Feeling uneasy about returning to the West

[ThePhoenix]

I  have to decide right now to either return to the sinister West for months, or  else stay  away, but at significant financial  risk.

Six months ago, I  fled my Western country mere days before exiting would have — blatantly against our constitution — required me to take an experimental vaccine which fails to protect others against a usually non‑fatal virus. (I  related my plan in the “more  to  COVID” thread — thanks @Regal Tiger and @aeroz for the responses of understanding. I  still have unposted drafts for that thread!)

The plan had been a pit stop in Central America, then a move to East  Africa. I  had been very  much wanting  to move to Africa, anyway.

Well, six months later Iʼm still in Central America, due to a combination of delays, distractions and details. I  still want to move on to Africa, but now I  have a big  problem.

My current main income is a double-edged sword. It is usually low  effort, leaving  me tons of time to pursue other goals. However, its stability is tied to my home  city; I  have gotten  away with handling things remotely for months, but this is fragile.

My plan is to address this fragility by setting  up another income which is totally independent of my location. Unfortunately it is not as time-efficient, but Ugandaʼs low cost  of  living mitigates this to  a  degree.

This will take some time to set  up. I  had been hoping that business back  home would just hum  along in  the meantime, but unfortunately that is now threatening to collapse very soon if I  donʼt return and manage things in  person for a  few months at  least. I  could just let  it collapse, but then I  lose most income until I  get the new  scheme going, forcing  me to tap reserve  resources in  a  way that is highly inadvisable.

Going back for a while would have a number of advantages:

• I  could likely stabilize the present income source. At some point it might tolerate another extended absence.
  
  
• I  could retrieve some equipment and data which I  did  not take with  me out  of haste.
  
  
• I  could do the initial setup for the new income  source cheaper, faster, and/or better.
  
  
• It would extinguish various extra costs and annoyances incurred  by my  living temporarily in this low-population place. It might also make game easier, since the low population here has  been problematic.
  
  
• It could lessen otherwise intense short-term financial pressures upon first moving to Africa — pressure that could also be deleterious to getting into “state” to do approaches, right  at the  most critical point in the formation of my abundance mentality.
  
  
• It would be by  far the easiest way to get the tropical vaccines and meds I  want  to have for Africa.
  
  
• I  could catch  up on various healthcare for  free that Iʼd likely have  to pay  for anywhere else.

Seems like a no-brainer, except that there are also some very concerning threats right  now if I  go back  home:

• Complacency. Iʼd been wanting to go live in Africa since 2017, yet never managed to actually get on a plane to  that  end — until my back was to the wall with a vaccine mandate. Iʼm scared that if I  return home, it might fade  back into a “one  day Iʼm going  to.”
  
  
• Vaccine mandates. My country now makes it next  to impossible to exit without the “COVID” vaccine. I  now have the first  two doses on  paper, but I  am terrified that our tyrannical leaders could at  any moment decide that I  canʼt leave  again without a booster. Iʼm already eligible. And, some  of the Westernized countries along typical airfares to  Uganda already wonʼt let  me transit without a booster if  I  wait much longer. Getting the next dose on  paper is easier and more reliable in my present location — if I  go  home, it  gets trickier.
  
  
• Authoritarianism. In the West, governments and corporations are gradually putting a stranglehold on free  speech and ubiquitizing surveillance. Laws are targeting dissent, science is being bastardized in  the  name of authority, and the masses are being herded by mainstream media into mindless obedience. My countryʼs current leader is the closest  thing to a dictator we have ever had. He shuts  down his opponents with baseless accusations of racism and has even used extraordinary measures against protesters. Yet I  have friends who just go  on making excuses for  him. I  am scared that if I  go  back, sooner  or later, he will stop  me from ever leaving. Weʼre still far from North  Korea or China, so I  at  least assume Iʼd have ample warning to leave  again before it gets  to  that, but present trends still make me nervous.
  
  
• Nuclear bombs. Global stability seems to be unraveling at a frightening pace, with rising tensions in multiple countries and regions. With all  the saber-rattling and even doomsday threats, Iʼm concerned that I  might be flying  myself into a nuclear  war. I  realize that even  the ruling class wouldnʼt want all‑out nuclear  war, but miscalculations or mishaps are still a risk — the Cold  War had some close  calls! In a large-scale nuclear exchange, I  would be far better  off either right where I  am or  in Africa than I  would  be back  home.
  
