The Experiment in Non-Ownership – My “Why” and In-Depth Explanation

When I share this experiment of complete non-ownership, the first question generally asked is, “What about clothes? You must own clothes!” “Where will you sleep?” “How will you eat?” “How will you stay warm?” And all importantly,
“Why are you doing this?!”

In the writing ahead, I share a basic outline for my experiment of non-ownership.
I have shared my purpose through the experiment, what my goals and aspirations are.
I have shared some of my “Why” around ownership.
I have shared my plan to meet my basic needs without ownership.
I have shared how I will be of service to the community, without needing to own a single possession.

To the best of my ability, I have written this to answer your questions, satisfy your curiosity and be transparent with my existence. And in doing so, be a teaching lesson in the concepts that I am experimenting with.

Why Do this Experiment of Non-Ownership?

My Life Design

Living simply and non-ownership have been core aspects of my life since I awoke in 2011 to the reality that the “American Dream” is the “World’s Nightmare.” Through living a life of consumeristic individuality designed around the ownership of countless possessions, I was wrapped in a web of exploitation, inequity, injustice and incredible destruction. Nearly every possession I had and every action I was taking was harming the Earth, my global neighbors and the plants and animals we share this home with. I decided to unravel the web of consumerism that was my life, taking my life back and living in a more harmonious manner with life upon Earth.

For the last decade, I have worked to radically transform my life following the ethos of Mahatma Gandhi, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” I simply refuse to have so much, while others have so little. I refuse to meet my basic needs at the expense to others. I refuse to let my life be a burden upon life on Earth. In 2016, I simplified my life down to 111 possessions and in 2020, to just 44 possessions. The fact that I am about to embark on this experiment of non-ownership with minimal concern is a product of my decade-long practice.
I have everything I need.
I am a whole and complete human being, just as I am.
I have deep relationships with the plants and animals, all our relatives.
I have a deep relationship with Earth. The Earth provides us means to meet every one of our needs.
I live in an interconnected manner with a widespread community of fellow humans.
I have everything that I need inside of me and through my relationships.
Ownership is not required.
My joy does not come from the ownership of material possessions.

My life is an experiment. My life is my message. I am eager to experiment with and test my philosophies of voluntary simplicity to a level that I have not been able to as of yet.

I am testing my belief that I can live a full and abundant life, even while owning nothing. And I’m inviting you to experience this with me, whether by observing or by taking part.

By putting myself in this unique scenario, I have the ability and opportunity to stimulate critical thought within people who would not have been guaranteed to stumble across another opportunity quite like this for self-observation; for people to question whether happiness comes from materialism after all, or if perhaps materialism is just a trap of suffering. To question if perhaps all the societal norms and societal structures that serve as the foundation to their lives aren’t really what they’ve been sold to be. I want to bring these foundation shaking concepts to people for their first time — just like this was all once new and revolutionary to me — and do this from a place of deep integrity that cuts through the crap, and goes straight to the heart and mind at once. I believe this experiment will do that for many of the people who take part in it with me.

One of my greatest influences, Thich Nhat Hanh, taught me the practice of “walking as if your feet are kissing the earth,” and in doing so bringing peace to our surroundings. I don’t need to own anything in order to practice this philosophy. The practice of philosophies like this are what makes my heart sing with aliveness right now. By immersing myself in non-ownership, I am creating the space in my life for a singular focus of breaking free from the delusions and coming into a place of deep truth and integrity.

Read: My Life Design and Mission Statement

Read: The Timeline of My Journey of Complete Non-Ownership – From aspiring millionaire, to having not a penny to my name or a possession of my own, this the timeline of my journey to complete non-ownership.

Ownership is just a Concept

When we give someone money for a plot of land and they sign over the deed, does the Earth agree that it is now owned? Do the plants and animals that live there consent to this concept?

My belief is simply no.

Existing in non-ownership will facilitate the opportunity for me to question the concept of ownership and create conversation and involvement around questioning the concept of ownership. The concept of ownership is considered by most a given, but the reality is, it’s just a concept. Ownership is a relatively new societal construct and it is simply a concept. There is no such thing as ownership. In some cultures, there is not even a word for ownership.

In fact, my core belief is that ownership creates separation and takes us away from having a deep connection with Earth. We can own the land. We can own the water. We can own the animals. We can own other humans. All of these ideas contribute to a disconnection from the possibility for harmonious and reciprocal relationships.

