Manifesto for Guerrilla Living

How to re-gain control of your life and be healthier, happier and live more
independently in 20 steps.

The recent economic crisis has been leading some of us into a black tunnel with no light at the
end. People are feeling desperate, without solutions, without jobs, without faith. Although I
am not trying to give a panacea to all the problems we are facing, Ive tried to gather some of
the best ideas Ive came across so far that might help turn around our despair and lead us into
living better whilst feeling even healthier and happier.
The concept implied in the title of this article is one you might consider adopting. Not just for
now, but forever. As my parents always told me, ones wealth isnt about what we spend but
what we save and value. Having this in mind, it is time to take back our lives! Start living as
much independently as possible while the world doesnt find any better solution for all the
problems. In this path, Im sure some of you will find some relief and empowerment in the
following lines, as I did.
1. Be a Human.
As Erich Fromm said in The Art of Loving, we have reached a civilizational point where
we think of each other as things we can use, take the best of and then dispose. As an
anthropologist, Ive never really been able to say exactly what makes a human different
than other animals. But I do know we can make the best of it, if we try to find that out
ourselves. Be more humane. Help others. Put yourself in other peoples shoes and try to
understand them. Learn how to love, not because you need to, but because you want to.
There is nothing stronger than love and compassion. Any government can take anything
from you. But no one can ever take your feelings, your kindness or your soul. One of the
best ways to not letting the constant newsfeed more and more depressing everyday
get you down is to not that affect your behaviour towards the ones you love.
2. Embrace nature.
Nurture nature around you. The only reason you are able to read this now and Im able to
write it is because both of us have oxygen to breath. But this might not happen
indefinably. Recycle. Re-use. Buy less. Learn to plant your own garden. Learn to compost
for your own garden. Make a game out of it. Teach it to your children or friends. Enjoy the
moment and the time you take while doing it, its much more rewarding than watching
television and the environment will thank you.
3. Be healthy.
While planting your own garden, why not plant your own medicinal plants? Some of them
you can even grow inside your house, so you dont even need to have your own balcony or
garden. Some may believe medicine is becoming an industry that does not care about
medicinal plants and natural ways of healing and that is because in some extent it is true.
Know the optimal amount of vitamins you should have and get them from vegetables and
tea, not from vitamin pills! And if youre able to grow them its FREE. If you dont believe
what I say, why dont you just give it one chance and try? Another way to stay healthy is
exercising. Nobody needs a gym membership to stay fit. Go for a jog. Go for a walk. Make
it a time when you can talk with your beloved ones. Walks can be true inspirational and
bonding moments. Because endorphins are released and you feel happier, you are sharing
that happiness with someone making it a special moment.
4. Live for the moment.
Make everything you do with a little bit of you. Enjoy the moment youre living. Try not to
think about what else you need to do. Make it last. Learn to like it. You dont like what you
do at your job? Try seeing it in a different perspective. Try to understand it and see the
benefits of it. Not for your employer, for you. Is it a challenge? Youll feel great after youve
accomplished it! Do you need time to think of what else you need to do? Of course, take
that time! Try to take an hour a week (or according to your available time) just to think
about next week, to plan it, make it busy with important and happy tasks. Try doing yoga
before, if youre a fan. Some say its the best exercise to clean your brain before making
important decisions. And sleep as much as you can. Sleep is our bodys way of resetting
our memory and mental sanity. Always seek for a positive perspective for every little thing
you do.
5. Know where your money is.
Tired of finding more and more bills you dont know how to stop? Take a weekend and
make it with your family or just do it alone. Know where every cent is being spent. Make
budget lists for shopping, for clothing, for transportation expenses, etc. It might seem like
a big task but you will surely feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you
finally re-gain control of your spending. And get rid of all the subscriptions you dont need.
Analyse all your bills. Are you paying a too expensive television contract? Or maybe an
insurance? They wont tell you there is a better deal elsewhere. Find it, see if its fit for you
and swap. The good thing about living in a capitalist society (still) is that you can always
choose the cheaper deal available if you want to. Also, try to start a savings account, if you
dont have one yet. Even if its just 1% of your income, its always something you can trust
its there for the future. Dont trust the banks anymore? Well, the other good news (in a
twisted way) is that banks only work (roughly) if people have their money there. Of course
nowadays there is no guarantee this will exist forever. You have to assess on your own
what you think its best for you, but that may be another exciting part of taking back your
life: learning about banks, financing, money flows. The internet nowadays has all this
information, for free, waiting for you to read it.