  
• Conscription. If nobody is crazy enough to launch nukes, there is still a risk of widespread, protracted conventional war. I  donʼt want to sacrifice my life for some elites. Not  sure if my home  country could force  me back or  even if my little host  country might try  to enlist  me instead, but Iʼd still feel much safer either here or in Uganda than back  home. Well, unlike nuclear war, this eventuality isnʼt going to happen overnight — but  if  once I  am back, travel becomes impossible, then Iʼm still just  as screwed.

In trying to weigh the costs of returning vs. staying away, clearly staying  away has definite and significant costs. Conversely, the definite  costs of returning  home are considerably less. But returning also  has the potential to incur a catastrophic cost. Mathematically, which  option has the lower expected  cost hinges  on the probability that a catastrophic outcome actually occurs if  I  go  home.

And that is where I  am at a loss. That probability depends on a highly complex world about  which I  have only limited and often intentionally obfuscated information.

At  least to a point, the probability increases the  longer I  stay in the West. Thus, if I  do return, my objective will  be to get  back  out as  soon as practicable. Unfortunately, my time  back could easily exceed six  months if Iʼm hit with any of lifeʼs usual complications and sidetracks. (Shit,  Iʼve  been in this little town six  months and I  donʼt  even know where the  time  went!)

But is the short-term probability of disaster high  enough that I  shouldnʼt even risk returning at  all? Is the risk so  great that I  ought  to endure formidable financial stress and risk so  as  to safeguard my liberty and physical security?

I  somewhat think that the difficulties that not  returning will cause me, outweigh the short-term risk of being in the West, because the probability of some terror befalling  me within  this time  frame is  low.

But every  time I  turn  on the news, I  have  to question that thinking. The threats seem  to  be accelerating.

Does anyone have any insights into how I  might bring clarity to this decision?

Is anyone else here facing a similarly difficult choice about physical presence in the West? Or, can anyone relate to the level of immediate apprehension I  have? Does  it seem justified?

 

[trashKENNUT]

I won't return to the West.

This is my opinion. If you want me to put full doomsday hat on, I can share the links with my Westerners friends.

z@c+

 

[trashKENNUT]

Half of America is gone.

Half of Americans is gone.
What I mean by this?

When half the country doesn't recognize what reality is, and this is aided by the Social media, big corporations and the law of attraction + law of assumption community telling them that they just need to manifest their assholes,

People changing definitions and Girlschase members don't realize that I make some mistakes when I give pickup advice, by accident, not malicious. And why I believe Skills and myself is important for we are the 'lets take a stepback' for a moment.

The country doesn't function.
And believe me. I'm a guy who believes this things does work but it is not as magical as sitting down and doing nothing. Sometimes it does work like that.

z@c+

 

[Regal Tiger]

Thanks for the shoutout. Just to kinda share where I'm coming from so that you know my personal bias, I'd personally rather die than return to the west if I ever managed to get out. But that's just me

I don't see myself ever being above a 3/10 in terms of happiness in the western world and there's no point in living like that (only thing keeping me sane at the moment is working towards goals, one of which is getting out and staying out)

Going back for a while would have a number of advantages:

• I  could likely stabilize the present income source. At some point it might tolerate another extended absence.
  
  
• I  could retrieve some equipment and data which I  did  not take with  me out  of haste.
  
  
• I  could do the initial setup for the new income  source cheaper, faster, and/or better.
  
  
• It would extinguish various extra costs and annoyances incurred  by my  living temporarily in this low-population place. It might also make game easier, since the low population here has  been problematic.
  
  
• It could lessen otherwise intense short-term financial pressures upon first moving to Africa — pressure that could also be deleterious to getting into “state” to do approaches, right  at the  most critical point in the formation of my abundance mentality.
  
  
• It would be by  far the easiest way to get the tropical vaccines and meds I  want  to have for Africa.
  
  
• I  could catch  up on various healthcare for  free that Iʼd likely have  to pay  for anywhere else.

