Hi Joel, I am greatly enjoying your writing, which I was ignoring until I happened to read one a few days ago, but I have a question (which maybe you have already answered). Why on earth are you living in Buenos Aires or anywhere in Argentina?
The quality of life for expats in Argentina is very high. It is like living in Europe, but at the fraction of the cost. Of course it requires being sensitive to situation experienced by locals, but bringing dollars and its purchasing power can help those who need it. Sadly there is poverty and disadvantaged folks all around the world. Here we are aware of it, at least, and can contribute where and when we can.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I understood that might be the explanation, but it highly depends on what aspects of life are most important to a given individual. From what I know of the operation of society in Argentina, being surrounded by that constantly would be too upsetting to enable me to enjoy the many other important aspects of life. I long to find a place where people are sufficiently thoughful, caring and responsible that a social order of mutual respect and cooperation will spontaneously occur without any centralized intervention. Think of the operation of some small villages in the past, now capable of being enlarged to a much larger geographical area because of the more rapid communications of the Internet, and eventually enlarged to cover the entire planet. Yes, I know, I'm a dreamer :)
I agree about knowing both heaven and hell. But I have sufficient hell between living in the US and Canada, and I have not yet found anywhere on Earth near to heaven. Given the current general nature of humanity, I don't think its possible.
Hey Paul, i got your point for sure; i live between Argentina ; Spain and Southcal, I have found “piece of heaven” in earth and will be so glad to talk about or share with you; the nature of humanity that you describe was always between us maybe; maybe now more furious and fast. A hug Guille!
Hi Guille, So far we seem to be in general, friendly agreement. Hope it stays that way. I am certainly open to your idea of a "piece of heaven". My email is paul (at) morelife (dot) org Return hug to you.
Yes Joel, it is heartening to find a place that is not full of trolls, nit-pickers or people otherwise filled with hatred of anyone who thinks different to them (or even thinks at all, for that matter). BTW, I was one of the very first Voluntarists and have debated both George Smith and Wendy McElroy! But I have actually gone a little beyond that now.
Yes, I understand that. But surely it must hard emotionally to see all that could be, but has been totally ruined by government actions. It would not be possible for me to be that insensitive. It is hard enough for me to remain sufficiently happy with the world around me in either Canada or the US.
Or in Australia as we sow so shall we weep until someone appears with the inner fortitude to call the bullies bluff otherwise just enjoy the moment until the bully hits the button. The world is mostly cowards who are afraid to die even as they live in fear tyranny!
Yes, I have been following the horrible police state situation in Australia on Rebel News, one of the few media left where one can get the truth of a local situation. After my youth when the neighborhood cop actually was a helpful friend if/when you needed one, how the individual police person, particularly with women, can be so brutal and unfeeling, merely thugs for the State, I simply cannot fathom! It seems to be no different than Nazi Germany, the KGB of the USSR or the current Chinese police thugs, where they have no regard whatever for justice, compassion and fundamental human rights, but rather merely follow orders no matter the cost to people around them. Mind you the police in Ottawa were just as bad. When the trucker convoy protest began I was proud to be a Canadian for the first time in decades, but after the horrible police state end to it I am once again disgusted with Canada and Canadians for what the people have allowed to happen to them.
I agree that many places need to be visited in order to better understand the full range of humans in the world. But this is not easily done at my age, 84, financial situation, and refusal to be Covid-19 vaccinated, even though I and spouse are extremely healthy in body and mind, and still sufficiently mobile.
Born, raised, schooled and liived most of my life in southern Ontario. I had an aunt who lived in BC but I have only been there once. 22 years ago, over the internet, I found the woman of my dreams, a US citizen/resident. We are both highly anti-government and highly not nationalistic, so neither of us really wanted to become an immigrant to or citizen of the country of the other. So, we have been legally visiting each other at their residence for 6 months yearly since then, by driving back and forth. The Covid-19 vaccine mandates now threaten to separate us and I am finally applying for US Permanent Residence status. But that is also problematic because it also now requires Covid-19 vaccination.
Hi Paul thank you for your reply, I too am anti, government too, well big government. We moved from England 19 years ago, I could not stand the EU rules and local government rules, now it's just as bad here all types of regulations etc. It is very beautiful here though.
I am also unvaccinated , my father will be 89 0n20th April Hitlers birthday :-) so I will have to reculantly get vaccinated to go back to see him this year.
While it may seem to be helping the Ukrainians by renting an airbnb, this plan is ripe with fraud. Certainly many of those with listings are no longer even in Ukraine or they have simply set up a listing to make money. I just checked Kiev for instance and many of the listings have no reviews and appear to have been created very recently.
