Building a Community

Things are coming together at a rapid pace. Much of it bad when viewed superficially. But it's all good in the end. God, aka Nature, is putting things into motion. There are opportunities for those who care to look.

I had a lunch meeting with my Christian friend here in Porto, and our ties have been strengthened. He has invested money in modest real estate projects in remote locations, with the idea that his properties can be developed for rural tourism, and simultaneously function as fall back places to live in case things get too whacky in town.

As it turns out, he already has a German friend coming over as a vaccine refugee. Things are so bad in Germany that people see themselves forced to leave. Portugal is a favored destination, due to its culture and history of low key anarchism. Portugal does not have the totalitarian and conformist inclination that we see so many other places. Portugal is full of secret societies and hiding places. It was never fully conquered by the state apparatus, despite being the oldest nation state in the world.

My friend had an experience with vaccine passports similar to what my wife had a week ago. He went to a restaurant with some colleagues. As the only one of them, he had no proof of vaccination, but the waiter gave him a free pass anyway. Once again we have confirmation that laws are not followed rigidly in Portugal. It's part of their culture to let things like this slip.

The following day, my friend was approached by one of his colleagues. He half expected his colleague to scold him, but the opposite happened. My friend was praised for his bravery. His colleague expressed regret over his vaccine status. He would have loved to have been among the unvaccinated himself.

However, far from everybody is regretting their vaccine. My wife was surprised to get an e-mail from our son's private school, urging parents to get their kids vaccinated. It came as a shock to my wife, because she has always held the school's owners in high regard. They are widely read intellectuals, frequently quoting classic liberal thinkers. But I never trusted them, so I wasn't all that surprised.

The schools owners are among the fearful, as I suspected, and it's now on full display, so we'll have to think up some alternative for our son.

All this adversity, while unpleasant, has woken people up to the true nature of the state. My views are being vindicated, and my solution is being taken more seriously. My Christian friend is still attached to the nation state and party politics, but he's increasingly curious about my suggested alternative, not least because it contains a practical guide to the construction of God's Kingdom on Earth. No Christian can deny the appeal of such an idea.

I'm telling my friend that if he wants to build this alternative, he is in a position to do so. Furthermore, the Kingdom of God is not Paradise. It's not something that comes about on its own. It has to be built by us. Nothing will happen unless we start on it. Jesus isn't coming down to sit on his throne unless we make that throne ready for him. Not that I believe in a flesh and blood return of Jesus. I prefer the less magical interpretation, that it is his golden rule that "sits" on the throne. His return is a spiritual awakening. It's the arrival of the 5th Empire, aka God's Kingdom.

My friend and I are now in an informal alliance. We are in charge of two domains that fit together nicely. There's potential for mutually benefitting cooperation. His friend from Germany is likely to fit into this puzzle as well. My wife and I have other friends who also see the need for alternative infrastructure. My youngest son in Norway is another ally. It's all coming together, as described in my book. It's no longer pure theory. It's a real possibility that an increasing number of people are ready to try.

Hope