The United States has just 5% of the world’s population, but consumes 25% of the world’s resources. Imagine if we simply shared resources, how that number would change. Our consumption of quick convenience and cheap comfort is one of the central factors leading us down the path of our own potential demise and extinction as a human race.

And all of this convenience and comfort isn’t even making us happier. Whether financially successful or financially ruined, we are a society plagued by depression and anxiety, always needing more, when enough is right at our fingertips.

Is the embrace of non-ownership and of a more communal way of living a way out of the suffering? We can have convenience and comfort that doesn’t place a burden on Earth and our relatives on Earth. Another way is possible.

Money is just a Concept

Some say money makes the world go around. I’ve been watching and I see no evidence of this.

Money is a recent advent of humanity. We have lived without it for thousands upon thousands of years. The world was indeed going around then and would continue to do so if we lost interest in this concept tomorrow.

The reason that money works is because enough people believe it and choose to act upon this belief. Thus, I am fully confident that I can exist without money. I will be deepening this truth through this experience. Further, I believe money is a delusion of independence, which I touch on later in this article.

Living in Service

I do not need any possessions to be of service. I could fill my entire life being of service, without owning a single item. I will be volunteering in the community daily with a focus on being of service to elders, children and people experiencing homelessness. I will receive the opportunity to serve them as a gift to myself. Each day of service will help me to dissolve my separateness from my fellow humans and deepen my interconnectedness with my greater community.
Selflessness is not even required to live in service. When I volunteer at a community garden, I will gain great joy, meaning and purpose being in the garden. I don’t need a garden of my own to take part in this joyous act.

While owning absolutely nothing, and having not a penny to my name, can I give more to humanity than I receive?

I will offer my knowledge freely and be of service to those who are on this path of living in harmony. Sharing my mind, my knowledge and my skills does not require any possessions. In fact, I don’t even need to possess the answers; my role is to stimulate critical thought and self-observation, the questioning of the previously unquestioned societal norms and structures, and bring this together into community conversations that move us forward in a new way. See my talks and community gatherings schedule on the non-ownership homepage. 

My public experiment in itself is service. I am showing that another way is possible, simply through my being. I believe this experiment can be a meaningful contribution to society and to those who follow and take part in the experience with me. Many people are looking to break free from consumerism and materialism, seeking a deeper connection, seeking a deeper purpose and meaning.  I believe this experiment can push people’s edges and help them to the next level in their life journey of unlearning and relearning.

My goal one day is to dissolve myself to the point where I am merely a servant of Earth and a substantial focus of mine in this time of non-ownership will be of selfless service.

Connection with Earth

I do not need to practice any form of ownership in order to have a connection with Earth. I will have access to the sky, air to breathe, animals to admire, plants to love, soil to sit upon and water to swim in. I do not need deep, pristine nature to establish a love and connection so deep with Earth, and I will be practicing this right here in Los Angeles.

I plan to spend time in the Bird Sanctuary of Griffith Park, deepening my connection with the birds. Yet the birds are present everywhere as friends to us. I will be practicing making friends with the creatures that are so often despised — the pigeons, rats, vultures, cockroaches can all be our friends. I am practicing a universal love for all life, and non-ownership provides a blank canvas for me to put my focus into this. I am contemplating making the sky my best friend.

Connection with Humanity

In my studies of basic human needs and my experience in the decades that we currently live in, one of the most primary needs not being met for people is that of connection and community.

It is not necessary to own anything to have relationships with others. I will spend much time connecting with all who would like to connect, with a focus on Compassionate Communication, growth and healing. Recently Fred Rogers has become one of my teachers. He introduced me to the practice of making whoever he was with the most important person in the world to him for that moment of time. I simply love this. I have been practicing this concept for a few years and will be deeply absorbed in this practice of being present with whomever I am with. What a gift it is to receive presence like this. Have you ever experienced this kind of presence? If so, how did you feel?

I have come to believe that deep presence is one of the most powerful gifts that we can give in service to humanity. Deep presence can be one of the most healing gifts that anybody can receive.
By being in the present moment, people feel healing and meaning and purpose in their life, something that is missing for so many of us.
Our presence is one of the most beautiful gifts that we can give, and it does not require any purchases or monetary transactions. What most people want in this society – connection, meaning, purpose, happiness, health, love … all can be met without the need for large amounts of money or material possessions.

