Ramblings of a lost soul

Ever had the feeling that you have no fucking clue of what you're doing? I have. Most of the time.
I remember when I started this blog a couple of years ago I thought that I had a clear vison of what I wanted to do with my life. Or did I? I was going to break away from my inner and outer demons and find this magical place that would change my life forever and turn me into a golden fairy. Or something similar.
That's how desperate I was.

And now, nearly four years later, after having travelled through nearly thirty countries by bus, train and thumb I still haven't found what I thought I was looking for. What i'm really looking for is inner peace. What I have learned in these past years of endless rambling is that inner peace can never be found in some magical place, coz there is no bloody magical place out there. The magical place lies within you, within me, within us. That's what i've learned so far. And in some parts it was a rough learning. Am I happy with this profound knowledge? No, not really, i'm still fucking lost and confused. And I probably will be for a long time.

Most people walk through life trying to achieve unattainable goals, as if when they reach that one particular goal, everything will be sunshine and fuzzy rainbows. That's not going to happen, not for the most of us. There are many lost souls out there and have been for as long as mankind has existed, and there always will be.
Some people have clear missions, grand ideas, a clear picture of what they want to do and I envy them. Some of them actually do succeed and for them i'm happy, I really am. No bloody swedish jealousy on my part. What if my mission is to keep on searching? Well, I don't really have anything better to do so that's what i'll keep on doing. A restless soul is a restless soul.

I've said many times throughout this blog that life takes interesting turns. A lot. Nearly two weeks ago my girlfriend cheated on me with a 57 year old guy in a small hippie-village where I lived for about a year. It happened two days before we were supposed to meet in her hometown and spend easter together. I never liked it there in that village, didn't fit into the "ever-happy-forever-middle/upper-class"-mentality that exists up there. I had a personal hell living in that village and what my girlfriend, now ex, did was indeed a fitting end to what I've felt all along. The best part is that she told me what she had done through Facebook. Atleast I had enough backbone to call her and dump her. Even though i'm pissed off and sad, it feels like a fitting end to a chapter in my life that can only be seen as a vicious lesson. Yes, I do see it as a lesson. Why? Well, when I came to that village to go a course on organic farming for eleven months I thought that it would change my life. That i'd finally become happy and whole. But what I didn't realise, until too late, is that people can't get along. Some people can. But certainly not everyone. I will never forget how much energy I spent in trying to get along with those people up there, I will never forget how much shit I shoved up my own ass, how much pride I swallowed, just coz I had this fucked up idea that "everyone can get along as long as we all understand each other". That might work in a third world country where nothing is all you have. But not in a first world country where most of us are bred up to be egoistic, selfish status-junkies. Besides, some people are more uncomfortable than others and i'm one of them.

One interesting aspect about the whole thing is that the more "real" or "rough" your life have been, the more uncomfortable you are or become by the people around you. Why? Well, most people can't fucking understand you. You represent something that scares the living shit out of most people. A broken lifestory. A constant reminder that life can be a living hell. And some people can't handle that.

So what do we have, we the lost souls that keep twisting our hearts in search for something we cannot name?
The more I think of it, the more I come to the realisation that the only thing left is the journey itself and that the final goal of all is death. Not in a suicidal way. I mean that when I lie on my death's bed, hopefully surrounded by a bunch of grandkids, I want the privilege to say that I had a rough, bumpy journey, but it was worth it all the way. Know what I mean?

So what's up for me now? Well. I live in the Black Pearl since two months back, residing in the woods outside of Gothenburg, working two to three nights a week, writing stories and making money so that I in about two months can hit the road again. Oh, I never managed to get anyone to donate money so I could change the engine and that's perfectly all right. It doesn't matter, atleast I tried, haha. Well, some guy did donate five euros. I'm also trying to cope with loneliness. Not that I am particularly lonely, it's just that it's a big deal for a lot of people to surround oneself with people all the time and being lonely, or spend time with oneself is more than often seen as a scary thing.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but instead to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, and raising hell proclaiming: WHOA WHAT A RIDE!"

What do you mean "merry christmas"?

If there is one public holiday of the year I simply cannot stand, then it is christmas. Or the whole month of december. It brings me down like an asteroid the size of europe.