Seems like a no-brainer, except that there are also some very concerning threats right  now if I  go back  home:

• Complacency. Iʼd been wanting to go live in Africa since 2017, yet never managed to actually get on a plane to  that  end — until my back was to the wall with a vaccine mandate. Iʼm scared that if I  return home, it might fade  back into a “one  day Iʼm going  to.”
  
  
• Vaccine mandates. My country now makes it next  to impossible to exit without the “COVID” vaccine. I  now have the first  two doses on  paper, but I  am terrified that our tyrannical leaders could at  any moment decide that I  canʼt leave  again without a booster. Iʼm already eligible. And, some  of the Westernized countries along typical airfares to  Uganda already wonʼt let  me transit without a booster if  I  wait much longer. Getting the next dose on  paper is easier and more reliable in my present location — if I  go  home, it  gets trickier.
  
  
• Authoritarianism. In the West, governments and corporations are gradually putting a stranglehold on free  speech and ubiquitizing surveillance. Laws are targeting dissent, science is being bastardized in  the  name of authority, and the masses are being herded by mainstream media into mindless obedience. My countryʼs current leader is the closest  thing to a dictator we have ever had. He shuts  down his opponents with baseless accusations of racism and has even used extraordinary measures against protesters. Yet I  have friends who just go  on making excuses for  him. I  am scared that if I  go  back, sooner  or later, he will stop  me from ever leaving. Weʼre still far from North  Korea or China, so I  at  least assume Iʼd have ample warning to leave  again before it gets  to  that, but present trends still make me nervous.
  
  
• Nuclear bombs. Global stability seems to be unraveling at a frightening pace, with rising tensions in multiple countries and regions. With all  the saber-rattling and even doomsday threats, Iʼm concerned that I  might be flying  myself into a nuclear  war. I  realize that even  the ruling class wouldnʼt want all‑out nuclear  war, but miscalculations or mishaps are still a risk — the Cold  War had some close  calls! In a large-scale nuclear exchange, I  would be far better  off either right where I  am or  in Africa than I  would  be back  home.
  
  
• Conscription. If nobody is crazy enough to launch nukes, there is still a risk of widespread, protracted conventional war. I  donʼt want to sacrifice my life for some elites. Not  sure if my home  country could force  me back or  even if my little host  country might try  to enlist  me instead, but Iʼd still feel much safer either here or in Uganda than back  home. Well, unlike nuclear war, this eventuality isnʼt going to happen overnight — but  if  once I  am back, travel becomes impossible, then Iʼm still just  as screwed.

As for your personal position, it comes down to these things:
1) how important is it that you don't get the vaccine? Personally I rate this pretty high as well, I don't trust it or those giving it
2) how confident are you that you could get a livable income if your current one collapses while you work on the next one? For example, lots of expats teach English classes
3) It doesn't sound like you're talking about the US, but just in case you are, I don't believe that we'll get conscripted. But if going back means that it's a good possibility, then I'd say stay away
4) If it's only 6 months, then that might be worth it from a financial point. If you can maintain your discipline
--> which brings me to this point, you want to find a way to keep yourself accountable for your discipline


There are different ways you can do that. Tell the people around you what you're doing and keep them updated on what you're doing to achieve your goals. Put down some money on one of those websites that you set your own goals on (requires the honor system though). Get a life coach to keep you accountable (costs money and doesn't sound like it'd be worth it for your though)


Overall, if you can avoid the vaccine somehow as well as keep yourself accountable, I do think it would be worth it to move back overall. But this is just my opinion, I dunno all the facts of your life

 

[Winston]

I am asking myself exactly the same questions. Trying to assess the risk of conscription and how I can deal with the soon mandatory vaccine situation. Imo the risk of conscription is way higher than the risk of nuclear war. There won't be a nuclear war in Europe, but it looks almost certain there will be a conventional war.

My current plan is this (it can change depending on the unfolding of events): I am in the process of securing a residency visa outside Europe. Once that done, I will return to Europe and be ready to leave in less than 24 hours to the country where I have a residency visa.