As I shared earlier, I will be volunteering with elders, children, and people experiencing homelessness. Part of this practice will be to deepen my connection with humanity. These are all groups of people I feel separate from and would like to feel more connected with. My belief is that separateness is one of the central sources of destruction and exploitation. What we feel connected to, we love. What we love, we care for.

What if my job on Earth was to simply love everything? What a job that would be. I’m thinking about accepting the position.

Liberation of the Mind through Simple Living

Ownership is not required to grow as a human being. Endless and boundless education is available for me. The Buddha’s teaching is that everything we need to attain mental liberation is within our own minds.

During this three-month period, I will be immersed in five weeks of Vipassana Meditation. I will arrive there on February 5th. Upon arriving with just the borrowed clothes on my body, I will find clothing in the “Lost and Found” and return the borrowed item to the dear human who transports me to the center. For the next 35 days, I will have not a single physical possession that I have brought from the outside world and I will have no contact with anyone outside of this center.
This will be an opportunity to take a hiatus from my own existence. Vipassana is a 10-day silent meditation through which I have made great strides in mental liberation over the last two years. You can read about my experience here. I will remain in complete silence for the first 10 days and the next 10-day session I will serve, practicing selfless service with the opportunity to exist solely in a state of service, forgetting about my own plans, aspirations and self for the duration. The third 10-day session I will either sit or serve.

Vipassana is a means of reprogramming the mind, as is the practice of Nonviolent Communication, which will be at the core of the experiment.

By existing in a state of non-ownership, I will have nothing to guard. Nothing to protect. What will that feel like? How will that open up the mind? I want to know.

Before arriving in Los Angeles, I have brought my mind into a state of complete transparency and deep truth. I no longer have any secrets and I will only speak the truth. My mind is creative commons. Through this practice, I am coming into a place of full authenticity. I am practicing being my full self. I am developing wholeness and completeness within. My belief is that once we are complete within and we truly love ourselves, we will no longer be vulnerable to the commercials trying to convince us to buy their products. Once we are whole within, how many possessions do we really need to own?

One of my core objectives is to bring my entire life into a state of integrity. I will have ample time to prioritize this during my experiment. Having shed many of my responsibilities, I am giving myself an opportunity to slow down, to exist in the present moment with mindfulness. I have plagued myself — as have most of my colleagues — with being overcommitted and overwhelmed. This is an experiment to get into the flow state. Ultimately, I am seeking to bring my life and my existence into a singular mission and make a lifetime commitment to this mission. I believe by doing this, I can be most effectively of service and live in the most balanced, contented and joyous state.

I will spend much of my time practicing the skills of inner peace, contentment, happiness, gratitude, appreciation, celebration of life, empathy and compassion.

This is also a practice of dissolving my ego and humbling myself. I have plenty of work to do on my ego to bring my life into a higher state of truth and integrity. It’s very humbling to have nothing, to have no clothes of my own, to be so dependent on others for my basic needs. My long walk was a meaningful practice in this regard. This will do more. On most days, I forget that anyone has any interest in what I have to say or that anyone finds value in my life. As a middle-aged man pushing a cart down the highway, I have been viewed as ‘less than’ by so many people. This has been a great gift.

 

Meeting My Basic Needs Without Ownership

In 2011, I heard a statistic from The Story of Stuff that has stuck with me for the last 13 years. The average electric drill is used for less than one hour its’ entire lifetime. It is sitting for 99.99% of the time. Perhaps it makes sense to share these items with each other, rather than each household owning one?
The simple act of sharing is at the heart of solutions for the crises we face.
I like to share my resources with others and I like to share in the usage of other’s resources.

Most of my needs I will meet in this experiment without holding onto any items long term, by using communal items. However, there are a few items I will borrow. In order of priority that is basic clothing to cover my body and keep me warm, a blanket or sleeping bag to keep me warm at night, and perhaps a sleeping mat and tent or tarp. To start the experiment, I’d like to keep it to just that.

You may ask, why borrow these items and not just own them? This experiment is temporary and is not the design for my lifetime. I am diving deep into this experiment of non-ownership and simple living and to own literally not a single item can be facilitated by borrowing a few items.

My intention is to borrow no item for more than 10 days, which will play a role in practicing impermanence, non-attachment and the dissolution of identity and ego. This is also a very simple means of making sure I do not accumulate possessions and miss out on this opportunity to practice at the depth that I would like.

