What Do You Do When You No Longer Feel a Connection with Your Old Tribe?
Over the last decade my understanding of life has made a dramatic shift. This has caused me to have a great sense of loneliness at times. I could be in a room full of people but still seem to be all alone.
The conversations were usually very shallow, self-centered, narcissistic in nature and about subjects that frankly appealed very little to me. My brain was not being stimulated. So I would retreat into my own little world and dream of living abroad, entrepreneurship and simple living.
It seemed whenever I would bring up conversations about what I cared about people would call me a wishful thinker, a dreamer or sometimes a conspiracy theorist. The only thing people wanted to hear about were my stories while in the US Navy or psych unit stories. I spent almost six years working on psychiatric units.
The other thing that always got under my skin was how everyone wanted to know how my Brother was doing. He was a Navy Cryptographer and now a big wig in the FBI Cyber division. Conversations tend to go like this, "Randy long time no see, how is your Brother?"
You see I was always the outsider looking in. I had never found my watering hole! Then something amazing happened in my life.
The Move to Panama.
In 2010 I made the decision to expatriate to Panama. My family and friends must have thought I was crazy. For one I had very little money to make the move and two I barely knew anyone in Panama.
Once I hit the streets of Panama I began networking and meeting like-minded expats from all over the world. The first community I tried out was the military Veterans community but I found them to be a little negative. They were also obviously a little to attached to the tit of Momma Gov.
By this time I had already taken the red pill and was a happy Libertarian. I had been a Dr. Paul fan since 2006. During that time frame I read Peter Schiff's book, "Crash Proof" and went on a Youtube binge. It was an awakening and I would never be the same again.
I met so many expats during my first few years in Panama but frankly most were miserable people. I have to admit that I decided to retreat into the internet. My connection to the outside world was my wife Anabell. If it was not for her I would probably spend 16 hours a day on the web.
The Role of Social Media in My Journey for a New Watering Hole.
Then something miraculous happened, my original partners in Panama decided that they no longer wanted to keep me around. This lit a fire under my ass and I began to network online in spectacular fashion.
My first great connection outside of Panama was Peter Spina of GoldSeek. I was his social media manager for Goldseek, SilverSeek and Goldseek Mint. I had a total blast and got to know many people in the Gold and Silver community that I considered heroes.
Then in 2015 all hell breaks loose. The precious metals community is a ghost ship and all revenue dries up, so Peter has to let me go. We already had plenty of other clients by this time but losing Peter as a client hurt both financially and because it was a community that I felt attached to.
The Crypto Rebirth.
In June of last year I was asked to join a crypto mining community called Bitclub. Even though network marketing has never been my thing this was an opportunity I felt was worthwhile. So began my second entry into the world of Crypto and Bitcoin.
A few months later I happened to meet Ira Miller the co-founder of Coinapult a Panama based Bitcoin wallet. He asked me if I wanted to be a mentor for The Founders Institute Panama, a startup incubator. I said yes and an amazing relationship has developed ever since. We now have multiple projects we are working on together which are all blockchain related.
Our First Graduating Class of The Founders Institute Panama August 2016.
The AnCap Community
Then in March I had a the opportunity to meet up with Jeff Berwick of The Dollar Vigilante and Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change. These two guys were on their way home from Venezuela. Jeff asked if anyone in Panama wanted to hang out during their 12 hour layover. Ana and I were around the corner at a clients office so we jumped at the chance.
We had a great meeting with Jeff and Luke. I had already taken the blue pill but after that meeting I think my wife did also! I do believe we were the first to hear about their hair raising trip to Venezuela. Jeff and I came to an agreement and we have been helping do his social media ever since.
Luke, Anabell and Jeff
FreedomFest 2016 Las Vegas
In July I went to FreedomFest in Las Vegas on last seconds notice for a client. This was probably the best two days of networking I ever did in my life. It was also the first time I entered the USA since since June 2012, when I sold my house in NY.
I met so many great people during these few days. I think I connected with over 20 fellow Anarchists and some Libertarians. When I came home my Fascistbook feed was transformed into a liberty loving post fest. Between my Anarchist friends and Crypto friends I barely saw any of the typical crap people see in their Fascistbook feeds.
Fast Forward to August 2016.
Jeff Berwick joins Steemit and I do also. My life has filled with joy as I produce content for the Steemit platform. The amount of Anarchist, Crypto lovers and free thinkers on the platform has blown my mind. I have been producing content since 2011 but never received a dime directly. So the incentive to share my ideas and knowledge while getting paid a little definitely appealed to me.
Many of the people I am engaging with on Steemit I have known about, shared their content but never had the opportunity to have conversations with them. Now it seems like I am having conversations with pioneers in the Crypto and Anarchist community daily.
I Found My Watering Hole.
