No wonder I feel better as a nomad

Coercion—the use of physical, legal, chemical, psychological, financial, and other forces to gain compliance—is intrinsic to our society’s employment, schooling, and parenting. However, coercion results in fear and resentment, which are fuels for miserable marriages, unhappy families, and what we today call mental illness.

That statement at the beginning of an article by Bruce Levine, PhD, made me think back on my life and all the coercion I functioned under. Although the coercion was usually presented as for my own good, it was almost always to serve the agendas of the coercers.

But since I hit the road, since I turned my back on most of "proper" society, I'm a nearly coercion-free man. I'm serving my own agenda about 90% of the time. I've swept away the jerks and manipulators. I'm out from under the thumb of most institutions of control. And. I. Feel. Great!