Many will question whether I will turn into a drain on society. I am confident that I will not, but only time will tell that. My plan is to meet many of my basic needs through being in service to others and volunteering, in a manner that sometimes helps me to receive the basic sustenance and material items that I will need.
I am not of the belief that our transactions need to be linear in order to be valid. Rather, I am immersing myself in a circular economy. Sometimes I will give to someone, without receiving anything in return. Sometimes someone will give to me, without receiving anything in return. At the core of my daily practice will be reciprocity and mutually beneficial relationships.

I do not expect to accomplish this experiment with perfection, yet when I do experiments like this, I maintain them with a high level of follow through to my commitment to myself.

In the sections ahead, I have outlined how I will meet my basic needs without ownership.

Duration of Experiment

My intention is to exist in a state of complete non-ownership for a minimum of three months. This includes having no money during this time.

There are many facets of this experiment that I would like to extend for six months to a year.

Of course, much of the practice and the skills that I gain during these three months will remain with me for life.

Money

I will be living without money for the duration of this experiment, a minimum of three months. What this means is that I will not accept money if it is offered or handle money.

I will meet all of my basic needs without money.

I have been practicing living with minimal money for over a decade and this experiment will continue to demonetize my life.

That said, I will indirectly be involved in monetary transactions, I am sure, such as when people share food or transportation with me.

With no money, I will not have the ability to satiate my cravings by going to a store and getting something in the moment of craving. Instead, I will need to take joy in the present moment and Earth’s basic offerings. 

Note: I have a support team coordinating events, media and making videos. They are being paid. Read more on this below.

Mark Boyle’s book, The Moneyless Manifesto is a resource I recommend for all looking to explore the concept of living without money.

Clothing

I will borrow a clothing item to cover my body. Perhaps a sheet or shawl so that it is only one item and I can use it for sleeping as well. Of course, this will only happen if someone offers to lend me a clothing item at my gathering on January 16th when I enter into non-ownership. Perhaps I will simply cover myself with a palm frond.

I will be barefoot, with no shoes.

If the places where I volunteer require shoes, including the public library, perhaps I will make slippers out of tree bark or cardboard and stash them at that location.

Water

I will drink water from drinking fountains and faucets. I will not carry water with me.

Food

I will eat when:
-Given food by a human who desires to help me meet this basic need.
-Given a gift from Earth, through foraging.
-Eating wasted food I find through “dumpster diving.”
I will not carry any food with me or do any cooking. Cooking would require numerous possessions.

Note: For anyone who would like to share food with me, please note that I will do my best to not create garbage. Please bring food in a reusable container. Since I am not going to be carrying food with me, please be happy to share the food with another human if I am full at the time.

I welcome you to learn about my philosophy of food by reading Food Freedom, which is available as a free ebook. (There’s even a section in the Empowerment Manual where I share my ideal diet.)

Sleep

I will sleep outside on the earth, likely in the park. To stay warm I will likely borrow a blanket or sleeping bag if someone offers one to me. I may also borrow a sleeping pad and small tent or tarp, but I’d like to experiment with sleeping on the ground without a mat.

I will lay down after sunset and rise before sunrise, tucking these basic items away, so as to leave the space equally accessible to everyone who uses the park. I will be a steward of the park in service to the plants, animals and humans who call this space home.

I expect sleeping to be one of the most difficult aspects of the experiment and I intend to train myself to sleep without earplugs and on my back. I intend to have a routine of sleeping around 9 p.m. and waking around 4:30 a.m.

On the walking tour, I will sleep each night wherever a simple bed is offered in the neighborhood.

Toilet

I will use the public restroom in the park. I will be a steward of the space, always leaving it cleaner than when I entered.

Transportation

I will mostly walk, staying very local to my base and organizing much of my life around what I can do within the park.

My classroom and my office will be underneath the open sky, on the grass-covered earth.

It is a two-mile walk to the library, a three-mile walk to the LA River and numerous volunteer opportunities are within this walking distance.

Since I will have no money, I will use public transportation only if someone pays the fare.

I will take rides in cars if I’m doing media interviews in the studio. Media can send transportation or a volunteer can take me.

Note: You may hear me singing as I walk. I find singing to be very healing. I sing songs of gratitude and connection to life. What a joy it is to have a musical instrument that does not require money or material ownership.