6. Volunteer.
This point is good whether you have a job or if you are currently unemployed. It may seem
ludicrous to think If I cant find a job, why would I want to give the only thing I have left:
my time? Well, the truth is, if you are unemployed it will be something that will keep you
active and busy instead of doing nothing all day but worry. It will give you experience in
maybe a new skill or one you already know, it may contribute to widen your network and
possibly give you an advantage in case a job opening appears in that area. Also, while
volunteering, youll feel needed and appreciated because not only youre doing something
good for you but also probably doing something great for others who need it. In some
countries (Portugal is one of them) there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer. And try to
be as close to your local community as possible, it always feels better to help the ones you
know.
7. Think critically.
Take your dusty books out of your shelves and read them again. Or get new ones if you
want to. There are so many flea markets with great deals on old books or books people
dont need anymore. Read online newspapers. Try to understand the news that catches
your attention. This is another important step towards recovering control, to understand
the world around you. Join online debates or start your own! Start debate meetings with
your family after dinner or with your friends or neighbours. Or join online discussions to
get in touch with a wider network of people, also concerned about the same issues. Find
solutions together. Join free online courses (www.coursera.com is a great one!) and get
your perceptions of the world sharp. No one will ever be able to tell you what to do if you
start thinking critically. Be curious and always ask why and what if and never feel
ashamed if you dont know something. As a good friend of mine once told me, you should
only feel ashamed if you dont want to know it.
8. Adopt an abandoned animal.
Despite the recent debate on the number of animals you are allowed to foster (namely
Portugal) you can still foster one or two, if you want. It has been proven that pets can help
overcoming loneliness and depression, simply because they love, unconditionally. While
helping a living being have a better life, your own life will be immensely better, not only
because you now have a reason (and a good one) to come home to, but also because
youre helping yourself at feeling needed and having yet another reason to be happier.
Also, you can choose to feed your pet a mix of proper animal food and food scraps so you
dont spend a lot of money. If you get a pet from a local shelter, the vet checks and
vaccines will also be included, so you dont need to spend more money on it.
9. Do it yourself.
How many things around the house need fixing? Take that as a challenge! Some of these
stuff are just like playing Lego for adults. A wall needs painting? A wire needs to be
fixed? Learn how to fix and improve your house yourself. Youll feel it becoming more and
more your home while, again, learning new and valuable skills that can and will save you a
lot of money in the future. Besides, by learning how to build some items on your own, you
can also start re-using some materials that would go to waste instead! Making plant vases
out of toilet paper cartons or egg cases or bottles! All you need is creativity and patience
to learn and implement while feeling prouder of yourself, youll see your house becoming
your own.
10. Share.
Have some spare time and dont know what to do? Dont go to the mall looking at all the
things you think would make you so much happier they wouldnt. Contact some old
friends! Facebook is free and everybody is there! Meet them and invite them to your
newly decorated house! Share the new acquired knowledge and skills with them! Theyll
probably have something to share with you too. A totally free afternoon spent with
important people will never be affected by an economic depression. Or start the garden
we just discussed previously. Or play with your kids, or newly acquired pet. And think
about your priorities, constantly, when making a decision regarding money. Sharing is the
best way to improve both parties moments.
11. Join a union.
Even if you dont believe in workers unions, you should give them a chance. They will fight
for you and help you through times of need. The more people join, the more they can do.
One of Portugals biggest problems for workers interest representation, for example, is
the fact that a big percentage of people are not part of any union. Join one, take part in
the meetings, take part in the discussion and bring your ideas. The best way to change the
way democratic danger of decline we are facing is to be more democratic yourself, by
participating in every election that relates to you, in any level of hierarchy.
12. Pay your debts.
Pay all of them. Not the ones Portugal, Spain or Greece has thats a different matter. Get
rid of your own debts. Either it is to the bank, to any friends, your loans. Make it a part of
your budget assessment (when finding out where each cent is being spent) and work
slowly towards getting it all paid. And re-think the credit cards too, nobody needs them
unless for online shopping and in case you want one, find out what is the best option for
you. The feeling of not having any more debts is a right you must conquer on your own so
make it a priority in your life to get it on track and pay them while still having the money
you need for yourself.
