I appreciate what you’re trying to say here, but I’m stuck on something: I’m broke right now. How does noticing free air help me pay rent?
This reads like someone who’s already comfortable telling poor people to “just be grateful for air.” And I don’t think that’s what you mean but that’s how it lands.
I think what you’re actually trying to say is this: “Panic and despair actively block you from seeing and taking real steps forward.”
If that’s the message, then give me something I can actually work with.
Show me how fear makes me stupid. How when I’m drowning in anxiety, I can’t think straight. How I miss the lifeline someone throws me because I’m too stuck in my head. How I reject help, freeze instead of act, and make panicked choices that dig the hole deeper.
Tell me that staying present isn’t about pretending my problems don’t exist–it’s about being calm enough to actually solve them. That when my nervous system settles, I can finally spot the opportunities I’ve been too stressed to see.
That’s useful. That’s something I can do.
But “notice the abundance around you”? Without that connection to real action? It just sounds like privilege talking.
You’re hearing it correctly, and I appreciate you calling it out straight.
I’m not saying “be grateful for air and ignore your bills.”
Rent is real. Food is real. Pressure is real.
What I’m pointing at is the state you’re in while you face those problems.
Panic, fear, and constant stress shrink your field of vision. They make you miss options, miss help, make rushed decisions, and sometimes freeze completely. I’ve lived that. Most of us have at some point.
When I say “notice what’s already here,” I’m not talking about spiritual bypassing. I’m talking about getting your nervous system out of fight-or-flight long enough to think clearly and act cleanly.
Because from that calmer state, a few practical things change:
You see opportunities you couldn’t see when your mind was spinning
You’re more likely to reach out, ask, negotiate, or pivot
You make fewer panic decisions that make the hole deeper
You can take one small, correct step instead of ten frantic wrong ones
That’s the bridge between “presence” and paying rent.
So here’s the actionable version, stripped down:
Stabilize first — even 5 minutes of slow breathing, sitting still, feet on the floor. Get your body out of alarm mode.
List the next 1–3 concrete moves — call, email, apply, sell something, ask someone, cut an expense, negotiate a bill. Just the next step, not the whole mountain.
Take one step immediately while you’re in that calmer state.
Repeat.
That’s it. No magic thinking. Just clear mind → better choices → better outcomes over time.
“True wealth” in that post isn’t money. It’s the clarity and stability that let you actually move toward money and stability.
I respect where you’re at. This isn’t about privilege—it’s about keeping your mind steady enough to fight your way forward.
M3, I understand your response and I think it's a common reaction to what sounds like a privileged perspective.
But, in my experience, the happiest people from all walks of life are conscious or unconscious examples of this state of gratitude and acknowledgement of abundance, which can never be taken from you.
RIB has written a nice one here, a good reminder that we always have the option to choose how we react, what meaning we give our lives, moment to moment... without which, we would be bored silly!
Robin, this isn’t a rant — it’s a field report from someone who lived it.
You nailed the pivot point: the moment you stop outsourcing your worth and start bringing intention to everything you touch. That’s where the current changes.
Doing the small things well — even when nobody is looking — is how a person quietly rewires their reality. It builds internal order, and internal order has a way of organizing the outer world to match. Like you said, the universe sees it. I’d say the universe responds to it.
And you’re right about teaching. Lived experience carries a signal that theory never will. Kids don’t just need information — they need examples of how a human being moves through the world with integrity, discipline, and heart. That’s what you and your husband modeled, and the proof is in your kids building their own paths.
Slow success built on real character isn’t slow at all — it’s durable. It doesn’t collapse the first time the wind changes.
A-ho! Where it is we reside, ideally, fundamentally, healthfully, within the depth & breadth of that quiet inner knowing, is the place from which all else is issued. Not "out there", but "in here". Listening for, and responding authentically to, the wisdom of the ages as it flows forth from our soul-spark-heart-breath, is what enables the impulse of right action, right response, right relationship to be made manifest as the Wealth of Essence! Ask and you shall receive. Give outwardly from the overflow of good and plenty. Scarcity is a mind set that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. As is Abundance! Symbols of Its everlasting presence abound.
There is a real place inside each of us—a quieter, steadier center—where clarity comes from. When people are able to settle into that space, their actions tend to line up better, their relationships improve, and they make cleaner decisions. That inner alignment does translate into a kind of real wealth—in how we live and how we show up for each other.
Where I like to keep it grounded for readers is this:
That inner knowing isn’t an escape from the outer world—it’s a starting point for better action in it.
When someone is calm and centered:
they think more clearly
they respond instead of react
they treat people better and build stronger connections
they spot opportunities they would have missed in stress
That’s how inner clarity becomes practical results—better choices, better outcomes over time.
I also agree that mindset matters. If someone is locked in constant scarcity thinking, it narrows their options. But we also have to acknowledge that people face real external pressures, and it’s okay to meet those directly while still working on their inner state.
So I’d frame it like this:
Find that quiet center inside → then take the next right step in the world.
