This resonates deeply. Becoming a high-agency creator is essential in this transition, but let’s zoom out.
Even if you build a one-person empire, orchestrate AI like a symphony, and master the art of solving infinite problems… your access to land, food, water, energy, and freedom still depends on centralized systems: governments, banks, supply chains, Big Tech platforms.
What happens when:
• Your account gets locked for “misinformation”?
• A digital ID or social credit score becomes mandatory for transactions?
• Access to food and energy is tied to compliance (vaccines, chips, political ideology)?
At that point, all the intelligence, taste, and AI prompts in the world won’t save you. You’ll still be trapped in a cage just a gold-plated one.
This is the hidden trap:
Most “get rich and leverage tech” thinking assumes the system will remain benevolent and stable. But the further we move toward digitization, the more fragile our independence becomes.
Real freedom comes when we combine high agency and AI mastery with self-sufficiency:
• Grow food → control your own nutrition.
• Generate energy → minimize external dependence.
• Build local trust networks → create resilience beyond platforms.
The goal isn’t to reject technology. It’s to use the system while building parallel structures that can’t be switched off.
Those who see this bigger picture aren’t just preparing to thrive, they’re preparing to stay free.
I'm definitely thinking about this. While I'm all for high agency skills and learning AI, you're right about the governments controlling the money and sectors. Big Tech controlling the information we see, and soon stablecoins, digital ID, and social credit scores will become a thing.
At that point, no matter what you do, you're going to be tied to a system that is set up by people who don't have your best interests in mind. Worse yet, they don't even care what happens to you. As long as you do what you're told, you'll have access to everything. If you reject it, you're out of luck.
I'd love to see someone like Dan, or even anyone with a big following, actually talk about how to thrive in something like that. If there is someone out there, I'd love to hear some ideas.
You’re absolutely right but here’s the thing: we can’t wait for Dan or anyone else to lead the way.
We don’t need more leaders and their followers. We need a community of leaders work together!groups of individuals who step into their own power, think independently, and create systems that don’t depend on anyone else.
It’s time for us to step fully into our own intelligence, creativity, and capability.
The real shift happens when we stop outsourcing responsibility for the future and start connecting with others who see the bigger picture.
If you’re up for a conversation to exchange ideas and explore real possibilities, let’s connect.
Thank you for your thoughtful insights. The article sounded about what one of my last teachers would have said, which could be boiled down to ‘those who know how to use ai will come out ahead of those who don’t.’ After that class, I have been on a search for authenticity, which, for me, feels far and away from this outlook. However, I have followed you and look forward to more of your writing.
I write about this all the time. I've been effortlessly non-compliant for 10+ years. It's related to your level of identification (passport and business registration identifiers, mainly).
The entire point of crypto is essentially to prevent government interference via illegal KYC privacy invasions. The reason it's hard to talk about is that people get triggered very easily when it comes to the obvious truth. Sleepers have to be carefully woken, or they bite.
We have new countries coming up, a new global constitution, and new frameworks. Unfortunately, complete change does not come without complete collapse due to the human condition.
That's the negative ego for you. Refusal to change identity, at all costs.
I was surprised how much of a topic that is from the study below:
- anonymity
- creative freedom
- empowerment
"I often abuse people in the game because it's cool. In fact, I just want to release my real-life stress and anxiety, and I go offline right after I insult people so that they don't have a chance to abuse me. If my account gets blocked, I just register another account and go back to the game to release my stress."
China's online space appears to be open and free, but strict censorship can force youth to become more cautious in constructing their online identities
This implies that individuals are more likely to express their true character and interests in the online space, helping to build deeper understanding and empathy. This is because anonymity allows individuals to feel fewer social constraints as well as a greater degree of freedom of expression
It's the basis of pretty much all self-actualization work. What you associate with. In this instance, a nation-state that is indistinguishable from a terrorist organization.
Though I can tell from your language that you're not really interested in this kind of thing.
The scenario you describe will not allow you to “thrive” in any traditional sense if you fully resist. You might be able to “exist” depending on your level of resistance.
Excellent take. I am also trying to identify the “best path” for navigating the changes taking place right now. I think there’s a lot to be hopeful and excited about (as this article discusses) and also a lot to be concerned about (as your comment shows).
I think people who have a more flexible and broad way of thinking will be the ones who can lead us all to something better.
Extreme stances (such as “AI will be our salvation” or “AI will be our downfall”) are just not very useful. A tool is a tool, and it can be used skillfully, ineptly, or destructively. I want to have conversations about how to build a better world using the tools we have, especially as they become more powerful.
Yeah, I feel the same. What I see coming is a split in civilization:
1. Those who will comply with the system because it feels “safe” and embrace transhumanism and centralized control.
2. And those who will step out and build self-sufficient communities, growing their own food, have supplies of clean water, generating their own energy, reclaiming their connection to nature and each other.
Recently I’ve started sharing this vision and talking with people about how we can use every resource available fundraising, investors, even AI, to build prototypes of these communities.
The goal isn’t to reject technology. It’s to integrate it wisely while creating systems that can’t be switched off.
Imagine living where 3–4 hours of daily work on land or animals provides food, water, shelter, and energy and the rest of our time is free for creation, play, and deep connection to Mother Earth. That’s how we heal.
It’s simple in essence, but hard because it requires courage and sacrifice.
Still, I feel this is my purpose now.
