Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with freedom

How can I travel in Europe on a horse?

snoogles — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:49:47 -0800

I want to spend a month in the summer either horseback riding or hiking/camping with a pack mule somewhere in Europe. How do I go about this? I'm a fairly experienced rider, but I'm also asking this question for a friend who doesn't really know how to ride, and who would be leaning more to the pack mule option. We have limited budgets. We don't want to join a week-long organized trek. We will go anywhere that's cheaply reachable from France.

- Are there companies that "rent" horses or pack animals for that long?
- Would I have to buy the animal and then try to resell it at the end of the trip? Is there any way to do this fairly cheaply that doesn't involved buying an old horse and then selling it to a glue factory?
- How easy is it to find places in the countryside (wherever in Europe) to pasture a horse for the night?
- Where would it be easiest (country/region)?
- How much would it cost for the horse + tack + feed, etc?

- Do you know of any forums/resources where there might be more answers available?

- And most importantly, is this even remotely feasible?

An optimistic novel for an indoctrinated nihilist?

zaebiz — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:46:18 -0800

What is a classic, perhaps philosophical, novel about individual freedom to choose? So that no matter how desperate the situation you find yourself in, you always have choices about what to do, how to feel and how to think about your situation. The book is for a Russian lady who grew up mostly in the Soviet era but finds herself in Western civilisation somewhat isolated. When things get very difficult, she tends to react in a nihilistic fashion, rather than a hopeful optimistic fashion. I was thinking some thing in the Jean-Paul Satre mold, but then my knowledge of novels is very limited so very open to suggestions. Ideally it would be so widely available that its pretty likely I could find it written in Russian.

Getting some structure in my life

blueyellow — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:08:37 -0800

I would like to get some more structure in my life. How do I go about it? Since I was a kid I was someone who relished freedom and lack of structure, typically not enjoying having to do anything. Somehow I've managed to still get this to work for me as I am fairly driven when left to my own devices and my general survival instinct seems to operate okay, overcoming this resistance when necessary.

In some respects, I've now reached the pinnacle of this tendency. I have my own business (with some partners), doing what I/we decide to do. I work from home and don't need to be somewhere at any particular time, dress a particular way or live up to other externally mandated criteria... and we're doing relatively well.

My life though has started to become a blur, with one day blurring into the next with it not always being clear what I did one day or the next. I've become less efficient, more slothful, and less focused. It seems that I've gotten too much of what I've wanted and now I'm kind of drowning in it.

I would like to try to get some structure in my life now. I think structure will ultimately reverse some of whats been going on and make me more grounded. I don't really know how to start and how to make it work for me though, especially considering my innate tendency.

Have you dealt with similar things? Do you have any resources you could recommend?

Individual free choice but collective predictability?

zaebiz — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:54:03 -0800

Can someone explain why despite the fact that every one of these incidents occurs at a unique time and place, each involves a complex history of events and personal decisions leading to its very unlikely outcome, that the death toll on the roads year-on-year is so predictable? See here and here. Why doesn't it jump around from 100 one year, to 8000 another year for example? What is it about human nature in particular that makes the rate of error leading to death so predictably in the same narrow range? This is not a question about law enforcement, personal practices or the nature of death. It's more a question of individual free will, statistics and aggregate regularity. Does anyone even understand the existential puzzle I am trying to unravel here or is it really just unmysterious?

Looking for novels with theme of freedom.

hazyspring — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:49:32 -0800

I'm looking for novels that have the theme of freedom running throughout. I have to write a paper on discussing two books with the topic of freedom. Any suggestions of novels with this theme?

I'm looking for modern classic type novels. Something written between 1900 and present.

A Certain Kind of Beauty

divabat — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:25:39 -0800

I'm trying to cultivate a certain kind of beauty in life - something exemplified by the likes of Dumbo feather, pass it on and Keri Smith's blog. Where else can I find such beauty? This would be a hard thing to put into words, but essentially I found that I'm tired of the rat-race, having to promote myself every second, get to the top life that I've lived for the past few years. I want to take it slow. I'm also tired of having to define myself by what I do - I'd rather just be me, regardless of my job description.

I'm imagining this new state of mind in pictures - sunsets, blowing dandelion puffs, free and floating, soft and gently. Almost bohemian. Peaceful, somewhat magical, doing good for the world by sharing peaceful vibes.

I'm looking for people, media, resources, etc that inspire that sort of beauty.

Dumbo Feather is an Australian mook that interviews 5 people about their lives per issue - what I loved about it (aside from the great writing) was that while their interviewees did all sorts of interesting things, they weren't defined by their job. Rather, the interviews showcased how they saw and moved in the world. Similarly, this post from Keri Smith affected me deeply as it sums up how I feel, and I find her blog inspiring in the same way.

What else could I read, see, do? Does anyone understand the type of beauty I'm trying to reach out to? What else (or who else) exemplifies that beauty for you?