The point is to have an exit option if needed. The risk is that borders can closed before I am able to exit.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, it looks like the conflict could last until fall 2022 (I heard that from pro-Russian source). Once the Ukrainian war is settled (probably with a Russia victory), there could be several months of diplomatic escalation before Russia launches an invasion on a NATO state and WW3 begins. So my current assessment is that WW3 in all likelihood will begin early 2023. Of course, all that is probabilistic. It could unfold differently, it just seem the higher probability scenario to me.

 

[trashKENNUT]

Meanwhile Zac here is already conscripted. And serve 2 years active. And 10 years as reserves

His rank only saves him from dying earlier. Because he is stationed at HQ if shit hits the fan. I hope China doesn't make a move for my Asia side.

-.-

 

[trashKENNUT]

I'd personally rather die than return to the west if I ever managed to get out. But that's just me

I'm curious.

Where would you go?

 

[Regal Tiger]

I'm curious.

Where would you go?

I need to do more research, everything I used to know is now outdated. Still working on other things first though :/

 

[trashKENNUT]

If you need to know about Asia, let me know.

Sidenote:

Asian females can be vindictive. Asia is also in a weird spot.

Islam here is like Democrats. They live in a different universe compared to normal Asians.

If a Muslim is offended, I'm right.
If a Muslim trolls me, I'm right.
If a Muslim tries to be sincere in his heart, he knows exactly what I mean, and I will have the sincere conversations.

Till then, I'm lying to their faces. Parallel universes. Like America is slowly transitioning to.

z@c+

 

[ThePhoenix]

Thank you for the thoughtful responses, guys!

I  went out at 3 a.m. the other night for a 3‑hour walk — not that long by my standards — to digest my situation and your feedback. I  made some realizations as I  took  in the smell of sugar  cane, the sight of palm trees by street light, brilliant stars in a pitch-black sky, the brightly-painted concrete houses with Spanish accents, the occasional horse, rooster calls here  and  there, and dogs barking at  me every other minute. The reality of being in such a foreign place made  me want even more for this to be Africa.

In fact, it is not war or tyrants or vaccines at the core of my having taken  off. I  wanted to live in Africa anyway; the  Westʼs madness merely chose my departure  date for  me.

This predicates my deepest fear in returning to the West. Yes, nuclear missiles are concerning, and conscription is concerning, though neither may be all  that likely. Yes, authoritarianism is concerning, but also fairly gradual, and not limited to the  West. Yes, vaccine mandates are concerning, but if push  comes  to shove, they can be dealt  with. No, my worst enemy is not these things. Instead, it  is myself.

Thereʼs apparently a reason I  listed first the threat of “complacency.” My attention to detail. The need to make everything perfect. Spreading myself thin with sidetracks. The risk of falling back into that comfort  zone is severe.

I  found myself quite suddenly in this faraway land only because a gun was to  my head. Six  months later Iʼm still in Central America and not Africa because there is no gun to  my  head.


A New Gun

A synthesis of two of your remarks gave me an idea:

--> which brings me to this point, you want to find a way to keep yourself accountable for your discipline

… So my current assessment is that WW3 in all likelihood will begin early 2023. …

I  need to pick a date in November or December and just book a one‑way flight to Entebbe for that date, right  now. I  need to do that before I  return home. I  can prepare everything  else later. But the flight must be booked.

This is the only way I  will feel even remotely comfortable going home. Because it is the only way I  will leave  again in the next decade. I  know myself enough to know that nothing short  of this will work. I  cannot give myself the option to put  it  off.

This idea was initially terrifying. What  if I  donʼt have everything ready by  then? Is  it really enough time? It could easily prove inadequate to get the present income source tolerant of another absence. Not  to  mention tons of loose  ends to tie  up and business facilities to prepare. So  much to do in such a short time!

As I  kept walking, I  realized that this is the  way. If you have no  other choice, youʼll make  it work. Just make  it work. Just  do  it. In the words  of one  of the travel vloggers Iʼve watched, “Just  go!”

I  realized that under this pressure, Iʼm naturally going to work efficiently and prioritize, in a  way I  would  not without such an inflexible deadline. I  need that gun to  my  head.