Right… which is why you wouldn’t choose those ones, but rather opt for hosts with established track records and reviews from long time accredited users. It’s not that hard to weed out accounts that were created yesterday…
I guess one could write a host and see what their circumstances are but again you are taking a risk. Many of the listings now even show bombed out buildings. Given how much fake press there has been on western media, I would be inclined to not believe many of the listings.
A quote from Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard would have been appropriate in the discussion of cemeteries and their occupants. "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,and all that beauty, all that wealth e're gave, await alike the inevitable hour: the paths of glory lead but to the grave." George Boone
an excellent poem. as I am now 70, I casually await the next steps, whether its next year, or 30 years from now. no man, as they say, knows the hour or the day.
it is interesting to watch things repeat. the story is the same, nothing changes but the faces and the names.
My life has been pretty good. made a few bucks, knew a few lovely ladies, had some great meals and excellent wines, lived in interesting cities.
all that said, I prefer Tennyson's words in his great poem Ulysses
...... for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
That is a fantastic article. Nice writing. It felt like I was there I'm sitting in the sun in Southern California at the moment. I haven't "seen it all" like the venerable judges. But I'd have laughed and offered them a moment to take in one long sweet breath and exhale slowly.
No one stood up to Hitler in the early stages and 60 million lives were lost. The Jews got a hiding to nothing. The world should be governed by the Rule of Law and war criminals brought before them when a charge is made. Putin has to be stopped one way or another - many failed attempts were made to kill Hitler. Had any attempt succeeded lives lost would have been greatly diminished. Putin stands ready to wipe out the world and the world sits impotent by its inaction. There is always a solution to every issue and quick decisions are needed for the greater good of mankind.
Well said Joel yep we’re all going to die it’s only when someone else makes that decision for you that discomfort appears so more mafia dictators govt are not desirable and why yanks still want to carry weapons but until you confront the bully his gang/mafia will enslave you especially in central South America or Eastern Europe
As stated by one of America's greatest humanitarians, "Can't we all just get along?" How about live and let live?
I think good man is able, but evil man is always in charge. Good man studies to do well by himself and his family. His intent is pure..... study, work, play, praise, love, live. Enjoy your God, your family, your country and live well. Treat others as wished to be treated.
Evil man's intent is selfish....cheat, scam, plot, deceit, hate, control. It's who he is. Despise yourself, no belief in a higher power other than man. Born into darkness and see no light. No love, no soul, not able to care for others, as he can't stand himself inside, but portrays strength and confidence on the out. He fools many, but not all.
Throughout history, the world has undergone many cleansing. Natural and unnatural selection, when evil outnumbers good. Yes, the good suffer, but the evil will not prevail. So it is written........It is good to ask God for his help, sometimes it's all we have.
Yes, Putin is a little man, and history has shown us what little men are capable of. Of course size a man does not make, but some have issues as youth or in life, and it molds their future. I could never understand to left in this world, nor how they think. I realized that most I know, were damaged in their youth. Most were mentally, physically or sexually abused as children, and the further left their thought, the more likely of many abuses. They try to normalize those abuses, along with many other morally corrupt issues. We see it daily here in the States. Just turn on your tv. Most are harmless, and just suffer in their torment. Many times they come into positions of power due to their sociopathic/psychopathic tendencies. The results are never good. Yes, I believe Putin is one of these creatures, but also know he was backed into his corner, and now he strikes. This is the result of good tolerating evil/insanity. It’s always the same result no matter where you live. We live it here daily. I too worship peace, and am fully prepared for war, but unless we organize as well and better then evil, we have no control. When these creatures come into power, they need to be addressed immediately. Charity begins at home, and if unable to care for oneself, how can one help others? Organize and clean up the mess in America, and then we can address the ills of the world. Until then, our hands are tied, but not our thoughts….
Man, that’s some good shit. Great thoughts and even better writing. The value of this Substack is just fantastic.
Hi Joel, I am greatly enjoying your writing, which I was ignoring until I happened to read one a few days ago, but I have a question (which maybe you have already answered). Why on earth are you living in Buenos Aires or anywhere in Argentina?
