Are you sustainable or terminal?
This book is for people wanting to drop out and live a sustainable lifestyle as a framework for their lives. Some of you want to escape the rat race, work online or locally, and have a natural and peaceful existence with your family and loved ones. Others want to drop out and live a more serious, sustainable, and survivable existence. This book is for everyone looking for a new life in the country because they are not happy with the way the world is going at the moment, spiritually, economically, technically, and politically. It is a basic handbook outlining the basic groundwork of dropping out, with a mixture of information from my past as a dropout in the 1960s and modern-day prepping skills and technology. The reasons for dropping out have increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed governments around the world as being unable and unwilling to support and nurture us in times of need and disaster. Simply and seriously, we must do it ourselves. We don’t know the future for sure; what we do know is that we want to live long and sustainable lives with a minimum of interference from corrupt governments and corporations.
This book can help you build or restore your own house, grow, cook, and preserve food, and take care of your health and education. It also offers up spiritual insights and options, as well as living and working within a small community. What it does best is provide a good starting point for a new life free of the materialistic pressures of modern living while also returning to the basics, which are and always will be golden. Technology has only just started to enslave us; there is a lot more to come: AI, robots, space wars, digital money, surveillance, social credits, and more pandemics. A war between the ones with their hands in the till and us has begun. If you stay in the system, you will have little choice but to obey. Once you’re out of it and relatively independent (plus a few guns), you should be able to live a good life with like-minded people.
In the past, I have built my own house, organized a watering system, developed a productive vegetable garden, and lived happily in a community of like-minded people, back in the 1970s. I have lived through the past and the future: no telephones, no TV, a few cars, no Internet, and now, a world full of people who can’t wait for their next fix: playing a computer game and taking another hundred selfies. I am not Christian or of any other religion. I am like this because I want to keep an open mind and heart. I can say that many Christian beliefs and values are under threat, and that threat is coming from socialists and communists who have a history of killing and torturing religious people. I sincerely hope that the basic Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Native American, and Hindu philosophies, and wisdoms are not lost. Without them, we will succumb to a world government that doesn’t give a rat’s ass about people, their lives, and their inalienable rights.
Living in Castlemaine was a struggle sometimes, but we loved the outdoor lifestyle and the freedom it brought. I would like to go back to those good old days after years and years of working at jobs and struggling to survive, getting crazier by the hour. Now that the future has arrived, there is no choice but to drop out and survive, or at the very least make a plan and find the perfect balance between a new life in the peaceful countryside, working online, and being prepared to survive any situation. The major step is to live somewhere peaceful, safe and nurturing. You must decide here and now if you want to be one of the top city dogs and be prepared to walk over anybody and anything to survive. I am not prepared to do that.
I hope the idea of everyone being born equal and having equal rights, and people working together to maintain those equal rights even if it means using a gun, is the new religion without any political, racial, or financial dogma. What I see in communist China is a mirage of rising living standards accompanied by a total loss of freedom. Perhaps they have a nicer home than before, and perhaps they have more food to eat, as well as more debt and stress. There’s no freedom if the Communist Party doesn’t like you because of your religion or politics. Then you’re screwed.
I hope you get a lot of valuable information out of this book. I will update it more and more over the next 12 months so I can cover every possible scenario that you may need to understand if you have dropped out and feel isolated. I suggest you save this file, print it out, or read it all and take notes on the specific things that relate to you right now. There is no other option. Whether you drop out with money or drop out with no money, it is much the same idea: a basic home, a basic farm, basic tools, basic animals, basic food, basic, basic, basic. That’s because you don’t want anything too complicated that’s difficult to fix, maintain, and manage.