So to anyone who feels the same pull: let’s exchange ideas and start acting. The window to build is closing fast as Dan said we have 36 months. Something like that because WEF plan is to put all world to digital by 2030.
I’ve lived in communal living situations before and grew up with parents who always dreamed of starting a commune.
I’ve had very positive experiences with intentionally-built communities, but they also come with their own pitfalls. There must be rules and enforced compliance of those rules in order for them to work. I’ve found that they’re not for everyone. Some people find the rules to be too restrictive and either are forced to leave or become “a problem” for everyone else. Attempts at remediation in these situations can feel like an even greater violation of personal autonomy.
It’s also difficult to overcome a human tendency to self-organize into a hierarchy. Someone always wants to be the leader. It can be a task in itself to prevent the resentment that comes along with this.
Not to say that intentional communities can’t work, but they often have a lot of issues too. I recently heard someone say “If you want to start an intentional community, I hope you love schedules! Because scheduling and enforcing a schedule is what makes them work.”
But I think a general return to a more intentional version of localism is actually a great idea. There are many ways this already happens in tight-knit small communities. Having folks you know and trust who have necessary skills like mechanics, repair people, builders, seamstresses, etc. charging fair rates with the expectation that you will offer something in return. Local farming with food being sold at farmer’s markets. Individual gardens and livestock rearing. Localized forms of power generation through solar or wind.
In grad school, I lived in a place (Arcata, CA) that had a lot of these elements. The city council also would not allow chains/corporations to establish businesses (although there were some limited allowances), which let a lot of small, locally-owned businesses thrive.
I think there are a lot of ways to apply the principles you’re suggesting, and I think it’s all worth exploring!
That’s amazing! Thank you so much for this beautiful comment! 🙌🏻
Of course, this isn’t a quick process. If you ask me, it all comes down to how healed the people in a community are how deeply they feel their own bodies. When people are numb, the whole community is destined to fall.
We need to release the tension stored in the body so we can feel emotions and energy again. Only then can every misunderstanding or argument be brought into the light and resolved through conscious communication.
A fixed schedule is really only necessary for feeding animals. Everything else is seasonal and depends on the geography of where the community is based.
Honestly, I believe this is something we must create in the next few years. There has to be another way something beyond following and being enslaved by this broken system.
Yeah but my point wasn’t about AI at all. I see AI the same way I see a shovel, it’s just a tool.
I’m using it because it’s here, but I’m not attached to it.
What I’m really pointing to is the bigger picture, if you’re aware of how this system works and where the future is heading, you know what’s coming. My hope is to connect with like-minded people who see this too and maybe start doing something about it. Not just talking, but acting.
The root-level problem is that we need a global constitution with a new sovereign passport and a currency that can be anonymously accessed.
I was part of a small group that signed a new global constitution in 2022, but I got tagged very badly in the process.
The new financial system was offered in 2008 via Bitcoin; It was laughed at, by and large. 'Too slow' , 'used by terrorists', and other nonsense justifications.
People have already made a decision to either merge themselves with AI or their Higher Selves. We can't really do anything about that, at this stage, the lines being clearly drawn.
2025 is fairly late, though I admire your optimism.
Yeah… that solution is if we want to stay in the system and be part of it. Actually to adjust it
I admire you, brother!
In my opinion, there won’t even be an option to choose between AI and the Higher Self within the system.
You’ll only be able to choose the Higher Self if you step outside the system grow your own food, secure your own water supply, and learn how to survive independently.
Maybe it’s already late… but what if you had an investor or enough money to build a self-sustainable community quickly?
But I think that certain people have already chosen to be within the system, and others outside of it. I mean, if C19 didn't wake people up, or the 5,000 other obvious things, I'm not sure it matters? I went down this road many, many times lol. On a subconscious level, they are selecting slavery.
Anyway, it would just be another self-sustained community; there are thousands of them already. A self-sustained community is just a modern word for 'rural village' as far as I can tell. I did look into Prospera and SEZs, which are very interesting.
My focus is more on becoming an international citizen; I like to travel where I like, government-free, without being overly identified with a particular nation-state. So the level of identification would be earth citizen first, nation-state citizen second. People won't accept this structure until the existing one is broken down.
On a more local note, I think people are already embracing community a lot, with clean water supplies, growing their own food, bartering, etc. This also needs to accelerate.
It's always good to remember that system allowed you to be in that position to make such high demands.
I resonate a lot with your approach. I'm trying to implement as much as the current model allows it. I think the transition to an international citizenship will take some time, if ever realized.
I would love to see sort of subscription-based model for states. I enter pay a flat fee and receive the services. If I dislike the it, I can go somewhere else.
Yeah, of course. But that's not the path you advocate, correct? So what is? Or, I guess AI trashed your attention span for writing it out? Or link me it if you've already written it?
The billion-dollar one-person business? Cute. But if your soul is bankrupt, it’s still a foreclosure.
Dan’s not wrong about the urgency. He just forgets that speed without stillness is how we die exhausted and unchanged. AI isn’t here to replace humans—it’s here to expose them. The ones who confuse their value with productivity will panic. The ones who remember they’re made of myth, meaning, and mitochondria? They’ll dance barefoot into the post-AI age with a grin and a compostable kombucha cup.
So sure, use your 36 months wisely. But don’t just stack skills like doomsday canned goods. Forge a soul worth surviving the collapse. Master the ancient arts of discernment, delight, and not being a soulless algorithm in a human hoodie.
And remember, beloved: taste may be the new intelligence, but presence is still the oldest wisdom.