The quality of life for expats in Argentina is very high. It is like living in Europe, but at the fraction of the cost. Of course it requires being sensitive to situation experienced by locals, but bringing dollars and its purchasing power can help those who need it. Sadly there is poverty and disadvantaged folks all around the world. Here we are aware of it, at least, and can contribute where and when we can.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I understood that might be the explanation, but it highly depends on what aspects of life are most important to a given individual. From what I know of the operation of society in Argentina, being surrounded by that constantly would be too upsetting to enable me to enjoy the many other important aspects of life. I long to find a place where people are sufficiently thoughful, caring and responsible that a social order of mutual respect and cooperation will spontaneously occur without any centralized intervention. Think of the operation of some small villages in the past, now capable of being enlarged to a much larger geographical area because of the more rapid communications of the Internet, and eventually enlarged to cover the entire planet. Yes, I know, I'm a dreamer :)
You need to know the hell and the heaven ; both are here in the earth; why dont take a look ?… i bet my soul you will like it…
I agree about knowing both heaven and hell. But I have sufficient hell between living in the US and Canada, and I have not yet found anywhere on Earth near to heaven. Given the current general nature of humanity, I don't think its possible.
Hey Paul, i got your point for sure; i live between Argentina ; Spain and Southcal, I have found “piece of heaven” in earth and will be so glad to talk about or share with you; the nature of humanity that you describe was always between us maybe; maybe now more furious and fast. A hug Guille!
Hi Guille, So far we seem to be in general, friendly agreement. Hope it stays that way. I am certainly open to your idea of a "piece of heaven". My email is paul (at) morelife (dot) org Return hug to you.
What a cool conversation between you gentlemen. Kudos. Reminds me of a time when people used to be respectful of one and other… even online.
Yes Joel, it is heartening to find a place that is not full of trolls, nit-pickers or people otherwise filled with hatred of anyone who thinks different to them (or even thinks at all, for that matter). BTW, I was one of the very first Voluntarists and have debated both George Smith and Wendy McElroy! But I have actually gone a little beyond that now.
Yes, I understand that. But surely it must hard emotionally to see all that could be, but has been totally ruined by government actions. It would not be possible for me to be that insensitive. It is hard enough for me to remain sufficiently happy with the world around me in either Canada or the US.
Or in Australia as we sow so shall we weep until someone appears with the inner fortitude to call the bullies bluff otherwise just enjoy the moment until the bully hits the button. The world is mostly cowards who are afraid to die even as they live in fear tyranny!
Yes, I have been following the horrible police state situation in Australia on Rebel News, one of the few media left where one can get the truth of a local situation. After my youth when the neighborhood cop actually was a helpful friend if/when you needed one, how the individual police person, particularly with women, can be so brutal and unfeeling, merely thugs for the State, I simply cannot fathom! It seems to be no different than Nazi Germany, the KGB of the USSR or the current Chinese police thugs, where they have no regard whatever for justice, compassion and fundamental human rights, but rather merely follow orders no matter the cost to people around them. Mind you the police in Ottawa were just as bad. When the trucker convoy protest began I was proud to be a Canadian for the first time in decades, but after the horrible police state end to it I am once again disgusted with Canada and Canadians for what the people have allowed to happen to them.
and it is worth knowing Argentina now; only take care about barrios and places where to go
I agree that many places need to be visited in order to better understand the full range of humans in the world. But this is not easily done at my age, 84, financial situation, and refusal to be Covid-19 vaccinated, even though I and spouse are extremely healthy in body and mind, and still sufficiently mobile.
Where do you live/ stay in Canada Paul I live in the north okanagan in BC
Born, raised, schooled and liived most of my life in southern Ontario. I had an aunt who lived in BC but I have only been there once. 22 years ago, over the internet, I found the woman of my dreams, a US citizen/resident. We are both highly anti-government and highly not nationalistic, so neither of us really wanted to become an immigrant to or citizen of the country of the other. So, we have been legally visiting each other at their residence for 6 months yearly since then, by driving back and forth. The Covid-19 vaccine mandates now threaten to separate us and I am finally applying for US Permanent Residence status. But that is also problematic because it also now requires Covid-19 vaccination.
Hi Paul thank you for your reply, I too am anti, government too, well big government. We moved from England 19 years ago, I could not stand the EU rules and local government rules, now it's just as bad here all types of regulations etc. It is very beautiful here though.
I am also unvaccinated , my father will be 89 0n20th April Hitlers birthday :-) so I will have to reculantly get vaccinated to go back to see him this year.
Considering all the sh— one is exposed to in the media all the Bonner commentaries are a breath of fresh air
You still have the freedom of choice to “cancel” the MSM, my friend. I did many years ago…and have never looked back.
While it may seem to be helping the Ukrainians by renting an airbnb, this plan is ripe with fraud. Certainly many of those with listings are no longer even in Ukraine or they have simply set up a listing to make money. I just checked Kiev for instance and many of the listings have no reviews and appear to have been created very recently.
