I realize I may seem young and naive to many readers who mistake my optimism for ignorance. But the real reason I am so pumped about the future is that I have already seen a lot of the things I promote work in my personal life.

Read the book Bold by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler. They give very specific examples of how to use technology from cloud computing to 3d printing, from crowdfunding to crowdsourcing, in order to start a business, create meaningful products, and become financially independent.

What they showcase in the book are real tangible things you can do right now just by going on the internet in order to create the type of business and wealth that was only available to a very few just decades ago.

So why do I have such a positive view of the power of individuals to shape their lives to be as free and independent as they like? Because at a pretty young age I am well on my way to doing that. I’m not trying to brag, and I am certainly not feeling accomplished or nearly done with my journey towards liberation. I’ll never be done, every time a goal is reached, that is time to make a new one.

When I didn’t feel like Massachusetts was conducive to my idea of freedom I moved. It wasn’t just the politics of the state, but also the climate. I hated being cold and miserable for half the year, so I did something about it. I moved to Florida where the growing season was longer, and the winter was much shorter and milder.

I negotiated a non-monetary exchange for my rent and food. I create garden beds, tend the crops, build structures, raise chickens, milk goats and so on. This setup is not for everyone, but for me it is perfect. I feel free and close to nature. I know what I am eating is not poisoning me, and I know I am not contributing to corrupt food industries. I am reducing what I have to pay the government for the crime of being productive.

And even though I live out in the country, and had to play around with various hotspots in order to get proper internet, I was able to set myself up to use the internet to earn what money I do need to live. Now I can write for the Daily Bell and many other organizations while listening to the birds chirp, sitting at a picnic table under an old oak tree.

So please forgive me for feeling that individuals do have the power to shape their lives for the better. But as I wake up every morning and feel the benefits of this liberating philosophy, it is hard for me to see the future as dark and dreary.

But also please don’t mistake my optimism for ignorance. I realize that there are plenty of bad people out there trying to ruin my future and control my life. But letting them get the better of me would only help them achieve their goals. I don’t ignore the evils they are doing, but I do ignore what I cannot control.

You always need a backup plan, and I don’t think of where I am now as a final destination–far from it. There are so many options; I may move out of the United States altogether, I may start a company, and I will definitely write more books and see where that takes me.

So yes, let’s keep the evil power elites on our radar in order to stay one step ahead of them, but never allow them to make you believe they have control over your future, that they have already won the war, or that the worldview they promote via the mainstream media is accurate.

Never have individuals had more power than they do now. The government cannot keep up. Individuals are freeing themselves faster than they can be oppressed. And I will continue to free myself and promote my optimistic vision of the future because I honestly believe and feel in my daily life, that it is the truth.