Panama Refuge

When the SHTF we need a place to go. A buddy has just homesteaded a place in Panama. It's a three-parcel property overlooking the Pacific. He's holding a hillside for me to come and build my escape dream house. As I "sort it all out" I recently wrote him the following e-letter. It begins by discussing "Faith," which one needs a lot of if embarking on such an odyssey...  

The thing about Faith is you either have it or you don't. There are all sorts of notions, theories and ideas about Jesus of Nazareth. Some are interesting to ponder. And there is the very real possibility that "Church Fathers" have twisted things over the millennia so that there are errors or outright disinformation.

I believe that humility, devotion and adoration are central to a holy life. I recall in the film Gladiator when the Roman general (played by Russell Crowe) was fidgeting around with his little household god effigies. It's as important to recognize a greater, divine power beyond one's self as it is to recognize that same spark within us. The person of Jesus made God a personal one for us all. And I believe that whatever physical things help to move us in the direction of recognizing what is sacred are good too. And so maybe building that house on the Panamanian hill is one such dedicated physical manifestation.

This brings me to The Paradox: the seeming contradiction of spiritual beings incarnated in physical bodies. All religion grapples with this  anomalous condition of humanity. Sci-fi also deals with it in various ways, as in works that explore whether an android with AI can have a soul. We know intuitively that we are more than the sum of our "parts." And after immersing myself in consciousness studies I still cannot apprehend exactly what the difference is between consciousness and Spirit manifesting as one's soul. So these are very interesting, likely unanswerable, questions that have been asked since time immemorial and will always be pondered.

Now, getting more to your email. Everything we think and do revolves around having a right intention based on a dependent perception that leads us to a certain action outcome. So let's take immigrating to the Panamanian outback as the action outcome. Obviously you had and continue to have certain perceptions which led your intention in that direction. Me too, though perhaps not as strong and not as urgent as in your case. Societal breakdown, overpopulation, corporate fascism, Zio-Illuminati Satanism infusing liberal non-values that are now running rampant, whatever---i.e., the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket. These are and have been our perceptions, which are decidedly on the mark.

We've discussed the notion of having a refuge for when the SHTF, away from cities, in a place that is self-sustainable. This is what originally drew you to Finca Bayano. (Too bad there was a fink at that finca, but that may have been a factor that put your tenacity and fortitude to the test.) In any event, you have openly offered your reasons in a very frank way and you've demonstrated that you have the courage of your convictions by following through on your plan. Your reports from the field indicate that there is a steep learning curve and that you are toughing out the difficulties while appreciating the poetic moments. And I have had the opportunity of vicariously sharing in your adventure, which I appreciate immensely.

And so, your perceptions led you to your intention and you acted accordingly. I, on the other hand, while I have the same or similar perceptions and I have developed a similar intention, it is less concrete, more theoretical; and I have not taken even an action step as of yet to realize my intention, probably because that intention is not yet fully formed. Lack of funds has something to do with it. But other factors figure into it: viz., family obligations to my wife, granddaughter, and aunt; certain cultural/logistical fears about living in a Hispanic culture; and another, more metaphysical question nags at me and here it is: is prepping like this a manifestation of the fear of my own mortality and if not, what is the more noble basis for leaving the nation of one's birth to set out into the unknown, leaving family, friends and familiarity behind?

In that same metaphysical dimension is this related concern: just as fear for one's physical well-being can fuel all sorts of actions, facing the unknown also brings up concern about the ability of one's mental resiliency to cope and the depth of one's spiritual convictions to persevere in the face of difficulties and failures. This second concern is inextricably bound up with the first.

My purpose is to establish a sort of monastic beach head (similar to Morris Berman's "monastic option") that can also serve as a refuge for anyone needing it during the calamities that we expect to come and indeed, are already upon us. For me there must be a greater purpose for immigrating there---something much greater than myself; one that assists humanity, or for starters, an optional place in which my granddaughter can grow up and thrive away from all of the shit of the modern world.

This is what motivates me. I don't care much anymore about my own physical being. And I've done just about everything I ever wanted to do in life. I still have the work of my hands---my writing and my modest abilities to create dreams out of nothing. In short, I'm a weird task specialist on a mission (as much or more than Dan Akroyd was on a "mission from God" as a blues brother). What haunts me is the thought that I may be fooling myself by constructing some sort of elaborate rationale that is clothed in nobility but that in essence is simply a Bohemian escape plan.

Your recent misadventure of having to be rescued from teetering over that cliff was a humbling experience. But it was an important one shared in by your helpful neighbors that strengthened the human bonds of friendship and confirmed that a little foresight in preparedness goes a long way. Also, having and developing this property is giving you purpose, something to do with yourself in your wise old age. That, in itself, is a great thing (if it doesn't kill you, that is).

Keep up the good work and the good fight. I look forward to getting there.

Hoping that I'm soon able and worthy enough for the undertaking,