For the past years I felt like floating in an endless ocean with no land in sight. No boat, not even a small floaty. No one around. No direction. No will to swim. Just trying to keep myself afloat.
In the ocean is the SOCIETY. The thing I hate the most. This society has a lot of problems and I do not want to be part of it.
Corruption, consumerism, wars, tribes, nonsense rules and laws, climate change, the environment is fucked, tiktok is the pinnacle of stupidity, jobs are a must or you are fucked, a lot of garbage around, badly made products, politics is football, we throw most of our food yet so many starve or fight to eat, we have an abundance of shit and we still have to trade for it…it is a world of idiots if I am honest, and “AI” is making it all smell like sulfuric acid. Corrosive society!
This society is also built on a fantasy layer. Humans, being made out of atoms that compile cells into brains and guts, circling a round ball in the vastness of the Universe, are a mere cartoonish representation in this primitive society.
Humans are the same ol’ citizens, who get married, want a house, a car or a horse, label themselves by the skill/job they are performing in the society (seller, athlete, doctor, engineer, influencer), and spend some 80 years (if they are lucky) like a cow in a livestock facility being milked. Produced and producing. For what?
Jacque Fresco was 101 when he died. Only 3 and a half Fresco’s lives ago (350 years) humans discovered the cell. We were not a thing, but many things. Same time humans realized there are more planets than our. Two Fresco’s ago we learned what molecules are.
A Fresco and a half ago the most mindblowing discovery was about to be made: we are not creatures made by some Godly Deity, but we have evolved from other creatures. We, and the rest of the living things that we see, come from the same creature. Billions of years into the making. How explosive!
When Fresco was about to be born we discovered what an atom is. And when Fresco was 7 years old we realized that there are more galaxies out there, thus an infinite number of stars and planets. Is like a fish gets to learn about the world outside of the water.
In Fresco’s lifetime the reality became even more weird with the discovery of the DNA (the literal code that makes all living beings), the discovery of quarks, black holes and quasars, exoplanets, the so many species on Earth. We got electricity and the Internet, advanced medical interventions and all sort of gadgets. We went from not knowing what’s in the other side of the village to being able to instantly video-chat with anyone from anywhere on Earth, and even in Space. We went from grounded creatures to flying machines with thousands of humans being in the air at any given time.
We could see the entire Universe from beginning to now, we went on the Moon, learned that we live on a moving ground (plate tectonics), and we can make babies without having sex or have sex without having babies.
So much has happened since Fresco was born that is hard to grasp how the world was just 100 years ago. (source)
AND YET, despite all of these explosive discoveries, the human society is pretty much unchanged when it comes to the day to day life.
Pubs and Bars look more modern, but harbor the same citizens gossiping and bitching about the king and queen, presidents and politics, sports and villagers. The home is more comfortable, but the people in it use it as a mere place to sleep and eat, because most of their lives, just like in the past, is dedicated to work. Most humans are still religious, and the vast majority have little clue about their place in the Universe.
So I find it terribly bizarre that reality, what we discovered so far, is mostly a bunch of facts that people don’t even know. As if you tell an ant about the forest, the oceans, the stars and evolution. And the ant would be like “Oh cool…nice…” and moves on to being an ant. No impact what so ever. Isn’t that considered a reaction of a non-intelligent being?
What I am trying to say is that this society of humans, this ocean, is an objectively bizarre world, and an ugly one for that matter. So I feel terribly uncomfortable in this ocean. I feel like living amongst ants in a dense humid and dark forest.
I feel like the two worlds: reality and human society (fantasy) do not mix much, if at all.
No one takes reality seriously. And because of that we drag on this primitive lifestyle where everyone is a worker, we have no money to solve problems, we can’t do stuff because of papers, and so forth.
I think I have a good idea why this happens. It is the Trade Society that forces this fantasy, because no one can have a life unless they are part of the machine and works all of their lives. It is so reinforced that I find it almost impossible to see a big change. No matter what we discover: aliens, infinite energy, a god or gremlins. Would be a “viral” thing for a few days to a few weeks, but then workers-gotta-work, so we keep on doing the same ant-shit all over again.
My goal with TROM was always this: To try and showcase the discrepancy between reality and society. Because I hoped it would make people realize who we are, and be smarter and kinder. Also not be restrained by our imagination like money or papers, borders or statuses. I hoped…
So for almost 2 decades now I tried to send my bubbles of influence into the Ocean. Created so much content and so many projects. In the hopes that something may happen. Other humans may realize this whole thing and get to the surface or change something down bellow.
And then I found some floaties. Like The Venus Project and others. And I was thrilled. I felt like I was not struggling alone. Some were hanging tight on them.
Others were swimming up to the surface too. Got inspired and wanted a change. Maybe something is happening….
I even made my own floatie: TROM. Others used it as a way to keep themselves on the surface. TROM was the thing that gave me stability and confidence. Others helped it stay afloat via volunteering, donations, encouragement, etc..
But after a few years most such floaties sunk. Too hard to keep them afloat in this turbulent ocean. Most people have drowned in the society bellow. I was not even sure my TROM floatie was keeping me afloat or I kept it.
I felt alone again. And keeping TROM and myself afloat was becoming so hard. The world down bellow was like a tsunami. Whatever you throw at it, documentaries, articles, books, ideas…it gets swiped away in a heartbeat. Nothing lasts there for too long. Everyone is busy, the world is getting crazier. So why should I even do anything? This is something I was wondering for the past years….
