I'm Back

Hello everyone!

Going to make this short. Just wanted to say thank you for all you support this past year. I am still amazed at the amount of emails, calls and text that I still get even though this blog has been inactive for a while.

I’m actually planning to get back to blogging with a vengeance real soon. Be prepared for a shift in focus. I have a feeling AVS will be evolving, just as I have been evolving. That’s the way it should be.

Take care everyone,

Jack

Blogging Redux

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I still get tons of emails from people who want to know why I stopped writing. Many are long-time readers who love the blog and want to read more. Some are clearly new to the blog and are just curious about a specific post or topic. And, of course, there are those “other” readers who still wish to kill me or who are otherwise happy that my “sexist,” “cocky” (horrible pun definitely intended), “hateful” vitriol is out of the public eye.

THE TRUTH IS
The truth is that since mid-2010 I haven’t really felt a need to write on the blog. It isn’t that nothing of consequence has happened since my last post. In fact, some incredible things happened during the last six months or so. It’s just that I don’t run my life by internet. I never did. Long-time readers know that the focus of this blog was never to provide commentary re voluntary simplicity. This blog was never conceived as some sort of simplicity newsletter.

I started this blog to try to understand the source of overwhelming unhappiness. Somewhat surprisingly, the blog was actually instrumental in allowing me to chart a course towards a certain amount of healing and genuine understanding. But the blog itself was never the answer. It was merely a tool I used in the middle of a tempest. And it was a tool I stopped using once I got to shore.

BLOGGING REDUX
Today, for the first time in a long time, I feel like blogging. Let’s see how long that lasts.

I'm Now on Skype

That’s right, I’m now on Skype.

Not sure whether this will eventually turn out to be counterproductive in terms of my simplicity goals but I’m willing to give it a try. The bottom line is that I’m still drowning in emails requesting advice, offering speaking engagements, interviews etc...I’m hoping this can serve to answer more of your questions, even as I get to interact and learn from as many of you as possible.

If you ever want to reach out feel free to send me an email(radicalsimplicity@gmail.com) with the following information:

1.your full name on Facebook;
2.times during the week when you can chat freely;
3.topics you want to discuss.

For security reasons I will contact you via Facebook first so we can set up a time to Skype. Note that depending on demand and availability I might not be able to respond right away.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Jack

State of the Blog: Back from Sabbatical

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Every once in a while it just makes sense to disconnect from everything. I tend to do it when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Or when I'm contemplating significant life changes and need the time and space to think and focus. And, sometimes, it's a little bit of both.

All I can say is that I'm no longer overwhelmed and that I found the time and space to think things through. It's good to be back.

State of the Blog: Taking Stock

[photo: media.guelphmercury]

Someone asked me the other day why I haven't been blogging much this month. I told them that I just didn't feel like it. Besides, I've been rather busy traveling up a storm and I just haven't been able to catch my breath long enough to think about blogging.

But things are different tonight. Tonight I am feeling rather introspective. Introspective in a pensive, let's-take-stock-of-where-life-is-taking-me sort of way. To say that stuff is starting to crystalize and solidify in new and unexpected ways would be an understatement. There is much to talk about:

*There is definitely some movement on the career front. I think some of you will love where things are heading.

*I definitely want to tell you about what I learned on my recent trip to South America to scout out potential bike routes and get some one-on-one tips from other long-distance bike tourists.

*I've also come to the realization that I am absolutely starved for spiritual nourishment. In some ways, everything I have been doing up till now has been just been a precursor to a much more essential internal journey that I am only now prioritizing.

And this is just the tip of the iceburg.

Stay tuned.

State of the Blog: Sabbatical and Next Steps

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Just a short note to let you guys know that I’m back from a self-imposed e-sabbatical. Nothing like getting away from it all to recharge and reenergize, particularly towards the end of a hot, lazy summer.

There are so MANY things I want to share with you. Things are starting to fall into place in so many wonderful ways. Expect more soon. I promise.

Jack

Simple Gifts

[image: bccb.lis.illinois.edu]

Those of you who have followed my journey since its inception have probably noticed that, with one relevant exception, I've always taken great pains to ignore references and reviews of this blog in the news media and elsewhere. As the “anti-blog,” Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity has always been rather insular, answerable only to its readers via the comments section of each and every post.