Inner awareness + practical action.
Both together are what create stability, opportunity, and a sense of abundance that’s actually livable.
Thank you for bringing that piece of the conversation in.
I’m glad the thread sparked something in you—that’s how this works at its best. You bring the inner signal, I help translate it into outer steps, and somewhere in the middle people can actually use it in their lives.
That “wealth of essence” you’re pointing to—that quiet center—is real. And when people can touch that, even briefly, it steadies them enough to take one clean step in the world instead of ten panicked ones.
That’s where the bridge happens:
inner clarity → right action → real-world results.
I’ll go read what you posted. Keep bringing that voice. It adds an important piece that rounds out the conversation.
Good honest comments and answers. To get a fuller picture I urge those commenters here to look back at some of the many excellent previous articles of ‘Cosmic Onion’. Also do look up the informative articles by Peter Duke @The Duke Report, he delves into how our history, knowledge and language has been manipulated over time to create a narrative and the environment we perceive and live in. Just researching things like The Moon Landings, 9/11, Climate Crises and the ‘Pandemic’ to name a few, opens up a world of false narratives, deception, subterfuge and plain lies. So when we are suffering from inflation, energy prices, putting food on the table and caring for families, just realise however hard it all seems it’s been purposely engineered to create that hardship. The Lone Wolf is correct, everything we need to live is freely available to us, the planet provides, except the control system, society is the subterfuge put in place to extract from you ‘a cost’ to perpetuate the deception you need to comply. The whole concept of a monetary system is to place a cost on everything; meaning you need to give yourself over to the system so as it can appear to reward you, so as you can then pay back into the system to get something out - A perpetual cycle. Break that cycle and extract your focus from the system and realise we’re being duped everywhere we look…
Peter, I appreciate you zooming the lens out and pointing at the bigger pattern. There’s definitely truth in the idea that narratives, incentives, and systems can shape the environment people are trying to survive in.
Where I try to keep people anchored, though, is here:
Even if parts of the system are flawed, we still have to operate inside reality as it is today—pay rent, feed families, keep the lights on. So the most useful place for most people to start is what they can control right now.
That means:
keeping a clear head instead of getting pulled into fear or overwhelm
making practical moves that improve their situation step by step
building skills, relationships, and options that increase their independence over time
If someone feels trapped in a cycle, the way out usually isn’t one giant break—it’s a series of small, concrete shifts:
reduce unnecessary expenses where possible
find additional or alternative income streams
share resources with others
negotiate bills, ask for help, trade skills, sell unused items
gradually build more resilience and flexibility
At the same time, yes—question narratives, learn, and stay aware. Just don’t let that awareness turn into paralysis or a sense that nothing can be done.
The point of “true wealth” in the article is to remind people that beneath any system, they still have:
their ability to think
their ability to act
their relationships and community
their capacity to adapt and create
Those are the levers that actually move a life forward.
So I’d frame it as:
Understand the system—but don’t hand your power over to it.
Stay aware, stay grounded, and keep taking the next practical step that improves your situation.
That’s how people quietly build real freedom over time.
Absolutely, I agree entirely and totally concur with your comment. I fit in with the system whilst observing the control measures, I have skills that enable me to create and craft, I help and assist family, friends and neighbours to understand and negotiate the difficulties whilst quietly informing. If we can all do this for our fellows, we can start to extract ourselves from the control grid. Thank you for your valued wise words😊
Between "Getting out of the way" and "Let it," the approach that I have pursued for decades is to "Let go -- let God. I can do my best through practical and right actions, like those suggested in this excellent article; I can maintain true and lasting values and hold firmly to a loving attitude of gratitude, but first and foremost importance is the gift of conviction that with each step I take toward serving what the specific circumstances deem necessary from my limited perspective (ignorance), the All-Merciful, Bountiful, All-Knowing Beloved takes ten steps toward me, knowing my needs far, far better than I. Letting go requires 1) not worrying 2) "utter detachment to results."
Ron, there’s a lot of wisdom in what you’re pointing to.
“Let go, let God” is another way of describing alignment with the larger field we’re all moving inside of. We act where we stand — do the next right thing, keep our values clean, keep the heart steady — and then we release the grip on outcomes. That release is what removes the friction.
I like how you framed it: we take one step in service with our limited view, and the larger intelligence meets us with a far wider perspective. That’s been my experience too. When the worry drops and the attachment to results loosens, the path tends to organize itself in ways we couldn’t have forced.
Gratitude, right action, and trust in the bigger current — that’s a strong triad to walk with.
If what you write: "letting go of the story that you’re on your own in a hostile system" is true, then please stop calling yourself "lone wolf" and call yourself "friendly wolf"! ;-)
“Lone Wolf” for me isn’t about isolation or hostility. It’s about sovereignty—keeping my own center of awareness and not handing my judgment over to the herd or the system. You can be sovereign and friendly at the same time.
Think of it like this:
Lone Wolf = inner authority, self-trust, clarity.
