuum concepts in child rearing…(difficult to do w/out support network). Turn Offs: Fundamentalists Turn Ons: Hot Tubs and Cold Beer Have traveled significantly -- international and domestic (for work). Biggest Regret: Not having learned to speak Spanish Employment: Mercenary lugging stones up a corporate pyramid. Feebly trying to impact/change the corporate culture that imprisons me (eagerly wish to engage with others who have to deal with a corporation) Been frantically clawing at the walls of this cultural prison trying to find a way out.... Recently became involved in community theatre (behind the scenes/board of directors). Hoping to find a way to use the arts to awaken people and spread vision…would love any ideas and suggestions! Enough rambling - better let someone else get a word in edgewise :) Visit my really cool website -- well, actually its just the content that is cool...i'm just a butcher in terms of design... http://www.myearthwatchexperience.com/index.htm Cheers, Frank “cheech” Cicela |
| ledbetter Mon Aug 11th, 2003 at 09:08 AM |
Frank, your site is very cool. I especially like the Birth of a Culture essay and recommend everyone read it. I see that you work for Alcoa and have a great deal of sustainability literature in your reading list. That is awesome! Daniel |
| YONOSOYMEDlCO Thu Aug 14th, 2003 at 12:10 PM |
Frank, I like you site too, and I agree Daniel..everyone should read that article.... i wanted it to keep going, but it's okay.... I also liked this http://www.myearthwatchexperience.com/images/population_maps.gif hopefully that link works...the image is good, kind of moves fast, I'd rather have time to stare at each screen and let it sink in, but its cool, it repeats itself so its fine.. adam |
| RedEagle Wed Aug 20th, 2003 at 06:15 PM |
Hi, y'all. I'm new to IshCon but a long time Ishmaelite. My brother sent me Ishmael when it was first published and it completely change my life. All these years (and all Quinn's books) later I am still on the journey, though I find myself reading less and doing more. No, not Doing, more like (inward) listening and acting at the appropriate moment. On personal notes, I watched Super Bowl I, remember where I was when JFK was shot, saw the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan, and Bonanza was the first TV show I ever saw in color. I have carried my share of blocks for the government, academic and private pyramids, traveled to 138 countries, some of which are not longer in existance. I have an adopted son, 17, who is joining the Marines next year. Originally from Georgia, part Algonquin/Cherokee on my mother's side, lily white on my father's side. Moved to Alaska originally as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and stayed on permanently in the Last Frontier. I am working with Alaska Native groups/individuals who want to start or expand their own businesses in a culturally responsible way. Keeping a foot in both worlds, so to speak. Looking to move out of the city (Fairbanks) to live a more subsistance existance full time, off the grid, but at the same time expanding my business activities. It's important to me to walk the walk, all the way, but I am not in charge of the time table. Enough? |
| ledbetter Thu Aug 21st, 2003 at 09:46 AM |
Red Eagle, I am absolutely captivated by your story. You are a most welcome addition to the community! Daniel |
| RedEagle Thu Aug 21st, 2003 at 11:59 AM |
Thank you, Daniel. I will do my best to add to the texture and fabric of this site. It is improtant work we do here, and I want to add to it, not detract from it. I will ask indulgence in advance as I tend to be practical and direct, so please know that I intend no rudesness or malice. Oh, and, though not my christian name ( and not a christian anyway), the name given to me really is RedEagle. |
| ioking Wed Aug 27th, 2003 at 05:22 PM |
I guess I'd better post a little something before I forget to do so... My name is Trevor. I am a college student, finishing my B.S. in Psychology this semester, starting my PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology next semester. For those not familiar with this rather obscure field, I/O is the study of people at work. (Just as Educational Psychology would be the study of people at school) My lifelong dream has been to be a university professor. Having been introduced to Mr. Quinn's works at a young age with a hot-off-the-presses copy of ISHMAEL, I can honestly say that my outlook on life has been sculpted by a different philosophy than most of my peers. I see myself as living the Taker lifestyle and using the creative variability of my profession to advocate the Leaver lifestyle to as many people as possible. Items of note? Not really that many. I'm still young, you know... I've died twice, I own two animals rare to my state (A Leonberger dog and a Scottish Fold cat), I throw (and occasionally catch) boomerangs as a hobby, and am looking forward to posing several questions I've developed over the feasibilty of Mr. Quinn's theories as workable solutions to our current social problems to the Forum... I guess the point of all this is that I am interested in finding out if there is more to life than what I've been raised to think there is.... I cannot bring myself to take up the Taker philosophy of "He who dies with the most stuff wins"... |