And yet, every once in a while, an exception is in order. Bill Holston, a fellow attorney from Dallas, Texas, lay minister, and long-time reader, was kind enough to send me a couple of links that I think you will all enjoy.

1. The first is a commentary broadcast on NPR entitled “Simple Gifts.” It focuses on how the current economic downturn has forced people to reevaluate their priorities and embrace simple living as a lifestyle. On a personal note, it's nice to have been mentioned with the likes of Vonnegut and the Shakers.

2. The second is a sermon Bill gave at his church, Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho. This sermon is quite thought-provoking and delves into the essence of simplicity from a religious perspective. Do email me if you would like to receive an official, non-verbatim transcript.

Enjoy!

State of the Blog: Communication

[image: http://www.its.dot.gov/]

Just a quick note to assure everyone that I am doing my best to respond to all your emails, tweets and facebook messages. A week in the desert, crappy to no reception, and my recent health scare all worked to create a pretty extensive backlog. If you have tried to communicate with me over the past several weeks be assured that you will hear from me soon.

I will probably have to rethink the way I handle communications going forward. The blog continues to grow at an exponential rate and it is getting harder and harder to respond to you guys in real time. I have a feeling this will become a non-issue once this trip is over but if you have any suggestions on how to improve things let me know.

Take care everyone!

State of the Blog

Just a quick note from beautiful Colorado.

Those of you who are following via Twitter and/or Facebook know that I've decided to rent a cabin and explore Colorado via car for a week. Expect a trip update with new photos and videos very soon. In the meantime, I wanted to remind you that there are other ways to follow along:

1. Twitter Updates: I've added an application on the upper-right hand corner of the blog that streams updates from Twitter. This way, you can keep up with what's going on even if the blog hasn't been updated. If you want real-time info on the trip and what I'm up to feel free to add me on Twitter.

2. Facebook: Adding me on Facebook is also a great way to access real-time photos, updates and other information. At this point, there is probably more activity on Facebook than even on the blog itself.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Communicating on the Road

In between moving boxes and planning this upcoming bike trip I actually signed up for Twitter. I'm hoping this will facilitate communication on and off the road and let everyone know what's going on with me in real time. FYI, my profile is “radicaljack.” Here is the link.

Also, note that I'm already on Facebook in case you want to add me as a friend.

Have a great week everyone.

Embracing My Inner Nerd

[Photo: image.guardian.co.uk]

This is just sooo frickin’ awesome!! I’m sitting in a café near Dupont Circle thinking about next steps and my mind is just spinning with possibilities. It feels as if “the rest of my life” has finally come and there appears to be no end in sight. Spread out before me are several copies of Lonely Planet, a map of the world, a copy of Outside magazine, and a cup of green tea.

But while the urge for travel, adventure and assorted international mischief beckons like never before, something else has begun to monopolize my every waking thought: the potential to expand my education to its furthest possible limit. That’s right, my dear reader. When Jack is not discovering the pleasures of yoga and meditation, enduring endless carnal temptations, and/or occasionally imbibing to his heart’s content, he is absolutely, completely, positively, and without question embracing his inner nerd!

[Photo: movingpicturesmagazine.com]

THE PLAN, PART DEUX

Call it the Plan, after the Plan. Maybe Plan #2 is more appropriate. Or even The Plan, part deux.

Whatever you call it, I feel it has the potential to exist at the very core of my being for the rest of my life. It is nothing short of embracing education as a lifestyle.

COMPONENTS

At any one time I want to immerse myself in books and/courses focusing on (1) themes involving history/culture/philosophy/politics; (2) literature; and (3) foreign languages. Throughout, I want to be able to combine all three components as I travel. For example, I could learn a much Hindi as possible before traveling to India where I could take a course on partition. Or maybe I could brush up on my Spanish while taking a course on the Incas before heading out on a trip to Machu Pichu. For me, the sky will be the limit.

ARE THERE ANY FELLOW DORKS OUT THERE?

