THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE CONCEPT

by Ray Jason           

            A wise ocean sailor “hopes for the best but prepares for the worst.”  When far offshore - in what we call the Blue Water - there is no swift assistance readily available.  You have to be able to solve your own problems.  Spare parts, proper tools and practical skills will either save the day or sink the ship. 

            Weather awareness is also a critical component of success or failure when out on the Wide Waters.  In the olden days, a master mariner could predict storms long before they arrived, by watching the fall of the barometer and observing the sea and the sky.  Even hurricanes could be detected from hundreds of miles away by studying the size and intervals of the ocean swells.

            Several years ago, my sailor’s combination of self-reliance and situational awareness led me to formulate an unusual concept for dealing with the possibility of severe societal disruptions.  I call my plan The Sea Gypsy Tribe.  Through the years, I have refined this idea in both the “why to” aspects and in the “how to” details.  As I now observe the dangerous flux of economic and geopolitical disasters looming on the event horizon, it seems like an appropriate time to restate my plan for surviving potential catastrophes. 

PHILOSOPHICAL ACCEPTANCE

 by Ray Jason          

Robin was my friend.  I was his juggling teacher.

          As I sail deeper into my Middle Years, my ship of self seems to be entering the Sea of Paradox.  On the one hand, I am comfortable with the inescapable termination of my physical self.  But on the other hand, I am troubled by the possibility that my work – my little essays that strive to inform, awaken and inspire – will also vanish.  And I do not mean that they will disappear simply because they are not perceptive or poetic enough.  Instead, I am referring to a far more cataclysmic fate.  

           

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However, before I elaborate on that dismal prospect, let me respond to the various readers who have inquired as to how I developed my particular writing style.  Many seem intrigued by my more “measured” approach to discourse in a Blogosphere that seems to be dominated by excessive ranting.

 Sometime long ago, I realized that even though screaming is part of any revolutionary crusade, it is preceded by a long period of whispering.  This convinced me that the quiet voices are also instrumental in shaping societal improvement.  I opted for that approach.  My goal is to sculpt essays that are provocative, powerful and poetic.