Right… which is why you wouldn’t choose those ones, but rather opt for hosts with established track records and reviews from long time accredited users. It’s not that hard to weed out accounts that were created yesterday…
I guess one could write a host and see what their circumstances are but again you are taking a risk. Many of the listings now even show bombed out buildings. Given how much fake press there has been on western media, I would be inclined to not believe many of the listings.
Good read! Thanks
Thank you! I just write the things, it’s you who takes the time to read ‘em. Cheers!
Interesting reflections and a very well written piece.
A quote from Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard would have been appropriate in the discussion of cemeteries and their occupants. "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,and all that beauty, all that wealth e're gave, await alike the inevitable hour: the paths of glory lead but to the grave." George Boone
an excellent poem. as I am now 70, I casually await the next steps, whether its next year, or 30 years from now. no man, as they say, knows the hour or the day.
it is interesting to watch things repeat. the story is the same, nothing changes but the faces and the names.
My life has been pretty good. made a few bucks, knew a few lovely ladies, had some great meals and excellent wines, lived in interesting cities.
all that said, I prefer Tennyson's words in his great poem Ulysses
...... for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
That is a fantastic article. Nice writing. It felt like I was there I'm sitting in the sun in Southern California at the moment. I haven't "seen it all" like the venerable judges. But I'd have laughed and offered them a moment to take in one long sweet breath and exhale slowly.
No one stood up to Hitler in the early stages and 60 million lives were lost. The Jews got a hiding to nothing. The world should be governed by the Rule of Law and war criminals brought before them when a charge is made. Putin has to be stopped one way or another - many failed attempts were made to kill Hitler. Had any attempt succeeded lives lost would have been greatly diminished. Putin stands ready to wipe out the world and the world sits impotent by its inaction. There is always a solution to every issue and quick decisions are needed for the greater good of mankind.
Well said Joel yep we’re all going to die it’s only when someone else makes that decision for you that discomfort appears so more mafia dictators govt are not desirable and why yanks still want to carry weapons but until you confront the bully his gang/mafia will enslave you especially in central South America or Eastern Europe
Joel go to Moldova you'll get the best views and distilled facts .. no ruski BS !
Thank you Joel! Excellent
excellent essay. I especially like the quote about the falklands "war". epic.
and yes, enjoy the moment, for we know where we eventually wind up.
we are one stupid accident away from WW3
small correction. we are one stupid moronic egoistic politician away from war.
but its our own fault for tolerating the as s hooles as much as we do.
As stated by one of America's greatest humanitarians, "Can't we all just get along?" How about live and let live?
I think good man is able, but evil man is always in charge. Good man studies to do well by himself and his family. His intent is pure..... study, work, play, praise, love, live. Enjoy your God, your family, your country and live well. Treat others as wished to be treated.
Evil man's intent is selfish....cheat, scam, plot, deceit, hate, control. It's who he is. Despise yourself, no belief in a higher power other than man. Born into darkness and see no light. No love, no soul, not able to care for others, as he can't stand himself inside, but portrays strength and confidence on the out. He fools many, but not all.
Throughout history, the world has undergone many cleansing. Natural and unnatural selection, when evil outnumbers good. Yes, the good suffer, but the evil will not prevail. So it is written........It is good to ask God for his help, sometimes it's all we have.
God Bless America, and those who fight for her!
Yes, Putin is a little man, and history has shown us what little men are capable of. Of course size a man does not make, but some have issues as youth or in life, and it molds their future. I could never understand to left in this world, nor how they think. I realized that most I know, were damaged in their youth. Most were mentally, physically or sexually abused as children, and the further left their thought, the more likely of many abuses. They try to normalize those abuses, along with many other morally corrupt issues. We see it daily here in the States. Just turn on your tv. Most are harmless, and just suffer in their torment. Many times they come into positions of power due to their sociopathic/psychopathic tendencies. The results are never good. Yes, I believe Putin is one of these creatures, but also know he was backed into his corner, and now he strikes. This is the result of good tolerating evil/insanity. It’s always the same result no matter where you live. We live it here daily. I too worship peace, and am fully prepared for war, but unless we organize as well and better then evil, we have no control. When these creatures come into power, they need to be addressed immediately. Charity begins at home, and if unable to care for oneself, how can one help others? Organize and clean up the mess in America, and then we can address the ills of the world. Until then, our hands are tied, but not our thoughts….
but wait............ what about the COVID????? are the vaxxed. do they have enough masks?>???!!!!
asking for a friend.....