You need things that will sustain you: fishing rods that work; push bikes that don’t break down; motorcycles that are easily fixed. You need to run everything on diesel and have a large diesel storage tank, and that storage tank needs to be hidden very well. Camouflaging it so people don’t know you have a storage tank underground would be ideal, and now is the time to put in a tank. Make sure you have a diesel vehicle. I’m not sure about a diesel motorcycle; the ArCtic Cat 700 Diesel ATV is one option, but a large amount of diesel could keep you going for years and years, including a diesel generator, a diesel water pump, a diesel truck, diesel lighting, and diesel heating and cooling. There are important things to consider, whether you are dropping out or are a prepper or farmer.
You should always consider Richard Overton. Following someone with a small footprint on the planet. Someone with a simple life and a simple philosophy about life and being happy. What brings you joy and what brings joy to your family? Going back to the basics means going back to being loyal to each other, loving your family, spending time with your family, cooking nutritious food, growing food, using herbs for your health, and educating yourself whenever possible. Stop playing computer games, stop watching movies “every night,” and get rid of your TV. I haven’t had a TV for 15 years.
You don’t need a complicated car with lots of computerized parts. You need a simple farm truck, like a Ford F100, that runs on diesel and is easy to fix. Simple communications: a heavy-duty walkie-talkie and/or ham radio. a simple gun that is easy to clean and easy to maintain. Even wind-up clocks could be good. A wheat grinder; lots of bulk food; and knowing how to store the bulk food without it being damaged and going bad. Control your vermin. Make sure you have no rats, ants, or bugs in your house; they could ruin your food. I love baked beans, so buy as many cans as you can (or use navy beans to make them), which is a little bit on the prepper side.
Even if the world settles down in the future, you can always have baked beans and chili on sourdough bread smothered in cold-pressed olive oil. When it comes to olive oil, you’ll need to stock up on large drums of high-quality olive oil as well as bags of wheat. When you are cooking, especially in the winter, you can cook on a wood stove (it will warm up your kitchen). I used to have a wood stove and could cook anything in it; all you need is some wood. If your house is near a forest or grove of trees, you can collect some dead wood. Firewood would be a fantastic option, so you’re not having to depend only on diesel for your heating and cooking.
Somewhere to fish would be very helpful, like a river or lake not so far away. A place where you can ride your motorcycle, mountain bike, or even walk. You can dry some fish as well. In Asia, they salt and dry it.
If there are some rabbits, you can shoot some as needed. My father loved eating braised rabbits and curried crayfish. I dropped out for many years, and it cost very little to live on the basics. The amount of money we spend now on one night’s dinner could keep us alive for two months. Now is a good time to change our philosophy on life. We have to look at the simple teachings of wisdom and love from many religions, follow our conscience, and do what’s right.
When you drop out, it’s a good idea to drop out of the systems running around inside your brain—the ones the system formed when you were young, innocent, and vulnerable. By your family, your school, religions, governments, and imaginary heroes You don’t need any of that anymore. You don’t need a religion, a sports team, or to follow anyone; you just need to prioritize yourself, your family, your environment, and your survival. You also need to understand that the word “god” refers to the energy in the universe. God can appear as a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, YOU, a Red Indian, an Eskimo, or an Aboriginal, among other things. God is not exclusive, but inclusive.
You can be happy and fulfilled without belonging to any team. Belong to your loved ones. We belong to a family that also belongs to the environment and the universe. We play an important role in inclusiveness.
You must be free from everything that creates confusion and negativity in yourself. Follow your inner voice; you are a spirit, you are intuitive, and you are a tree.
Love the Ones You’re With
Love them more and more.
When I moved into the forest at Castlemaine, I was still scared of the dark. For many years, I stayed close to the house at night in case the scary goblins, witches, and monsters attacked me. This was when I had a partner. One night, after being single for a week, I had enough of being scared. I went for a walk; it was a full moon, and I said, yelled, and cajoled, “Come and get me goblins; come and get me, witches,” and nothing came and got me; they were more scared of me than I ever knew, until now. From that night on, I was free of all childhood scary things and could walk through the forest at night and go anywhere anytime, which was the most wonderful feeling ever. Build your lives together.
