A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR THE PLANET

by Ray Jason

      Happy Holidays my unknown friends. I bring tidings of Joy! Certainly I am no wise man from the East, but I am a thoughtful man of the Sea. And although my gift may not be incense, frankincense or myrrh, it is still quite precious. I bring you Amnesty. I offer you emancipation from The Great Doom that has been prophesied for the last 30 years – Climate Change.

      Daring to share optimistic conclusions about this topic, is a fairly certain path to ridicule and attack. I recognize that the Green Police will put me in their cross-hairs. But the further that I advance into the autumn of my Life, the more I embrace The Need for Truth.

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      Until a couple of years ago, I too, was a true believer in the man-made climate change theory. But my sea gypsy sense of adventure accidentally led me to more carefully study some of the evidence that was being incessantly 

THE SILENT SURRENDER

by Ray Jason

This sea gypsy life has rewarded me so richly. A philosopher’s yearning for knowledge, for understanding and for wisdom, requires certain conditions in order to be achieved. For me, those necessities are Solitude, Simplicity and Silence. These qualities are essential if one is to discern worthwhile lessons amidst the frenzy and cacophony of modern life. And they are abundant in my quiet, watery world.

       Long years of pondering the bigger questions, have convinced me that humanity is silently surrendering its independence to nameless, faceless social engineers. They have severed us from our historical brilliance as strong, self-reliant, members of the natural community. They have converted us into fragile, dependent clones in the artificial world of cyber-cities.

       These Life Programmers have transformed us from pioneers with rugged skills wearing sturdy clothes, into consumers with useless diplomas squeezed into skinny jeans. They have replaced face-to-face friendship with face-to-screen “connectivity.” And now the streets are strewn with hipster zombies who are as addicted to their devices as a ghetto junkie is to his fix.

A BIRTHDAY GIFT ... TO MY READERS

by Ray Jason

It is dawn on the anniversary of my birth – long ago. I sit quietly and peacefully marveling at one of my favorite panoramas here in the Archipelago of Bliss. In the foreground, lovely ocean-striding sailboats gently tug at their anchors. Beyond them, the sun’s first rays accentuate the elemental beauty of the neighboring islands. And far in the distance is a range of mountains crowned by a sleeping volcano.

       Last year, on my Northwest Passage crossing, I saw the northern extremity of this mighty cordillera that stretches past my handsome sloop and extends all the way to Cape Horn. Will I one day see that legendary southern peak that has brought such ecstasy and agony to ocean wanderers?

                                   

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       Blessed and cursed as I am with an overactive “introspection gene,” I become even more contemplative on my birthday. But how could it not be so, when one is in the Autumn of one’s life with the years thundering by and the disappointments mounting?

       These last five years since I started my Blog, which strives for a deeper understanding of the human project, have been rewarding but also very unsettling. Initially, my research via the internet was exhilarating. Here was information and knowledge without gate-keepers. Explanations and narratives that had seemed suspicious to me during my college years, could now be fully investigated.

THE LONG VIEW

by Ray Jason

      The eye surgeon offered me a choice. She said that after the cataract was removed an artificial lens is inserted. She then gave me two options. Would I prefer to be far-sighted or near-sighted? I instantly chose the long view.

       After leaving the V.A. hospital, it dawned on me that this selection applied to much more than my human vision. Had I chosen the “near” lens, I would have been able to see my GPS more clearly as I continue to wander the Wide Waters in my lovely sailing boat.

       But with the lens that allowed me to see farther into the distance, I could more accurately pick out the stars that steer me when I do celestial navigation with my trusty sextant. The symbolism of this did not escape me. For I am a believer in the under-appreciated merits of “The Old Ways.”      

      When I first crossed oceans by myself, there was no Global Positioning System. And there could again come a time when there is no GPS. But those stars are eternal. They have guided mariners for a half a dozen centuries.

THE HEALING WATERS

by Ray Jason

      The Waters were calling me again. But not to embark on another frigid trip into the deep ice, like last year’s Northwest Passage voyage. This time the warm waters of the Archipelago of Bliss were beckoning me with a promise of solace and separation.

       I needed to get away from my quest to understand – at least for myself – how the world really works. So much time spent studying the riddle of how so few people can dominate so many people, had worn me down. Trying to comprehend the black pathology that drives some people to weave webs of secrecy and deceit in order to control others, had exhausted me.

       Fortunately, in less than two hours I can sail to a spot that never fails to comfort me. It is a little beach where there is no phone service, no internet and no connectivity. But there is a connection to what may be the absolute best medicine for world weariness – the laughter of children.

        

STARTING A SEA GYPSY TRIBE

by Ray Jason

There are hundreds of harbors scattered around our wet, lush planet with dozens of ocean-ready sailboats anchored in them. Nearby there are marinas with additional blue-water cruising boats ready to cast off their dock-lines and head out. So how do you transition from being a sailor who admires my Sea Gypsy Tribe concept, to starting a tribe of your own? Here are some helpful suggestions.

1. Right click on the “Escape of the Sea Gypsy Tribe” essay title. Copy it, and send it to other sailing friends who might also appreciate my ideas. If they find it appealing, then make sure they read the other essays that flesh out the strategy more fully. They are linked in the fourth paragraph to make it easy for everyone. You could also print them out and hand deliver them to any good prospects.

THE ESCAPE OF THE SEA GYPSY TRIBE

by Ray Jason

For many years I have been arguing that ocean-going sailboats are the best survival pod if the world plunges into catastrophe. I have encouraged alert sailors, who understand the fragility and dangers of this historic moment, to band together into Sea Gypsy Tribes for mutual support.