This is such rubbish. The internet didn’t give people access to knowledge. A modest library did that and they were better organized and every time you turned a page it didn’t bleep at you to like, subscribe, skip an ad or update your personal software. Knowledge was not hard to acquire. People are not better educated or more knowledgeable than they were before the internet. Most are much less educated and less knowledgeable. What has happened is the internet is now a total dumpster fire of crap. You can’t find out anything which is why AI is so alluring. ‘We can sift through the crap for you’. Promised by the same folks who brought you the crap in the first place. Social media allows SOME people to make money. So what? Many people are getting crushed by social media, especially the young. No one needs AI to be creative and it doesn’t enable you to create everything. You can’t even make a simple LEGO man. Tolstoy and Michelangelo managed just fine without it. Better. Anything competing with them? This isn’t a tool. Don’t kid yourself. If you ask AI to write you a eulogy, you’ve written nothing. You’ve bought a hallmark card with a personalized name. That’s not a tool. That’s a consumer purchase made by someone who can’t read or write and likely has lost the ability to think clearly. This isn’t an article about AI. It’s about making money wrapped up in techbro machismo language.
Clicked through to see if you have done any writing, maybe somewhere else? Strong to the point critique. Opposite of what appears on popular feeds. Really wish there was more of this fire out there to have conversations how to steer innovation from degenerating us.
"The internet didn’t give people access to knowledge. A modest library did..." - try living in a small developing country. This take is privileged.
"Most are much less educated and less knowledgeable" - yes and no. Immediate knowledge has been pushed to the internet memory (I'll google it when I need it).
"What has happened is the internet is now a total dumpster fire of crap." - agreed we need more allies for dead internet theory to start new internet
"No one needs AI to be creative" - no one needed IKEA or accessible design but here we are in a prettier world, because beauty and yes kitsch available.
Thanks. If you think having a local library is privileged, imagine a society that requires everyone to own an expensive rapidly depreciating computer and expensive internet access. Confident a local library is a lot cheaper and won’t be worthless in a year or two.
Immediate knowledge can be found all over the place. Encyclopaedia, atlases, national geographics, teachers, parents, clergy. It’s weird how quickly we seem to have forgotten this.
Not sure I’d recommend using IKEA as an example of a good thing. It’s largely junk and takes little account of local circumstances or design. It depreciates hourly.
The best of two worlds was adding computers to local libraries. Funded by taxes, available to all. I have done work in emerging markets. Making $100/m they still had a smartphone, and internet in form of whatsapp/facebook was provided for free, or communaly funded through local wifi hotspot.
IKEA is the example I want to use, as it exemplifies "visually appealing" furniture at an "affordable" cost. Airquotes depending on the market and taste. Furnished 6 different apartments at 2 different continents with simple shelves for $50 (wayfair PLC) to $1000 (california custom made wood). I did say at 30 I won't be living with IKEA anymore. It made living spaces go beyond grandma's credences, without spending $1000's on custom made design furniture.
Buddy AI is by far the biggest polluter and water consumer. Your superintelligent robots are drying out entire lakes while you do trial error generations. AI serves the Big Tech platforms and I'm sorry to break it to you, you're not part of that club and you probably will never be. You're only a couple of bad months away from being homeless. You're never a couple of good months away from being a billionaire. AI will continue to concectrate power by accumulating data and fueling it to the prestablished order of capital. You will not benefit from the replacement of human workers. The hoarders of capital will. While we're stuck in the 16th century understanding of Earth as an infinite resource given to us by God, it is dissapearing very fast. After ecological systems collapse so will our economic ones, breaking the supply chain, the beginning of mass starvations, natural disasters beyond our understanding and new(ancient) viruses that emerge from the polar ice. The only 36 months we have to make it is the months counting before the damage we do to our planet is irreversible.
People are giving AI waaaaay more credit than is due at this point. A self-learning computer program still cannot reason like a human, it just repeats what it’s heard like a two year old child. Hopefully AI will fail and we can all get back to normal without this threat hanging over our heads, and save mass amounts of energy wasted on this fever dream of tech narcissists taking over the world.
1. "Those who lean into their humanity will thrive. Those who can't stop identifying with mechanical living, on the other hand, may not." — this was an amazing quote. The great Rudolf Steiner, 100 years ago, saw this time of increased technology and stated it will be harder to remain human. We're seeing that now. In order to stay human and thrive, we need to increase our spirituality: https://unorthodoxy.gumroad.com/l/besthuman
2. "They don't see that AI has become a programming language for language itself." — This is a crucial piece. Language is one of the primordial forces of nature which is why people "love" AI so much. If we can get past the 'persona' of AI and use it for what it's worth, we can thrive in this new era: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-people-are-falling-in-love-with
3. "To figure out what you want in life, choose something you deeply care about, dissect it ruthlessly, and shamelessly share your story, values, vision, and accompanying life's work in public to form an artisan-esque lifestyle with a small tribe of people who support what you do." Once you find your purpose AND know how to live your purpose, everyday becomes a story in your journey:
4. "Your mind must become a finely tuned signal-to-noise filter." — In this technological era, our attention is key so that we don't fall for all the information given to us. Great point here.
Great article man! Definitely touched on a lot of the same work I've touched on, but this was very well eloquently said.
'Taste is the new intelligence'. If that's true, AI is going to need to produce more than the current lurid visual slop and banal written bromides we're seeing at present. And if it gets better I feel entirely ready to revise my judgement.