Time

I will have no clock to tell the time. I will design my schedule to limit my need to know an exact time. I will gauge the time by knowing the sunset and sunrise times and estimating time based on the sun throughout the day.
I will occasionally ask someone with a clock what time it is.

Warmth

I will borrow the bare minimum clothing for warmth. The most ideal scenario I can think of is a sheet and blanket that serve both as my clothes and for sleeping.
Los Angeles is a climate that allows for this experiment with daytime highs around 70 degrees and nighttime lows around 50 degrees during this time of year.
I am sure that I will be cold at times.

Hygiene

I will bathe in the LA River (and in the ocean, if I make trips there).
I will clean my clothes in the LA River (no soap, just water) and air dry them in the sun.
I will have no toothbrush. I will experiment with using twigs as a brush, and perhaps my clothing. I will experiment with making mouth rinses with herbs with cleansing properties. I may brush occasionally with a toothbrush and toothpaste if someone brings one for me to use in the moment and the same goes for flossing.
I will have my haircut and clip my nails if someone brings a shaver or nail clippers.

Read about my natural personal hygiene here.

Reading

My plan is to spend a lot of time at the library reading books. Since I do not have a form of identification, it’s unlikely that I’d be able to check books out.
I may carry one book with me at a time if others check out a book for me or lend me one.
I will volunteer at the library to share my gratitude and appreciation for this public service that I love dearly and benefit from.

Writing

Writing is one of my forms of sharing my message and a form of expression for me.
I believe that writing will be one of the most challenging aspects of my life to meet without ownership. I will likely write much less and simply speak instead.
I can use a pen or pencil at the library and I can write on scrap pieces of paper from the recycle bin. But once I hold onto that paper, at what point does it become an item that I own? Immediately?

For writing that I want to share online, I will put my words onto paper and pass it to someone to publish online. The moment of ownership will be short. Once it is online, all my work is Creative Commons, owned by the public domain.
I will write outlines for the talks I share and I may request to have articles from my website printed for me to use as outlines for my talks. I plan to hold onto anything I’ve written for a maximum of three days.

Light

For light, I will be living to a large degree by the rhythms of the sun, moon and stars. Sunrise and sunset will play a meaningful role in my life every day. I will not have an electronic light. That said, Los Angeles is a city of lights and I do not need to own the light to use it.

January 16th – Sunrise: 6:57 Sunset: 5:08
February 5th – Sunrise: 6:46 Sunset: 5:27
March 13th – Sunrise: 7:10 Sunset: 6:56 (daylight savings time)
April 16th – Sunrise: 6:20 Sunset: 7:25

Electronic Technology Usage

For most of humanity’s existence on Earth, electronic technology has not even existed and thus has not been needed. For the last twenty years of my life, I have prioritized electronic technology at a similar level to food, water and shelter often even neglecting these other basic needs because of my time on the computer. These devices and the systems in which they are connected have become so intricately wound into our lives that many of us can’t fathom life without them. Many of us have never even been offline for a complete 24-hour period in the last decade. Although these devices and the internet have provided much benefit to us, we are trapped in these systems and have become vastly dependent on them in a way that is resulting in mass human suffering from overwhelm, depressions, anxiety, disconnection, etc.

I have struggled over the last two decades to have a nourishing balance with these devices. Social media no doubt is detrimental to my desire to live in the present, mindful moment and in a state of completeness within. The systems are designed to tap into our weaknesses and I have been vulnerable to this. I am working to disconnect my life from the digital world and to exist mindfully in the present moment. (I explore this here, written in 2018 and have come a long way since then.)

I am of the firm belief that I can exist without this technology and live a joyful, meaningful life and contribute to my community. Yet I have much work to do to put this belief into practice. This experiment of non-ownership is a substantial step in this direction. This will be an opportunity for me to break free from my vices. I will have no computer to spend my time on, and thus, I will spend my time being much more connected with everything around me. 

Giving away my computer will be the most significant material possession in transforming my life. (I got rid of my cell phone in 2015). For the duration of my three months in LA, I will not own a computer or phone.

Further, I will not even touch one of these devices. I could simply use a shared computer at a library, but I will not be doing that. I will not go online and I will not be logged into a single account. All the passwords have been changed on my accounts so I do not have access to any of them.