       A well-stocked sailboat that can swiftly put to sea and avoid the initial mayhem, has the best chance of surviving any devastation. Whether it is a rapidly collapsing economy or a pandemic or the electric grid going down or nuclear horror, the safest place will be in a flotilla of like-minded, self-reliant sailor-folk, far from the fury of the cities.

       Your escape vessel will be propelled by the wind or by the diesel engine when it is calm. Solar panels and a wind generator will keep the batteries topped up allowing radio communication and on-board creature comforts. There will be plenty of long-life foods, a water-maker that converts sea water into fresh water, a good medical kit and sufficient firepower for a worst-case scenario.

       I have described my Sea Gypsy Tribe concept in several essays that are scattered throughout this blog. They thoroughly discuss both the “why to” and the “how to” details of such a positive life change. Hopefully, you will research them. You can easily find the first three here, here, and here. There are several more that flesh out my concepts even more fully and these are easy to locate if you scroll down my website. They all have the words “Sea Gypsy Tribe” in the title.

CHILDREN OF THE WIND

by Ray Jason

Scamper – yes, scamper – that’s the word I was searching for. The little Indio children were playing tag in a maze of mangrove roots, and I was looking for the perfect verb to describe their dexterity and speed as they chased each other. They were not running and they were not leaping - they were … scampering. And what made their game even more amazing, was the fact that they were doing this with bare feet.

While viewing this exquisite scene, in which raw Nature was their playground, how could I not contrast it with the “children’s recreation areas” of the so-called First World. Among the tangled branches and roots of this authentic jungle gym, there were many sharp spikes that taught them a valuable lesson. These kids learned to play with joy and abandon, but to also pay attention.

      I marveled at the stark difference between this playground, which was literally growing out of the Earth and the Sea, and the plastic, rounded-edges, garishly-bright, child-safe playgrounds of El Norte. Once again, my beloved Archipelago of Bliss, with its primitive wisdom, seemed to offer better life lessons than the advanced societies.

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNLEARNING

by Ray Jason

      There is a frigid clarity in the Far North. The question was - would it benefit me or bedevil me? Along with the bone-numbing cold and the unimaginable desolation, would there also be insights awaiting me in the barren ice?

        I hoped so, and that is why I took two blank journals with me. One would record the daily ordeal of pushing a 42-foot fiberglass sailboat through the 5,000 miles of The Northwest Passage. The other would help me navigate the Inner Voyage.

      Throughout my essays I have often spoken of the philosopher’s need for solitude. Without such isolation, it is difficult to distance oneself from the mundane and focus on the meaningful. But on this expedition there would be a paradoxical irony for me in this regard. On the one hand, I would be in a vast geographical area that was almost completely uninhabited. But I would also be in a small sailing boat along with four other people. And this situation was quite difficult when one “needed a little space.” It was not like you could just go for a swim.

      

THE ONCE AND FUTURE BLOG

by Ray Jason
 

Amongst the ice in the Northwest Passage

Hello Everyone,
 
Today is the fifth anniversary of my SEA GYPSY PHILOSOPHER website.  Normally, on this occasion I review the joys and tribulations that I experienced while trying to write another year's worth of essays that hopefully are powerful, provocative and poetic.  But, as many of you have noticed, my tiny nano-corner of the Blogosphere has been completely silent these last twelve months. 
 
I decided to take a sabbatical because I firmly believe that anyone who dedicates much of their life to Ideas and Words, must periodically challenge their beliefs, and question their biases.  Therefore, I have done so. 
 
Now I'd like to share some of these new conclusions in the hopes that such revelations might be helpful in some small way for you - my mostly unknown but treasured readers.  My goal will again be to create one new essay about every two weeks. 
 
Although my site abstains from a "comments" section, I do encourage you to contact me through the direct email address which is provided for you in the right hand column.  It is usually possible for me to respond to most of the people who take the time to do this.   

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As for The Big Adventure that I was embarking upon when I last wrote to you, it was a great success.  We triumphed in our attempt to sail a 42-foot fiberglass production boat through the fabled and extremely dangerous Northwest Passage above the North American continent. 
 
Don't let anyone tell you that the ice in the Arctic has melted, and that anybody can effortlessly jaunt right through.  In fact, a high- ranking Canadian Coast Guard officer claimed that probably none of the sailboats attempting it in the Summer of 2017 would make it through.  But most of us persevered, and struggled through ice fields that often seemed impenetrable and endless.  Some of the vessels did get trapped for days at a time.
 

Ray in the Northwest Passage

Back in my natural habitat

I joined the boat in St. Johns, Newfoundland and then spent 86 consecutive days and nights aboard, until we arrived in Nome, Alaska.  For a man who has lived an almost inconceivably solitary life, this was supremely challenging since there were 4 other people aboard this 42-foot boat.  Then to heighten the adventure, toss in the risk of being crushed by ice or devoured by polar bears.  Certainly, we all earned our Explorer merit badges.

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As I begin this second incarnation of my little blog, I will strive to make the website a bit less "heavy" and a bit more enjoyable.  All that time in the High Latitudes convinced me that there is so much that is admirable and valuable about a person's "story."  And through the years many of you have asked for more information about my particular long and watery road. 

So, in the near future I will include some nice photo sections from my street performing days and from my around the world juggling journey and from my sailing voyages.  I will also index the blog so that it will be easier to find your way to essays on specific subjects such as the anti-war pieces or my Sea Gypsy Tribe concept. 
 
In conclusion, I am greatly looking forward to again becoming a tiny part of your lives.  In this increasingly chaotic and bewildering world, my hope is that I will become for you ... a Blog Over Troubled Waters.
 
All the best,
 
Ray