It's not only that it's a crazed holiday, stolen from pagans, distorted by christians and ruined by capitalism and consumerism. Christmas always reminds me of what I do not have. A family. No matter how happy and high on life I might be, rushing towards this adventure or that or making plans like no other, plans that would make dreams seem pale in comparison. As soon as december comes creeping around the corner, christmas trees and ludicrous images of santa claus starts popping up like sponges and mold in an old house, I feel like throwing up my intestines. Every year it's the same.

I see people buying presents for brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, partners and friends. It's not that I wish to spend all my money on crap and call them presents, it's the fact that I do not have anyone to spend christmas with. No matter how distorted winter solstice(christmas) has become, it is still a holiday where families spend time together, share love and warmth(on most occasions) for each other.
I do not have any family to share my love, my warmth, my joy with. Funny thing is, the other eleven months of the year I don't even give a rat's ass about having a family, but this time of year I do. Hits me like a bulldozer every time.

I get reminded of the fact that i'll never be able to look my mother in the eyes, tell her how much I love her and how grateful I am to her for bringing me into this world. And how sorry I am for all the troubles we had when she was still alive. And I will never be able to reconcile with my father, whom I loathed and hated until the day he died, right before my eyes.

Sure, I do not have to be all alone for christmas. I could always join my so called "friends"("friends" as in that company that always seem to be there for you as long as you keep sucking on the bottle, but disappear as soon as you wish to lead an alcohol-free life) on the pub, where I've spent so many other christmases, drunk, miserable, depressed with no end. But i'm not gonna do that. Not this year, as I didn't do last year. Or the year before that. I'd rather be alone than to go back to that miserable lot.

Whatever. It's just about two and a half weeks to go and then i'll be all sunshine and rainbows and full of life and joy-joy again. Until then, i'll keep lurking in the shadows.

Oh, one more thing, kids, respect your parents since you'll never know when they are taken from you, and respect your friends, no matter which path in life they choose to tread.

The wheel of life.

So, I made it across the thirty-year-mark.
Nothing special one might think. But ten years ago I didn't believe I'd live this long, mostly due to the life I was living and what was happening to several friends of mine at the time. Suicides and dead end depression with no hope in sight. Five years ago I was on the brink of committing suicide, I couldn't even see a future for myself six months ahead. I hated life and I hated myself.

Of course all that have changed.
My perspective on life has gone through an overhaul of epic proportions.

Today I'm quite happy and I look forward to getting older. Getting older means, for me today, gaining more experience, more adventures, more possibilities and opportunities. I have this dream of me being an old man, sitting next to a fire in the woods somewhere, telling my grandchildren stories of my adventures and mishappenings. That's what i'm living for today. To gain a lifetime of stories, to gain a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom so that when my time is due, I can drift off into the eternal sleep with peace in my heart and a wide smile on my face.

There is so much to do. There is so much to see. There is so much to hear. There is so much to feel. There is so much to experience. Although I'll probably not be able to embrace everything this world has to offer, I'm satisfied to know that I atleast have the insight and belief that one's whole life is a neverending journey, both external and internal.

And no, it does not matter to me anymore that misfortunes occur, or that I sometimes slip into a depression. For these days I'm well aware of the fact that it'll pass, one way or another. It always does. If misfortunes and tragic events didn't happen, one would never be able to know what happiness really is.

It's all part of the wheel of life.

"Crazy eyes"

You've seen us on the streets. You've passed us on a busy sidewalk during rush hour. You've shared an elevator with one of us. You've passed one or several of us on a dusty country road. You've seen us on your television when you come home from work, school or the unemployment office. You've shared a dance floor with one or several of us. You've read about some of our actions or deeds  in the newspapers.
You have undoubtedly seen us. You undoubtedly know of our existence. You do your very best denying the fact that we do exist. The governments and "our" society are doing their best to help you ignore our existence.
You know we are out there. Roaming the world. Living our lives. Reclaiming every second that is rightfully ours.