One unfortunate casualty, though, will be game back  home. I  had long considered game in my home  city to be a lost  cause for  me, but thatʼs in  large  part due to a volitional bottleneck that ironically will not apply under this plan. Iʼm  thus actually looking  forward to retrying game back  home. But all the preparations I  need to make within six  months will severely limit the time available for approach  missions. I  donʼt like this at  all. I  already spent far, far too  many years avoiding  women.


Residual Risk

This whole scheme eliminates the “complacency” threat and, assuming I  can get my vax  papers updated before returning home, also basically eliminates the threat of vax  mandates preventing me from escaping to Africa. It  mitigates the authoritarianism and conscription threats, by most  probably getting  me out before those would have any real chance to reach critical  mass.

The one threat it doesnʼt address all  that strongly, is nuclear war. While this may be unlikely, if it is going  to happen, it could easily happen within the six  months Iʼm in the  West. There  are at any given time thousands of nuclear weapons on hair‑trigger alert. The esteemed Princeton School  of Public and International  Affairs produced a simulation in 2019 based  on what they considered to  be realistic nuclear force postures and targets, in  which escalation proceeds from a single warning  shot and causes 90  million casualties in the first  few  hours. The researchers have held posts in Los  Alamos, the  Pentagon, the  UN, the US State  Department, the US  Navy, and US Strategic  Air  Command.

And. I  recently looked at some videos from a vlogger named Vlad Vexler, originally from the Soviet  Union. He  at  least seems to know a  lot about the internal politics within the Kremlin. He  criticized the superficial understanding of Western pundits, noting that most couldnʼt  even name more  than two of the people in Putinʼs inner sphere, and canʼt even speak Russian. One  particular video he posted on March  6 had some insider  info that makes the opening of the Princeton simulation seem uncomfortably plausible. This could, of  course, be bullshit, but it really gives  one  pause.

Well, if your numberʼs up, your numberʼs up. But right  now being in a place where probably my  number wouldnʼt be up, gives  me a different perspective on  this.

So, Iʼm still not entirely comfortable re-entering the West, but doing  so will allow  me to more efficiently regroup on several fronts. Getting the plane ticket to Uganda first, and only  then going back, seems like perhaps the best compromise between lowering business risk and stresses on  the one hand, and ensuring personal goals and safety on  the other. But this is not a final decision just  yet.

 

[trashKENNUT]

The thing about today is that we all are connected.

We must fight to keep cash alive because that's the only remaining power that they haven't took away, yet.

z@c+

 

[ProblemSolving]

To all my unvaxxed Canadian bros that are worried about being trapped in Canada, there are ways around it. The simple answer is to drive across the US border and fly out from the US. Yes, it's kind of a pain in the ass to have to do that in order leave your own country, but where there's a will there's a way.

The US border doesn't even check your vax status. There are tons of Youtube videos proving this.

Getting back into Canada, is a little more difficult because they try to make you feel guilty by being unvaxxed. Again, they cannot turn away Canadian citizens from entering their own country. All they can do is wave their finger at you, and tell you that you should quarantine yourself.

The media likes to pretend that you are trapped in Canada, but that is only if you decide to fly out of the country.

 

[ThePhoenix]

I  wrote this follow‑up mainly as part of my mental process for confirming this very difficult decision.


More Palpitations

My God, Iʼm still in Central  America. A deer in the headlights. But barring some risky scheme, I  have  to go back very  soon.

I  have a friend who moved here before the pandemic. Heʼs a right-winger and very cynical about the West. The  other day, I  shared with him my plan to go  back for six  months, Uganda ticket in  hand.

He thinks Iʼm crazy to go back for that long.

When I  explained my situation, he suggested ways of partially handling it remotely. There would still be some things Iʼd have  to do in person, but he thinks I  could reduce this to a single short trip to do  it all  at once at a point where everything is lined  up in advance. This in contrast to multiple in‑person actions spread across months, as I  anticipate.

I  find his proposal troublingly fragile. He has a way of oversimplifying problems. That one short trip could easily devolve into multiple short trips, which would get dangerously expensive even from here, let alone Uganda. Such a reduction would also sacrifice some important side  benefits of handling the matter more thoroughly.