| Fuchsia Fri Sep 19th, 2003 at 06:12 PM |
Hi. I'm new and have been encouraged to introduce myself by way of this thread. I'm Jessica, usually known as Jess, and I live in Austin, TX, with my husband. (And, apparently, Daniel Quinn - who knew?) I'm originally British, have been living in this country for less than a year, and am alternately fascinated and horrified by various cultural differences. I'm currently engaged in trying to insert myself into the pyramid (getting a work permit and the current state of the economy have meant that I haven't had a job since I came here), and starting to wonder if there's any way I can avoid having to do so, before I get trapped. Much of my existence is taken up with dealing with the BCIS (formerly INS), which has given me proof, as if any were needed, that a lot of what we call 'civilisation' is mindless form-filling. I was introduced to the ideas of Daniel Quinn by Stephanie and P@, who posted earlier in this thread. As yet, I haven't read much of his work, but am fascinated by what I have read, and am interested in learning more. |
| Anomaly Sun Sep 21st, 2003 at 03:01 AM |
My name is Matt, like a lot of others on here from what I see. I'm 23, having graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Biomedical Science almost a year ago. I moved to Houston, which from what I understand has the very convenient side effect of being the same city that Mr. Quinn lives in. I moved here, though, because of work: I'm an EMT with a local fire department. Let me stress that although I work for a fire department, I am NOT a firefighter and have never had an interest in being one. My love is working in the medical field, and working on an ambulance is a very unique way to do that. This is a temporary job, though, as my eventual goal is to become a physician assistant, which, in plain terms, is a doctor who doesn't do surgery. Now, to the real reason I have joined here: I became aware of Quinn about four years ago from a classmate who pointed out to another classmate that "The Story of B" was a life-changing experience for him. I never picked up the book until two years later, and I'm sorry I waited that long to do so. The book fascinated me mostly because it said all the things I thought about religion, but went much further to destroy every idea our culture possesses about religion. It wasn't until I read the book, and the other two in the "Ishmael trilogy" that I realized how large and universal Quinn's ideas were, and I absolutely loved having my own world view blown apart. While I have enjoyed reading about all of Quinn's ideas, I wholeheartedly embrace two of them in particular: the deconstruction of our religions, and the tribal lifestyle. I especially enjoyed reading about the tribal ideas as I just left what I now realize was very much a tribal lifestyle back at A&M. To make a long story short, I joined an emergency medical group at A&M and gave myself fully to the experience, loving every minute. It wasn't until I read "My Ishmael" did I understand just WHY I was loving every minute of it, and that in conjunction with my experience has definately helped set my sights on the lifestyle I hope to pursue no matter where I end up in life. As far as future plans after reading Ishmael and the like, all I can say is that I believe in the power of human connection. I feel, just because I've been exposed to these ideas and do believe in them, that I will be able to set an example for other people I meet later on in life and hopefully help them see just an inkling of what I now see and believe. The idea, as Quinn stated in "Story of B", is to maybe change people's own vision of the world, and not just give them a few pointers on how to live "healthier". The most I can do to help this is to start with one-on-one connections with others I meet. That was a bit longer intro than I had planned, but there you go. My AIM name is TrueAnomaly, and I fully welcome you to IM me anytime to talk. |
| Xavin Sun Sep 21st, 2003 at 11:55 AM |
Quote: My AIM name is TrueAnomaly, and I fully welcome you to IM me anytime to talk. If you click on Profile at the right under the Ishcon.org Forums title at the top of the page, you can set your AIM name to show up on a little button under ever post you make. |
| Fuchsia Sun Sep 21st, 2003 at 04:02 PM |
