All the world astounds me and I think I understand...

What is wrong with this picture?

The problem with walls is just how quickly that which was built to protect us first encircles and then imprisons us. Right now there are a lot of walls in our country, imprisoning, separating and isolating us one from another. There are so many of us living alone within the walled confines of our homes huddled around our families and living in fear. All according to the great plan...

You see, we live in a society whose economic engine is driven by fear. Most people believe that the fuel that runs our economy is greed or gluttony. Nothing could be further from the truth. The corporate masters who currently rule our country have learned the value of fear in the mind of the consumer.

That’s right, if we the American consumer are in a state of fearfulness, we shop and we shop in bulk. Think about the advertisements you watch; is your family protected, is your pantry stocked, getting enough vitamins, are you sleeping too little or too much? We are kept in a false sense of anxiety so that we consume. That is why we are an obese society. I may not have time later so I’d better consume something now.

Fear is the new motivator. Sure, sex still sells luxury automobiles, women’s products and beer but fear sells everything else. What do we do when we are nervous? That’s right, we consume. If we aren’t consuming then we’re hoarding against an uncertain future. When was the last time you felt really anxiety free? Sadly, this is the new American way.

The new American way is to live in constant state of fear. We fear the aliens from outer space. We fear the government conspiracy. We fear differing nationalities and those of different colors. We fear our neighbors and their religions. And increasingly, we fear even ourselves. As a result we are a society of walls sharing only one thing in common; consuming as a way of holding our fear at bay. And it is all in the name of profit.

We are being programmed to feel afraid. You don’t have to believe me. Watch your television, listen to your radio or read your newspapers and periodicals and count how many stories are about threats or surviving deadly peril. You’ll be surprised at the amount of anxiety inducing programming you’ll encounter. You’ll probably find yourself walking into the kitchen for something to consume.

My belief is that the real world is not so scary. I believe that if God truly created the world he created it as a way of sustaining life and not as a way of destroying it. I believe the corporate masters have perverted our view of the natural world. The natural world is a good place and not the never ending series of horrors it is being made out to be. In fact, I believe if you simply headed out into the world with nothing more than you could carry on an motorcoach you’d learn just how wonderful a place the planet truly is.

And thus we arrive at the destination point of today’s post; Pepper's blog. According to this woman she managed to break free from her corporate cubicle and headed off into the world armed only with her good friend and copilot, her mother. What? Oh yes, I can hear you now, “Danger Will Robinson, Danger! What are these women thinking?"

Well, I certainly can’t tell you what these two pioneering spirits are thinking, but thanks to Pepper’s blog I can tell you what they are experiencing. They are seeing the miracles of the world around them. They are viewing natural wonders and they are meeting kind strangers and turning them into good friends. This is why Pepper has become one of my new found heroes; she has broken free of her shackles and is living outside of the walls of fear. She is living a life filled with adventure and joy.

Pepper’s posts are always filled with good humor and a sense of expectation. I’ve never read a single word of fear in her writings. There are anecdotes, funny stories, tales of campgrounds and people, but never once have I read a tale of horror. She proves the truth of what I believe each and every day. The world is a marvelous and wonderful place.

Pepper’s blog is a montage of life. It is a place of faith, love and the unabashed expectation of adventure around every turn. She is living proof that the further you journey from fear the closer you come to the experience of excitement and wonder that the creator intended us to live in from the very first moment He created us.

Thank you, Pepper. You are the freest person I know; God’s speed on your journey. Please keep your posts coming; they are a wonderful example of the difference between walking in faith with God and burying one’s head in the sand of manmade fear.