I will still be present online, as people can film me with their devices and upload the content into the digital realm. They can put this onto their own platforms, fully decentralizing my role in this realm.

Also, multiple people will be logged into my social media accounts and website so that they can upload to these platforms to share my message.

Ideally, I would not even look at a screen during this experiment. The reason I will look at a screen is if media is not able to come see me in person and instead someone with a device comes so that I can do an interview remotely.

The only circumstance in which I will be involved in computers is if it is a means to be of service. Otherwise, I am taking a sabbatical from this relationship to technology. I will not look at social media. I will not be reading any comments. I will not be reading or responding to emails or messages. For the most part, the only way to reach me will be to come to the park and see me in person.

In the long term, I am seeking to exist without a computer and to not be logged into any accounts. I believe that I can most effectively be of service by logging out, and living in the highest state of integrity that is within my capacity. I have taken many days off. I’ve taken full weeks off. This experiment is a monumental step for me in my attempt to break free.

Read: Non-Ownership in the Physical, Digital and Mental Realms for a deeper exploration into my experiment of non-ownership in the digital and technological realm.

My Team

I am working with humans who are helping me to share my messages and let people know how they can find me. Some of these teammates hold paid positions and others are volunteers.

The funding is coming from a supporter of my service and he is paying these teammates directly, thus I am not involved in the monetary transactions.
The right-hand human to my service will work with the media, spread the word for my offerings, post on social media, keep the website current, handle the email inbox and coordinate with people filming. I will meet with them in person in the park.
We have an online document that is publicly viewable that shares what team members are doing.

My Dependence on Others

By having no money will I be dependent upon others?
Absolutely!

I want to be dependent on others. Why? Because independence is an illusion.
The truth is that we are all dependent upon one another. The monetary system facilitates this illusion of independence, but behind every dollar we spend we are dependent on another human and upon plants, animals and the life cycles of Earth.
Mega-corporations and governments want us to buy into this illusion of independence, fragmenting us from our communities and our relationships with Earth, and rendering us dependent upon their products and systems.

I want to experiment with my belief that we can come together as humanity to take care of one another. So I am willing to put myself out there and say, “I need you,” “I will need you to help me meet my most basic needs of food and warmth and water and connection. I absolutely need your help.”

My belief is that the only way out of this mess we’re in is through community. Through a deeply interconnected community, where we embrace that we need one another to survive and to thrive.
Read further: On Independence Versus Interdependence

A note I’d like to include is that by stripping my life back to the absolute basics, I will need very little. Thus, it will be relatively easy to not be a burden upon others and to meet my basic needs.

On Suffering

Many would imagine me to be suffering through this experience. Sure there is suffering, as that is the human experience. However, I have embraced my lifestyle from a place of joy, not a place of suffering. The truth is that we all suffer. For me, it’s just a matter of what to suffer over.

For many of us, we suffer depression and anxiety through conveniences and comforts. Although we have such material wealth and can buy so much comfort and convenience, we are one of the most dissatisfied and disconnected societies to have ever lived.
So do I choose to suffer in the rat race of choosing which toilet paper and air freshener I’ll buy at the store and the 40+ hour work week to pay for this stuff? Or do I suffer for something beyond myself and put this energy into living a life of deep integrity?

We all suffer, I just call mine what it is and publicly acknowledge my struggles.

Acknowledging My Privilege

I acknowledge my privilege in being able to experiment in non-ownership. Billions of people are struggling to meet their basic needs and do not have the luxury to immerse in experiments like this. They do not have the safety net that I do. They do not have the acceptance of society that I do. I write extensively on this here: On Understanding and Acknowledging My Privilege.

It is part of my core life design to use my privilege as a tool and not as a weapon. I use my privilege to reach other people of privilege and shed light that many people are suffering because of the overly-convenient and extractive way that we are living.

In the United States, we have just 5% of the world’s population but consume 25% of the world’s resources. It is my position as a US American with privilege to speak with my fellow citizens and show that we can meet our needs in a way that creates relationships of mutuality with our global neighbors and our community neighbors, rather than relationships of exploitation.

I am on Indigenous Land

The land that I am on in “The United States of America,” part of Turtle Island, was stolen and cheated away from indigenous people who lived here in much more harmonious relationships to the land. The acknowledgement of this and the understanding of this is, in my opinion, one of the most important means through which we can heal our humanity and come to heal our relationship with Earth. I am a proponent for the return of land to the original stewards. This is not a political statement for me. This is just honoring the truth.
Read further: I am on Stolen Indigenous Land – Land Acknowledgement

What Can You Do?

