I thought I made this clear, but apparently not. The way to tell a good authority figure from a bad one is by observing how loyal he is to the ideals he professes to believe in, and by how effective he is in putting those ideals into practice. As Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them." What part of this don't you understand?
I don't believe I saw any Black people in Alaska, but then I wasn't looking for any. To my knowledge, there was no law or social custom that prevented Black people from entering the state. If they weren't there, I assume it was because they didn't want to be. I only had a few hundred dollars in my pocket when I left, and I had earned most of that myself working part time during my senior year of high school. My father slipped me a c-note as I was boarding the plane, although I didn't ask for it and didn't think I would need it. Being a good Bohack, I started a savings account with it at the National Bank of Alaska in Anchorage the day after I arrived. When I came back to Chicago, my net worth was about the same as when I left, if you count the old car I had bought while I was there, so I figure that I broke even on the trip.
I don't know why I should feel guilty about any advantages I had growing up. Nothing I had was wrongly taken from anybody else. Of course I have felt guilty from time to time in my life, but I didn't like it and tried to avoid it by not doing anything that I thought would bring it on. I think that some people like to wallow in guilt, but that never appealed to me. You got that right about me wanting to keep my conscience clean. What's wrong with that? Remember, I didn't say that I've never done anything wrong, just that I don't do it if I believe it to be wrong before I do it. If I come to the conclusion that it was wrong after I do it, I try not to do it again. I never said I was perfect. Actually, I used to be perfect, but everybody said it was making me too arrogant, so I cut back to merely being excellent. It took some getting used to, but I think it has made me more humble and easier to live with.
The best thing about charity is that it's voluntary. Of course it's not going to solve all the world's problems, but neither will government, which is not so voluntary. My parents gave much more to charity than I ever did, which is fine because nobody was forcing them to do it. I don't give anything anymore because there are a lot of scam charities out there and I figure the best thing I can do is make sure that nobody will have to give me charity. Adding one more poor person to the rolls is not likely to make the rest of them any less poor.
I used to worry about the country, but I gave that up because it doesn't do any good, for me or the country. I only have one vote, and I can't help it if other people vote the wrong way. I can't control the actions of other people, all I can control is how I respond to those actions. Sometimes the best response is to turn and walk away. It doesn't interfere with anybody else's rights, and it helps preserve my own. Nobody seems to care what I do in my swamp, which is fine with me.
I do worry about you a little, though. It recently occurred to me that you are hemmed in by hostile people on three sides, and by Lake Michigan on the fourth side. You don't want a gun or a car, so you might consider getting a fast boat for yourself. I believe you could dock it right under your condo. Be sure keep the gas tank full and the battery charged up. When the shit hits the fan, try to make it as far north as you can, then give me a call and I'll come pick you up in my pick up truck. It can only trailer 4,000 pounds so, if your boat is bigger than that, you might have to abandon it on the beach, but at least you'll be alive.
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