The popular myth is that feelings are entirely hormonal and personal…and, to some extent that assertion is correct when dealing with personal matters. But feelings, intuitions, suspicions so often are proven correct that we still attribute weight to our feelings despite admiration for the logic of Spock or the focus of stone-cold action heroes – and despite the new appreciation for data driven statements of fact due to the computer age. And so we should. In fact, we really should give more weight to our feelings if, for no other reason, hard, irrefutable information is not always available. Facts are hard to discern. Truth is real but elusive. We just ain’t that smart or educated. We live in confusing times.
Back in the 70’s and 80’s there was a New York based consulting group serving the advertising business. My hazy memory wants to call them, Goldman, Goldman and Goldman Associates. Maybe three Goldbergs? But Google doesn’t confirm that…..
Anyway, the lesson from G,G&G was ‘inferential scanning’. It seems we all do it (look around and intuit, infer, learn) but we all do it and accept the ‘feelings’ we get at different personal levels. Inferential scanning is the term they used to describe our conscious and unconscious absorption of information that we discern simply by walking around, living and looking at stuff.
The best example they proffered was, “Ask anyone what they think is the most popular colour for cars on the road. Of course, everyone will at first say, ‘Oh, I dunno…..how could I know? But, if I had to guess, it would be white? Or grey?” Typically, they were right (for their area).
The point was that they did not know from any proven facts or learned discipline or even a TV show or media article but they still had a hint or a suggestion of an answer. How did they get even that? Well, by GGG hypothesis, it was by inferential scanning – the natural absorption of random bits of information.
Intuition does not come from the hairs on the back of your neck – it comes from indirect learning and constant but immediate observation. And that plays out in so many interesting ways. Sal and I once avoided a car hijacking in Mexico simply because we both felt at the same time that ‘something is not right here’ and we turned the car around only to read in the English newspaper a week later that there had been many hijackings, robberies and such in that very stretch of road. Our instincts saved us.
And years ago, my instincts started whispering to me that I should quit working and go live away from the city – and that seemed to mean move off the grid. Those whispered hints went ignored for a few years but started to show results when I began almost out of amusement to read about OTG living. In fact, I wrote in our book about an hysterical article in Mother Earth News on birthing lambs and having to mouth-suck the snot out of the newborn’s nose or else they couldn’t breathe. That, alone should have put me off the OTG path!
This is taking too much of your time so I’ll get to the punchline: everyone has feelings, intuition, deep-set curiosity or even (if you are more focused) dreams and plans. Acting on those dreams and ‘feelings’ is hard to do. What if? How do I? Why? Cost? Is there a You Tube on it? What will my spouse say?
The most common response? “Maybe later…..kinda busy right now. “
Those feelings (if you have them) will persist because they are not based on hard information, education or even logic. They are based on inferential scanning or, better-put perhaps, observing life as you know it. And the ‘life-as-you-know-it’ is changing. You do not need to rely on feelings to understand that part. The latest IPCC report (Climate Change Scientists) is making a very clear clarion call for HELP and ACTION NOW!
The planet is changing. Fast!
Please do not read this as Dave being smug. In fact, the opposite is true. My inferential inner voice was warning me, to be sure. And I listened as I should have. But I am no better at interpreting intuition or feelings than anyone else and likely not as good as some. In fact, I think we erred. We did good but we did not do good enough. More than a few times Sal and I have jokingly referred to our relocation as ‘perhaps we’re not far enough away!’
Having feelings and listening to them doesn’t mean you are right in all regards. It may be that a remote island up the BC coast might not be enough of a retreat. It is hard to run and hide from climate and it seems the climate is out to get us all.
Let’s face it, y’all know this at some level. Y’all feel the changes, feel the threats, feel the general unease (or smoke) in the air. There is, of course, inferential quasi-proof in millions of people migrating north, polar bears starving, wild fires like never before, Covid, floods, altering ocean currents and patterns, wildlife die-offs….the list just goes on and on…..we know this is a time of major shift, a change in the status quo. Hell, a lot of people do not even want to go back to work to get their money, money, money! This is now almost TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) and they sense something….. But now we have harder, data-driven proof, too. The IPCC report is alarming. If you didn’t feel it before, you can now read about it on your computer.
I guess what I am saying is: it might be time to have a heart-to-heart chat with your inner voice.
Our Off the Grid Home 
Yawn… I agree with Dave… again…
.
Tho I must say, sometimes there’re times when I,or we, know stuff that we really shouldn’t know. Or feel. And some folk are far more connected that way than others. The 2nd Sight! etc.
.
And being OTG has been a blessing and a joy for Us. To live in Heavwn and
LikeLike
Heaven! and to be so healthy and happy with our active outdoor Life, is just Grand. Not perfect, but faaar better.
Take good care all.
LikeLike
Easy for YOU to say…you went further out there! Hmmmm….any cheap land up there? But seriously, folks…how can anyone deny that inner voice that, for some, must be screaming it’s lungs out!
I am not so much a doom-and-gloomer (altho a bit, perhaps. I prefer to call it being realistic)……I am just saying TEOTWAWKI is obviously looming and things are changing on a maybe-too-big scale.
Time to re-think the old plan and figure out a new one…..jus’ sayin’…….