Become the change you wish to see in the world. See 100+ Positive Changes to Live More Sustainably, Healthy and Happy. Align your actions with your beliefs.

Live simply so that others may simply live. See The Beginner’s Guide to Downsize Your Life.

Live in service to Earth, your community and yourself.

Close the wealth gap. Distribute your wealth with equity at the heart of your practice. Share your time, energy and resources with those who are most impacted by destructive and exploitative systems.

Divest your money from corruption. Take your money out of the big banks.

Embrace Community! Connect with your community and shed the illusion of separateness.

Create relationships with the plants! Read Food Freedom and start foraging and growing food. Read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Educate yourself. See My Recommended Books List, 50+ People to Listen To and Learn From, Films that Have Changed My Life. Take action on that education!

Practice Nonviolent Communication

Do a 10-Day Vipassana or immerse in other communities that are focused on inner peace.
Southern California centers: Dhamma Vaddhana, Deer Park Monastery, Metta Forest Monastery, Abhayagiri Monastery

Our future is uncertain. Our financial investments are not worth much at all if we don’t have a habitable Earth. Invest in the life we have now. Invest in clean air, pure water, the regeneration of our land and the basic needs of our fellow humans being met. A human who has their basic needs met is more capable of becoming a contributing member of society.

Use the Start Here Guide to My Website to explore the rabbit hole of breaking free from consumerism and reconnecting to Earth.

Why Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is the consumer capital of the world. What happens in Los Angeles, more than almost any other city in the world, affects the world. Hollywood culture has one of the greatest cultural influences worldwide. So this seems to me to be a very interesting place to take part in this experiment of complete non-ownership and living without money. It seems to me that being “in the belly of the beast,” as they say, is a very worthwhile endeavor.

At the same time, my objective is to share my message through the media. And being here in Los Angeles, there is media that will have easy access to me should they choose to come see me to share my message. Because I will be existing without technology, it will be ideal to have a place where they can come to me to have a connection, one on one in the park. So being in a large city is very much helpful for this.

There is a large part of me that would like to instead go to a quiet place alone to do this inner work. But this endeavor is equally a social experiment to an inner experiment. I could go to the woods and do this alone. However, that is not my objective at the time. My objective is to be here with humanity and to be a teaching lesson. I have dedicated my life to being my message, largely inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, and I believe this experiment in non-ownership in a very public way, where I am fully available to the public, will provide many meaningful interactions for people that will help them to question our societal structures, free their minds and veer away from the path of destruction that does not serve them, and down a path of more harmony.

I have also chosen Los Angeles for the climate. This is an experiment that is much easier done in the warmth of the sun.

On Living by Earth Code

I have chosen to follow Earth Code and through the practice of complete non-ownership, I have an opportunity to immerse myself deeply in the practice of Earth Code. I will not follow any government laws inherently because they are written out by a governing body. Rather, this is a radical experiment in embracing my connection with Earth, my fellow humans and the plants and animals we share this home with.

Earth Code supersedes all national, state and local codes. Earth Codes are guiding values in which life is lived in a manner which minimizes destruction upon this Earth and the plants, animals and humans that we share this home with.

Earth Code takes into account the lives of all species, all beings. Earth Code gives rights of all life, all beings and the interconnected ecosystems of Earth, just as we have rights as human beings.

Earth Code is not one of direct written law for me, but rather of a daily critical thinking, conscious thinking and connective way of being. It requires considerable time, energy and effort to follow Earth Code and it requires us to see each individual and each society as unique and diverse beings and groups.

In this manner, I will aim to respect all humans in the community, while respecting all life. This is a difficult balance and much of society will not agree with me or understand my philosophy. We are a very human-centric, Earth-dominating society and I am seeking to live outside of this realm, while bringing the most peace and the least harmful disturbance to the people I share space with.

Through living by Earth Code, I take full responsibility for any way in which I may be causing harm. I will however not take responsibility for the stories that people create in their minds, which are not the reality of my experience. If someone is to become agitated by my mere presence, that is not my responsibility.

Will I Be Homeless?