I know, I know. This post is just oozing nerdyness. But can you blame me? I just wanted to share a little of my excitement as I embrace a new-found freedom I am only now discovering. Besides, I can’t be the only one that finds this super cool. Seriously, are there any fellow nerds out there?

Note that those of you interested in this aspect of my journey can always check out my progress at my other blog: Adventures in Intellectual Stupidity.

New Blog

After some consideration, I’ve decided to start another blog. The douchey-sounding Adventures in Intellectual Stupidity is intended to be a repository for essays, notes and commentary on history, politics, philosophy and any number of other interests running around in my head.

Here is my standard disclaimer: don’t expect a more ‘scholarly’ version of Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity. In fact, some of my regular readers may be put off by the dryness of the material or by an inherent lack of cohesion in how ideas and themes are presented.

But who gives a shit. Here’s the bottom line: now that I’m leaving law firm purgatory I am going to have a ton of time to devote to some of my long-standing interests, principally reading, writing, film and arts in general. As impossibly boring as it might sound, I can’t wait to be able to read an analysis of how Alexander the Great defeated the Persian empire without having to check my blackberry. Or to peruse an article dissecting the political underpinnings of the American Civil War (any John C. Calhoun fans out there?) without checking my voicemail. Or to watch a documentary on the Katyn massacre in Russia (did anyone see the film by Wajda?) without having to make it to bed before 11pm.

And isn’t that the meaning of freedom, my dear reader? To be able to pursue your interests unabated; to focus your senses on those things that truly touch your heart without any pretense or impediment?

For me, freedom is the opportunity to immerse myself in the waters of nerdy douchiness, even as I celebrate the added drinking, biking, traveling, and assorted womanizing I’m looking forward to in the years to come.

Jack is now on Facebook

That's right! I've finally decided to embrace my inner 18 year old and have set up a Facebook account. This is still a work in progress but you can now add me as a friend using "Voluntary Simplicity Jack". Expect new videos, pics, and related voluntary simplicity craziness. Plus, definitely relish the thought of chatting with some of my favorite readers, wherever they might be.

On an unrelated note, I wanted to give a shoutout to G., the Chinatown DC-NY bus driver who found one of my envelopes. This dude is pretty hardcore; he actually noticed me leaving an envelope in one of his bus seats somewhere near Baltimore, somehow tracked me down using my ticket info (don't ask, it was totally shady) and called to thank me last week. After 2 or 3 denials I came clean and we chatted for like half an hour. Very sweet guy. Looks like he gave half of the cash I found to one of his daughters.

Back from Sabbatical

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Greetings my dear reader.

Wow, was that awesome! Two weeks away did wonders for my psyche. Nothing like an impromptu sabbatical from blogging to provide some added perspective. And it was perspective that I needed. For a while there, I felt like one of the things I had been relying on to help me through this process of simplification (blogging) had actually become an impediment to simplification. At some point, there were just too many comments, too many emails, too much COMPLEXITY. I have a feeling some of my fellow bloggers understand this all too well. Taking some time off was good in that it helped me find my focus again.

THE PLOT

I want to thank the dozens and dozens (hundreds at this point?) of people who submitted a comment and/or emailed me with their own versions of the Plot. For those of you who received an envelope feel free to comment publicly, though I would ask that you do so anonymously. I will, of course, keep your email acknowledgements in confidence. Finally, I wanted to thank R. from a certain veterans group for helping me distribute some of the envelopes. I don’t think I could have finished without you.

EMAIL

I also wanted to apologize for not replying to any emails the past couple of weeks. I really needed total radio silence during this self-imposed sabbatical. I promise to get back to everyone as soon as possible.

CHANGES TO THE BLOG

Over the next week or so I hope to add a couple of links to sidebar on the voluntary simplicity movement. I have a feeling that some people stumble on this blog without any real sense of what I am doing, why I am doing it, or what Voluntary Simplicity really entails.

COMMENT MODERATION

I’ve come around to the idea of adding comment moderation to all of my posts. As you may recall, I had originally rejected that approach a couple of months ago in favor of a more Millsean marketplace-of-ideas approach. The benefit of this new approach is not to stifle ideas but merely to make my job a little easier. Constantly reviewing the blog for troll comments and meaningless fluff is super annoying and time-consuming. Now that I have comment moderation turned on, I can review all comments at once and streamline the whole process. The underlying policy remains the same: anyone with a legitimate, cogent perspective may comment. Anything that is outright offensive will be rejected.