LikeLike
Weather-wise you may be ‘justright’. It’s cool here, tho we are on a breezy point. 13 to 19°C here today,plus the breeze. I notice it most tho on the tomatoes. We will be lucky to get fruit this year,tho we started a month n a half late, but hoop houses and a greenhouse are on the way so we shall see. As I’ve alluded to before, I’m not seeing much news but most (a LOT!) of what I do see looks not good. We moved here for the peace and freedom… sorry, FREEDOM!!!, but there IS a side order of some protection should the SHTF. Maybe if we can get the crops to grow! Oh, and if we get an electric powered boat. THAT would help as well! Otherwise,we seem ok.🤞🤞🤞
LikeLike
Yeah…we were just right…..it is colder by 5 full degrees Fahrenheit two miles further North. You leave in a t-shirt and ten minutes later, you are putting on a jacket. Still, that was THEN….this is NOW….and NOW is starting to look like California. Imagine that..? BC is the new California! Heat domes!? Wth? And yes, it seems from some of our friends up your way, that a greenhouse fixes that tomato problem. Let us hope that the heat doesn’t get worse…altho I am pretty sure it will.
LikeLike
Things are collapsing fast and doomsday is coming for sure, and it seems faster then most of us anticipated, but to be honest, 99.99% of the people are just naieve and denying what is coming….only you OTG guys were just faster then us in following your instincts and gut feeling. I am convinced that Read Island was far enough 18 years ago, but today probably not. But going farther north has its downsides (like more difficult to grow crops and probably less sunshine to power your batteries). And YES Dave, I should follow (finally) my instincts. My wife is getting nervous as hell with all the climate changes and prices going through the roof….so maybe SHE will take the decision sooner or later 😉
LikeLike
Well, the blog was kind of a mixed message… (apologies)…the main one was ‘listen to your feelings because they are MORE than just hormonal, they are derived from inferential scanning’.
But, of course, I then illustrated those feelings with first a story about driving in Mexico and then moving OTG. The second part is personally biased, naturally, and not necessarily applicable to all.
Giving credence to your little voice is the main suggestion. I wish the best for everyone.
LikeLike
Folks!
Get ready for a Summer election that no one wants.
Trudeau to announce the worst kept secret in the next few days ( would he be so crazy as to announce the election on Friday the 13th?????? )
Sept 20th will be election day
Get ready for the pollsters to hound you on a daily basis fellow Canucks.
I received my THIRD letter from my Liberal MP this week telling me what a great job he and Trudeau have done spending my tax money. A billion here, 10 billion there…..
(On a side note: All mail from an MP to their constituents is free to mail in Canada).
I was so disgusted I donated $250 to the Conservative election War chest.
LikeLike
The problem is everywhere the same…who to vote for? ALL politicians either seem to be corrupt or only have a short term vision untill the next election. But everything which is coming to us (recession, climate change, energy transition) requires a long-term vision and a will to make unpopular decisions
LikeLike
Sadly …. yes.
I guess thats why Communist China will prevail long after these democracies cannibalize themselves
No elections and no dissent.
It will be interesting to see the long term ramifications of Covid.
Financially, socially and politically.
There are a lot of very angry people out there on both sides of the political spectrum.
LikeLike
To vote for the Cons (so well represented by Ford and Kenney and other imbeciles walking unvaccinated and dragging their knuckles on the way to church) is to choose the Bloods over the Crips, the Hell’s Angels over the other local MC gang. Nothing good can come from that vote or that donation. Sadly, nothing good can come from any vote or any donation at the Federal level and very little good can come from politician at the provincial level (altho Horgan is better than previous grinning liars and cheats – but not by much). The only place political rubber hits the road is local politics and it seems the two senior governments keep a pretty tight rein on that, too.
Our only real chance now, I think, is to lead. Fuggedabout the official structure, just ‘do the right thing’, tell everyone about it and start a movement-of-sorts. But, for it to be semi impactful, it has to be 100% Disney pure……like raisng funds to build a hatchery, or starting to clean up the environment or developing a major greenhouse system for the North, or mobilizing a team of fix-it handy folks to service water systems on reserves. Money can be donated to Ocean Legacy for instance. Land Conservacy. Ducks Unlimited. Waiting for the corrupt elitists to do the right thing is like Waiting for Godot – a waste of time.
Wim? Build your orchard and tell the world about it. Tell ’em it was something real and not corrupted like government process. THAT is the message. Simple.
LikeLike
David, I agree, and I am doing just that with the orchard. Going back to basics with honest and hard work and try to tell people about it. And then making and selling honest products to the locals. I am fed up with all the rest 🙂 of the political arena and the rat race
LikeLike
Read Paul Hawken: https://paulhawken.com
If you have the patience first read his book co-authored with A. Lovins called Natural Capitalism. The story of Ray Anderson of Interface Corp was a game changer for me.
LikeLike
The “Cons” dont have a hope in Hell of forming a majority in Canada with their “Christian” leanings.
Sadly, it will take another shellacking at the polls to maybe let that sink in….
A large majority of Canadians have zero religious leanings.
Too bad the “Zealots” in the Conservative Party haven’t figured that out yet.
I just cant bring myself to vote for that rich, smug, elitist Liberal hypocrite who is burning through tax payer cash like a BC Forest fire.
OR the Self destructing Greens that are too busy stabbing each other in the back to even notice there are actually voters out there.
As for Jaggy-Meister…he’d tax and spend money even faster than the Liberals until we were all poor and “equality” was realized…. a lunatic.
LikeLike
Hard to disagree. In fact, I agree. I think, for the first time in my adult life, I won’t vote federally. I still might because it is a right and an obligation but damn it, there is no real choice. I want an uncorrupted, pure, good party working for all Canadians. If I can’t have that, then I will find the first real, uncorrupted group that is Disney-pure (like Sal and Tinkerbell) and support them. They will likely be local, grassroots types. Call me crazy….I won’t disagree with that, either.
LikeLike