The Focus of This Site

What is “Hobopoet” about?

I’ve chosen five general themes:

Voluntary Simplicity

My definition of “simplicity” is simple– living well below your economic means.   Of course, this will vary for different people.  For someone making 10,000 dollars a year, simplicity might involve living in your car (as I did).  For a multi-millionaire, simplicity might contain a more luxurious lifestyle–  but still well below your income level.

Simplicity offers a great deal of mental ease and happiness.   It is also a key ingredient for the second Hobopoet principle, Freedom….

Freedom

I’m talking about freedom in all its forms.  We need economic freedom– freedom from bosses, freedom from wage slavery, freedom from deprivation.  We need mental freedom– freedom from cultural propaganda and programming.  We need emotional freedom– the freedom to master our emotions, not be ruled by them. We need temporal freedom- the freedom to use our time doing what makes us most happy and excited about life. Of course, we need physical freedom– freedom from imprisonment and physical harm….  and also freedom from illness.

When we live simply and are free, we feel a tremendous amount of happiness.   It is that happiness which inspires us to feel and share our kindness….

Kindness

Simply put–  we want all sentient beings to be happy and free from suffering.   This is the boddhisattva vow–  to achieve liberation not only for oneself, but for all beings.   As we grow happier and more free, we are naturally inspired to help others do the same.

As we share with others, we also grow stronger within ourselves.  We need to depend less on others.  We need to take less from others because we learn to fulfill ourselves.   We gain an abundant self-reliance….  a spirit of independence and generosity….

Self-Reliance

Our goal is not to take from others, nor to beg, nor to live like stunted dependent children.  We aim for self-reliance– a deep trust in ourselves.   Our aim is to give and contribute.   The only things we are strongly driven to acquire are knowledge and wisdom.  Independent travel is our primary way of connecting with and learning about the world…..

Independent Travel

There is, arguably, no better means of learning and growing than independent travel.  Travel strips away our safe, culturally programmed beliefs and identities.  Travel opens us to new worlds, new people, new cultures.   As Hobopoets, we are not nationalists.  We are citizens of the world.

We follow in the great Zen, Sufi, and spiritual-nomadic traditions– seeking knowledge and wisdom through internal and external exploration.