But then I realized 2 things. First that there are still people out there who realize all of this and try to get to the surface. They are fighting really hard and they come up from time to time. Others float, some swim, but I am for sure not alone. The ocean is so big, this is why I may not see many people and floaties at the surface or down bellow.
You know, the wonderful people who became my friends and we supported each other staying afloat….some are still here. I met them through TROM, and we still share the same values and ideas. I am for sure not alone. Yes, most of them have to swim inside the tsunami, they have jobs, problems, and need to be part of this society to survive. But they try to get themselves out of it. Maybe together we can help each other stay afloat!
Second thing I realized: What is inside of this TROM floatie is IMPORTANT. All of the content I or a few others have created has changed my life. The way I see the world, the way I interact with people, the way I deal with problems. I understand the world so much better now all because of what TROM has been for me: a canvas where I can paint my ideas, and in the process become a better, I hope smarter, human being.
And the projects we have created that help hundreds, if not thousands of other people, make me feel like my life is worth the float.
Even if I feel alone at times, I always have my brain with me. And I can look through it at the world and understand it better than before. It is a kind of realization and pleasure that you only get it when you feel it.
This is why I decided to “create content” again. Not because I want to create new content, but because there is so much to understand and do for me. And if others find it relevant, then that’s a plus. If it helps others come to the surface, that is great. I am not naive, I realize that the hardest part is not to make people come to the surface from time to time, but to make them stay there. That is extraordinarily hard.
For the past year I have been going through a lot. Life has been very hard for me, mentally and physically. But also financially.
I worked on a big article (Culture Cancer) that took me over a year to finish because of my personal struggles but also because of the complex topic. But, now that it is done, I realized it changed the way I see conflict between groups of people and what can be done to diminish or stop it. This is what I want from the content I create: to change my perspective on the world. Or, at least, greatly improve it. Saner-isit!
The articles can be dynamic where I will add videos, quizzes, stats, links, etc.. Are easy to edit and tweak. At times maybe I will make shorter articles. At times I may make a video out of an article, or videos about topics that are better in that format. I know most people use phones, but these articles (especially the huge ones) may not be suited for such a small screen. So keep that in mind.
Point is, here I am. Floating and swimming. For as long as I can. If anyone else wants to help out make articles, videos, help with the project or float with me, then I will be over-the-ocean happy.
TROM is very valuable for me. So I will continue with it. At least I will try. But without more financial support, especially now when I will be living by myself relying on donations 100%, TROM too can sink and I with it. Because the reality is that without a financial support, to be able to eat, have an internet connection, pay for the servers, to basically live, then you cannot continue no matter how good of a swimmer or floater you are ;).
So all I ask is, if possible, to support the TROM project with 5€ a month. I need this more than ever.
In the context of this article even saying this makes me wanna puke. To ask for money. But I have no choice.
My approach is to ask for the same amount of support from everyone. Equal, not too much, to make it sustainable. If 200 people would donate, then TROM will stay afloat indefinitely. And we are almost half way there! Go here https://www.tromsite.com/donate/ to donate if you can but also to see what TROM fully is about.
TROM Articles can also be a vessel for others to express themselves. Create content like we did back in the days for TVP Magazine. I want us to dissect what AI is, what a saner future could look like, what present day solutions exist that are radical enough for a bigger change.
I want for us to create a Trade-Free Event (TFE) where we invite those who do Trade-Free things: goods, services, volunteer. At these events we could help people install TF Operating Systems or apps on their devices, or provide other services. I want this event to bring more people to the surface, for us to create more floaties, and meet others who do the same. Maybe we can create a boat at some point, or find an island. Then we can work harder to change the ocean down bellow, because the problem is not the ocean, it is the current of Trade that pushes everyone into the abyss.
So here’s my fantasy: to be able to float in this tormented ocean without too much effort. To create floating boats or islands and have more people be part of these floaties. To then go back into the ocean and try to “restore” it, like you would in the real ocean. Go change values, go help people, go volunteer. But always come back to to surface from time to time. Breath. Relax. Put it all in perspective. Go back. And maybe eventually we can find pockets of sanity in the ocean too, where we can stay longer and do not have to come back to the surface. Ameliorate the struggle, oppose the current of Trade, help each other.
This is my dream. Life is a ride and this is how I ride it.
Lastly, a technical nugget: for each article you have on top a green bar that moves from left to right showcasing how far you in reading the article. Second, in the right side there is an R button. If you select any piece of text that R becomes Red and will allow you to notify us in case there is a typo, missing link, etc.. Just click it. And when we write huge articles in the left side you will see a table of contents, allowing you to quickly jump to different sections. Of course you can also switch between a light and a dark theme for the entire TROMsite.
I hope this project will last. It depends how much I can float and swim, how strong the current is down bellow. I will try! That for sure is something I will do!
Come with me!
2 Comments
This post gave me so much hope. I am also hanging on the Trom floaty and now I feel like I took a huge breath of air after being with my head underwater for so long. And I didnt even read the actual article yet. I am so excited to read it and understand this world/society better. I wish I had your determination and curiosity! Thanks to you I also get to learn and keep my head above the water. So, Thank You!
Thank you for all of the help and support since day 1 of this project!