When you go and drop out in the country, maybe it’s near a forest or in a forest, and you can’t see a house anywhere, you feel all by yourself. When the night comes and the moon rises, you may be like me and run inside, lock all the doors, and hide in the bath. There is a better way: face your fears, go out for a walk just like I did, and embrace the moon, the stars, and the noise of the forest. Feel no fear ever again; after all, we are animals too, and all things natural are part and parcel of who we are too.
Catching sheep
This sounds a little crazy, and it was a little crazy. On my little block of land, I had five black sheep, and every year someone had to come and shear them. They were quite wild, and it was difficult to catch them, so I came up with a brainwave. I got an old blanket and walked into the small field where the sheep were and laid under the blanket with my hand ready to grab their legs when they walked past. I put some food around the edge of the blanket and waited for what seemed like hours. I can’t remember if it worked or not. I’m sure it didn’t work, and they made a complete fool of me, and afterward, I drank two buckets of water after nearly asphyxiating under the blanket on a hot summer’s afternoon. If you are doing something sometimes and you think you feel crazy and you don’t know what you’re doing, just remember me and the time I was under the blanket trying to catch the wild sheep for the yearly shearing, and laugh and keep going.
Swimming holes
Because Australia is very hot and sometimes it is 45 or 50°, people like to go swimming, and all we had was a giant lake full of dirty brown water. To get to the water, you had to walk over rocks and mud. Once you were in, it was okay. It was wet and cool like there was water everywhere. After an hour of Outback Australian bliss, we got out and sun-baked on some rocks before heading back in. It was a far cry from surfing in the ocean where I was born. Yet, it’s still a lot of fun to go to the lake and go swimming. I’ve gone skiing on it a couple of times. Out in the middle, the water is blue instead of dirty brown, reflecting the sky above, as if you were sliding on heaven, wow, until you fell off, and your heavenly dreams crashed back down to Earth. Water can feel hard at speed. It is good to get away from crowded beaches and swimming pools, have some fun and recreation and have a picnic by the river or at a favorite swimming hole. If you have a lake nearby, you can spend hours and hours relaxing, swimming, sleeping, and snacking with your family. It is an awesome thing to do.
Horse Riding
The second time I lived in a forest, my wife loved to ride horses, so I learned to ride horses too. We bought two horses and two saddles, and we would often ride out the gate out of town, up the hill, and into the forest without knowing or caring exactly where we were going. The horses would walk up hills, then run down the other side, and always try to turn and go home.
I recall riding with you one day. I remember one day we drove for four hours until we came to the forest’s end, miles, and miles away. We climbed a mountain and saw a beautiful view of farmland adjoining the forest, all the way to the city of Melbourne. After a nice picnic, we rode back, and, oh, oh, the sun was already starting to fade, and we weren’t sure how to get home. Never mind, we thought the horses knew how to get home by themselves, so we let them take us. The sun went out around halfway, and it was so dark that you couldn’t see all the large spiders smacking into your face from their webs between the trees. You also couldn’t see the branches that tried to poke your eyes out. All the way you could feel and hear the click, click, click of the horses’ hooves, dying to get home to eat food and rest after their long walk. Eventually, and amazingly, around 8 p.m., we saw the lights of town. Two crazy riders and two very tired horses shuffled down the main street, then into bed. We all slept very well that night. If you have enough food for them and acres of forest and mountains to ride in if you need to go bush for a few months, horses can be a lot of fun and practical.
When you drop out, you can do some fun things that might cost extra money but are good for the soul. Instead of riding bikes through your land to go fishing, you can go fishing and hunting with your horses. I guess if you’re using a gun, you’re probably going to want to use it off the horse, but there’s no reason you can’t ride your horse to the river and catch some fish and go swimming in the river. Going on a picnic with horses is truly amazing.