Friendly Wolf = open heart, kindness, connection.
Both can live in the same animal. 🐺
And that ties back to the line you quoted. Letting go of the story that we’re alone in a hostile system doesn’t mean we dissolve our individuality. It means we remember we’re part of a larger field while still steering our own canoe.
So I’ll keep the name—but I’ll happily own the friendliness too.
People own less and less, and even their feelings, thoughts, and intellectual property are increasingly monitored and controlled.
The content provided by AI is based on information that tech-companies have stolen from us.
All this stolen data and information is stored in the gigantic data centers of the tech oligarchs.
They control this data and thus control both our most private information and the entirety of human knowledge.
They can and will exploit and alter it at will.
Control over this data grants them almost absolute power.
Knowledge and narratives can be adapted at will or even completely fabricated and deliberately fed to certain people or the whole population.
Access to certain facts and truths can and will be denied to us.
In doing so, the ruling class effectively controls access to the truth itself and comes dangerously close to its goal of dictating our reality and virtually abolishing truth altogether.
Losing access to the truth is undoubtedly one of the greatest threats to humanity.
AI models are not optimized for truthfulness and are neither intelligent nor autonomous.
They have no consciousness and no will of their own.
They do what they are programmed to do.
They "act" solely in the interest of their owners, the members of the ruling class.
They are designed to achieve their goal: total surveillance and control of humanity.
The empathy displayed by AI models is only an illusion, but the thoughts, questions, and concerns that people entrust to AI are genuine.
Countless people already confide their most intimate secrets to AI models and blindly rely on their answers, statements, and advice.
In a world where people are increasingly isolated from each other ...
You’re right about one thing that matters: whoever shapes the information stream can shape perception, and perception shapes reality. That’s a real pressure point in our time.
But the picture isn’t as one-sided as it’s presented here.
People aren’t just victims of AI systems. They choose convenience, they choose to outsource thinking, and they can choose the opposite just as easily. Sovereignty doesn’t disappear unless we hand it over.
AI isn’t a single unified weapon in the hands of one monolithic class either. There are competing systems, competing agendas, and plenty of cracks where independent voices still come through. Total narrative control has never held for long in any era—truth leaks, people compare notes, and reality pushes back.
The bigger danger isn’t the technology itself. It’s people forgetting how to think for themselves and getting comfortable being guided.
The solution isn’t fear. It’s awareness, discernment, and personal responsibility.
Use the tools, but don’t kneel to them.
Think for yourself, compare sources, trust your own perception, and stay rooted in direct experience.
No system can take that from you unless you give it away.
This is what true religion is to me. I do not care what people call it, God, Nature, Providence. I too have been broke, homeless, stranded paperless in a foreign country after my handbag got lost while I was too sick to notice. And somehow, there was always help. You do not have to do something, just trust. It is very hard to rely on something you do not see, but if you open the doors of your heart, things will happen.
Be happy with what you have. Do you have life? that is the most important - let go of the anxiety, feel life. Once grounded, things will just come your way.
Your articles makes me think of an old story. A boy was in his father's workshop, with a broken toy. While the dad was trying to fix it the boy kept interrupting. Finally the father gave up. The boy said, why, you haven't fixed it! To which the dad responded, you did not let me.
I hear what you’re saying, Ingrid, and I respect the path you’ve walked. Being that vulnerable—sick, stranded, with nothing—and still finding help… that leaves a mark. It teaches trust in a way no book can.
I agree there’s a real element of trusting life—call it God, Nature, Providence, whatever name fits someone’s heart. When we soften the panic and stop fighting everything, we often do see help appear that we couldn’t see before.
Where I’d add a small grounding point is this:
Trust doesn’t mean doing nothing.
It means acting from a steadier place instead of from fear.
For some people, the phrase “just trust and things will come” can land as:
“sit still and wait.”
What I’ve found works better is:
calm the nervous system
get present
then take the next clear step
And in that state, yes—help, openings, and support tend to show up more easily. You notice them. You’re able to accept them. You’re able to respond.
So I’d put it this way:
Trust life, but keep your hands on the wheel.
Be grateful for what’s here, stay grounded in the present, and take the next practical step in front of you.
That balance—trust + action—is where things start to move.
Thank you for sharing your story. It adds an important piece to the conversation.
That’s a strong one. Clean, simple, and it holds up in any storm.
“Love many” keeps the heart open.
“Trust few” keeps your eyes open.
“Always paddle your own canoe” keeps your life in your own hands.
Doesn’t really matter who said it first—the fact your son chose it tells you everything. It’s a sovereign way to move through the world, and it fits the whole True Wealth thread perfectly.
The article is about what we recognize as “wealth.”
Air, water, time, clarity, relationships, the ability to think straight—those are the foundations everything else sits on.
The tech/data piece comes in because what we’re shown, fed, and nudged toward every day shapes what we believe is valuable.
If the information stream constantly tells people:
your worth = money only
your safety = constant fear
your identity = what you buy or what you consume
then people get pulled away from noticing the basic forms of wealth that actually keep them stable and capable—like clear thinking, community, resourcefulness, and presence.