There are also a slew of other pending tasks that I  could handle cheaper/faster/better from back  home, adding  up to easily 8  months. Iʼm not willing to put  off Uganda that long, but this shows that the 6  months I  planned to allow isnʼt even ideally long enough; clearly some things are going to be neglected as  it  is, which may create some challenges in  Uganda.

My friend appreciated these concerns but also noted that Iʼm going  to have  to adapt to living outside the West anyway. Iʼve already made it this long, he pointed  out. (Iʼve  been  gone since October. But this was supported by means that  are  destabilizing.)

His concern with the six‑month plan is that, how do I  know my country isnʼt, for instance, going  to trap  me in a lockdown over some new harmless coronavirus variant?

That does legitimately concern me. Not just a lockdown, it could be anything. Some new vaccine. Or maybe they just cancel all our money and I  donʼt have “social  credit” to board an airplane because I  make posts like this  one. Maybe I  canʼt get on without being microchipped like a fucking dog. Our leaders and media Gods have tricked  us and violated our rights so blatantly that I  no  longer put anything beyond  them.

But, on another long walk I  reasoned that I  should go back  home before Uganda, for some period, because the benefit of better preparation outweighs the immediate risk. And if Iʼm going to go  back at  all, the best time to do  so is now. Assuming an authoritarian crackdown or nuking at some unknown future point, a stay of a given duration is usually less risky if started earlier.

But then Lithuaniaʼs move made me have to rethink my situation yet  again. Apparently the very same strategic exclave was a flashpoint for WW II.

While my friend sees a return to the West as perilous for other reasons, he doesnʼt see WW III. Nuclear  war doesnʼt help the elites, he reasons, and massive conventional war requires conscripts, who can refuse to fight. Good  points, but I  also have  to worry that this may be one of his classic oversimplifications.

Iʼve since seen some counter-arguments to Lithuania as a flashpoint. Taiwan is worrisome, but Iʼve also heard that itʼs going to be a couple years before China is ready, and in the meantime Jinping may face internal resistance. So, a global military shitstorm might not be that  big of a risk within six  months. But itʼs all so tense and unpredictable.

I  did some mathematical analysis which confirmed that an earlier stay is probably safer than a later one. This assumes a process of escalation towards some disaster. The one situation where a later stay may be safer, is when there is a present or imminent acceleration of escalation, and where a subsequent deceleration is expected within the time  frame of  interest.


English Teacher?

Renewed fears led me to look into Regal Tigerʼs suggestion to teach English. I  have more lucrative skills, but there are barriers to applying them to outside work, making this suggestion a perhaps more timely short‑term solution.

You ideally need a teaching degree, or experience, neither of  which I  have. There  is, however, enough demand in Uganda that these things might not matter so  much.

The money is locally decent, but not in the big picture, and, critically, it lacks flexibility. And between this and practicing game, would I  have time left to really work towards a better hustle?

And even just getting the gig is risky business. You have to be in Uganda to find most. Going to a country blind, in the hopes of finding a job when you get there, is kind of scary, especially when youʼre not the most qualified, and when the travel cost is  high.

But the idea led to another: tutoring English on‑line. Much more flexible in so  many ways, and doesnʼt depend on job searching in a foreign land. Might also pay better than teaching locally in Uganda. This is my preferred short‑term solution, if I  can make it happen.

I  had briefly hoped to set this up from Central  America, possibly allowing me to avoid the long stint in the West.

But thatʼs rather tricky.

My house here is subject to insane noise pollution (both natural and  man‑made), and accessing a reliably quiet space is largely impractical. There are a couple software programs that can remove background noises remarkably well, but one of them has special hardware requirements, and the other  one cuts  down on the fidelity rather noticeably.

For several reasons working at night may be more practical, but my lighting is totally inadequate, and buying such gear here would be problematic. I  tried to shoot some video the other night but it was terrible. I  should also have a headset, but even that may be hard to shop on short notice. Yet  another question  mark is how well I  can edit video with the setup I  have  here.

I  really want to make a good intro video. Without my having even a TEFL certificate, let  alone a proper degree, I  really need to sell myself, so I  donʼt want to cut corners. Likewise, promo videos could really help get engineering work, but quality is crucial.

It may be possible to “get creative.” But is it worth the added trouble, delay, costs, and/or loss of quality? I  can deal with this kind of thing so  much better back  home.