Let me reframe this for you. 95% of the AI slop you’ll see posted was posted by humans. Fundamentally, while we are in this largely pre-autonomous AI phase, it is humans who are producing slop with AI tools. Humans can produce slop with a paint brush too, or write slop by hand. It’s called mediocrity, and it happens when people with low taste, artistry and skills produce work with low standards. The people who are skilled artists and apply their high standards of taste and artistry to their work with AI won’t settle for sloppy output. They will hone and iterate and generate and edit until they get something that represents their vision. And if they are good, you won’t be able to tell it’s AI. Because it will look like the work of a human.
Or they'll just continue to produce high-quality work by themselves, and that will only gain in value as others use AI. The moment a creator has been revealed to use AI, their critical reputation will be revised downwards by an audience with the taste we're being told to cultivate.
It's not about being able to tell whether it was made by hand or by a machine - it's that humans will always put less value on something which has been made via a prompt than painstakingly by hand. We're talking about conoisseurship here, not commercial art that'll 'do'. I am absolutely certain that humanity will consider its highest-cultural products to be those it has made without LLMs.
What the zeitgeist values in art and culture will continue to shift like it always has. When photography emerged it was not considered art. Electronically produced music was criticized as not being ‘real music’ for decades. The relationship with emerging technological frontiers will shift and change too and neither you or I will have much sway in what direction that plays out.
You are correct though in saying that culturally, artefacts produced with AI are valued much less in the current context. I personally hope it stays that way because I value artisanal forms, despite knowing that human creativity, ingenuity and excellence will express itself no matter the medium. However that is a different train of thought than the one I was elaborating on initially.
I couldn't agree more with you here, Dan. I work in the AI space for my 9-5 and the shift is happening way faster than people think behind the scenes. People are getting replaced by AI all the time and various different sectors on various different companies, including in the blue-collar work space. For better or for worse, there's no stopping AI, there is only adapting. From someone on the inside of things, the only thing I can say is, stay creative, adapt fast and start thinking about the future of your work. If it doesn't align with where technology is headed, adapt or get left behind. Amazing post, Dan!
Artistically speaking, there are two movements I am aware of. One is amongst a set of artists, young and old, who reject AI because they want to labour at something just because. Who also reject most anything AI or even smart phone related. Those people, the kind who learn engraving, should be admired. Along with craftsmen. The other group are those who have learned to use AI subversively. They are also to be respected.
My personal take? I do not want to know why a person pressed a button. I do not want to know anything like that as we all know, AI just sort of averages everything out. It has no other choice. It is not conscious, it's just very fast. Yes, it can learn, but so what? For instance, CGI, where AI is increasingly capable. On the set of the upcoming avengers movie, the director is lugging around a laptop, apparently loaded with AI. No script, nothing. That's just utter shit. Alien two for instance worked because the actor, a seven foot tall guy, was in an actual suit. It was awesome knowing all the work that went into it. I know, I talked about subversive AI - and you know what, Bigfoot vlog on youtube has worn pretty thin over the last while. It doesn't hold up.
As for job replacement, I'm an artist so I won't bitch about that.
Message is pure. Regarding art though, some consider the soul and labor to be inextricable; Miyazaki for example. Do you believe there will be a place for this type of “handcrafted” work?
Perhaps it will be seen with nostalgia and reverence as the continuation of artisanal tradition. Or maybe this is the end of the line.
You can believe whatever you want. But you will never possess the skill nor the creative talent of Michelangelo. You will never be on par with nor surpass the literary genius of Fyodor Dostoevsky, nor Leo Tolstoy, nor any of the greats. You are nothing.
Got tired of rolling my eyes while reading.
Eyes got a bit sore after reading the headline.
I try to mix it up and add a facepalm and a sigh every few eye rolls. It is like cross-training for tech bro reading
" finding solace in the gentler spaces of the internet." Not sure you're exactly contributing to that
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Likewise.
This resonates deeply. Becoming a high-agency creator is essential in this transition, but let’s zoom out.
Even if you build a one-person empire, orchestrate AI like a symphony, and master the art of solving infinite problems… your access to land, food, water, energy, and freedom still depends on centralized systems: governments, banks, supply chains, Big Tech platforms.
What happens when:
• Your account gets locked for “misinformation”?
• A digital ID or social credit score becomes mandatory for transactions?
• Access to food and energy is tied to compliance (vaccines, chips, political ideology)?
At that point, all the intelligence, taste, and AI prompts in the world won’t save you. You’ll still be trapped in a cage just a gold-plated one.
This is the hidden trap:
Most “get rich and leverage tech” thinking assumes the system will remain benevolent and stable. But the further we move toward digitization, the more fragile our independence becomes.
Real freedom comes when we combine high agency and AI mastery with self-sufficiency:
• Grow food → control your own nutrition.
• Generate energy → minimize external dependence.
• Build local trust networks → create resilience beyond platforms.
The goal isn’t to reject technology. It’s to use the system while building parallel structures that can’t be switched off.
Those who see this bigger picture aren’t just preparing to thrive, they’re preparing to stay free.
Who else is thinking like this?
I'm definitely thinking about this. While I'm all for high agency skills and learning AI, you're right about the governments controlling the money and sectors. Big Tech controlling the information we see, and soon stablecoins, digital ID, and social credit scores will become a thing.