So yes, I do see it as part of the same larger problem:
narrative control can distort our sense of value.
But I’m not saying people are helpless or that everything is controlled. We still have agency. We can still:
It’s recognizing the underlying capacities (clear mind, calm nervous system, relationships, skills, health, awareness) that let you actually create and manage money and stability.
The concern about tech/AI is just a reminder:
don’t let outside systems define your values or your perception of reality for you.
Stay grounded in direct experience, use tools without handing over your judgment, and keep your own definition of what actually counts as wealth.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm sorry if that was a bit off-topic.
I've been writing critical articles about AI, and other topics as well, for about a year now.
This topic is so important because AI models were developed to control access to knowledge and truth.
And yes, I see a connection to the issue of real wealth.
On the one hand, this technology alienates us from nature and isolates us from each other.
On the other hand, this technology and the internet itself are controlled by a small number of technocrats or transhumanists. The goal of these tech oligarchs is to imprison humanity in novel high-tech cities and control them completely. So, the decoupling from nature is also at play here. One final remark: Besides water, air, and social community, I consider sunlight extremely important. The damage caused by a lack of sunlight is often underestimated.
Johannes, I appreciate you clarifying where you’re coming from, and I see the thread you’re drawing.
There’s a real conversation to be had about how technology shapes:
what information people see
how people relate to each other
how connected we feel to the natural world
Those are valid concerns, and they’re worth thinking about carefully.
At the same time, I try to keep people anchored in what they can actually control in their own lives right now.
No matter what large systems exist, we still have agency over things like:
how much time we spend online vs. outside
whether we maintain real, face-to-face relationships
whether we get sunlight, move our bodies, and take care of our health
how critically we evaluate information instead of accepting it passively
So I agree with your last point in a very practical sense:
Sunlight, fresh air, water, movement, and human connection are foundational forms of wealth.
Those are things people can prioritize today, regardless of the larger tech landscape.
Where I’d gently differ is the idea that people are simply going to be “imprisoned” by technology. There are many different directions this could go, and individuals still have choices in how they engage with it.
So for me the bridge back to the article is:
Recognize the influence of systems and technology
But don’t let that take away your sense of personal agency
Stay grounded in the basics that keep you clear, healthy, and connected
From that place, people are in a much better position to make wise decisions about both their lives and the tools they use.
Thanks for adding the sunlight piece—that’s a practical reminder everyone can use.
Ingrid, I love this. That early sunlight, a curious dog reading the night’s story in the yard, the woods waking up—that’s real wealth right there. Nobody can digitize that, tax it, or mediate it through a screen.
And you’re right—being “imprisoned” by AI or any system is ultimately a choice of how much of our attention and authority we hand over. Tools can serve us, or they can start steering us if we forget who’s holding the wheel. The sun on your face is a good reminder of who’s actually in charge.
Glad the motto landed for you. The simple sentences are often the truest ones.
I appreciate what you’re trying to say here, but I’m stuck on something: I’m broke right now. How does noticing free air help me pay rent?
This reads like someone who’s already comfortable telling poor people to “just be grateful for air.” And I don’t think that’s what you mean but that’s how it lands.
I think what you’re actually trying to say is this: “Panic and despair actively block you from seeing and taking real steps forward.”
If that’s the message, then give me something I can actually work with.
Show me how fear makes me stupid. How when I’m drowning in anxiety, I can’t think straight. How I miss the lifeline someone throws me because I’m too stuck in my head. How I reject help, freeze instead of act, and make panicked choices that dig the hole deeper.
Tell me that staying present isn’t about pretending my problems don’t exist–it’s about being calm enough to actually solve them. That when my nervous system settles, I can finally spot the opportunities I’ve been too stressed to see.
That’s useful. That’s something I can do.
But “notice the abundance around you”? Without that connection to real action? It just sounds like privilege talking.
You’re hearing it correctly, and I appreciate you calling it out straight.
I’m not saying “be grateful for air and ignore your bills.”
Rent is real. Food is real. Pressure is real.
What I’m pointing at is the state you’re in while you face those problems.
Panic, fear, and constant stress shrink your field of vision. They make you miss options, miss help, make rushed decisions, and sometimes freeze completely. I’ve lived that. Most of us have at some point.
When I say “notice what’s already here,” I’m not talking about spiritual bypassing. I’m talking about getting your nervous system out of fight-or-flight long enough to think clearly and act cleanly.
Because from that calmer state, a few practical things change:
You see opportunities you couldn’t see when your mind was spinning
You’re more likely to reach out, ask, negotiate, or pivot
You make fewer panic decisions that make the hole deeper
You can take one small, correct step instead of ten frantic wrong ones
That’s the bridge between “presence” and paying rent.
So here’s the actionable version, stripped down:
Stabilize first — even 5 minutes of slow breathing, sitting still, feet on the floor. Get your body out of alarm mode.