(Thisʼd be a much different story in Kampala, Uganda, and Iʼd be much more inclined to work through problems there.)

Iʼd also run the risk of getting bogged down with teaching, prolonging my Central  American limbo indefinitely. If I  have  to get stuck, I  want to at  least be in Africa.


Not Exactly Heaven

Though I  donʼt dislike where Iʼm living, and the chicks are cute, there are also many disadvantages here:

• Some excess monthly expense.
  
  
• Getting certain things such as electronics is expensive/hard/slow. And you canʼt try things out and take  them  back.
  
  
• I  canʼt justify buying bulky items, like a tripod or lighting or a desktop  PC or disk  enclosure or UPS or mic  booms or soundproofing or MIDI  keyboard, or  sofa. This holds  back my technical and artistic capabilities, for  one.
  
  
• Iʼm being royally teased by girls. Thereʼs mutual attraction. But the population is so low that my inhibition has become utterly debilitating. Low  population is no  excuse, but it doesnʼt help the fight. I  blow whole days chickening  out. Worse, I  can feel my avoidance becoming even  more ingrained. Kampala, by  contrast, would make fighting inhibition a  lot  easier.
  
  
• Terrible acoustic pollution, making on‑line teaching problematic, complicating business communications, and precluding voice  acting.
  
  
• Somewhat tricky date logistics.
  
  
• Limited kitchen equipment means less economical and healthy eating.
  
  
• Exposure to UV, carcinogenic sunscreen, neurotoxic DEET, and disease risk. While this would also be Kampala, there it would be in exchange for coming across hundreds of cuties every  hour.
  
  
• Especially on long night walks, Iʼve more than once had a dog come  at me, only dissuading it by swinging out my backpack and threatening it with a big piece of sugarcane. And I  havenʼt managed to find the rabies pre‑exposure vaccinations here!
  
  
• Approaching hurricane season. I  would be catastrophically underprepared.
  
  
• Health coverage?
  
  
• Electrical issues that could risk my equipment. Also, stress to my cell phone due to overuse of its hotspot.
  
  
• Eighteen other points omitted here for brevity.

Some of these problems relate to my intent to not stay here permanently, which limits my willingness to invest in better facilities.

Living in Kampala instead would either mitigate or compensate for most of these problems. But going directly to Africa, rather than going home first, would be very risky under my current circumstances. This makes returning home a very logical choice.


Taking A Step Back

Before I  left my country, I  took a long night walk to look at the risks of leaving or staying, and came to a key strategic position: I  was willing to judge the  West through a highly cynical and pessimistic lens because  I  already wanted to live in  Africa,  anyway. My  home country did  not need to be dangerous in  order to justify leaving, so I  didnʼt examine the danger skeptically.

This means two things. One, living in some foreign place other  than Africa is not necessarily justified. And two, a temporary return to the West is likely justifiable if it enables me to stay in Africa more efficiently and stably, and with better focus.

Justifying extreme avoidance of the West would require a more neutral assessment of Western risks: would I  still want to flee my country if I  had no specific interest in some other country? Maybe, but the  bar would be significantly higher.

My country is still a long way from being Communist  China, in spite of troubling trends. That may change, but probably not overnight. And itʼs not  like the country Iʼm living  in right  now, or even Uganda for  that matter, didnʼt implement “COVID” restrictions, too. Some here were even more harsh than back  home.

Globalist authoritarianism is ultimately a global problem. You might not escape  it just by living in some metropolis in Africa instead of the  West. More  likely youʼd have to join some tribe in the Amazon, or North  Sentinel  Island.

As for war, it is cause for concern, not panic. To keep things in perspective, my country probably wouldnʼt be among the first to lose civilians. In all  but the most apocalyptic scenarios, Iʼd have various chances, closer to the time, to escape the most dangerous areas, even  if not the whole country.

The trajectory is clearly bad, but how far and how fast is not so clear. Itʼs like swing trading: you keep seeing points that look like a peak but turn  out not to be. Given that unpredictability, math says that returning for a  time now is most likely safer than returning later. And not returning at  all would be quite tricky.