The most Libertarian place on Earth

clango — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:11:28 -0800

If I really wanted to "live free or die," what country/city/region is my best option? Assuming a normal human life with normal services* without purchasing a farm, where does a person on Earth have the most rights? (Electricity, running water, food, internet)

Gimme an open road...

pazazygeek — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:24:29 -0800

I want to plan a long road trip by myself. I'm not sure exactly where I want to go, but I do know that I want to take some pictures, and have an adventure. This has been an incredibly crazy and big year for me. I made some huge changes this year and for the first time in my life am on my own. I know I won't always be in this transitional state, but right now I want to take advantage of the freedom that I've created for myself.

I'm very busy at work and will be until around the 18th. I don't have any holiday plans with my family, and they will live if I tell them I won't be around this year.

I was thinking about taking a vacation somewhere, but now that it's so late, I don't think it's really feasible for me to book a flight anyplace and I don't have a lot of time to search for deals or plan.

I can, however, easily plan a road trip. I'd like to rent a car, bring my iPod, and head for points uncharted. I'd like to stop off places on the way where I can meet people, talk to them, just making brief connections with interesting people along the way. I'd like to take pictures, write about what comes up, what I learn from people.

I live in Southern California. I think I will probably go for driving up the coast, all the way up to Seattle and back, my best friend lives in Seattle. Along the way I may visit some family in Sacramento. Other than that, I don't really have much else to plan for.

I've seen most of the sites of the Pacific coast already -- The Madonna Inn, San Simeon, Hearst Castle, San Francisco, Lassen National park, Crater Lake, etc etc. I took a road trip up the coast to Bend, Oregon when I was a kid, and it was great fun. Still, I'm not looking so much for sight-seeing as I'm looking to stop in interesting towns, find a bar (or something else) and talk to some folks, and hit the open road and listen to music in between. I do think I'd like to stop and take a hike at some point, or spend some time alone in nature as well.

I can have up to 12 days to do this if I want, so time isn't really all that important. I could go up to Seattle and even go east from there.

Here are two things I'd love to hear suggestions on:

1.) Any interesting towns between LA and Seattle that you would recommend stopping in, any interesting bars, clubs or coffeehouses or other community places?

2.) As gregarious and extroverted as I am, I haven't really done the "go into a bar and make some friends" kinda thing. If I'm alone in a bar it's usually because I'm waiting for someone. I've had a few times when I've been on a business trip and wound up having a conversation at the bar with the bartender or someone who's sitting there, but it's not something I do regularly. Any tips?

Can't find a quote...

triggerfinger — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:15:06 -0800

Help me find the source of a quote! I remember reading a quote a while back that was saying that (potentially) a government can create such fear in people that it won't need to take away their freedoms because people will give them away voluntarily. Anyone know who said this?

upwardly mobile hobo?

longbaugh — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:00:29 -0800

What sort of gear would you recommend for someone who wants to try living out in the open air for 6-12 months? It costs to much to be a single person renting a property right now - I work full time and still cant cover basic bills and expenses. How can I leave the world of home-living behind? I was genuinely interested in seeing if it is possible to live without rent/mortgage, phone, gas and electric, council tax etc. Could someone carry all they needed on their back and live under the stars for six months to a year?

Imagine not having to pay for any bills save for a cellular phone, post office box and that's it. You can still work and get paid and even visit a gym for exercise/cleanliness etc. The necessary monthly expenses will probably come to less than 15-20% of my salary as opposed to the current >95%.

What sort of equipment would you suggest/recommend? It's the UK, it's not exactly warm and it's got to all be portable. Internet access is required via wifi cafes etc. I'm reasonably fit and not afraid of sleeping in a tent in the wild since we're not exactly inundated with dangerous wildlife here.

It's a thought experiment right now but if it can help me out financially then it's cool. Plus, when it's over and done I can maybe write a book about the experience and then retire to a nice warm apartment somewhere.

An actor with a wireless mic at a wedding

freudianslipper — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:20:09 -0800

I am the MC for my good friends wedding tonight. I have the schedule and only a few announcements, but aside from that I will have a wireless mic and freedom. Ideas? I've got bios of the bride and groom's family members and am instructed to introduce and jab at each one before their toasts'.

But what about fun/funny/must-have's during the dance, dinner, etc? Anything creative to do with the wireless mic? Specific songs to play?

Some Specifics:
I have all the a/v stuff taken care of and will be running the music off of ipod(s). Bride is Japanese, Groom is Taiwanese, I am whitenese. Some family will not speak much English but most guests will. About 140 people in a nice outside, venue with trees and a couple cabins around the perimeter. Beautiful day in Seattle. Lots of web/graphic design and computer related careers in the audience. Lot's of culture. Traditional American style wedding, not religious, not really themed.

As an actor I have brain overload and will be having a blast, without upstaging of course! But I am definitely open to suggestions. Thanks!