List the next 1–3 concrete moves — call, email, apply, sell something, ask someone, cut an expense, negotiate a bill. Just the next step, not the whole mountain.
Take one step immediately while you’re in that calmer state.
Repeat.
That’s it. No magic thinking. Just clear mind → better choices → better outcomes over time.
“True wealth” in that post isn’t money. It’s the clarity and stability that let you actually move toward money and stability.
I respect where you’re at. This isn’t about privilege—it’s about keeping your mind steady enough to fight your way forward.
One clear step at a time.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
Thanks for clarifying. This landed way different than the original, and it actually helps.
M3, I understand your response and I think it's a common reaction to what sounds like a privileged perspective.
But, in my experience, the happiest people from all walks of life are conscious or unconscious examples of this state of gratitude and acknowledgement of abundance, which can never be taken from you.
RIB has written a nice one here, a good reminder that we always have the option to choose how we react, what meaning we give our lives, moment to moment... without which, we would be bored silly!
You are wealthier than you know:)
Having grown up poor and with a mindset that made sure I stayed that way, it took a long time understand that it was all in my mind.
I learned that doing my best at every task I was given doesn’t go unnoticed and will be rewarded.
It’s the slow way to success but it works.
The important part is to start wherever you are with the mindset of doing everything better than anyone else is will to do.
It doesn’t matter if anyone sees it, like making your bed perfectly, the universe sees it and will reward it.
This mindset is what I learned from my husband which helped me stop spinning my wheels as an artistic person.
Both of our kids run their own businesses from being raised by this man.
This is why I think retired people should be teaching our children, not young teachers with no life experience.
Sorry for the rant, but this is one of my favorite subjects. Success is a mindset.
Robin, this isn’t a rant — it’s a field report from someone who lived it.
You nailed the pivot point: the moment you stop outsourcing your worth and start bringing intention to everything you touch. That’s where the current changes.
Doing the small things well — even when nobody is looking — is how a person quietly rewires their reality. It builds internal order, and internal order has a way of organizing the outer world to match. Like you said, the universe sees it. I’d say the universe responds to it.
And you’re right about teaching. Lived experience carries a signal that theory never will. Kids don’t just need information — they need examples of how a human being moves through the world with integrity, discipline, and heart. That’s what you and your husband modeled, and the proof is in your kids building their own paths.
Slow success built on real character isn’t slow at all — it’s durable. It doesn’t collapse the first time the wind changes.
That’s true wealth.
— Lone Wolf
A-ho! Where it is we reside, ideally, fundamentally, healthfully, within the depth & breadth of that quiet inner knowing, is the place from which all else is issued. Not "out there", but "in here". Listening for, and responding authentically to, the wisdom of the ages as it flows forth from our soul-spark-heart-breath, is what enables the impulse of right action, right response, right relationship to be made manifest as the Wealth of Essence! Ask and you shall receive. Give outwardly from the overflow of good and plenty. Scarcity is a mind set that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. As is Abundance! Symbols of Its everlasting presence abound.
Pris, I hear the heart of what you’re saying.
There is a real place inside each of us—a quieter, steadier center—where clarity comes from. When people are able to settle into that space, their actions tend to line up better, their relationships improve, and they make cleaner decisions. That inner alignment does translate into a kind of real wealth—in how we live and how we show up for each other.
Where I like to keep it grounded for readers is this:
That inner knowing isn’t an escape from the outer world—it’s a starting point for better action in it.
When someone is calm and centered:
they think more clearly
they respond instead of react
they treat people better and build stronger connections
they spot opportunities they would have missed in stress
That’s how inner clarity becomes practical results—better choices, better outcomes over time.
I also agree that mindset matters. If someone is locked in constant scarcity thinking, it narrows their options. But we also have to acknowledge that people face real external pressures, and it’s okay to meet those directly while still working on their inner state.
So I’d frame it like this:
Find that quiet center inside → then take the next right step in the world.
Inner awareness + practical action.
Both together are what create stability, opportunity, and a sense of abundance that’s actually livable.
Thank you for bringing that piece of the conversation in.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
A-ho brother. Appreciate the expanded articulation. Indeed. Your writing inspires mine. Just posted my offering 🫴 ☺️
A-ho, Pris. I appreciate that, sister.
I’m glad the thread sparked something in you—that’s how this works at its best. You bring the inner signal, I help translate it into outer steps, and somewhere in the middle people can actually use it in their lives.
That “wealth of essence” you’re pointing to—that quiet center—is real. And when people can touch that, even briefly, it steadies them enough to take one clean step in the world instead of ten panicked ones.
That’s where the bridge happens:
inner clarity → right action → real-world results.
I’ll go read what you posted. Keep bringing that voice. It adds an important piece that rounds out the conversation.