So, where am I? I  feel like I  have somewhat lost focus towards Africa. I  may actually be able to recover it better back  home, if that Uganda flight is already booked.


A Balanced Plan

I  maintain my earlier finding that I  must have the flight to Uganda booked before going home. That is the  way to make  sure Africa does happen.

I  still feel some danger in the West, increasing with time. But I  deem it not so large as  to override the also significant risks associated with being underprepared for an extended absence. I  can handle these preparations more effectively and expeditiously from back  home.

I  want to give myself enough time back there to make a reasonable best  effort to handle things. Six  months seems to be a reasonable balance between being prepared and to “Just  do  it.”

At once, six  months is longer than Iʼd ideally like to stay. As  such, my present plan is a compromise, in  which I  set six  months as the initial deadline, but with the goal to reschedule the flight for sooner. Once  home, I  will try hard for an on‑line hustle. If it works, then I  can leave more hastily, since money can overcome underpreparedness.

But I  have to balance hustling for a new hustle with preparing for Africa using existing resources, because the plan is to unconditionally leave after six  months, even if that means going there on speculation that Iʼll find a way to  stay.

I  also plan to preserve my existing income to the extent practical, in a secondary capacity, to reduce the time I  burn on safer but less efficient hustles. This because I  have longer‑term projects that badly need my  time.

As for the flight to Uganda, Iʼm thinking of booking it with Turkish Airlines, as they donʼt charge tons more for flexible bookings.

One risk is that, if in six  months a wider war has broken  out in Europe, will the Istanbul  hub close? That will be my canary. The  moment they cancel my flight over a geopolitical or medicopolitical situation, I  will leave for anywhere in sub‑Saharan Africa immediately, by any means possible and without regard for consequences. Or failing  that, Central or South  America.

And finally, if due to my return to the West I  die or get thrown in the dungeon, I  can at  least find solace in one fact: it will not have been because I  was clueless or because I  ignored the warnings. I  did the best I  could, with limited time and information, to create a plan that was intelligent and defensible, even if not correct given the clarity of hindsight.

 

[trashKENNUT]

..

I might write a post and share the link on GC.

It's either Civil War or what happens in my nation, happens in the United States

It's coming from an Asian perspective and a country where there are religious school and mainstream school. 2 parallel universe.

To make it simple,
and I have clash with Girlschase members on this because they don't see it.

Kuala Lumpur Muslims vs Malaysia Muslims. (We just don't interact with each other as much.)

z@c+

 

[ThePhoenix]

Iʼm back in my city in the  West.

Flying out of that small place in the early morning was a  bit of an adventure, but it worked  out.

Most “COVID” restrictions are gone, although there was one nonsensical irony on the  way in: we didnʼt need to wear masks on the flight  in, but had to wear them in the airport. But  not in the train back to the  city. Fucking  wackos.

I  have a one-way flight already booked to fly from here to Entebbe, Ugandaʼs airport city, at the end of January.

Itʼs a flexible booking, so I  can move that date sooner if I  feel ready sooner. I  booked within literally the last  few days where it was possible to book flexibly on the less expensive fares. I  didnʼt end  up going with Qatar as they already scrapped the lower flexible fares before I  managed to book.

Iʼm just slightly concerned that I  might find myself trapped in an all‑out authoritarian regime or worse before the date of my flight  out, but it  is what it  is I  guess.

My last FR from Central  America is here, and a related journal entry here.

Time is very scarce so this may be my last forum post until Iʼm in Africa.

We must fight to keep cash alive because that's the only remaining power that they haven't took away, yet.

If you think your money is safe, you might want to look into CBDC (Central  Bank Digital Currencies). Scary  shit,  man.

 

[trashKENNUT]

If you think your money is safe, you might want to look into CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currencies). Scary shit, man

Nothing is safe. To be honest.
But this video helps.

 

[trashKENNUT]

Hi,

I just responded to another post on states and their laws and rules. Do be on the lookout. I be focusing more on my own platform, hopefully by end of year. And part of it is addressing this 'culture economic value' shift that is happening in the West.

It seems that Americans/Westerners having a hard time understanding this.

Maybe I'm able to help. So yea, expect me to DM you if things go according to plan. Probably chugging out content by end year.

z@c+