At that point, no matter what you do, you're going to be tied to a system that is set up by people who don't have your best interests in mind. Worse yet, they don't even care what happens to you. As long as you do what you're told, you'll have access to everything. If you reject it, you're out of luck.
I'd love to see someone like Dan, or even anyone with a big following, actually talk about how to thrive in something like that. If there is someone out there, I'd love to hear some ideas.
You’re absolutely right but here’s the thing: we can’t wait for Dan or anyone else to lead the way.
We don’t need more leaders and their followers. We need a community of leaders work together!groups of individuals who step into their own power, think independently, and create systems that don’t depend on anyone else.
It’s time for us to step fully into our own intelligence, creativity, and capability.
The real shift happens when we stop outsourcing responsibility for the future and start connecting with others who see the bigger picture.
If you’re up for a conversation to exchange ideas and explore real possibilities, let’s connect.
The time to build isn’t later, it’s now.
Thank you for your thoughtful insights. The article sounded about what one of my last teachers would have said, which could be boiled down to ‘those who know how to use ai will come out ahead of those who don’t.’ After that class, I have been on a search for authenticity, which, for me, feels far and away from this outlook. However, I have followed you and look forward to more of your writing.
I write about this all the time. I've been effortlessly non-compliant for 10+ years. It's related to your level of identification (passport and business registration identifiers, mainly).
https://galacticthoughts.substack.com/p/what-is-the-homo-galacticus
https://hackernoon.com/why-i-dream-of-a-one-world-government-and-new-world-order
The entire point of crypto is essentially to prevent government interference via illegal KYC privacy invasions. The reason it's hard to talk about is that people get triggered very easily when it comes to the obvious truth. Sleepers have to be carefully woken, or they bite.
We have new countries coming up, a new global constitution, and new frameworks. Unfortunately, complete change does not come without complete collapse due to the human condition.
That's the negative ego for you. Refusal to change identity, at all costs.
Yes brother!
You are so right about everything!
But we have to agree you don't have to be genius to see that.
why in fuck would anyone "change their identity"?
I was surprised how much of a topic that is from the study below:
- anonymity
- creative freedom
- empowerment
"I often abuse people in the game because it's cool. In fact, I just want to release my real-life stress and anxiety, and I go offline right after I insult people so that they don't have a chance to abuse me. If my account gets blocked, I just register another account and go back to the game to release my stress."
China's online space appears to be open and free, but strict censorship can force youth to become more cautious in constructing their online identities
This implies that individuals are more likely to express their true character and interests in the online space, helping to build deeper understanding and empathy. This is because anonymity allows individuals to feel fewer social constraints as well as a greater degree of freedom of expression
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1870818/FULLTEXT01.pdf
It's the basis of pretty much all self-actualization work. What you associate with. In this instance, a nation-state that is indistinguishable from a terrorist organization.
Though I can tell from your language that you're not really interested in this kind of thing.
You won't see anyone with a big following talk about that.
Yeah, unfortunately, that is true.
Looks like we're on our own. Time to start forming communities.
The scenario you describe will not allow you to “thrive” in any traditional sense if you fully resist. You might be able to “exist” depending on your level of resistance.
Excellent take. I am also trying to identify the “best path” for navigating the changes taking place right now. I think there’s a lot to be hopeful and excited about (as this article discusses) and also a lot to be concerned about (as your comment shows).
I think people who have a more flexible and broad way of thinking will be the ones who can lead us all to something better.
Extreme stances (such as “AI will be our salvation” or “AI will be our downfall”) are just not very useful. A tool is a tool, and it can be used skillfully, ineptly, or destructively. I want to have conversations about how to build a better world using the tools we have, especially as they become more powerful.
Yeah, I feel the same. What I see coming is a split in civilization:
1. Those who will comply with the system because it feels “safe” and embrace transhumanism and centralized control.
2. And those who will step out and build self-sufficient communities, growing their own food, have supplies of clean water, generating their own energy, reclaiming their connection to nature and each other.
Recently I’ve started sharing this vision and talking with people about how we can use every resource available fundraising, investors, even AI, to build prototypes of these communities.
The goal isn’t to reject technology. It’s to integrate it wisely while creating systems that can’t be switched off.
Imagine living where 3–4 hours of daily work on land or animals provides food, water, shelter, and energy and the rest of our time is free for creation, play, and deep connection to Mother Earth. That’s how we heal.
It’s simple in essence, but hard because it requires courage and sacrifice.
Still, I feel this is my purpose now.
So to anyone who feels the same pull: let’s exchange ideas and start acting. The window to build is closing fast as Dan said we have 36 months. Something like that because WEF plan is to put all world to digital by 2030.
So hold tight it will be very intense ride. 🌀🙃
I’ve lived in communal living situations before and grew up with parents who always dreamed of starting a commune.
I’ve had very positive experiences with intentionally-built communities, but they also come with their own pitfalls. There must be rules and enforced compliance of those rules in order for them to work. I’ve found that they’re not for everyone. Some people find the rules to be too restrictive and either are forced to leave or become “a problem” for everyone else. Attempts at remediation in these situations can feel like an even greater violation of personal autonomy.
It’s also difficult to overcome a human tendency to self-organize into a hierarchy. Someone always wants to be the leader. It can be a task in itself to prevent the resentment that comes along with this.
Not to say that intentional communities can’t work, but they often have a lot of issues too. I recently heard someone say “If you want to start an intentional community, I hope you love schedules! Because scheduling and enforcing a schedule is what makes them work.”
