Living Will and Testament of Max Edward Mogren

In a world overrun by greed, corruption, and wickedness, an honest man needs to be crystal clear when speaking his mind.  While the unenlightened elements of society lob clods of bullshit from strategic positions behind crumbling walls of lies, we progressives have only one weapon that cannot be corrupted or turned against us: pure, honest, unadulterated, heart-felt Truth.

Here in the Information Age, knowledge is power so sharing it freely and with no veiled self-interest is the only way to bring about a more just and hopeful world.

The widespread suffering, depression, and confusion we see in the world today is the direct result of most "conventional wisdom" being disinformative rubbish.  It's no wonder we've gotten our species and our planet in such a predicament when so much of what so many believe to be true is rooted in lies... monsterous, mediated, indoctrinated, inertia-driven, denial-fueled lies.

Fortunately, the bigger the lies become, the more simple and straightforward our inevitable return to truth becomes.  It may be painful.  It may be ugly.  But it will happen.

I'm happy to know which side of that line I stand on.

Painting by Tyler Davis, 42brushes.com

If history shows us anything, it's that telling the Truth usually bears little financial fruit and can actually cost you everything.  Ironically, the more successful a person becomes at telling the truth, the worse conditions may become for them: decades of whistleblowers and investigative journalists can attest to this.  Though I haven't been too successful in getting my own message out, I've even experienced this phenomenon personally.  Most people don't want to hear the truth because it makes them uncomfortable, and others have their greed pegged to such monsterous lies that they can't afford to let certain truths leak out.

So be it.

We pity the soulless who attack the truthful to protect their short sighted self-interests.  We pity their witless, mindless, gullible accomplices and those who stand on the sidelines of life with their hands over their eyes.  We pray for their awakening, that the sickness of self-deception crippling their existences' is cast out from their minds and bodies.

Personal growth is usually a painful process, and societal evolution inevitably is.  Our global network of interconnected communities -- built upon a fundamentally flawed foundation -- is facing a convergence of catastrophic circumstances.  There have been and will continue to be millions if not billions of human casualties. You and I may be among them.  Perhaps my insatiable curiosity and intense desire to get to the bottom of things and share that info with anyone who cares to listen could trigger the death, imprisonment, or debilitating ailment of me.

It seems our world has been conquered with unaffordable hospitals, unavoidable jails, unaccountable banks, and unbelievable government.  These and several major industries -- big energy, big agriculture, big pharma, big military, etc. -- have completely divorced themselves from respect for basic human rights, fundamental natural laws, common decency, and concern for our species' collective fate.  They have enthroned PROFIT not only above all else, but also as essential to meeting the self-destructive, planet-destroying bottom line required to exist within their system.

The love of money is the root of all evil, and loving money has been glamorized and institutionalized to an unprecedented extent over the last century with the global spread of the most sinister religion yet devised by the devilish side of humanity: CONSUMERISM.

It's no surprise that the mass of men are barely getting by in a world run by shamelessly insatiable takers.

So what can we do about it?  What can I do about it?  What can you do about it?

Tell the Truth.  Live the Truth.  Be the Truth.  It is worthwhile and honorable whatever the costs may be.

Many people have died for telling the truth, and many more will gladly devote their lives and die if necessary to continue that legacy.  In a world where one's heart can literally be stopped with the flick of a switch, we who are serious about bringing the Truth and being the Change have no time for fear of our inevitable death.

Humans are the only animals that fear their own death, and manipulating that fear is the foundation of all attempts to control us.  Overcoming the fear of death, or torture, or prison is the key to true freedom, because by transcending that your Spirit becomes untouchable.

Once there is nothing to take away from you physically or to threaten you with personally, regressive elements of the human species must resort to misconstruing your message and tainting your reputation to short circuit the positive energy flowing outwards from your ever-expanding awareness.  At least that's how I've come to see things.

Time is short so I've decided to lay it all out there, holding nothing back, and offering a big Aloha! to all those I love -- which is everybody -- including you, you, and especially you.  Peace, Love and Universal Respect for all living things is hard to misconstue, so let that be my message.

In such backwards times on the verge of a great but painful turning towards proper alignment, it seems reasonable for any blossoming Truth Teller to clearly state their desired funeral arrangements lest some unfortunate circumstances transpire and misinformed friends decide to follow convention and fill your veins with poisonous preservatives, stuff you in an overbuilt, velvet-lined box, and effectively take your molecules out of natural circulation for way too fucking long... all at incredibly unnecessary expense.  Thus, I offer the following suggestions to anyone who'd like to properly celebrate my eventual death.

Not saying I'm looking forward to it.  Not saying I'm planning on it.  Just saying that facing up to the inevitability of death and transcending that fear is essential to truly living free.

For one reason or another death will eventually come to all of us, so we might as well realistically plan for it, and have a little laughter in the process.

Please consider this the Living Will of Max Edward Mogren.  Screw paying some lawyer to set my intentions in stone: let it merely be known...

The last place I want to end up is full of Formaldehyde and six feet under, so please spare me that fate.  If it's not too much trouble, bring my body out into the Gros Ventre and lay it in a shallow grave on a windswept ridge with a nice view of the Teton Range and the Sleeping Indian.  I don't need a box and I don't need a gravestone but a big fucking cairn and a little bronze plaque would be nice.  Feel free to leave a hand or foot partially exposed as the Ravens would probably appreciate easy access, and there's nothing I'd rather have my body become than part of those beautiful, intelligent, playful, scavenging birds.

Near the summit of Jackson Peak where the Ravens play in uplifting winds would be an ideal burial spot.  Lugging my corpse and a few pick axes up there would definitely suck, but -- look on the bright side -- you'd only be carrying most of the load one way.  I'm sure a half dozen people with a backboard or something similar would have no trouble making the trip, and I know I'd have at least that many able-bodied mourners in the area so it's totally doable... probably wise to set out around dawn to avoid the crowds... while you curse my corpse as you lug it along, consider it the last foolish foray into the mountains I'll ever coax you into taking with me.  It's only about 4 Mogrens (an unreliable unit of measurement) to the summit ridge of Jackson Peak so it'll only take a few hours round trip.

If you want to throw a party in my honor please hold it at the Silver Dollar Bar and get everyone sloshed on  "Dolph Lundgrens" (Big White Russians).  If you ask nicely they'll put on the Classic Vinyl station and maybe even turn off the TVs during the party, which is about as good as the ambiance in the Silver Dollar gets short of a live band and a packed house.

Divvy up my decent gear among young bucks need it, drop the rest of my crap at the Browse 'n Buy (back to whence it came!), and please shoot the shit out of my 8mpg Naughty Van III before scrapping it.  Any money or precious metals I happen to have should go to DD, PGBD, and Maestra as payment for putting up with my irrational bullshit tendencies for as long as they did.

Anyone feeling the need for an escape from this backwards and failing civilization can make the Pura Vida their own.  She's ready to go aside from a few minor quirks easily remedied while underway.

Just cast off the lines and go.

Peace.