As you probably know, I've decided I'm ready to walk away from our civilization culture and just be nobody-but-myself:
I'm going to find someplace natural, someplace warm and peaceful, probably near forests and ocean beaches, perhaps build a cabana or a yurt, live mostly off local and home-grown foods, and reconnect with uncivilized life, with my instincts, with my senses and emotions, learn to pay attention, live in now time, play, reflect, explore and learn about the local ecosystem, and just be present. And from that stillness, I'm going to imagine and write about what's possible.
You're welcome to come and visit, and stay as long as you like.
This place might evolve into a natural Intentional Community by force of gravity -- if enough of you also walk away, and visit, and stay, who knows what is possible?
But where? I've identified the following criteria:
- A place warm enough not to need heating.
- In or near forests and beaches.
- Peaceful.
- Not overcrowded.
- Reasonably sustainable when the economy and culture collapse.
- A place where the people nearby have a high sense of well-being, by their own standards, and ideally are progressive in their thinking.
- Connectivity: not too remote for visitors to access, and with high-speed Internet available.
- Proximity to the current locations of those I love.
Some readers have suggested that if I don't choose well, civilization and its problems will quickly arrive in the community I live in, and I'll be back where I started.
I've done some preliminary research:
- I've visited (last year) and will be visiting (this year) some places that would seem to meet these criteria.
- I've researched average temperatures, population density, and local economics, politics and social cultures for the areas that would seem to qualify.
- I've looked at the NEF's Happy Planet Index for each country, and drilled down to the Life Satisfaction Index. I also looked at a British study of Subjective well-being. And I answered the NEF survey so I could assess my own gauge of personal well-being, and also understand what measures they used to assess this (emotional well-being, life satisfaction, vitality, self-esteem, resilience, autonomy, personal capacities, support relationships, sense of belonging and trust, and work satisfaction -- a pretty good list). This is worth a read -- their list of 5 things you can do to improve your subjective well-being resonate strongly with my list of 10 things I practice every day: improve connections, physical and mental activity, attention skills, new learning, and giving/generosity.
With that very incomplete and subjective data, I put together a preliminary list of ten places, shown on the map above. In no particular order:
- Nature Coast -- Southeastern US
- Belize -- Central America
- Nicoya/Cloud Forest -- Costa Rica
- Almapá -- Brasil
- Curitiba/Santa Catarina -- Brasil
- Açores -- Off Coast of Portugal
- Esperance -- Western Australia
- Queensland -- Northeastern Australia
- and 10. Pacific Islands -- Palau, Société Islands (e.g. Bora Bora), and perhaps even Hawai'i
The hardest thing for me in compiling this list was excluding some stunningly beautiful places I've visited that are just too cold. I could easily come up with twenty places I've seen, or would like to see, that would be on this list otherwise. I also reluctantly took some Caribbean islands I've visited off the list because they are overpopulated and unsustainable.
What do you think? Does any one stand out for you? Any obvious clunkers? What's missing I should check out?
And, perhaps the most important question: If you were to walk away from civilization and live a radically simple, natural life, where would you go? |