After all of these years I have finally found a place where my tribe congregates. Steemit has become the local watering hole for the minds that I feel a connection to.
This platform has done something that no other platform I have worked with has done before. It has brought a bunch of people together who would otherwise be off working on their individual projects.
If Steemit was to shut down tomorrow I am sure that the relationships I am forming on this platform will continue to there. This is what social media is supposed to be about!
Cheers Steemers!!
What i appreciate much on this post is the watering hole. There are lots of people here on steemit, we dont know each other but we share a lot of things. We have our differences but we have the same goals.
I really enjoyed reading this article. I've been involved in the silver market, was at one point even trying to get a silver based barter economy going. Although I'm about as into organized religion as you can get (I'm Roman Catholic and a leader in my parish), I really enjoy talking with people about things like anarchy and I know all about how our government has a more globalist agenda than what would be truly in our best interests (putting it mildly). I've even dabbled into Internet marketing, but was not able to actually break through, plus I'm probably too busy with raising my children to be able to give it as much as it would need. I'm liking Steemit too. I think the discussions are generally more civil than they are on Facebook, even when people disagree. Looking forward to reading more of your posts :)
Thank you for stopping by. Are you excited for silvers prospects in 2017? It is looking like it could have a nice run up soon. I am doing my best to avoid the globalist agenda. Panama is a great place to lay my head and watch the system unfold from afar.
Steemit so far has been a breath of fresh air. I hope it continues to grow at a break neck pace.
You know, my philosophy is that it's better to buy and hold physical silver over the long term because the spot price is often manipulated, and the amount of silver that's electronically traded is greater than the amount that actually exists (not sure how they do that, but no one questions that they do it). It's been kept artificially low for so long that after a while you get bored looking at it unless you either want to buy or sell, which I haven't done much of in the past year. I will admit to having put silver involvement on the back burner since around 2013 when I discovered Bitcoin and the whole world of cryptocurrencies. But it seems like the anarchist people and the silver people tend to also find their way into the cryptosphere one way or another. I was open to learning about Bitcoin because of having been involved with silver and trying to promote an economy that would tie us less to the Fed, etc. It's interesting how that all works.
Exactly that is what happened to me. Silver was my gateway drug to crypto ; ). I have not bought any in years but I feel I have enough physical. Crypto is so much more interesting.
Crypto definitely comes in more flavors and varieties :)
Very cool you are doing all that in Panama. You are the first liberty person who I have read about going there. Interesting what you said about the military expats being negative and no fun to hang out with. I bet this is true where ever you go, I wonder if other liberty folks had the same experience in other countries.
I am sure they do since the community cares more about their military benefits, VA benefits or other things they get from the government. I attended two Veterans day luncheons and the US Ambassador was there. Everyone treats the guy like he was a god. Quite surreal.
I moved to New Hampshire and joined the Free State Project because I wanted to live near like minded folks. Mostly all the people are great, but there are still a few vets who complain about the government none stop but wrap themselves in a flag. I just let those folks be and focus my time on people more like me.
It's tough finding a community to fit in to. I can only hope that the future will bring more and more anarchists.
Hey, the internet sure makes it easier. I think Steemit is a good place to connect.
Yea, there seem to be a lot of us over here.
Wow, did this article ever strike a chord with me. Just the title alone hit the nail right on the head. And the first paragraph... and then the next... and the next. Man, I feel all of it.
I too have felt lonely a lot of the time. In my lifetime I have met and gotten to know probably 57 million people. Most of them like me. But they just don't get it. I have a tendency to speak what's on my mind... to tell the truth... to enlighten people about what a shithole of a planet we're living on... and that there is a way to survive all the troubles that are coming. But these people... 99% of them don't want to hear about it. Each time I get that questioning glance, each time I see that glazed look in their eye, I just turn around and leave, knowing I'm wasting my time, and feeling just a little bit sadder inside.
But personally I'm doing well. Very well. I'm older now but super healthy for an "older fart". I have found a spirituality that is just amazing... based on my own personal connection with nature and the universe... the things I consider to be 'god'. And that connection treats me very, very well. It's what keeps me healthy. Not to mention that the older I get, the more successful I get. Not rich yet, but damn... with the track I'm on, and with the consistency I'm delivering to myself, it won't be long.
My biggest problem is that I just can't seem to get Steemit to work. I want to write articles. I want to share. But I just get so pissed off that I can't edit my articles, can't edit the text, can't figure out how to insert pictures, links, etc. that I just give up. I have already written two articles on Steemit and then just trashed them.
I have run successful blogs elsewhere... why is Steemit the most difficult one I've ever run into? Maybe because it's the most beautifully simple one and maybe I just haven't figured that out yet? Obviously I'm doing something wrong... I have a mental block about Steemit now. And man, once I get pissed off... once I get a mental block, it's usually fatal. I truly hope that's not the case here.