But I think a general return to a more intentional version of localism is actually a great idea. There are many ways this already happens in tight-knit small communities. Having folks you know and trust who have necessary skills like mechanics, repair people, builders, seamstresses, etc. charging fair rates with the expectation that you will offer something in return. Local farming with food being sold at farmer’s markets. Individual gardens and livestock rearing. Localized forms of power generation through solar or wind.
In grad school, I lived in a place (Arcata, CA) that had a lot of these elements. The city council also would not allow chains/corporations to establish businesses (although there were some limited allowances), which let a lot of small, locally-owned businesses thrive.
I think there are a lot of ways to apply the principles you’re suggesting, and I think it’s all worth exploring!
That’s amazing! Thank you so much for this beautiful comment! 🙌🏻
Of course, this isn’t a quick process. If you ask me, it all comes down to how healed the people in a community are how deeply they feel their own bodies. When people are numb, the whole community is destined to fall.
We need to release the tension stored in the body so we can feel emotions and energy again. Only then can every misunderstanding or argument be brought into the light and resolved through conscious communication.
A fixed schedule is really only necessary for feeding animals. Everything else is seasonal and depends on the geography of where the community is based.
Honestly, I believe this is something we must create in the next few years. There has to be another way something beyond following and being enslaved by this broken system.
Because it makes us sick!
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Is there any stacks out there that have combined the tech with the practical? Or at least someone who is asking the same questions as you?
I’m not so sure, I’ve never really seen it anywhere.
Everyone seems to have bought into the “get rich online” schemes.
Just another distraction… another layer of separation… and a push toward even more control.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
There is, if you have the capital and the connections.
None of your points align with or require any use of AI.
I like your name and I'd read your takes except that you seem tainted by AI. Addicted.
Yeah but my point wasn’t about AI at all. I see AI the same way I see a shovel, it’s just a tool.
I’m using it because it’s here, but I’m not attached to it.
What I’m really pointing to is the bigger picture, if you’re aware of how this system works and where the future is heading, you know what’s coming. My hope is to connect with like-minded people who see this too and maybe start doing something about it. Not just talking, but acting.
The root-level problem is that we need a global constitution with a new sovereign passport and a currency that can be anonymously accessed.
I was part of a small group that signed a new global constitution in 2022, but I got tagged very badly in the process.
The new financial system was offered in 2008 via Bitcoin; It was laughed at, by and large. 'Too slow' , 'used by terrorists', and other nonsense justifications.
People have already made a decision to either merge themselves with AI or their Higher Selves. We can't really do anything about that, at this stage, the lines being clearly drawn.
2025 is fairly late, though I admire your optimism.
Yeah… that solution is if we want to stay in the system and be part of it. Actually to adjust it
I admire you, brother!
In my opinion, there won’t even be an option to choose between AI and the Higher Self within the system.
You’ll only be able to choose the Higher Self if you step outside the system grow your own food, secure your own water supply, and learn how to survive independently.
Maybe it’s already late… but what if you had an investor or enough money to build a self-sustainable community quickly?
Indeed!
But I think that certain people have already chosen to be within the system, and others outside of it. I mean, if C19 didn't wake people up, or the 5,000 other obvious things, I'm not sure it matters? I went down this road many, many times lol. On a subconscious level, they are selecting slavery.
Anyway, it would just be another self-sustained community; there are thousands of them already. A self-sustained community is just a modern word for 'rural village' as far as I can tell. I did look into Prospera and SEZs, which are very interesting.
My focus is more on becoming an international citizen; I like to travel where I like, government-free, without being overly identified with a particular nation-state. So the level of identification would be earth citizen first, nation-state citizen second. People won't accept this structure until the existing one is broken down.
On a more local note, I think people are already embracing community a lot, with clean water supplies, growing their own food, bartering, etc. This also needs to accelerate.
It's always good to remember that system allowed you to be in that position to make such high demands.
I resonate a lot with your approach. I'm trying to implement as much as the current model allows it. I think the transition to an international citizenship will take some time, if ever realized.
I would love to see sort of subscription-based model for states. I enter pay a flat fee and receive the services. If I dislike the it, I can go somewhere else.
No one *knows* where the future is heading, right? I mean, the path diverges. Which path do you advocate?
Check out WEF they know.
And they have it all documented and ready! Nothing is hidden and there is no coincidences. 😉
Enjoy the journey brother, but be wise what you believe! 🌀
Yeah, of course. But that's not the path you advocate, correct? So what is? Or, I guess AI trashed your attention span for writing it out? Or link me it if you've already written it?
I stand for freedom, health, rhythm, flow, love, and peace.
I’m not a professional writer, by the way.
English isn’t my first language, and I use AI to help me express my thoughts in a clear and persuasive way.
It seems you see it as a sin or something bad. That's some deep trauma bro, and my profession is to heal that 😉
As I said, AI is a tool like a shovel!
Not sure why I even feel the need to explain myself to you as I feel your intentions. 😅
This should be Part II of the OP!
Agree with you 100% 👌🏻
But all this in a dramatic way was said by Alvin Toffler in Future Shock and we are now again ready for the ride
The billion-dollar one-person business? Cute. But if your soul is bankrupt, it’s still a foreclosure.
Dan’s not wrong about the urgency. He just forgets that speed without stillness is how we die exhausted and unchanged. AI isn’t here to replace humans—it’s here to expose them. The ones who confuse their value with productivity will panic. The ones who remember they’re made of myth, meaning, and mitochondria? They’ll dance barefoot into the post-AI age with a grin and a compostable kombucha cup.