Quote: I live in Austin, TX, with my husband. (And, apparently, Daniel Quinn - who knew?) And apparently not, according to the cover of Beyond Civilization, Quinn's own website, and Anomaly. Ah well, I like Austin better than Houston anyway. Anomaly said: Quote: I'm 23, having graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Biomedical Science almost a year ago. Interesting! Did you go to the campus on College Station? That's where my husband is from, and where we lived until a month ago. |
| Anomaly Mon Sep 22nd, 2003 at 10:57 PM |
Quote: Ah well, I like Austin better than Houston anyway. Amen to that. At least Austin has some kinda "scene" going down. Quote: Interesting! Did you go to the campus on College Station? That's where my husband is from, and where we lived until a month ago. Yes I did. I loved it only because of the group that i found. Other than that, the town gives me a gigantic headache because it suffers from a serious case of group-think. Originality is a highly valuable commodity only because it's very rare. But, ignoring all that, I enjoyed living there, and the people I've left behind were just wonderful, and they're the ones that keep me coming back. |
| BalanceofJudgement Thu Oct 2nd, 2003 at 04:49 AM |
"Fuchsia" wrote: I'm Jessica, ..... I'm currently engaged in trying to insert myself into the pyramid (getting a work permit and the current state of the economy have meant that I haven't had a job since I came here), and starting to wonder if there's any way I can avoid having to do so, before I get trapped. Jessica... Might I suggest you visit www.nova-lights.com/stargame/ It is an investment club that will provide you mugh higher returns than any bank. This investment has completely replaced my income - I saved up enough so that I could live off the returns from the program. I no longer work. I quit my job! You might look into it. THEY still make their money by being part of the world, but you can use them so you don't have to. |
| BalanceofJudgement Thu Oct 2nd, 2003 at 04:54 AM |
"username" wrote: My name is Patrick. My friends call me Pat. Online, I prefer the handle of P@. (just a little online humor I came up with years ago) I wanted to have the P@ be my username here, but the system didn't allow spaces, so I opted for username instead. Hello Patrick. :) I am also Patrick. A pleasure to see you here. :) |
| BalanceofJudgement Thu Oct 2nd, 2003 at 04:55 AM |
I just wanted to add one last thing... When I started this thread, all those months ago, I never expected it to grow to this size or to do, so spectacularly, what it has done by drawing us together... I am pleased to see it has done so.. In short.. I love you guys :) |
| ledbetter Thu Oct 2nd, 2003 at 09:51 AM |
Aw, I love you too!!! :) :D Yep, this thread pretty much recast the board. We almost have a cyber tribe, lol. Thanks Patrick! Daniel |
| phusion Sun Oct 5th, 2003 at 03:06 PM |
OK, a little overdue but I promised I would post here.. My name is Scott. I am 22yo..Raised in Albuquerque, NM where I still live while attending college. This past summer I decided to change majors from computer science to journalism w/ an anthropology minor. I would not mind doing some freelance work after college, or working on a novel, or both..we'll have to see how it goes. Hobbies include mountain biking, camping, good conversation, reading and learning about other cultures, contemplating tribal life, reading Ishcon, and more... I pay the bills by working 2-3 days a week doing desktop computer support. I've worked there for 4 years or so...Definitely not happy there (those who are baffle me), but it's getting me through college so I will stick with it. The closest I came to a tribal life was this past summer's Telluride Bluegrass festival. Except for the absence of work, I would imagine tribal life is something close to what I experienced. Anyone who has been to any kind of music festival can probably attest to this. I remember having this deep, visceral longing at the end of the 5 day weekend...I didn't want to leave! In fact I think I shed a tear or two! lol.. One of my pipe dreams for post-graduation life is to purchase a small, used RV, and travel around indefinitely on biodiesel that I produce myself from fast food joints. Like I said, pipe dream -- so far... It's great having a place like Ishcon to meet other like-minded folks... C-ya around! -Scott |
| sponge Thu Oct 9th, 2003 at 02:42 AM |