Water system
My water system didn’t exist before we bought the small stone cottage, which sat on a small rocky hill just on the edge of the forest. There was no well, no river, no water tank, and not a lot of rain. In Australia, the summers are hot, and it never rains during the summer months. One day I saw what looked like a puddle of water, which turned out to be a sinkhole in the bottom of a dry creek near the house. I bought a single-stroke flywheel engine to pump water up to a tank near the house, which meant a trip down into the creek every couple of days to pump water. I was glad to have it, but sometimes the water ran out and it wasn’t that convenient. The next step was to hire a bulldozer to dig a dam inside the forest and up the hill, allowing water to flow down to the house by gravity. This worked well, but it wasn’t high enough to feed into a header for the house; it was OK for the garden, though. I still had to use the pump.
When you are organizing your water, you must think about what you would do if you had no electricity or power for your pump. This is a good reason to have a lot of diesel in storage and a diesel water pump. Say you run out of diesel and don’t have electricity. Then you must think about gravity-fed, solar-powered, or windmill-fed water. If you have the resources and there’s a good spot above the house between two hills with a small valley where you can put in a dam using a bulldozer, it will catch the water and it will gravity feed to your garden and your house; you can use it instead of pumping from a river or a well, and you can fill it full of fish. That’s something to think about.
In Australia, people have dams everywhere; they are the only source of drinking water for cows and sheep. Windmills are often used to pump water from a dam to the house and domestic animal troughs. You can also use a windmill to pump water from an underground stream, by drilling down to it and sending a pipe down to the water. Windmills are very common in Australia. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but they just run by the wind, and they creak, groan, and rattle as part of the natural environment and daily sounds and rhythms. Pumping water into a tank all day long for free. If you have gravity feed from a dam, a windmill, and diesel-powered water pumps, you will always have water.
Building
I have a large section on building your own house; this is an update. It is important to look at other buildings to learn how to do your own. It is possible to follow house plans, and you can make your plans, but the most important thing is to look at other buildings. Whenever you go to a friend’s house or into town, look at how things are made, write a few notes, and start a recipe book on building. Make notes and sketches about the size of beams in the wall and the roof. Always carry a tape measure with you. Measure everything; oh, it’s an 8×2 inch beam; OK, I know that now. And how do they attach the beam to the roof? And what size are the doors? Measure the doors—OK, that’s a door—and look at the windows, and measure the size of the windows. When you’re inside the house, measure the height of the ceiling. OK, now you know whether it’s 8 feet, 9 feet, or 10 feet.
A recipe book for building may take you two weeks; it may take you two years, as long as you’re filling it up with interesting little bits of information on how things are made. If someone has a barn, measure everything and sketch the beams and angles.
Now you know how big a barn is. 30 feet by 60 feet; how high are the walls; what did they cover the barn with? Is it covered with boards? What size are those boards—are they 6-by-1-inch boards? Are the boards natural, or did they put some kind of stain on them? OK, it is a black stain; what is that stain? Find out what it is if someone knows whether it’s wood stain or old sump oil from cars that are good for keeping wood waterproof. Look at how the frames are made and if the poles are made of concrete, steel, or wood. These days, people use steel more than wood. If they are steel, measure the size of the steel, and before you know it, your recipe for building will give you a delicious and yummy building. Then all you must do is make sure everything is vertical and horizontal, using a spirit level and square.
Once you make sure everything is square and vertical, you can build anything, and when in doubt, make it bigger. I made some of the beams on my house bigger than they needed to be. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You can build a whole house using a hammer, saw, trowel, spirit level, tape measure, and chisel. Building a simple house is easy once you have your recipe book. Even if you do have plenty of buildings nearby to copy, you can also look on the Internet and look at other building books to get more recipes and ideas. Maybe you need to build a staircase; fill out your recipe book with a staircase recipe. What angle is it, what size are the treads and the risers, and how do they sit the treads and risers into the boards on the sides? How do you go around a corner, etc.?