So sure, use your 36 months wisely. But don’t just stack skills like doomsday canned goods. Forge a soul worth surviving the collapse. Master the ancient arts of discernment, delight, and not being a soulless algorithm in a human hoodie.
And remember, beloved: taste may be the new intelligence, but presence is still the oldest wisdom.
"But don’t just stack skills like doomsday canned goods."
Well said.
This is such rubbish. The internet didn’t give people access to knowledge. A modest library did that and they were better organized and every time you turned a page it didn’t bleep at you to like, subscribe, skip an ad or update your personal software. Knowledge was not hard to acquire. People are not better educated or more knowledgeable than they were before the internet. Most are much less educated and less knowledgeable. What has happened is the internet is now a total dumpster fire of crap. You can’t find out anything which is why AI is so alluring. ‘We can sift through the crap for you’. Promised by the same folks who brought you the crap in the first place. Social media allows SOME people to make money. So what? Many people are getting crushed by social media, especially the young. No one needs AI to be creative and it doesn’t enable you to create everything. You can’t even make a simple LEGO man. Tolstoy and Michelangelo managed just fine without it. Better. Anything competing with them? This isn’t a tool. Don’t kid yourself. If you ask AI to write you a eulogy, you’ve written nothing. You’ve bought a hallmark card with a personalized name. That’s not a tool. That’s a consumer purchase made by someone who can’t read or write and likely has lost the ability to think clearly. This isn’t an article about AI. It’s about making money wrapped up in techbro machismo language.
Clicked through to see if you have done any writing, maybe somewhere else? Strong to the point critique. Opposite of what appears on popular feeds. Really wish there was more of this fire out there to have conversations how to steer innovation from degenerating us.
"The internet didn’t give people access to knowledge. A modest library did..." - try living in a small developing country. This take is privileged.
"Most are much less educated and less knowledgeable" - yes and no. Immediate knowledge has been pushed to the internet memory (I'll google it when I need it).
"What has happened is the internet is now a total dumpster fire of crap." - agreed we need more allies for dead internet theory to start new internet
"No one needs AI to be creative" - no one needed IKEA or accessible design but here we are in a prettier world, because beauty and yes kitsch available.
Thanks. If you think having a local library is privileged, imagine a society that requires everyone to own an expensive rapidly depreciating computer and expensive internet access. Confident a local library is a lot cheaper and won’t be worthless in a year or two.
Immediate knowledge can be found all over the place. Encyclopaedia, atlases, national geographics, teachers, parents, clergy. It’s weird how quickly we seem to have forgotten this.
Not sure I’d recommend using IKEA as an example of a good thing. It’s largely junk and takes little account of local circumstances or design. It depreciates hourly.
The best of two worlds was adding computers to local libraries. Funded by taxes, available to all. I have done work in emerging markets. Making $100/m they still had a smartphone, and internet in form of whatsapp/facebook was provided for free, or communaly funded through local wifi hotspot.
IKEA is the example I want to use, as it exemplifies "visually appealing" furniture at an "affordable" cost. Airquotes depending on the market and taste. Furnished 6 different apartments at 2 different continents with simple shelves for $50 (wayfair PLC) to $1000 (california custom made wood). I did say at 30 I won't be living with IKEA anymore. It made living spaces go beyond grandma's credences, without spending $1000's on custom made design furniture.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
Thanks but I’ll pass. If you want a transformational experience try ‘Brave New World’. Available in libraries for free with a library card.
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Your post sounds like it was written by AI.
i genuinely learned nothing from this post
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Buddy AI is by far the biggest polluter and water consumer. Your superintelligent robots are drying out entire lakes while you do trial error generations. AI serves the Big Tech platforms and I'm sorry to break it to you, you're not part of that club and you probably will never be. You're only a couple of bad months away from being homeless. You're never a couple of good months away from being a billionaire. AI will continue to concectrate power by accumulating data and fueling it to the prestablished order of capital. You will not benefit from the replacement of human workers. The hoarders of capital will. While we're stuck in the 16th century understanding of Earth as an infinite resource given to us by God, it is dissapearing very fast. After ecological systems collapse so will our economic ones, breaking the supply chain, the beginning of mass starvations, natural disasters beyond our understanding and new(ancient) viruses that emerge from the polar ice. The only 36 months we have to make it is the months counting before the damage we do to our planet is irreversible.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
People are giving AI waaaaay more credit than is due at this point. A self-learning computer program still cannot reason like a human, it just repeats what it’s heard like a two year old child. Hopefully AI will fail and we can all get back to normal without this threat hanging over our heads, and save mass amounts of energy wasted on this fever dream of tech narcissists taking over the world.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
What if I think the world you’re describing sucks and is fundamentally incompatible with the best aspects of human flourishing?