Hi Everbody! My Name is Dominic Wells. I live in Moscow, Idaho. I am 20 years old. I was born in Phoenix, AZ, but moved to Pocatello Idaho when I was a wee boy. I grew up In Pocatello and my family moved up to Moscow when I was 17 and I decided that it would be a nice place to go to college(nothing to do with instate tuition, now way!). But I am planning on switching my Major from Psy. to Bio(Im a registered Soph.) and I plan on specializing in Zoology although this bio program lacks minors. I read ishmael about 3 years ago after much nagging from my sister saying that it reminded her of me. Funny thing is that she seems a bit disillusioned by the ideas of Tribalism, etc. Anyways I read it in segments and for some reason I didnt get into it until the very end(maybe it was that i had the misconception DQ thought that we could 'go back' to living in hunter gatherer societys presently, anywho I got My ISh and was totally stoked on the idea, maybe because it seemed like that one was more complex. I have read some of his other(S of B, BC, after dachau, man who grew young) and My ISh is still my fav. I am a vegan and have been for the past 3 years and though my reasons have changed( not feeling like we should keep uping the food production for example) and im not Mr. Gung ho about it (no one right way to eat a resses)anymore, I dont think i could go back to eating meat(I have been known to slip with the dairy, esp. when scavanging). I am now trying to start a ish club on my campus with my ish friends,and ish virgins. I love to play foosball though i havent played it in a while. My mum just bought me a cello and i am going to start playing agian. THat is all for know Dominic |
| inhiding Wed Nov 5th, 2003 at 11:23 PM |
Hi all - Just registered a couple days ago and someone suggested I come here to introduce myself. I'm Linda; usually sign posts 'L', which is what some people call me. I'm in my late 30's and have a son and daughter, 12 and 11, respectively. Not married; was widowed 6 years ago. Born in the south... moved to southern California at 18 and lived there for a little over 10 years, then wound up back in the south where I am now, near Atlanta. I'm self-employed (editor) and work from home, which I love. I also write, mostly because if I didn't I'd probably stop breathing, but also on occasion for money, which makes me feel so cheap.... : ) My website is listed in my profile; in its archive section is a link to something I wrote about how I found Ishmael (short story: via Pearl Jam, several years ago) and some of the ways I try to mesh 'Quinnthink' with the reality of my daily existence. Might be easier to just point you there, if you're interested - wordfetish.com/ishmael.htm . I'm glad to have re-found this site and look very forward to following and participating in the forums here. I've done a lot of back-reading the last few days and am impressed at the level of thought displayed and the caliber of some of the discussion/dialogue. I'm especially interested to discover the varying ways we all try to 'live' this stuff - it seems to me that nowhere is there a truer illustration of the DQ notion 'there is no one right way to live' than among those gathered right here: Everybody takes what they're learning and applies it in ways that work best for their lives, and in the end hopefully we're all passing on some of the best parts of how we 'see' to everyone with whom we interact, whether or not we all adopt the same methods. Looking forward to getting to know some of you better - and thanks again to those who already welcomed me! L. |
| testedsubject Mon Nov 17th, 2003 at 09:43 AM |
my name is alan. i am 27 years old. i'm from the pacific northwest, recently moved to new mexico from nevada. i've moved around the western us a lot, but albuquerque was a good decision. i moved here and am living with my better half, lauren, who happily shares my vision. i'm an artist who is having a helluva time getting away from the day job. i have a website (www.cafepress.com/mclean) where i try to sell some of my art on various products. (thanks to rennie quinn for that suggestion.) anyway i'm glad to meet you all, and you'll only be seeing more of me on this site. |
| Mal Fri Dec 12th, 2003 at 01:35 PM |
My name in Paul. I'm 18. Going to university and majoring in Chemistry. Read Ishmael for an English assignment in my last year of highschool and thought it was an amazing amazing book. Live in Toronto and have been lurking around here for a little while. |
| Nene Wed Dec 24th, 2003 at 12:48 AM |
Hey all... I hear this is the place we are supposed to come when we first sign up. :wink: My name is Janene. I live in a collge town west of the greater Chicago Metropolitan area -- in fact, I just got away from the suburbs this last year. I am 34, and my significant other and I have a ten year old son. We actually spent a good portion of the last ten years 'buying into' American culture, and finally woke up and realized we had lost something, oh, about a year ago. A few months later, someone suggested Ishmael. It fit so well with the issues that we were dealing with ourselves that we were both very responsive... I am a passionate supporter of Evolution, I majored in religious history, with a focus on Mesopotamia circa 5500BCE -- so I have also been looking for the source of all our ills (in my mind, originally, the ills caused by institutionalized religion and other heirarchal systems) for many years, I just hadn't quite put it all together. I also occasionally take a foray into quantum physics and cosmology. You see, its all about origins :D I have been accused of 'preaching' and trying to 'convert' people to my way of thinking, and I guess that is probably true -- except that 'my way of thinking' isn't the goal. I have a paasionate desire to make people THINK. Think for themselves, analyze everything, don't just accept what others say. So if I start ranting or preaching, this is probably the nerve that someone hit :P Celebrate Diversity! Janene |