Janie's got a gun! How do I disarm her?

bjork24 — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:35:50 -0800

If someone's pointing a gun at you, and they look away for a moment, what's the most effective way to disarm them? Which would work better to knock the gun loose: hitting them on the back of the hand, or hitting them from beneath the gun? Is there a better way to knock the gun free? I'm not planning on being held hostage any time soon, I'm just curious.

Living the sheltered life.

liquorice — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:06:50 -0800

How does one go about loosening the apron string that is slowly suffocating me and extinguishing my last burning torch for freedom? (In NormalSpeak: Help me deal with overprotective parents!) My parents come from a conservative ethnic culture and have attempted to instill me with the same values and morals while raising me in a western country. You don’t have to know much to realise the dilemmas I have often faced when I’ve had to deal with such a juxtaposed set of ideals. But before I follow this prairie dog of self-doubt down the golden path of insecurity I must first fill in the gaps.

I’m the product of one of those parenting techniques where as soon as I popped out of that womb I was wrapped up in bubble wrap and they haven’t seen fit to pop a few bubbles for me yet. I’m not going to go into all of the nitty gritty cultural and social issues in play here. Maybe they have a right to be so protective, maybe they don’t. What we have now is one sheltered girl plonked in the big wide world of university with not much in the way of street smarts, if you catch my drift (and if you think I should have gained some knowledge by now, I went to an all-girls catholic school where we learnt abstinence was the best defence against having them babies!).

But I digress. Basically, I’m eighteen. I’ve been so for a little while now. If my dad had his way I wouldn’t be able to communicate with the male species until I was 25 (and I’m seriously not exaggerating no matter how much you think I am). I still manage to get away with it, but it’s limited and requires a lot of hiding. I have my license but no car and I’m not allowed to use public transport or go walking by myself or drive in friend’s cars etc. I’m also not allowed to get a job, which means a limited income (read: must depend on them for all monies). I’m not allowed out in the night with friends unless it’s for something special like a birthday or the like. And the list goes on.

Don’t get me wrong. I know they do all this because they think they have my best interests at heart. They’re just trying to protect me from the big scary world and ensure that I do well in my studies which will lead me to a happy life and [blah]. I never expected them to unlock my tower on my birthday and say “Time for you to do the whoring and drinking you’ve longed for all these years, darling!” but I expected…something. Recognition, maybe? That I’m considered an adult now, at least in the eyes of the law? And that means I should be entrusted to take some responsibility for my own actions, make some choices for myself and so on.

I’ve tried telling them these things, of course. But my dad is not much in the way of a rational man (his word, his law). I also have the irritating tendency to start sobbing when I get frustrated. It doesn’t help with the coherency of my arguments. The real crux of the problem is that I’ve been dating my boyfriend for nine months now and I’d like at some point in the near future to break this to them. There is no way that this would go down well, but the web of lies just constantly keeps on growing larger and larger that I’m going to explode or start listening to Janis Joplin if something isn’t done. Soo, after that long tirade:

What can I do or say that will help my parents start trusting me/the world a bit more and give me more of that freedom I so crave?

And also, what would be the gentlest course of action in letting my folks know I’m seeing someone?

Any advice, experience and the like is greatly appreciated. Thanks. : ) (Oh, and sorry for the long ramble. Just wanted to give you as much background info as possible).

what the hell is happening to this country?

brandz — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 18:20:16 -0800

there are, at least to my mind, many nefarious things going on in this country, at all levels. i recently voiced a specific complaint to a friend of mind. his reply was 'this is the way the 'man' wants it.' who is this 'man' anyway?

Did someone die to protect my freedoms?

grefo — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 13:17:23 -0800

Is there validity to the statement that I or you "enjoy the freedoms that men and women fought and died to protect?" I have heard this rebuttal numerous times, but I think my knowledge of history is failing me for specific instances.

Could someone clarify or give insight into this statement?

How do you travel without your significant other, wife/husband or partner?

eas98 — Wed, 06 Oct 2004 11:41:58 -0800

Travel without your s/o.. Any of you do it? ---> I love to travel, particularly to foreign contries. My gf likes to travel too. But I also like to travel alone sometimes, and she can't understand why I would ever want to travel without her. I explain that it has nothing to do with her; I just really like the adventure and independence of being on my own, and I like not having to worry about someone else.

I do travel with her though; it's about 60/40 in her favor. Our relationship is pretty committed and serious, so the question is, am I being unreasonable? Anyone else out there in a similar situation?

How is the U.S. government getting away with 'free speech' zones? That seems clearly unconstitutional.

RavinDave — Mon, 26 Jul 2004 21:29:52 -0800

WhatAmIMissingFilter: I've been waiting for an optimum time to ask this on the main page in an appropriate thread, but the opportunity hasn't arisen. Thus: Exactly HOW is the government getting away with enforcing these so-called "free speech" zones? Allowing for reasonable public safety measures, it's still clearly at odds with the constitution. (I'm sure places like Planned Parenthood would dearly "love" to relocate protesters to a deserted roped-off area 6 blocks away.) Is it just that no one has called them on it yet?