Sealand
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I’ve just read Sealand, over at Creed O’Hanlon’s blog: Tiki in Thailand, and I highly recommend it. It’s a great article - exploring the utopian ideal called “Seasteading” . Seasteading is the creation of autonomous floating villages on the sea, either legal or piratical, depending on the political leanings of the villagers. Seasteading is the natural reaction to civilization, as was homesteading 200 years ago.
Human civilization, no matter how noble the founding, is always eventually corrupted, and those of us who live in the former homesteads are the witnesses to that. At times the desire to start anew is overwhelming, and so people always have. The history of human exploration has more to do with fleeing Egypt (the stick) than finding the Promised Land (the carrot). Unfortunately, the carrot eventually always becomes the stick.
I’m personally not a big fan of the seasteading movement, although I understand the motivation. I read Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael in 2002, with 911 still ringing in my ears. I’d check “anarchy” for my party, but somehow that party never seems to start. See Sail vs. Power.
For me (and most people), boats and the sea symbolize freedom, and seafarers instinctively understand that the ties of civilization eventually become the ties that bind, whether by land or sea. A few years ago I had this vision of myself paddling Westward in an outrigger canoe, seeking the PL, and I passed a Chinaman paddling East, seeking the same. Hah!
We have this notion that if only we could be free of government, we could be free. But wherever we move, no matter how pristine the initial environment, corruption follows. Eventually maybe we’ll figure out that it’s not the PLACE that is corrupted. When we finally do, there won’t be any need to move, because then Everywhere will be ‘Promised Land’.
Until then, may the sea remain free of the land.