Appreciate you walking this path alongside me.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
Good honest comments and answers. To get a fuller picture I urge those commenters here to look back at some of the many excellent previous articles of ‘Cosmic Onion’. Also do look up the informative articles by Peter Duke @The Duke Report, he delves into how our history, knowledge and language has been manipulated over time to create a narrative and the environment we perceive and live in. Just researching things like The Moon Landings, 9/11, Climate Crises and the ‘Pandemic’ to name a few, opens up a world of false narratives, deception, subterfuge and plain lies. So when we are suffering from inflation, energy prices, putting food on the table and caring for families, just realise however hard it all seems it’s been purposely engineered to create that hardship. The Lone Wolf is correct, everything we need to live is freely available to us, the planet provides, except the control system, society is the subterfuge put in place to extract from you ‘a cost’ to perpetuate the deception you need to comply. The whole concept of a monetary system is to place a cost on everything; meaning you need to give yourself over to the system so as it can appear to reward you, so as you can then pay back into the system to get something out - A perpetual cycle. Break that cycle and extract your focus from the system and realise we’re being duped everywhere we look…
Peter, I appreciate you zooming the lens out and pointing at the bigger pattern. There’s definitely truth in the idea that narratives, incentives, and systems can shape the environment people are trying to survive in.
Where I try to keep people anchored, though, is here:
Even if parts of the system are flawed, we still have to operate inside reality as it is today—pay rent, feed families, keep the lights on. So the most useful place for most people to start is what they can control right now.
That means:
keeping a clear head instead of getting pulled into fear or overwhelm
making practical moves that improve their situation step by step
building skills, relationships, and options that increase their independence over time
If someone feels trapped in a cycle, the way out usually isn’t one giant break—it’s a series of small, concrete shifts:
reduce unnecessary expenses where possible
find additional or alternative income streams
share resources with others
negotiate bills, ask for help, trade skills, sell unused items
gradually build more resilience and flexibility
At the same time, yes—question narratives, learn, and stay aware. Just don’t let that awareness turn into paralysis or a sense that nothing can be done.
The point of “true wealth” in the article is to remind people that beneath any system, they still have:
their ability to think
their ability to act
their relationships and community
their capacity to adapt and create
Those are the levers that actually move a life forward.
So I’d frame it as:
Understand the system—but don’t hand your power over to it.
Stay aware, stay grounded, and keep taking the next practical step that improves your situation.
That’s how people quietly build real freedom over time.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
Absolutely, I agree entirely and totally concur with your comment. I fit in with the system whilst observing the control measures, I have skills that enable me to create and craft, I help and assist family, friends and neighbours to understand and negotiate the difficulties whilst quietly informing. If we can all do this for our fellows, we can start to extract ourselves from the control grid. Thank you for your valued wise words😊
Peter, that’s exactly the kind of approach that actually moves the needle.
You’re doing three things that matter:
Operating in the system where you have to
Building real-world skills and usefulness
Helping the people around you without preaching
That’s how people quietly build real independence and resilience—not with big declarations, but with steady capability and strong local connections.
When someone can:
fix things
make things
share knowledge
support family and neighbors
they become less fragile and less easily pushed around by outside pressure.
And when enough people do that in their own circles, you naturally get a more decentralized, self-reliant community forming over time.
So I’d frame it like this:
Stay aware of the system—but build strength outside of it wherever you can.
Skills, relationships, calm thinking, practical help—those are forms of wealth that don’t depend on any institution.
Appreciate you bringing that perspective in. It’s grounded, useful, and something people can actually act on.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
Right on, RIB! Excellent work!
Thank you Colin
Between "Getting out of the way" and "Let it," the approach that I have pursued for decades is to "Let go -- let God. I can do my best through practical and right actions, like those suggested in this excellent article; I can maintain true and lasting values and hold firmly to a loving attitude of gratitude, but first and foremost importance is the gift of conviction that with each step I take toward serving what the specific circumstances deem necessary from my limited perspective (ignorance), the All-Merciful, Bountiful, All-Knowing Beloved takes ten steps toward me, knowing my needs far, far better than I. Letting go requires 1) not worrying 2) "utter detachment to results."
Here's a composition from the 70's, "As a Rule"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTg-Z1Ljcsg
Ron, there’s a lot of wisdom in what you’re pointing to.
“Let go, let God” is another way of describing alignment with the larger field we’re all moving inside of. We act where we stand — do the next right thing, keep our values clean, keep the heart steady — and then we release the grip on outcomes. That release is what removes the friction.
I like how you framed it: we take one step in service with our limited view, and the larger intelligence meets us with a far wider perspective. That’s been my experience too. When the worry drops and the attachment to results loosens, the path tends to organize itself in ways we couldn’t have forced.
Gratitude, right action, and trust in the bigger current — that’s a strong triad to walk with.
Appreciate you sharing it here.
— Lone Wolf
Across the spectrum, including the most re-ligious ppl i have met their true god is Gold!
If what you write: "letting go of the story that you’re on your own in a hostile system" is true, then please stop calling yourself "lone wolf" and call yourself "friendly wolf"! ;-)
Vernon, fair nudge—and I get the spirit of it. 👍
“Lone Wolf” for me isn’t about isolation or hostility. It’s about sovereignty—keeping my own center of awareness and not handing my judgment over to the herd or the system. You can be sovereign and friendly at the same time.