You have seen the light in our eyes. You have noticed the fire burning within us. You have heard our cries of freedom. You have noticed we thrive in excitement. You have noticed our impulsive behaviour. You know we are out of control. You have noticed us taking risks, chances that you would never even think of. You have heard our stories. Stories of survival. Stories of pain and grief. Stories of courage. Stories of adventure. Stories of joy and happiness. Stories of myth and legends. We are many. We have existed since the dawn of mankind.

You have seen us turn the streets into dance floors. You have seen us on the burning barricades of a riot. You have seen us establish self-sustainable villages out in the wilderness. You have seen us walking towards the sunset, travelling like nomads. You have heard our laughter in the distance. You have seen us walking out of our jobs in anger. You have seen us fight for our lives in wars and rebellions. You have seen us survive. You have seen us die. You have seen our "crazy eyes", sharp and filled with life, vivid. We have scared you, made you feel uncomfortable. We have made you feel safe.

Many have recognised us and are trying their best to resemble us. They want to be like us. They buy clothes to dress as something what they believe to be us. They buy records as they believe music is what represents what we stand for. They buy items, they consume for they believe that in that way they can become us. They buy to pretend. All the while they despise us for we do not seek recognition, we do not seek fame, we do not seek wealth. But these pretenders do.

No matter in what situation you might find us in, you know we are there. You know we exist.
We have been called or called ourselves many things. Punk rockers(or any other subcultural group). Squatters. Anarchists(or any other political ideology). Free spirits. Nomads. Travellers. Liberation fighters. Terrorists. Activists. Freaks. Outcasts. Homeless. Misunderstood. Misfits. Insane. Explorers. Adventurers. Healers. Warriors. Leaders. Scavengers. Looters. Hermits. We do not belong to any political organization or subcultural group. No way is the right way. No truth is the one truth. No moral is the correct and ethical moral.
What we truly are is as obvious as the rising sun:

We are humans.

Come join us.
There is no fee, no payments, no mortgages, no rent, no jobs,  no bosses, no obligations, no fear, no political agenda, no organizations, no rules, no laws, no morals, no religions, no bills, no taxes, no borders, no countries, no visas, no money, no demands, no consumerism, no capitalism, no racism, no government. All you need is to believe in yourself. You need to believe in your right to live your life as you see fit, but not on the expense of others. It is possible, all you have to do is to open your eyes and let go. Let go of everything that holds you down.
Let go.

Live your life.

...out of the ashes...

We're all thinking of it. Most of the time we avoid talking about it. It scares us. It reeks of doom and death. The apocalypse. Cities laid in ruins, fires from the sky, the four horsemen riding across fields drenched in blood and decaying bodies. Seas poisoned, all life on earth extinguished, eternal darkness underneath a dead sun.
War. Famine. Pestilence. Death.

We've all seen the movies. The Road. 2012. Armageddon. Jericho. 28 days/weeks later. I Am Legend. The Mad Max trilogy and so on. Not to mention all the books on the subject. Most of those stories describing the apocalypse as a violent, deadly event. But also as an event filled with hope. A new beginning. A new dawn. Out of the ashes springs new life.
Some say it will be a shift of ages, as we currently are living in the age of Pisces and are supposedly entering the age of Aquarius around 2012, although some sources say we won't do that until yet another 100-500 years. Sources vary. They all do. This shift is supposed to awaken mankind. To bring an age of light and hope. An age of peace.

As the year 2012 is drawing nearer, the apocalyptic hysteria is growing by the day. Especially the stories that tells of our impending doom. Of our species extinction. The end of human civilization. The end of all life. The end of planet earth even. But why does it have to be and ending?
Is see it as a possible new beginning for mankind. A second chance. Do I believe in the apocalypse? Oh, yes.