| DavePollard Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 08:11 PM |
Hello everyone. My name is Dave Pollard. I live in Caledon, Ontario, on the Oak Ridges Moraine just North of Toronto, an area that is protected from future development. Half of our acreage (and that of our neighbours) must be left in its natural state, and we abut a large wilderness area, home to deer, wolves, coyotes and a host of other wild creatures. So to meditate, and to be able to visualize life free from taker culture, I need only walk out the door and take a few steps. I run a weblog called How to Save the World which has about 5,000 readers per week. Its principal thrust is environmental philosophy, though it also covers blogging advice, business innovation, social networking, my rants against Bush, environmental economics and my creative works. It's the #5 most linked-to weblog in Canada according to a recent survey. I think readers of it will find that my philosophy is consistent with those of other IshCon members. I am 52, married with two step-children, live with a wonderful dog names Chelsea who teaches me a great deal, and just (in January) quit working for a large accounting firm, to try to decide what to do with the rest of my life. That will involve lobbying for environmental laws and tax shifting, helping New Collaborative Enterprises (=Tribal Ventures) get established and succeed in sustainable and responsible ways not dependent on the old economy, and writing a novel (described in a separate post on this board). Thanks for making me welcome in my first posts. Please visit my blog and tell me what you think. I plan to visit this board regularly and participate as actively as possible. I'm also in the Derrick Jensen discussion group. |
| odb_fan_1 Sun May 2nd, 2004 at 07:15 PM |
my name is adam. i'm going to school for computer information systems. i hate business classes. i would do something more beneficial like psychology or sociology, but CIS is easy, and i dont really care enough to make my "job" "beneficial" or "productive" to life. plus it would take forever to do psychology or sociology or anthropology. i'm currently reading nietzsche's "beyond good and evil" and fromm's "anatomy of human destructiveness." i've never heard quinn reference fromm's AHD, and yet i feel like quinn completely ripped off fromm. anywho: so i've been buying tons of cool books from the local bookstore. i'm vegetarian. i eat fazolis a lot. i have an addiction to soda (more specifically: caffeinated sodas). my favourite authors right now are danny "boy" quinn, derrick jensen, john robbins, friedrich nietzsche, and erich fromm. i piss people off a llllllllllllllllot. i hate new age people. pretty soon i'll have certificates in healing touch levels 1 and 2. i hold the CCNA certification. and A+, Net+, Linux+, and mous access. yeah about pissing people off ,yeah. seriously. you could pull some psychology on me and say that it's for attention or whatever and all that jazz, but i recently read a grade card from 2nd grade (i'm 21 now) that says "adam would have more friends if he quit arguing and being mean to people". i laughed a LLLLLLOT when i read that. i'm passionate about music, some groups i get down with: carcass. ink and dagger. duran duran. candiria. today is the day. U2. harakiri. upheaval. earth crisis. wu tang clan. ODB. method man. gza. dillinger escape plan. fear factory. cryptopsy. napalm death. godflesh. sparta. at the drive in. acid bath. i argue about christianity a lot. favorite movies: stoned age. mothman prophecies. arlington road. darkcity/matrix/trumanshow. iron monkey. southpark. ferris beuller. breakfast club. waco: rules of engagement. diet for a new america. i plan to read a lotttttttt of books. and i piss off my Human Energies (the name of the class) Healing Touch (name of the art) teacher a lot. my "girlfriend" is robin. |
| arkface Sun May 2nd, 2004 at 09:09 PM |
my name is scott. I live in tulsa, oklahoma. Im a veggie too. I think.. that all the authors adamn likes are my faves too, and all the bands. :lol: Im in 8th grade. i piss people off. Im called undisciplined. I just enjoy being "unproductive" by this culture standards (meaning Im fucking happier). I enjoy doin what I want! I dont, like adam says, do it for attention. I hate soda, i hate most sweets, I hate milk, I cheese. and most of what adam says is what I like, but not the stupid computer shit he does (what a fucking n3rd :lol: ). robin prolly sucks too. |
| Ghost Sun May 2nd, 2004 at 11:59 PM |
