Tuesday, August 13, 2013

My buddy Jonas bought land in Fessenden, ND!

I've never been so vicariously excited about a friend's purchase. After blogging about it here: http://721pm.blogspot.com/2013/07/land-for-sale-small-town-usa-business.html and here: http://721pm.blogspot.com/2013/07/just-missed-it.html, my friend Jonas found the same exact lot up for sale once again. (I guess someone didn't pay.) He got it for half of the original price!

Here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321178538926

So, what's going to happen with this piece of land? Something? Nothing? I don't know. But I'm sure glad that a braver man decided to jump in and kick the ball in the right direction. 


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

van dwelling does not require the purchase of land. I own the planet. I live where I happen to be, I dont need legal papers to stake my claim. its all a scam. pay the man.

Pixy Stoneskipper said...

I agree that vandwelling is the ultimate simplicity and the closest a person can get to living the right way. I had that same moral code, and I felt like the king of the planet when I lived in a van. I often thought when I opened my doors that the entire Earth made a nice backyard, and I was happy to own it.

The truth is that there are compromises with every living situation we choose. It's my current belief that the best we can do is try to live sustainably and comfortably in a way that is not an affront to the Earth and its resources.

I've come to terms with the fact that I have to live within some parameters decided by other humans. I don't agree with a lot of the details, but a person can only play the hand they are given.

We cannot roam free in a lawless land where people work together and pick low hanging fruit. (Not at this point in time.) We have governments and societies making decisions about the whole. It's every person's job to decide how much they want to buy into this.

Whether you are living in a van (and paying taxes, insurance, registration), or buying land (agreeing that a deed gives you certain rights over a piece of the Earth), you are not buying into society's entire package. You're buying into the part that conveniences your current needs. Bottom line, I don't see a big difference.

When I was in a van I was too drunk and poor to take on more responsibility. Now I'm sober and I want a place to put the house that I'm building.

I signed a title to get the van, and I'll sign a deed for the land. One could argue that land ownership is "buying in" far less than vehicle ownership. But the truth is I want both.

Jonas said...

I'm not an Anarchist so I accept the fact that there are laws and that most property is "owned" by someone. I don't like a lot of the laws, and I wish more property was public, but I can only quibble over the specifics so much. A lot of my time is spent figuring out the best way for me to live my life in the world as it is. In reality I'm sure it is much the same for "anonymous". Van dwellers cannot actually park their vans anywhere. They know that in many places they will be asked to leave, harassed, and eventually arrested. Whether they want to engage in constant civil disobedience or learn to sneak around (or abide by) the law is up to each individual. Very few choose exclusively the former option.

Oh, also, I'm not a van dweller. I live in a house. I don't own the planet. I spend most nights in the same place, and my days are spent happily roaming around areas in which I am not allowed to sleep. Luckily, I do not desire to sleep in most of those places. Rather, I return home to my bed, and sleep contentedly.

Anonymous said...

I am "anonymous"from post above. I will respond to your comments Jonas after some thought. we obviously have different perspectives on life