We can all feel it, deep inside of us. Most of us are having a hard time seeing a future, especially in this so-called society of "ours, "our" civilization. Mother Earth is being ravaged, raped, drained and destroyed for minerals that creates the base of this society of "ours". A society we don't really need for our survival. Technologies which are supposed to make our lives easier, but are in truth only making us dumber, inhuman, deforming us, removing our basic skills of survival and adaption, our natural instincts. We are loosing contact with ourselves. Especially with nature. Unemployment is sky-high in third world countries where whole populations are starving to death, western countries are not far off. Overpopulation. Food shortages. Water shortages. Oil shortages. Pollution. War. Genocides. We are a disease to ourselves. To our planet. And still we are building more than ever. Digging, scraping the earth bare of its minerals. Killing species after species, poisoning the oceans. There is no future in this. We can all see that. It's not a matter of "if", but of "when".
How will this society, this civilization of man end? Through war? Through the awesome power and wrath of mother Earth? Or will it one day just cease to function? Alien invasion? We cannot possibly know. But we all know that this society, this civilization will end one day. Nothing lasts forever.
I believe we are in the middle of it. The Apocalypse. The civilization as we know it is crumbling on it's own foundations as we speak. I don't think it will be an instant event, but long and out-drawn. Numerous series of events which are currently taking place that will eventually lead us to our civilizations inevitable end. Note that I don't say our end, but the end of "our" civilization.

I do believe that whatever happens, mankind will survive. At a price. A very high price. I don't think I have to explain what that price really is do I?
What I'm thinking of is cities. I see them as living tombs. Cities of the dead. Necropolis. In my view, the only way for survival is to get out of the cities, out to the country-side, to the forests, the fields and the hills. If and when things go bad, and it will get bad, people living in cities are among the first to suffer. There is nothing prophetical about this, with a little common sense it's not hard to see or imagine. We will need to learn how to live with nature again. Build a new world for ourselves.

I do not view the apocalypse as a frightening event. I welcome it. It is exactly what we and mother Earth need in order to survive. It is not the end. It is a new beginning. A new dawn.

It is hope.

A life worth dying for.

Not even two months to go. Less then eight weeks left til I become free to follow the wind. Free as a bird. Free to decide the cycles of my life. Free from the chains of this society. Free from obligations. Free from stereotypical behavior. Free from arrogance. Free from ignorance. Free from my old self. Free to begin a new life.

Free.

In ways I have a hard time grasping it, sometimes it's as clear as a blue sky on a hot summer day. Sometimes I bang my head against the wall, questioning my own decisions and actions. I am throwing away everything that I have been brought up to believe to be safe and security. Job, home, friends, familiar surroundings, stereotypes, subcultural belonging, things, everything. I cannot fully explain how liberating it feels. To finally be in control of my own life. To follow my dreams. My hopes. Making them come true. To live my life as I've always wanted. To travel the world. As the nomad I have always been, craving to travel the world, gaining knowledge and experience.

When I look back at my life, what I have always viewed as twenty seven years of hell, it led me to this point. In a way preparing me. Gently kicking me in the teeth, telling me to let go.
I've always been a lonewolf, more or less, always drifting from place to place. Orphanage to foster home to juvenile institution, year after year, never more than two years at one place. A few months there, a year there and some random weeks or weekends there. Always moving, never still. And always on my own. Everyone I have truly loved have been taken away from me. Grandparents. Mom. Dad. Several friends. Dead and gone. I have no real family to speak of. No connections.
For years I hated my life, questioning it, constantly asking why I had to go through all those experiences. Why it happened to me. Why? why? Why? But now I don't ask why anymore. I know why now. It led me to this. I see that now, like reading chapters in a book, like following a thread. There's a quote by Bernice Johnson Reagon which describes what I mean pretty well: 

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."

Am I scared? Of course I'm scared. Seriously, I'm leaving familiar ground here, jumping right out of a cliff, treading on thin ice. But I'm not letting it paralyze me, I see it as a challenge. For every time we overcome a fear, we grow as person, become stronger mentally. We realize that nothing is impossible. That's why I know I can do this. Break free from this society of "ours", become a nomad, a vagabond, free to roam the world.

I've paid a high price for this. I've gone through insane changes in my life. Still am.