Welcome to the community guys :D Yo, Adam. You prefer ODB right? The hell's a fazoli? Healing touch? I asume that's not new age 8) carcass, fear factory, at the drive in... I can dig it :D I can dig on Wu Tang, I just never go into them. waco: rules of engagement? Is there a film about Waco? Is it good? Was it a TV movie or can I rent it? Who was in it? Washupwitdat? Peace and Love and Empathy, Matt |
| arkface Mon May 3rd, 2004 at 08:50 PM |
CARCASS is the totally sick (cooool) :!: |
| mag Sat May 8th, 2004 at 02:56 PM |
Yo. My name's Mike Godesky. I just registered the other day. I don't really know if I have anything to add to the discussion, but I really liked Ishmael and this is where Ishmael people are supposed to go. The whole "saving the world" thing has become one of my major concerns along with getting Bush out of office and the dissolution of Ohio. So I'll probably post some of my crazed rantings here, but I figured I'd introduce myself first. Hello, forum. mag |
| jefgodesky Sat May 8th, 2004 at 03:06 PM |
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the "mag" in question is indeed the selfsame brother of everybody's favorite Fonz impersonater. :lol: Look forward to both the Godesky Brothers at IshCon at the end of the month. ;-) |
| mag Sun May 9th, 2004 at 11:09 AM |
Quote: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the "mag" in question is indeed the selfsame brother of everybody's favorite Fonz impersonater. No, jefgodesky is my brother. :D mag |
| Ghost Sun May 9th, 2004 at 12:42 PM |
Who's the elder brother? Peace and Love and Empathy, Matt |
| jefgodesky Sun May 9th, 2004 at 12:52 PM |
Me, in human years. Him, in maturity. :lol: |
| Corrina Mon May 10th, 2004 at 09:45 AM |
The Godesky Brothers at Ishcon 2004! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself... :roll: LOL See ya'll there! |
| mag Mon May 10th, 2004 at 12:16 PM |
Quote: The Godesky Brothers at Ishcon 2004! Yes. I imagine it will look something like this. mag |
| CasperBonk Mon Jun 7th, 2004 at 12:34 PM |
Hello friends. I suppose it's time I come out from the shadows and start talking. I've been a lurker here since the end of 2002. A few weeks before my lurking began I found Ishmael mentioned on a website called slashdot; I forget the context of its mention, but it was something to the effect of, "...if you really want an eye-opener, check out Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn." So I made my way down to the local book megastore, found a copy, sat down and started to read. Now I was reading something else at the time, so after taking in the first few pages (realizing this was going to be a good one) I promptly bought the book and went home to finish the other book I was reading so I could dive into Ishmael. I'm sure my scenario is similar to many of your's. Before Ishmael I knew something wasn't quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. After Ishmael everything fell neatly into place, making sense of a pile of jumbled thoughts which previously had made no sense. ...and here we are today. My name is Casper. I just turned 26 years old. I spend the majority of my days working as a computer/production/test engineer, designing and running repetitive tests on network security appliances before they are sold. I spend the majority of my nights studying for the last class I'm currently taking to finish my undergrad degree and/or tipping back a bottle (or can or glass) to give myself some sort of comfort after the daylight I've just wasted away in a much too brightly lit office. I've got to get away. The current plan: In two months I'll have the college degree, and after a few more months of paying off the debt I racked up while attending college I hope to acquire a motorcycle and a bit of savings and travel North America, looking for like-minded people, a bit of adventure, and hopefully a place where I will decide to live. Orlando Florida is not my kind of place. The "Land of make-believe" that is Walt Disney World sometimes seems to overflow into the surrounding area. So, here I am. No more lurking for me. |
| Heretic Mon Jun 7th, 2004 at 05:59 PM |
Welcome to IshCon, Casper! :D |
| Moni Wed Jun 9th, 2004 at 12:44 PM |
Hi Casper. Did you have any areas in mind in which you might like to live? |
| CasperBonk Wed Jun 9th, 2004 at 02:32 PM |
"Moni" wrote: Hi Casper. Did you have any areas in mind in which you might like to live? Hi Moni. At this point I can't say with any certainty where I'll end up. Without visiting any of these places, I've considered the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Hampshire (incidently where The Free State Project has decided to settle), upper Michigan, and also parts of Canada. I'm sure my journey will help me decide. Ideally I hope to fall in love with a place and a people, and not want to leave. That is where I will end up. This journey will really be a search for people; people who think the way I do and value the same things I do. I could find the most beautiful place in the world, but if surrounded by a bunch of yay-hoos it's no longer so beautiful. In O-town I feel very, very alone. I'm also heading toward a cooler climate. I grew up in northern Minnesota, only but a few hours from you in Fargo. |