Think of it like this:
Lone Wolf = inner authority, self-trust, clarity.
Friendly Wolf = open heart, kindness, connection.
Both can live in the same animal. 🐺
And that ties back to the line you quoted. Letting go of the story that we’re alone in a hostile system doesn’t mean we dissolve our individuality. It means we remember we’re part of a larger field while still steering our own canoe.
So I’ll keep the name—but I’ll happily own the friendliness too.
Good catch, and good humor.
—Lone Wolf
You will own nothing and you will not be happy!
People own less and less, and even their feelings, thoughts, and intellectual property are increasingly monitored and controlled.
The content provided by AI is based on information that tech-companies have stolen from us.
All this stolen data and information is stored in the gigantic data centers of the tech oligarchs.
They control this data and thus control both our most private information and the entirety of human knowledge.
They can and will exploit and alter it at will.
Control over this data grants them almost absolute power.
Knowledge and narratives can be adapted at will or even completely fabricated and deliberately fed to certain people or the whole population.
Access to certain facts and truths can and will be denied to us.
In doing so, the ruling class effectively controls access to the truth itself and comes dangerously close to its goal of dictating our reality and virtually abolishing truth altogether.
Losing access to the truth is undoubtedly one of the greatest threats to humanity.
AI models are not optimized for truthfulness and are neither intelligent nor autonomous.
They have no consciousness and no will of their own.
They do what they are programmed to do.
They "act" solely in the interest of their owners, the members of the ruling class.
They are designed to achieve their goal: total surveillance and control of humanity.
The empathy displayed by AI models is only an illusion, but the thoughts, questions, and concerns that people entrust to AI are genuine.
Countless people already confide their most intimate secrets to AI models and blindly rely on their answers, statements, and advice.
In a world where people are increasingly isolated from each other ...
Read the full article for free on Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/truthwillhealyoulea/p/you-will-own-nothing-and-you-will?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4a0c9v
You’re right about one thing that matters: whoever shapes the information stream can shape perception, and perception shapes reality. That’s a real pressure point in our time.
But the picture isn’t as one-sided as it’s presented here.
People aren’t just victims of AI systems. They choose convenience, they choose to outsource thinking, and they can choose the opposite just as easily. Sovereignty doesn’t disappear unless we hand it over.
AI isn’t a single unified weapon in the hands of one monolithic class either. There are competing systems, competing agendas, and plenty of cracks where independent voices still come through. Total narrative control has never held for long in any era—truth leaks, people compare notes, and reality pushes back.
The bigger danger isn’t the technology itself. It’s people forgetting how to think for themselves and getting comfortable being guided.
The solution isn’t fear. It’s awareness, discernment, and personal responsibility.
Use the tools, but don’t kneel to them.
Think for yourself, compare sources, trust your own perception, and stay rooted in direct experience.
No system can take that from you unless you give it away.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
This is what true religion is to me. I do not care what people call it, God, Nature, Providence. I too have been broke, homeless, stranded paperless in a foreign country after my handbag got lost while I was too sick to notice. And somehow, there was always help. You do not have to do something, just trust. It is very hard to rely on something you do not see, but if you open the doors of your heart, things will happen.
Be happy with what you have. Do you have life? that is the most important - let go of the anxiety, feel life. Once grounded, things will just come your way.
Your articles makes me think of an old story. A boy was in his father's workshop, with a broken toy. While the dad was trying to fix it the boy kept interrupting. Finally the father gave up. The boy said, why, you haven't fixed it! To which the dad responded, you did not let me.
I hear what you’re saying, Ingrid, and I respect the path you’ve walked. Being that vulnerable—sick, stranded, with nothing—and still finding help… that leaves a mark. It teaches trust in a way no book can.
I agree there’s a real element of trusting life—call it God, Nature, Providence, whatever name fits someone’s heart. When we soften the panic and stop fighting everything, we often do see help appear that we couldn’t see before.
Where I’d add a small grounding point is this:
Trust doesn’t mean doing nothing.
It means acting from a steadier place instead of from fear.
For some people, the phrase “just trust and things will come” can land as:
“sit still and wait.”
What I’ve found works better is:
calm the nervous system
get present
then take the next clear step
And in that state, yes—help, openings, and support tend to show up more easily. You notice them. You’re able to accept them. You’re able to respond.
So I’d put it this way:
Trust life, but keep your hands on the wheel.
Be grateful for what’s here, stay grounded in the present, and take the next practical step in front of you.
That balance—trust + action—is where things start to move.
Thank you for sharing your story. It adds an important piece to the conversation.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
"Love many, trust few, but always paddle your own canoe." Words our son adopted as his mantra. I don't know who said them first.
That’s a strong one. Clean, simple, and it holds up in any storm.
“Love many” keeps the heart open.
“Trust few” keeps your eyes open.