I remember when I decided to go to Africa, it was about a year ago, and since then I've been working towards that goal, going through severe changes, physically, mentally and spiritually. Initially I had only planned to check out the South African punk rock scene for a month or two and then head back to Scandinavia, eventually even moving back to Sweden. But then I had my mental breakdown in december 2009 and everything changed. That breakdown told me to shape up and grab a hold of myself, take charge of my own life and follow my dreams. So here I am, planning to travel the world as cheaply as possible. I have no idea what awaits me and i'm leaving with an open mind. Will I move back to Scandinavia? Maybe, not this year though, perhaps not even in ten years. My dream is to travel as much as I can, to live life as fulfilling as I possibly can, to become happy. And who knows? One day I might find that "magical" place where I want to settle down. Where I can feel like home. I know I will. I've opened my mind to my surroundings, noticing all the people around me. I have let go of my stereotypical beliefs and narrow-minded views on the world. I've let go of all the hate I carried inside of me. I've let go of all my material belongings, except for what I can fit into a backpack. I have gone through what can be called a "cleansing".
In order to start anew, I must kill myself, my old way of life, and I have. I suppose most of you have heard Ozzy Osbourne singing the phrase: "Killing yourself to live"? He's not singing about suicide, he's singing about creating a new way of life, of breaking free, giving yourself a new chance to live life as life is meant to live. A cleansing.
And since I decided to start anew, i have met and come in contact with several people who are about to, who are or who have followed their own dreams, reclaimed their lives. Helping me gain insight and understanding of my own situation. Making me realise that I'm not alone on this. There are hundreds, if not thousands of us out there. Waking up and taking back control of our own lives.

Things are finally going my way. A few years back I had to kick down, or smash through one door at a time in order to get somewhere, since every door in front of me was firmly locked. But now I stand at a crossroads, with several doors wide open, all of them screaming at me to enter them.

A few years ago I feared the future, in fact, I saw no future at all.
I saw only darkness.
But now I see a future vibrant with possibilities. I look towards the future with hope, with great anticipation and with excitement. It might not make me rich and wealthy in the sense of money, but it will for sure give me the experience of a lifetime.

A life worth dying for!

A moment of thought.

Turn off your TV. Switch off your computer. Pull out the plug even. Put down your beer. Just for a few minutes. I ask of you a moment of thought.
Especially now in the wake of the Israeli attack on the ship Mavi Marmara and the ongoing propaganda war from the Israeli government. Think about what's happening. Not just now.
But what has been happening for years. For lifetimes. Palestinians murdered on a daily basis, imprisoned, searched, forced from their homes, the list goes on and on and on.
Today I just want to share a thought of all the lives around the world that is violently ended every day. Not just in Palestine. But also in every part of the world where there is an ongoing conflict or hidden genocides.

Afghanistan, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Tamil, Mexico, South Africa(no conflict here but more or less 18000 murders a year and around 3000+ farmers murdered since 1994), The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Burma, Nigeria, Philippines, Angola, Indonesia, Turkey and Kurdistan, Ethiopia, Colombia, Chad, Russia, Tibet, Uganda, Morocco and Western Sahara to count a few.

I do not meant o be respectful in any way towards the Palestinians and their fight for freedom. But where are the voices for all those other conflicts? Who tells the world about all those other hidden genocides? The unlawful Israeli occupation of Palestine is an easily purchased cause, again I mean no disrespect, but the rest of the world is forgotten. It sure does seem like it.

Where are the demonstrations to stop mining for Coltan in The Democratic Republic of the Congo? Coltan is a mineral which is used for computers, cellphones and videogame consoles etc. All those things that we "need". People die for that luxury, by the thousands every year. Anyone know the real reason for the war in the Congo? Anyone even know that there is a war going on there? Take a look at this.
People die everyday for our "needs". Yes, that includes the Ipod. Almost 7 million dead all in all.

Where are the demonstrations to stop the hidden genocide of white and coloured farmers in South Africa? Yes, there was one in Sweden a while ago by right wing extremists, neo-nazis, and that stinks! It stinks because they manage to show the problem in the wrong light, turning it into propaganda for themselves and their sick ideology. And the 18000 murders per year speaks for itself.

And where are the voices for Western Sahara?

And what about the Tamils in Sri Lanka? Yes, there where some demonstrations in Oslo about a year ago, but only the tamils living in exile demonstrated or tried to make their voices heard. Recently the Sri Lankan government more or less eradicated the tamil tigers from the face of the earth. Atleast from Sri Lanka.