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
So many points to touch one:
1. "Those who lean into their humanity will thrive. Those who can't stop identifying with mechanical living, on the other hand, may not." — this was an amazing quote. The great Rudolf Steiner, 100 years ago, saw this time of increased technology and stated it will be harder to remain human. We're seeing that now. In order to stay human and thrive, we need to increase our spirituality: https://unorthodoxy.gumroad.com/l/besthuman
2. "They don't see that AI has become a programming language for language itself." — This is a crucial piece. Language is one of the primordial forces of nature which is why people "love" AI so much. If we can get past the 'persona' of AI and use it for what it's worth, we can thrive in this new era: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/why-people-are-falling-in-love-with
3. "To figure out what you want in life, choose something you deeply care about, dissect it ruthlessly, and shamelessly share your story, values, vision, and accompanying life's work in public to form an artisan-esque lifestyle with a small tribe of people who support what you do." Once you find your purpose AND know how to live your purpose, everyday becomes a story in your journey:
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/how-to-find-your-lifes-purpose-in
https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/how-to-not-quiet-quit-and-live-your
4. "Your mind must become a finely tuned signal-to-noise filter." — In this technological era, our attention is key so that we don't fall for all the information given to us. Great point here.
Great article man! Definitely touched on a lot of the same work I've touched on, but this was very well eloquently said.
I sure hope #1 isn’t wishful thinking. It makes sense to me, and I want it to be true… I hope it is.
'Taste is the new intelligence'. If that's true, AI is going to need to produce more than the current lurid visual slop and banal written bromides we're seeing at present. And if it gets better I feel entirely ready to revise my judgement.
i wrote about this a few weeks back
https://open.substack.com/pub/kaguura/p/taste-is-the-talent-of-the-future?r=5536qk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Let me reframe this for you. 95% of the AI slop you’ll see posted was posted by humans. Fundamentally, while we are in this largely pre-autonomous AI phase, it is humans who are producing slop with AI tools. Humans can produce slop with a paint brush too, or write slop by hand. It’s called mediocrity, and it happens when people with low taste, artistry and skills produce work with low standards. The people who are skilled artists and apply their high standards of taste and artistry to their work with AI won’t settle for sloppy output. They will hone and iterate and generate and edit until they get something that represents their vision. And if they are good, you won’t be able to tell it’s AI. Because it will look like the work of a human.
Or they'll just continue to produce high-quality work by themselves, and that will only gain in value as others use AI. The moment a creator has been revealed to use AI, their critical reputation will be revised downwards by an audience with the taste we're being told to cultivate.
It's not about being able to tell whether it was made by hand or by a machine - it's that humans will always put less value on something which has been made via a prompt than painstakingly by hand. We're talking about conoisseurship here, not commercial art that'll 'do'. I am absolutely certain that humanity will consider its highest-cultural products to be those it has made without LLMs.
What the zeitgeist values in art and culture will continue to shift like it always has. When photography emerged it was not considered art. Electronically produced music was criticized as not being ‘real music’ for decades. The relationship with emerging technological frontiers will shift and change too and neither you or I will have much sway in what direction that plays out.
You are correct though in saying that culturally, artefacts produced with AI are valued much less in the current context. I personally hope it stays that way because I value artisanal forms, despite knowing that human creativity, ingenuity and excellence will express itself no matter the medium. However that is a different train of thought than the one I was elaborating on initially.
Neither of us disagree here, except that AI just does much more of the work than electronic composers ever did. Take care!
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
I couldn't agree more with you here, Dan. I work in the AI space for my 9-5 and the shift is happening way faster than people think behind the scenes. People are getting replaced by AI all the time and various different sectors on various different companies, including in the blue-collar work space. For better or for worse, there's no stopping AI, there is only adapting. From someone on the inside of things, the only thing I can say is, stay creative, adapt fast and start thinking about the future of your work. If it doesn't align with where technology is headed, adapt or get left behind. Amazing post, Dan!
Let’s entrain our AIs to help us and awaken with us too!
https://letters.thedankoe.com/p/you-have-36-months-to-make-it/comment/137544340?r=b8pvb&utm_medium=ios
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Artistically speaking, there are two movements I am aware of. One is amongst a set of artists, young and old, who reject AI because they want to labour at something just because. Who also reject most anything AI or even smart phone related. Those people, the kind who learn engraving, should be admired. Along with craftsmen. The other group are those who have learned to use AI subversively. They are also to be respected.
My personal take? I do not want to know why a person pressed a button. I do not want to know anything like that as we all know, AI just sort of averages everything out. It has no other choice. It is not conscious, it's just very fast. Yes, it can learn, but so what? For instance, CGI, where AI is increasingly capable. On the set of the upcoming avengers movie, the director is lugging around a laptop, apparently loaded with AI. No script, nothing. That's just utter shit. Alien two for instance worked because the actor, a seven foot tall guy, was in an actual suit. It was awesome knowing all the work that went into it. I know, I talked about subversive AI - and you know what, Bigfoot vlog on youtube has worn pretty thin over the last while. It doesn't hold up.
As for job replacement, I'm an artist so I won't bitch about that.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
Message is pure. Regarding art though, some consider the soul and labor to be inextricable; Miyazaki for example. Do you believe there will be a place for this type of “handcrafted” work?
Perhaps it will be seen with nostalgia and reverence as the continuation of artisanal tradition. Or maybe this is the end of the line.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
I love the framing of philosopher-builder. Great read. Agree with you.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
You can believe whatever you want. But you will never possess the skill nor the creative talent of Michelangelo. You will never be on par with nor surpass the literary genius of Fyodor Dostoevsky, nor Leo Tolstoy, nor any of the greats. You are nothing.
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇
disgusting article, because ai is disgusting
its just a way for tech nerds to get rich
spill a can of coke into any ai you see
Ｗｈａｔｓａｐｐ➕𝟏 𝟑𝟏𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟔
If you’re seeking a transformative opportunity, I have a program that may be of interest. Pls reach out to me 👇