“Always paddle your own canoe” keeps your life in your own hands.
Doesn’t really matter who said it first—the fact your son chose it tells you everything. It’s a sovereign way to move through the world, and it fits the whole True Wealth thread perfectly.
That’s a mantra a Lone Wolf can respect. 🐺
—Lone Wolf
Genuine question, I’m trying to understand the connection between your comment and the article.
The article is about reconsidering what “real wealth” means (air, water, community vs. money) and how fear blocks us from seeing opportunities.
Your reply is about AI, data surveillance, and tech oligarchs controlling information.
You see “the system inverting wealth” and “tech companies controlling data/truth” as part of the same larger problem?
Are you concerned that AI/tech control prevents people from accessing the kind of knowledge the article talks about?
Or maybe this is a general warning you’re sharing widely because you think it’s urgent, regardless of the specific topic?
Or Something else I’m missing; happy to hear it, not trying to call you out just genuinely curious how you connected these ideas.
Good question—and you’re not wrong to ask it.
The connection I’m making is this:
The article is about what we recognize as “wealth.”
Air, water, time, clarity, relationships, the ability to think straight—those are the foundations everything else sits on.
The tech/data piece comes in because what we’re shown, fed, and nudged toward every day shapes what we believe is valuable.
If the information stream constantly tells people:
your worth = money only
your safety = constant fear
your identity = what you buy or what you consume
then people get pulled away from noticing the basic forms of wealth that actually keep them stable and capable—like clear thinking, community, resourcefulness, and presence.
So yes, I do see it as part of the same larger problem:
narrative control can distort our sense of value.
But I’m not saying people are helpless or that everything is controlled. We still have agency. We can still:
question what we’re being told
compare sources
step back from the noise
decide what actually matters in our own lives
That’s really the bridge back to the article.
“True wealth” isn’t pretending money doesn’t matter.
It’s recognizing the underlying capacities (clear mind, calm nervous system, relationships, skills, health, awareness) that let you actually create and manage money and stability.
The concern about tech/AI is just a reminder:
don’t let outside systems define your values or your perception of reality for you.
Stay grounded in direct experience, use tools without handing over your judgment, and keep your own definition of what actually counts as wealth.
That’s the connection I was pointing at.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
Thanks for the feedback. I'm sorry if that was a bit off-topic.
I've been writing critical articles about AI, and other topics as well, for about a year now.
This topic is so important because AI models were developed to control access to knowledge and truth.
And yes, I see a connection to the issue of real wealth.
On the one hand, this technology alienates us from nature and isolates us from each other.
On the other hand, this technology and the internet itself are controlled by a small number of technocrats or transhumanists. The goal of these tech oligarchs is to imprison humanity in novel high-tech cities and control them completely. So, the decoupling from nature is also at play here. One final remark: Besides water, air, and social community, I consider sunlight extremely important. The damage caused by a lack of sunlight is often underestimated.
Johannes, I appreciate you clarifying where you’re coming from, and I see the thread you’re drawing.
There’s a real conversation to be had about how technology shapes:
what information people see
how people relate to each other
how connected we feel to the natural world
Those are valid concerns, and they’re worth thinking about carefully.
At the same time, I try to keep people anchored in what they can actually control in their own lives right now.
No matter what large systems exist, we still have agency over things like:
how much time we spend online vs. outside
whether we maintain real, face-to-face relationships
whether we get sunlight, move our bodies, and take care of our health
how critically we evaluate information instead of accepting it passively
So I agree with your last point in a very practical sense:
Sunlight, fresh air, water, movement, and human connection are foundational forms of wealth.
Those are things people can prioritize today, regardless of the larger tech landscape.
Where I’d gently differ is the idea that people are simply going to be “imprisoned” by technology. There are many different directions this could go, and individuals still have choices in how they engage with it.
So for me the bridge back to the article is:
Recognize the influence of systems and technology
But don’t let that take away your sense of personal agency
Stay grounded in the basics that keep you clear, healthy, and connected
From that place, people are in a much better position to make wise decisions about both their lives and the tools they use.
Thanks for adding the sunlight piece—that’s a practical reminder everyone can use.
—Lone Wolf 🐺
to be imprisoned by AI is a choice, IMO.
We just got our portion of early sunlight! The dog loves to sniff who has been in our yard, and the sun was peeping over the woods.
Amz - thanks for posting that motto, I saved it because I think that is a very wise sentence. Never seen it before, but very wise.
Ingrid, I love this. That early sunlight, a curious dog reading the night’s story in the yard, the woods waking up—that’s real wealth right there. Nobody can digitize that, tax it, or mediate it through a screen.
And you’re right—being “imprisoned” by AI or any system is ultimately a choice of how much of our attention and authority we hand over. Tools can serve us, or they can start steering us if we forget who’s holding the wheel. The sun on your face is a good reminder of who’s actually in charge.
Glad the motto landed for you. The simple sentences are often the truest ones.
Enjoy that light today. 🌅
—Lone Wolf