There are ongoing conflicts all over the world and we know of but a handful of them.
But what scares me the most is that in 9 out of 10 times we have no idea of what caused the conflict in the first place. I'll give you a hint: Corporate interests! Profit! Not just oil. But Coltan, as mentioned above, and other minerals, diamonds, weapons(new weapons gotta be tested and used, right?), drugs, cattle farms for fast-food restaurants(Yes, one of the reasons to why the Amazon forest is disappearing) etc.

A moment of thought.

For all the lives that is lost for "our" comfort.

Thank you.

The water of life!

First off, a word of warning! This article is about alcohol, in the negative sense of the word. I will not preach what you should do or not do, nor will I patronize people who choose to drink alcohol. This is just my view of the consumption, not the alcohol itself. If you still want to continue reading, then please enjoy. Otherwise, thank you for your time. Why do I warn about this? Well, alcohol today, in certain areas, is a very sensitive subject to discuss. This article is a personal opinion of mine. I do not claim to speak for everyone in "our" society or the world.

Just imagine yourself coming home from work, you can finally relax in front of your TV with a newly opened cold beer in your hand. Or a couple of friends wants to meet up at the local pub.  Another friend needs a shoulder to cry on, to talk a bit, over a glass of wine or a beer.
When you hear the words summer or spring, what is the first thing you think about?  
A: Green grass? A warm sun? Naked bodies? Riding a bicycle? Taking a walk in a park? Ice cream?
B: Alcohol? Sinking a  few beers in your favourite park? Opening a bottle of wine in the sunset? Being able to sit outside the pub?
My bet is that most of you out there would think of the B-options. And why not? Alcohol makes us feel relaxed, feel comfortable in a world that is nothing but stress(almost on the verge of being chaotic). Alcohol takes away the pain one feels after a hard day at work(or the dole office). Alcohol is a good excuse to meet up with old friends, or friends overall. Alcohol is the perfect ice-breaker. And a match-maker in love. Alcohol makes us more confident and secure. Alcohol makes mourning a walk in the park. Alcohol improves your intellect. Alcohol makes us feel free. Alcohol makes us feel at home wherever we might end up. Alcohol makes us forget things we'd rather not remember. Alcohol is fun, fun, fun, fun! Alcohol is life!

Did any of you see what was wrong in what I wrote above? Nothing at all? Alright, no worries, it might come to you sooner or later. Hopefully. If you did manage to see what was wrong with the above, I suggest that you continue reading.

Our lives revolves around alcohol. We depend on it to function "normally" in this western society of "ours". It is our protection against a reality that is slowly tearing us apart. Tearing our minds and bodies asunder. It functions as an anchor.
How free are we if we can't socialize without alcohol? Is it really living, ending up on the pub every weekend(for some people everyday), you meet the same people, you hear the same stories(which may contain drama, lies, bullshit, paranoia), you drink the same beers/drinks, you throw away not only your money, but also your mental and physical health. How is it that when we want to "stress down" after a hard day, we drink a beer? Or a drink? How can things have gotten this far, this wrong, without us even noticing it? Right in front of our very own eyes!

What am I talking about? Well, think about it, alcohol is everywhere today, we are almost bathing in it. To drink alcohol regularly is considered to be normal today, it's almost mandatory. In those rare cases when someone chooses to not drink alcohol, this is more than often frowned upon and questioned, not supported. We have no idea how to behave when "sober people" are around. We become insanely nervous in their presence and decide that there is something wrong with them, for not wanting to drink alcohol.
At the same time we frown upon those who consume too much, those who become alcoholics.
But still, alcohol is related to almost everything we do. If we hang out with friends, we drink alcohol. If we want to celebrate something, we drink alcohol. If we are in a good mood, we drink alcohol. If we are depressed, we drink alcohol. Yeah, you get the picture. Alcohol is our lives, alcohol is controlling our lives.
Alcohol is not freedom.

