Chant Down Babylon

We had an unusual visitor here this week. Rhonda has a little home business creating and maintaining dreadlocks. It puts a few extra bucks in the coffers every few months and we get to meet some new people. She had a new client come by, a self-proclaimed Rastaman. Not a terribly unusual thing considering Rasta and dreadlocks are pretty much synonymous, but the first person we've had by that I could say was a real Rasta.

We discussed the basis of rasta on the Bible, Hallie Selassie I and many other aspects of the religion. One of the aspects I wish I had spoken to him more about was the concept of rejecting Babylon. In Rasta it is beleived that by rejecting modern society (Babylon) and the temptations that come with it, one can reach Zion, their promised land. While to some this likely seems pretty extreme, this gentleman lived in what I understood to be very modest lodgings, working a farm and following the teachings of Jah.

The concept of rejecting many of the things that we have in our world has been a tempting concept for me of late. Call it what you want, the concept resides in many religions - leaving worldly posessions in order to become closer to a higher power. Considering the difficulties and stresses that modern society has, the idea isn't such a bad one.

It is a dream of mine to eventually have a place where I have some seclusion and a simplicity to my life. I'm sure I won't reach this goal until retirement, but I'm preparing now, saving, planning, dreaming. I'm thinking maybe a tree farm or an orchard somewhere, reading, walking, enjoying the world.

Hey a guy can dream can't he?