| Moni Wed Jun 9th, 2004 at 04:50 PM |
"CasperBonk" wrote: I grew up in northern Minnesota, only but a few hours from you in Fargo. That's very interesting. How long ago did you live up here and in which town? I've lived here my whole life. It's not a horrible place to live. The climate can be a set back. Also, I haven't found too many others interested in Quinn's work. |
| etbnc Wed Jun 9th, 2004 at 05:10 PM |
Welcome, newly delurked and newcomer. Moni, I'm glad you find Fargo tolerable. My in-laws live there, and my visits there haven't ranked among the highlights of my life. Did you find Quinn's books at Zandbroz, by any chance? Cheers, etbnc |
| Moni Wed Jun 9th, 2004 at 06:56 PM |
No. . . I found it at the Fargo Public Library, along with Story of B. And then I found My Ishmael at Barnes and Noble. I couldn't find Beyond Civilization anywhere and town, until a friend ordered it online for me for my birthday. That same friend also lent me Providence. I do love Zandbroz though. If you're ever in Fargo again, perhaps we could meet up. |
| CasperBonk Thu Jun 10th, 2004 at 09:50 AM |
"Moni" wrote: That's very interesting. How long ago did you live up here and in which town? I grew up in a little town on the Canadian border called International Falls. I moved to Florida about 9 years ago. I remember things moving slower up there. It seemed like people actually stopped to think once in a while. Lately I've been enjoying people-watching from the patio of a restaurant in a shopping center. Its quite entertaining sometimes. However, the one constant I notice in almost everyone is the seemingly magnetic force pulling them straight ahead to get done whatever it is they need (or think they need) to do. No one stops to look around or enjoy themselves. |
| Moni Fri Jun 11th, 2004 at 11:58 AM |
"CasperBonk" wrote: I remember things moving slower up there. It seemed like people actually stopped to think once in a while. Things do move slower up here. But people stopping to think? I'm not so sure about that one. :roll: |
| ice-nine Fri Jun 11th, 2004 at 08:43 PM |
Quote: At this point I can't say with any certainty where I'll end up. Without visiting any of these places, I've considered the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Hampshire (incidently where The Free State Project has decided to settle), upper Michigan, and also parts of Canada. I'm sure my journey will help me decide. Ideally I hope to fall in love with a place and a people, and not want to leave. That is where I will end up. Hello, Casper. :D Have you checked out Arcata, California? Someone mentioned it on this board a while ago, and it sounded nice, so I looked at some information about it online. Without ever having visited it, I am now madly in love with it. Picture this: Beaches to the left of you Redwoods to the right Green Party in charge of the town Hippies and hip college students everywhere To me, it sounds like heaven. :wink: You should Google it. Anyway, your dream of travelling across the continent sounds just like mine. Only I wouldn't do it on a motorcycle, because I'm a little wuss. :lol: |
| odb_fan_1 Mon Jun 14th, 2004 at 02:11 AM |
"Moni" wrote: I couldn't find Beyond Civilization anywhere and town, until a friend ordered it online for me for my birthday. that's a good friend. i fantacize about having friends who understand quinn. |
| WannaBeGypsy Tue Jun 15th, 2004 at 02:29 AM |
Hi my name is Kyle age 19. My favorite authors are Frank Herbert and H.P. Lovecraft. My least favorite author is Ernest Hemmingway. Favorite place is Granada, Andalucia Least favorite place is Los Angeles, colon of the universe Last fall I spent in southern Spain studying flamenco guitar under the nephew of this guy www.gypsyflamenco.com. The more I learn about flamenco the less I understand. I am not so sure I want to be a gypsy anymore. I am sorry for the path of destruction I left in Spain. I am very much concerned with the idea of music as art. And I believe you can recognize art when it makes you cry. I hope one day to be able to play guitar without any inhibitions; a pure translation of my feelings into music. I am a big wussy who is afraid of most things, especially women. I have wasted countless days in front of a computer screen. I apologize for my first post, as I was under the influence of alcohol. I am glad to find a place to talk about ideas. All of my ideas may be subject to immediate explosion or revision. |
| Moni Tue Jun 15th, 2004 at 12:08 PM |
"odb_fan_1" wrote: i fantacize about having friends who understand quinn. That's what we all come to IshCon for. :D |