State of the Blog

[Photo: Wikepedia]

Seeing as Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity (“AVS”) is celebrating its fifth month of existence I though it would be appropriate to provide the following in terms of feedback/commentary:

Comment Moderation
If you recall, I briefly considered moderating comments after a spate of questionable comments. I’ve decided to leave things as they are and let people post what they want. While constructive criticism is always appreciated, any post that smacks of unadulterated venom will be ignored. I hope other posters will do the same. My hope is to provide an environment in which people can be as honest as they want to be without encouraging unnecessary mischief. I may have to revisit this issue if I ever get inundated with spam.

Blog Structure
Over the past couple of months I’ve added several lists on the right-hand side of the blog. These include:

*“The Plan”: These posts outline my overall strategy for leaving my job and attaining my own version of freedom.

*“Simple Stories”: This is a collection of posts that focus on simple, joyful activities that, at least for me, make life such an amazing, beautiful adventure.

*"Top Posts”: These are posts that, for whatever reason, resonated with me long after I wrote them.

Blog Features
Here is where my ignorance becomes plain and clear. As I navigate through the blogosphere I always encounter interesting gadgets and programs that people have added to their blogs. Sometimes it is fairly easy to discern their utility. Sometimes not. The bottom line is that AVS is probably due for a good spiffying up. If there are any specific features that you think might complement the blog let me know. I’m hoping to add an image/video feature, but beyond that I am still a little stumped.

Photo Attribution
How embarrassing! Being a lawyer I should have instinctively realized that if I add images from elsewhere on the net I should also credit the relevant source. I will definitely do this from now on.

On Moderating Comments

For those of you who have been following my journey since the inception of this very young, still naïve, rather simple blog, you may have noticed that a slight chill of negativity has been steadily creeping into the comments I’ve been receiving. No doubt, some of these comments are being made by people who are genuinely uncomfortable with the content of some of my posts. Others are clearly misinterpreting the writing of this rather amateurish, yet well-meaning devotee of voluntary simplicity. Still others may actually have an agenda and would criticize pretty much anything posted by yours truly.

So, here I am, my dear reader, pondering the need to moderate comments. I’ve always though that if I was egotistical enough to expect that people would read about my journey, then I should be happy to read any comments, positive or negative, that this humble little blog receives. I’m definitely a JS Mill “On Liberty” type, which basically means that my instinct is to let people post what they want, in whatever form they want; freedom of speech is paramount; yada, yada…

And yet…

I’ve noticed that most of the other blogs I love to read are, in fact, moderated, and with good reason. The content (and subsequent comments) on awesome blogs like Conversion Diary (formerly “Et, tu?”) and Hobo Stripper are ripe for misinterpretation and negative comments. My guess is that a reader of those blogs should be thankful that their authors can sift through comments and post those that are most pertinent while chucking anything that appears naughty. Comment moderation can focus commentary and provide readers with a more in-depth, uncluttered perspective of topics at hand.

And yet…

This all just sounds like a BS way to justify censoring people who, for whatever reason, aren’t big fans of Jack or his hopelessly honest, warts and all, brand of voluntary simplicity. Even if I were to start moderating comments, what criteria should I use to sift through comments? Should I reject only the patently offensive ones? What about comments that are critical but insightful? More importantly, how do I distinguish between the two. This conundrum is precisely the reason why I am against censorship.

So, what do you think, my dear reader? Would really appreciate your input, both pro and con, positive and negative.

I would like to thank the academy...

It’s been crazy at work this week, but I wanted to take a second to thank Donna and Sharon for giving me this blog award:

Thank you guys! Definitely appreciate it.

My own nominations for best blog (excluding the award givers, of course) are, in alphabetical order:

• Cage Free Family

• Choosing Voluntary Simplicity

• Freedomvan

• Hobo Stripper

• Miles to Go Before I Sleep

• The Jungle Fever

• The Urban Minimalist

You guys can find links to these, and other wonderful blogs in my links section. Enjoy!