Hello

[Matt Hill]

 Hello . My name is Matthew.  My interest in philosophy drew me here - to fdr , and Ive been enjoying Stefans podcasts and videos immensely. Ive recently come out of the Jehovahs Witness movement of which I had spent my entire life being involved. Im 40 years old. Accompanied with a great deal of dissonance my conscience would not allow me to continue my involvement with the org. I wont share the reasoning at this time but I will tell you that my life feels as though it has changed in a large way. The struggle remains of course as it no doubt will as I work toward an increased self knowledge and a continued search for truth.  I have found that Stoicism resonates with me greatly and I have used some of the practical information to help me maintain a degree of sanity at this time. The podcasts and videos however have expanded my outlook toward a practical form of reasoning and philosophy , and I thank you. Since being exposed and inspired by fdr I have shared some of the themes with some of those close to me and most agree the info is very timely and thought provoking. Today after listening to The Decline of Canada presentation I felt inspired to introduce myself. I am half Native American (Mohawk) and I do currently live on an Indian Resevation in Ontrario Canada relatively close to our friend Stefan Molyneux. I have lived on and off of the Rez in my life to about a 50/50. I take a delight that I am not subject to taxation as I also work on the Rez at a family based business,(a little bit of anarchy) which I have been doing 20 years or so . Although I am reasonably secure financially I am exposed to a lot of those who are not and exist in a life of despair and poverty. To fulfill myself on community basis I do a part time homeopathic practice (please save the comments)  . Many stories I have listened to in practice have touched me as I realize how stuck and dis-enchanted many are in my midst. Generational as well as family trauma has taken its toll on many of these poor souls, often initiated in childhood . Not far from me (now that weather is favorable) a few have taken up residence in some dilapidated trailers. I drive by them nearly daily and then not far drive by the rare mansion belonging to the few who have struck it rich by curious means ? I do have a question - I have many , but today I am feeling motivated. Stefan you have exposed many delusions surrounding all of our existence. I feel that I may like to get involved in some way to expose/present  the existence of some of those around me. To allow them to tell their stories to be heard. I think this may make for an interesting project. Perhaps in the way of video clips, narratives, short philosophical essays, religious impact and so on  by way of blog etc. I like the manner in which you have done things as far as reaching an audience with social media. I would appreciate any input from you Stefan as well as any others on the forum. Thanks - Matt

[thornyd]

Hi Matthew! What a great post to read. Your situation sounds really interesting, although a bit of a bummer about the Jehovahs Witness stuff  Sorry to hear about that.

Regarding your thoughts about a project, I think it would be really eye-opening to see a short documentary about people's lives on the reservations - how they got there, why they stay, and what their lives are like. A film like that could make a really compelling case for freedom, especially since it seems like it has the potential to be quite emotional.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!