There are thousands of people in the US and around the world who are experiencing homelessness and would so deeply love to have a home where they have safety and comfort. Shelter is a basic human need. In the US, we have the ability to house every unhoused person. Simply put, there are more empty homes than there are people without homes.

My choice to live without a home (not just now, but for much of my life) is a different scenario from someone who would like to have a home, but does not have the money or the resources. Intention is a very important aspect of the concept of homelessness.

So am I homeless? My answer is that, to a large degree, homelessness is a societal construct that is not black or white. Anybody who speaks openly and honestly with a number of people on the streets will learn this very clearly.

For me, the Earth is my home. I do not adhere to the physical boundaries or constructs of our modern society. We have lived for many thousands of years where it was within the realm of our existence that one could exist in relationship with the land without a physical home and that wasn’t a matter of homelessness. It was a matter of simply existing.

The Earth is my home, just as the robin birds have a right to a small nest, just as the coyote has a right to a den. While sleeping outside in certain spaces, I am exercising my right to have a small, nesting plot as well.

Because of my deep relationships and my deep connection to Earth, I can never be homeless. I am home inside of myself and I am home on this land.

Certainly some people feel very strong emotions about me sleeping in a park. I am choosing to sleep outdoors in this public space in part so that I can discuss the fallacy of land-ownership from an experiential viewpoint. Who owns the land? Supposedly the US government, but who did they take it from? And, why do they get to continue to own it? Within this accepted realm, it is actually the public that owns the park, that is you and I. I will be sleeping in the park, with the highest degree of respect to the land and to the people, plants and animals who share this space, following Earth Code.

On the Wealth Gap and Equity

I cannot rationalize having so much when others have so little. We live in a time of great inequity, with an ever-increasing wealth gap. My decision to live simply and with few possessions has been my way of saying that I refuse to have so much while others have so little. I refuse to get my happiness through the direct or indirect exploitation of others. As Gandhi said, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” That is at the essence of this practice. I serve as an example to people with wealth and privilege that they can meet their needs and their desires in a way that doesn’t take advantage of and exploit others. Rather, that there are ways to meet our basic needs that do not exploit and instead contribute to the well-being of others. For me, that is through living simply. To take my life to the next step of complete non-ownership is to continue down this path of living simply so that others may simply live. Of refusing to have my needs met that exploits others and refusing to have so much while others have so little. The wealth gap is not something that I am willing to contribute to or sit idly by, and this is also my stance, my way of calling attention to the wealth gap for those who have managed to put it out of their mind, or those who have never even contemplated it.

A Note on Sustainable Living
This is a different take on sustainable living than I have been sharing, but one of my greatest lessons through the last decade in immersing in sustainability is that at the absolute heart of sustainable living is not any futuristic technology, but simply needing less. The cultures that live the most sustainably are cultures that know that their needs are only so much and know how to meet those needs through closely connected relationships with Earth, community and the plants and animals we share this Earth with. The deepest solutions that I know in sustainability are living simply and coming together as a community.

With my lack of control over my food and some of my resources, I will certainly be eating less sustainably in certain ways than when I was growing and foraging 100% of my food for example or wearing homemade, natural fiber clothing. But, by bringing my life down to the absolute basics of need, this will be a deep practice in sustainable living. The reality is that one of the most powerful things we can do is to say to the destructive corporations, “We don’t need you.” If all of us realized that we didn’t need all of this stuff, so much of the exploitation and destruction could be ended. Thus, this is a practice in needing just the absolute basics, which allows us to be existing in a place of power, personal power and personal responsibility in the face of overconsumption.

Exploration of the Experiment of Non-Ownership

The Experiment of Non-Ownership Homepage
Why I Walked from Canada to L.A. and the Impact on My Life
The Experiment in Non-Ownership – An in-depth explanation of my “Why” behind this experiment and how I’ll meet my basic needs.
Non-Ownership in the Physical, Digital and Mental Realms – An in-depth exploration of my attempt at non-ownership beyond the physical realm, into the digital and mental realms of ownership.
The Timeline of My Journey of Complete Non-Ownership – From aspiring millionaire, to having not a penny to my name or a possession of my own, this the timeline of my journey to complete non-ownership.
My Commitment to Truth and Transparency – An exploration of my experiment of existing in complete transparency. For four years I will not tell a lie. I will only tell the truth. There is nothing that I will hide or guard. I will have nothing in my mind that is not accessible.
A Message of Love and Support to the Los Angeles Community