How did we end up like this? About a hundred years ago(or more), for most people, alcohol was still something of a luxury. I mean, most people couldn't afford to drink as much as we do today. Alcohol was not as abundant as it is today. Human kind survived about 190,000 years without alcohol! Alcohol is still new to us.
How did this happen? How come today there is alcohol available everywhere, alcohol is one of the biggest businesses around the world, except for weapons, drugs, porn and food.
Those of you who are familiar with the genocide of many of the native american tribes can probably figure out what is going on, how it came to this. As I mentioned in a previous article, fear is constructed in order to control us, well, alcohol is one of their("our" governments) "solutions" to that fear. Not only is it a solution, but as with the case with money, it helps to keep us in order. "In order? Sometimes when we get drunk we go nuts!?" Well, like I wrote above, we associate almost everything with alcohol, we see it as part of our "spare time", as something to look forward to, something that helps us.  As long as we are focused on getting drunk, or "buzzed" we are harmless, passive.
The european settlers traded the native americans alcohol for valuable resources, sometimes they were forced under gunpoint to accept the alcohol, if not, there was no trade. The europeans "bought" land with alcohol under treaties which they later broke. Alcohol corrupted and destroyed countless cultures and tribes. Not only in North America, but also in South/Latin America, Africa, Asia and Polynesia(Australia and NZ included).

"As soon as the liquor trade began, colonists came to believe that it created havoc in Native communities. They were right. Indigenous and colonial observers reported that Native Americans who consumed alcohol did so only to become intoxicated. Those who became drunk fought with each other and with members of their families; they eroded the civility that normally characterized relations in indigenous communities. They fell into fires or off cliffs or drowned, and they at times murdered others, thereby opening raw wounds that communities struggled to heal."  Source can be found here.

This still goes on today, all over the world. The governments of this planet trade our freedom for alcohol. We don't have to be loyal to "our" governments, I mean, as long as we keep sucking on the bottle we have other things to think about. They have nothing to fear from us! With alcohol, we fight each other instead.
Our hate, our paranoia, our stress, our pain, our angst, our true freedom, our lives, our love is acted out via alcohol and directed towards each other. We meet many of our partners and friends while being drunk, or "buzzed". We get in most fights while being drunk. We choose to solve our personal dilemmas and issues while being drunk, making the situation(s) even worse for ourselves. We ARE alcohol!

Alright, gonna slow down a bit here. Alcohol is not the demon here, it is the consumption. We are taught our whole lives that drinking is a way of life. When we are teenagers we long for the day when we can drink alcohol legally, as if it were some "rite of adulthood" or a "passage to life".  Alcohol is everywhere. Even among those scenes(subcultures) that claim themselves to be free and independent is depending on alcohol. In some of those scenes it is considered "cool" to be drunk most of your waking time.
But yes of course, alcohol has been part of human history. But not like this.

In the old days(way back), alcohol was something of a luxury. And it was only consumed during a special holiday, or a celebration of some sort. A victory(in war), a birth, holy rites, the coming of  a season or a marriage. We can almost say that it was rare to drink alcohol in the old days. You didn't drink alcohol to have something to do, as we do today. In some(few) cultures, still today, alcohol is more or less non-existent.
We don't have to drink alcohol to survive. We don't even have to stop drinking alcohol. But we can stop drinking it the way we do today. In "our" society. Alcohol is not a solution for our problems, quite the opposite. Alcohol will never set us free, it will only strengthen the leash.
I'm not saying that we all should quit drinking, even though I can admit that it would've been for the best, I'm saying that we should pause for a minute and reflect on the impact alcohol has on our lives.
Everything we do, is connected to alcohol.

And me? I don't drink alcohol anymore. Sure, I can have one beer, perhaps two or three, but that's it. Only on special occasions, extremely rare. I am still trying to learn how to socialize without alcohol, and trust me, it is hard. Especially for someone who has grown up using alcohol as an excuse to meet people, or seen alcohol as a part of life. I have nothing against the alcohol per se, it's the consumption I have a problem with. Many of us have parents who are alcoholics, my mom was an alcoholic. She died when I was 14. And then we have the matter of friends. For several years I drank alcohol only to hang out with people, to have "fun". But in reality, I never had fun, I only became more and more depressed. As long as we drink alcohol we have tons of friends, right?  Drinking-buddies. In most cases we don't even have anything in common with each other, except for alcohol and perhaps music. But very few or no real ones. Oh, wanna loose friends? Try quit drinking for a while, it's quite amazing to see how quick about 98% of your "friends" disappear. "Bham!" Just like that. Works every time. I've tried it twice.

We are better than this.
We deserve better.

Just give it a thought.