In any event, thanks for submitting this article. I loved it. I understand your thoughts and feelings on so many levels. And I fully intend to meet some great free thinking truth tellers like you and Jeff Berwick, Luke Radowsky... people who would instantly connect with me. My "new" tribe. Most likely the majority of people who are becoming attracted to Steemit are the type of people I'm going to really connect with... in person and online.
Cheers
Wow, I could feel the energy in your post. If you ever visit Panama or decide to come to Anarchapulco we will definitely connect. As a professional blogger I have to agree that the simplicity of Steemit is why I love it so much.
Yes, you need to have some images or your posts will not gain traction. My post on how to SEO images might help. Also remember to center your images. It works like this, just take out the spaces to make it work.
< center > your image url < /center >
Thanks Randy. Thanks for the tip and for the link. Obviously you care, lol.
You're right, I do have an energy that I'm very pleased about... one that 'the right people' definitely connect with. Some people, not many, find me to be a nice addition to their inner circle. For the rest of them, I'm just a nice guy they met... totally blind to the real me, lol.
So I'm very happy to contribute to any community who is awake and in tune with the reality of this life. I'm certainly not a doomer. I'm a very positive guy, infectiously so. I'm excited. I'm happy. And I'm pretty darned certain that I'm going to end up in Panama or at Anarchapulco one day.
But first, I want to complete what I believe is my last year of working for someone else... my beloved son who still needs my help developing a fantastically successful company. But I'm getting tired of it. I need a permanent vacation from that world, and to turn my focus toward growing my own little financial empire. I have decades of experience as a technical analyst and I'm very capable of growing my holdings in Canadian mining companies into something pretty big. I'm almost ready to really start enjoying life. Next summer I plan to free myself. See you then !!!
And for what it's worth. You just went into the record books. My first "friend" on Steemit. And I thank you for that :-)
Go get the steemitimg.com app. it's a platform to upload photos and videos to your blog posts. There a good explanation here: https://steemit.com/tutorial/@highimpactflix/brand-new-excusive-steemit-tutorial-video-launched-to-over-200-000-youtube-subscribers This will help, if I can figure it out anyone can.... bon chance
I appreciate this post. A lot of us need more than the propaganda, we need truth and freedom. Peter schiff and jeff berwick are some of my favorite youtube channels. The internet is bringing us together. Best wishes
It sure is, that old feeling of being alone in a big world is something of the past for me. The last few years have been amazing.
It really is surreal, this feeling you get knowing that we're all in this together. We may differ here and there on things, but the Steemit watering hole is where we get together and work it out. We don't torch ideas, we embrace them.
I only see this continuing into the future and bearing us a platform that houses 100,000,000 crypto anarchists before we know it. Our message will spread like wildfire...not only because it's a morally and pragmatically valid perspective, but also because all of us together will have the most Steem Power. Your move, Statists. XD
On a personal note, while we haven't seriously considered the expat route, we have been exploring possibilities in Puerto Rico for a while. Your story really inspires me to not give in to doubts and fears, and dream big!
I lived in PR back in the day. It is a very nice place and the tax benefits can't be argued with. I just worry about the umbrella of the USA. They have firm control over that island.
Steemit is on a wonderful growth trajectory. I don't know if it will last but it is sure looking promising.
Cue the Darth Vader music XD
PR really is beautiful, but you are absolutely right. The people there believe in the US as well, as the independence movement is very fringe from what I could tell. Maybe someday they escape the grip.
i feel similarly and am also thinking of making the move to another country -- glad to hear your experience was so wonderful -- cheers to you friend!
I'm so happy for you! I know that feeling of not being able to connect with people you once considered close friends. Where I live, while I still have a few friends whose company I still enjoy (who don't hate me for my anarchism) I have no one outside of my family that I really feel a spark with. At least not locally. And then I have some wonderful writer friends who I get along with smashingly, who tolerate my anarchism and are willing to listen to my ideas even if we don't agree. But I only get together with them about once a year. Most of my really good friends, the ones who really "get" me, are on the internet, I'd say.
And I want to (I WILL) leave this country and travel the world. I have some debt to pay off and some savings to supplement and some income streams to work on, but my long term goal is to be a professional itinerant by 2020. Wish me luck!
You can do it Leslie!!
May joy and blessings come your way! Thanks for sharing your story..... although I must say I have an aversion to the Libertarian principles at a fundamental level, I also flirted with this self oriented universal outlook when I was in my 30's, but my pov has evolved over the last few decades, I trust in the concept of better together and we cannot trust everyone to act in ways which respect and nurture others and our environment with equity and justice. Glad you are reconnecting with your tribe though, friends make life worth living that is for sure.... oc