Legacy: The Future Started Yesterday

Our experiences are what shape us. They make us who we are. Experiences guide us down our own individual path in life; they influence our decisions, create our character, and ultimately what we experience, or rather, what we do with that experience comes to define us. There are only so many moments we have the chance to live through. Time is both a dream and a nightmare.

Some of us live extended, healthy lives. Lives filled with happiness and laughter, that are laden with events and full in duration. Most of us will feel pain and loss, some are lucky enough to experience these emotions less frequently than others. A few of us come into this life, and hardly get the chance to take a breath, when just as quickly as it started, it comes to an end. There is only one thing we all can rely on, one experience that each and every person will share in this life - the end.

As far as we humans are aware, we are the only entities in this universe that can perceive their own demise. And for better or for worse, we are getting exceedingly more proficient at estimating why, how, and when our individual journeys will come to a conclusion. It’s an interesting experience, having the knowledge that your own expiration is imminent. It certainly changes the way you look at each moment, as you notice the decisions that are being made in your life, which, are ironically causing you to miss all that life has to offer.

Here I am, 52 years old, instructed over 2 years ago by the most reliable doctor I could find, that my time on the spaceship we call “Earth” is coming to a premature end. It was news that anyone thinking clearly would never want to hear. It is also hard to imagine my life unfolding in any other way.

The purpose of this writing is to share my story, from my perspective. There have been drastic changes made within the organization of society 30 minutes east of Eugene, Oregon. Most of you reading this will already be aware of at least some of the events that have taken place, but I feel it would be beneficial to provide my own personal rationale for building what I did while I still have time.

I can say in earnest that I was never interested in changing anything. I have been thrown into a role by the circumstances of a situation that no one can truly plan for. It’s hard to realize the extent of the issues our planet is facing if you never have the time or motivation to find out for yourself. But once you have a glimpse into what is happening around the globe, it’s hard to live with yourself without trying to make some kind of a difference.

So that’s what I did, I felt like I was forced to take action. I stood up from my death bed and challenged the status quo, leaving behind what I can only hope will be a positive mark on history. In time, I believe my actions will be used as a step toward a monumental shift.

Had I not received my diagnoses, this memoir would not have been written. I can presume that nothing of substance would have changed by my hands. My life would have continued without once considering the potential we have as a species to live our most optimal lives. By no fault of our own, Westerners such as myself can be found trapped within a cycle, where each day the bulk of our time is spent working to survive.

We wake up, get ready and go to work, spend 8-12 hours a day typically preforming tasks we would not do outside of the organization that employs us, go home, and spend a few hours doing such things as housework, childcare, or leisurely watching TV. We will proceed from there to bed, and then, repeat, for days, weeks, months, and years. In some ways, cancer may have been the best thing that has happened to me, as it was an event that lead me to wake up, and realize what is important in this world.

I will start by explaining my early professional years, describing how I was able to accumulate a fortune, and the sacrifices I made throughout that process. I will then lead you along the path I feel we all need to travel at some point, the path of knowledge, a summary of important truths about the welfare of our planet. It was at this point I realized the world we know could be changed drastically, for the better, and almost overnight. For those of you reading who don’t know how this story ends, I will try to keep you in suspense.

Thank You for taking the time to read this memoir, and hear my perspective on the changes made in Oregon these past 2 years. I’m writing this in a two-room, off-grid shipping container home. The curtains are open, the air is still, and as always, the clock is ticking. This is where I have prepared for my journey to come to an end. But before I depart, I hope time will grant me one last favor, so I can share the most essential parts of my story with whomever is interested. As my time is limited, I will only focus on the most critical details.

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