13. Join or start a community/ initiative
If you feel like there is something more you could do but miss the group strength, its time
to start your own community or join an existing one. For example, search for a Transition
Initiative group close to your neighbourhood or in your city. Eventually youll get to
exchange important cultural and social assets, knowledge or other things. Besides, if
everyone agrees, you can also try to start your own local currency. There are many
examples around the world of people doing this, search for Tem in Greece or experiences
in Brazil with banks started to provide people with micro-credit options. The advantage of
finding a local currency is that you can start a local market, for example, and buy more for
less. Of course this would only be valid inside your community, but its a start to help
bringing to those in most need the nutrients and the things one needs to live a happier life.
Also, it could help you get more involved into learning new skills or crafts in order to be
able to sell unique, hand-made products yourself.
14. Travel
Try crowd funding your trip or look for scholarships to study abroad. If you have the
chance, do it. There is no better way to re-establish our priorities than when we see how
others live and how we live among others and far from home. You may learn a lot from
contacting people youd never contacted before or even just from visiting an old friend.
15. Join politics
Not happy with what your representatives are doing for you? Participate yourself in the
local debates or join a party. Its a lot of work, but its rewarding to know youre doing it
for you and for your children and grandchildren, friends or neighbours.
16. Clean
Not busy? Clean your house. Clean something you always postponed for someday. This
easy task will have an immediate effect and probably contagious: once you start cleaning
your house, you never stop until all is shining. Besides being a lot better to live in a clean
environment, it helps your plants breathe better, it helps you breathe better and it makes
you feel proud of your house and happy to invest in it. One of the biggest setbacks
whenever you want to change something is to have to clean it first. If its always clean, you
can always skip this step, and transform your space inside your house the way you most
need it at the time.
17. Clean part II
Clean everything you need but dont throw away what you dont. Try to sell things that are
still good online or in a local trade fair. If nobody wants it, donate it to a local church or
charity organization. It may be something you dont need any more but someone else
might find it useful. This second part of cleaning is also good because it helps you realize
how much you actually need to live a happy and frugal life. In regaining the control of your
life, its important to know what to keep and what to give away, in order to have a clear
picture of your priorities and goals.
18. Gather your neighbours
Now that your house is all tidy, invite your neighbours over for some coffee or cake. Talk
about possible investments together that might bring more comfort and savings for all, in
the long run. How about building a rain water collector that all of you can use to water the
plants? How about having solar panels in your rooftop? Some energy companies even BUY
energy from big solar installations so you should check this out with your neighbours and
assess if its worth it. But there is other things you can do that do not need money
investment: How about making a time bank for yourselves, allowing you to help each
other doing stuff you wouldnt be able to do alone? How about starting a communal
garden with vegetables and fruits that all of you can pick up? There are numerous
opportunities to work together towards making your communal life better and greener,
besides cheaper.
19. Take a break
Whenever you feel disappointed, despaired, lost, overwhelmed, etc., take a break. Do
whatever you need to start feeling normal again. Its good to think about all the things you
can do to bring your life back to your command but it takes energy and time and it might
not go so well all of a sudden. Whenever you feel like it might not work, take a break. Look
at it from a distance and evaluate carefully, you might be putting too much energy into
some project that will not succeed. You might also be putting too much energy into the
wrong side of the project for it to succeed. Distance always helps these assessments and
not only you deserve it, but also need it. Nowadays we live in a society dictated by time
and rules and principles and moral values (and money values) but sometimes we forget to
just be humans and let ourselves live our own emotions.
20. Keep your mind open
Despite what you read here, which are mere thoughts on how to get control of your life
back, I know some of you will read this and think it might be vague, general, a common
place you might be right. All I tried to do was simply gather all the best practices Ive ever
seen until today on how to get the leash back in your hand to command your life. The crisis
we are living now brings us many different concerns and it is hard to start thinking of
different ways to do things when you feel pressured. So Im asking you, reader, to keep
your mind open and try some of these points, they might bring to you a surprising peace
and feeling of accomplishment, as they did to me. Dont think negatively about the world;
think about how you would do it different. Innovate, be creative and start your own life
again.