You wouldn’t cook a meal without a recipe, would you? Without a recipe, you have no idea what it will be like. High on your list of things to do is create a building recipe book, and if you already have a building or have bought an old house, you can start a renovation recipe book. You can fill it with lots of new ideas about what paint to use, how to get paint off, undercoats, how to repair broken windows, and how to replace broken tiles, and you can do all this from the comfort of your home. Many people will buy a property while they still live in a city and spend time getting everything ready before they move in, so this is a good time to get your recipe book in order. You only need to look up a peachy, I’ve got a broken window. How do I get it out? How do I put a new one in? How do I cut glass? What materials do I need? What tools do I need?
Recipe books
This book you’re reading is a bit like the recipe book I’m talking about; you should make your own. You’ll need a construction recipe book, a gardening recipe book, a fruit tree recipe book, a water recipe book, a security recipe book, and a fishing recipe book to build your life, future, knowledge, strength, and power. Not only can you use your recipe books to reference how to do something when you need it, but so can your family and children. They will value these very much when they can just go to the book, open it up to a staircase, and build one. Or open it up to a pizza oven; oh, now I know how to build a pizza oven; yay, we can eat pizza; open it up to spinning wool magic…
Relationships
It is important to have family meetings when you drop out because you will have time to work together as a team. I feel every team member should feel equal at these meetings, no matter how old. Many things can then be decided in a meeting, voted on, and talked about. The most important thing is what people want to do, and this should not be decided based on sex or age. If a girl or woman wants to build, she can build. If a man wants to cook, let him cook. In a traditional farm environment, you can imagine the woman baking cookies and the man out there riding his horse and bringing in the cows. That’s fine if that’s what people want. My idea of equality is choice; regardless of your age, your race, or your sex, all things can be done by choice.
But, given that all religions give power to men and that the religions were run and written by men to seek power over women, some corrections to this myth are needed. No one has power over anyone. People are people; maybe women and men come from Venus and Mars and do things differently for different reasons, sure, but never take away someone’s freedom of choice based on what the Bible says, what your father says, what your mother says, or what you think is normal. Remember that our bodies are vehicles for our souls. They are different, like snowflakes and clouds. They do not reflect who we are inside. You should never let yourself be imprisoned by your body because your soul is not white or black, rich, or poor, female or male. Be open, support everybody, and do unto others as you would unto yourself, which is really, important when you drop out. You don’t want any tension (carrying baggage) or unnecessary stress, pain, or suffering. You want to have the best of the best; you want to maximize your happiness and your joy, and there is no way you can do that without freedom of choice.
Meetings and conversations about daily affairs and no boss—absolutely no boss—only teamwork I believe children are smarter than we give them credit for. They are wiser than we give them credit for, and I think they are only small because they needed to come out of their mother’s womb. Because their bodies are small, this does not imply that their brain activity or heart function are small. Over many years of working with children, I’ve discovered that if you treat them like a baby, they’ll be a baby; if you treat them like an equal, they’ll be an equal. Children are what you make them; they can’t fend for themselves. They don’t know some things about the world, but you’re feeding them and supplying them. Like a dog that is loyal to you because you give them food, the moment you stop giving them food, it will not be loyal anymore, so don’t overuse your power. Don’t think that you’re the boss because you’re an adult and you’re so smart; children must do what you tell them.
If you are like this, you will not get the benefit of their wisdom or their creative genius. NASA conducted research and discovered that children as young as seven years old are natural creative geniuses who can tap into their souls and spirit. Much easier than adults, and according to NASA evidence, we should listen to our children much more frequently because they operate on an alpha mind wave level, which is more aware, sensitive, and astute, so don’t be too proud, don’t be too willful, and be humble. Dropping out is a humble way of life. Be equal; do not be better or worse than others. Enjoy your equality, enjoy your place in the world, enjoy being a cog in the wheel, and put your ego, your will, your sense of power, and your sense of fame on the shelf. Humble is everything; it is pure happiness; it is pure love; it is how we are born and how we will die.
The book for sale on amazon
A sustainable life Drop Out and live fun
