A Living Magazine - Day 80 - Happy Work In The City Of Six Bridges

The morning came and I woke up in my spot, well-rested and ready for a new day. It would be weird to see the town, sans all those booths in the park. On my way out of the creek area I saw the one of the artist's set of paint brushes...

And this is the bridge that spans the Latah Creek...

Posted to a tree on the other side of the bridge.

I have not yet seen these birds, if they are still around.

I walked to Starbuck's and caught up on my blog posts, then headed out to see what the park looked like without the Pig Out booths. I went to the Clocktower area first...

Plaque on the Clocktower.

The difference between new and old, from left to right, respectively.

Looking up.

Clocktower lawn, without a stage, beer garden or adoring fans. They left no trace.

The building that houses the indoor carousel.

Hendrix on a sidewalk.

I did a lot of thinking. I am weighing options about possibly hiking across Idaho into Montana. On the other hand, I really just want to get to the Midwest. The next day would be for planning my departure from Washington State.

I'd learned a lot about the Pacific, and now especially the Pacific Northwest. It informed my opinion on a great many different issues. Homelessness was going to be a major theme in this blog, but honestly, I just didn't see an overwhelming amount--nothing like New England. So, I have decided that the subject of "homelessness" will simply be covered automatically as I continue to cross the country. This blog is not devoted to any one issue or subject.

However, from the beginning, the emphasis of the philosophy that I am developing into several hypotheses, and thence recombining into a more comprehensive theory, is on simplicity. 

I'm the extreme example of such an attempt to make life simpler for myself. I left a life of office jobs, because the stress was literally killing me (had a heart attack in 2006). I have since realized the fact that simplicity works, by literally LIVING. I came across an article on LinkedIn, by Barry Schwartz, called: Why we're So Unhappy With Work - And How To Fix It. His thoughts mirrored mine so closely, that I'd like to comment a bit about my thinking on the subject, as it relates to this journey...

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I think we need to figure out what we really want to spend our lives doing. I found my answer pretty late in life, and after a second chance at life itself.

I'm not fond of unasked for advice, so I usually practice what I preach and don't give it, but in this case I would say to younger people:

Make learning about what satisfies you the most in life THE biggest priority as a career path or passionate expression, and focus tenaciously on it--as long as you enjoy it. Do many things like that if you want. Be able to take honest criticism, but don't ever let it defeat you (though it may bring you pretty far down sometimes).

YOU are the one who knows what's best for you. After you listen to or read about something that really impresses you, remember that adopting pieces of that philosophy should only be used to build your *own* worldview. I guess this suggestion could apply to anyone, of any age.

When we adopt an entire "ism" (an ideology) we are precluding ourselves from noticing which negative parts of that philosophy impact our own lives or the world around us, while it also robs us from the desire to improve upon those shortcomings--things the philosophy can't account for. If we oppose or add on, we are called "heretics". Step off the party's sidewalk and you are libel to be run over, or pushed back off if you return.

This is true for social religions, politics, science, economics, art, music and literature. People rely too much upon the theories of other people. As a side effect of this, interpersonally they then judge each other's behavior and argue about which of their adopted theories is best. They would probably do just fine if they each had a unique world view--in the same way they have unique personalities.

I think this will happen eventually. There does not need to be a revolution in order for there to be a very effective socio-economic transformation. The key is being strong individuals and respecting each person's worldview as non-competing. Since there is no ideology (group philosophy), nothing should oppose your own worldview (ideally). Similarly, why would you run around trying to get others to adopt your worldview--now an ideology?

If there could be a greater value placed upon the positive "tions"; expression, creation, composition, construction, application, etc., we could find that there are very valuable things to learn about from the experiences and knowledge of others at the same time we can make our lives our own. ALL, at the same time. Diversity, unified.

As I've traveled across the country and seen so much from the street level, I've noticed that the things that work - for example, the ability to keep trash off the streets in the Northwest, as compared with New England - are based around personal habits that have turned into societal ones. Generally speaking, no matter what affiliation a Northwesterner has, to political or religious ideologies (and they are more independent than the norm in this respect), they all throw their trash away.

I've noticed here in Spokane that I will pass a park on the other side of the road and see trash there, but when returning it will be gone. If it isn't, then I am moved to throw it out. Trash cans are not difficult to find. Having no trash around encourages individuals, and thence whole cities, not to be the one(s) to leave something as now-out of place as a paper cup or cigarette butt.

The trash cans are emptied each day in the city as efficiently as they are emptied in the park festival cans. I hope to have driven home the idea that individuals can become habitually unified on certain subjects without ever becoming someone else's ideal.

It wasn't laws, or fines, or tough love that transformed the Northwest into the cleanest region of the country I've seen. No. It was the individual deciding to do what she/he believed. Keeping a beautiful world beautiful is - I think - naturally part of everyone's worldview. This is true Cognitive Liberty in action.

Such is the case with the ability to believe or not believe in a high power, and rejecting any belief system that makes you hate yourself or others.

Such is the case with demanding a governmental leadership that truly DOES make an effort to effect supportive social changes for its citizenry, rather than be planning what everybody should believe as a platform--while requiring the rejection of all other platforms, and pouring 85% of their energy and money into campaigning (running for office never ends, before or after election).

Such is the case in elevating music, art and literature to a point where it can influence society, rather than be influenced by it.

Such is the case with refusing to be a mindless consumer who shops for sport, accumulates things he/she doesn't need or use--just for the fun of spending money, being a thing-worshiper--a thing fetishist who lives life on the outside of the world and thinks that is all there is. Simplify...

Spend less money and you won't have to make more money.

All of these "such is the case" examples are realistic things that help the individual, while simultaneously benefiting society.

One final thing I'd like to say about the economy. We live in a debt-based economy--individually and internationally. It teeters on the edge of an unreasonably high cliff of uncertainty and the situation becomes more precarious and unstable with each passing day.

There is one single reason for this: Banks want the system to remain the way it is, because they are shoving money into their pockets from the disability caused by that system.

With no more heavy debt (such as mortgages), individuals could afford to fund their own businesses, and buy their own houses (assuming they were willing to live more simply). Between the banking and healthcare industries alone, a cartel has formed in the US. Universal healthcare and the freedom from life-long personal debt seem so very far away right now. We could change this, if we wanted.

Alan Watts made a very convincing argument related to  all of this that only takes three minutes to appreciate...

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It was time to head back to the creek. I'd been transferring files in the park and not realized how orange the sky had become. On the walk westward I was witness to one of the nicest sunsets I'd seen in quite some time...

First I needed a nod from Honest Abe.

I waited a while, but he seemed permanently distracted.

I love it when the rays shine up under the clouds.

I'd chosen a different way home, following Spokane Falls Boulevard, then to Cedar and Fourth, where I could head directly to Sunset Boulevard and then the Latah Creek. There is a section on each of the north-south running streets that passes under the train tracks. And, under each of the bridges is an elaborate mural or permanent art exhibit (as I have shown others on most of the Spokane posts). Cedar was no different, but just as unique. I sensed a definite Hieronymus Bosch influence...

When I got the sleeping spot it was only 9:00 pm, so I walked around the area - paced, really - until about 10:30 pm--thinking, when I finally laid out the sleeping bag, and myself atop it. I slept on the sleeping bag until about 3:00 am, when it got quite chilly, causing me to climb in for the rest of the night.