Mountain View News Saturday, July 18, 2026 
99BEST FRIENDS & MORE 
Mountain View News Saturday, July 18, 2026 
99BEST FRIENDS & MORE 
CHRISTOPHER NYERGES 

SWEET SOPHIE 

[Nyerges is the author of “Urban Survival Guide,” “ExtremeSimplicity,” and other books. Information about his books and 
classes is available at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com] 

HOW LAZINESS, FEAR, AND WEAKNESS SHAPED 
MY LIFE 

A funny conversation with an old friend 

I told someone that I regarded my self as lazy. He replied that I should not say such things,
because the words I use about myself can be self-fulfilling. Interesting idea. He was talkingabout the reverse of “positive affirmations” where you keep telling yourself that you are rich andbeautiful and then you hope that will happen. 

“Actually, I’m not prophesizing,” I told my friend. “I am simply describing what I have observed 
about myself. Please let me explain.” 

To me, my laziness means that I try to exert (in most cases) the bare minimum of toil requiredto get the job done, and to achieve a specific goal. I was referring to gardening, school work, 
research, earning income, you name it. And in my case, I observed – from childhood – thateveryone around me worked long hours at a job they didn’t particularly like, so they could haveand acquire all the things that they were certain they absolutely needed. From my perspective, alot of what these adults believed they needed were really not needs at all, but rather, wants. 

If I could clearly determine my actual needs, separate from wants, was it possible to only work toprovide for my needs? Could I actually “work less” and have my needs fulfilled? 

From a young age, I knew that I needed to eat to stay alive, same as everyone else. So when I 
began to learn that wild foods grow everyone in the world, even in cities, I began a serious studyin the science of botany and ethnobotany. Driven by my laziness, and fears (more on that in a bit),
I studied how the peoples of the past lived off the land. And that’s what I intended to do too, more 
or less. I wanted to re-discover the paleolithic lifestyle. 

I learned to identify the specific plants that grew near me, and I took the time to make sure I wasnever eating a poisonous plant. This means I had to study botany books, and take classes, andmeet botanists and native people. I had to do this in order to safely eat wild foods and not kill 
myself. 

Looking back now, I conservatively spent thousands of hours learning to identify plants, learninghow to prepare them for food, and traveling around to see the plants in different biological zones.
I realized that because of my severe “laziness,” I spent for more hours than I ever expected tospend just to “eat for free.” So my path of “laziness” was fruitful, and the botany path becamenearly an obsession, a lifestyle, truly not the path of a “lazy person.” My desire to “do less” resulted 
in a lifetime of “doing more” in this field of pursuit. 

“Oh, and did I say that I was also a very frightened person?” I told my friend. 

“What?” he laughed. “Whatever are you afraid of?” he queried. 

We were relaxing around a small campfire, so I gave him the long version. (Short version here). 

When I got started on this path back in the 60s, there was the beginning of ecological awareness,
and many ecological scares. Academics were talking about global cooling, and insects destroyingfood crops, and the certainly of a U.S. famine by the 1980s! The more I studied climate and 
agriculture, the more amazed I was that we as a nation were able to continue feeding ourselves.
Some times I couldn’t sleep due to my worry. This wasn’t an irrational fear, but a fear based on 
the reality of world conditions 

But I didn’t wallow in my fears and hide in a closet or a cave. I studied to learn how “the system”
works, and simultaneously pursued a personal and family solution: learn about wild food, 
grow food, develop neighborhood co-ops and gardens. All good things, and my fears slowlydiminished, and my feeling of self-reliance increased. But those rational fears never left entirely.
In fact, staying alert to the real world helps all of us from becoming complacent to the dangersalways afoot. The fear keeps us on our toes. 

“Ah, I see,” said my friend, laughing. “So you’re not really lazy, or frightened.” I laughed too. 

I found that each of my many fears could only be conquered by facing them, and then exploringwhat action I could take on my own. 

I told my friend that I was also weak, and he began again to laugh aloud. 

“I’m starting to see the picture,” he added. “You used your weakness to grow out of weakness, 
right?” 

“Righto,” I told him. I recalled how hopeless I felt when I once saw 6 gang members beat up on 
one guy. I was able to flee, feeling disgusted. Then, little by little, I moved into martial arts skills,
both mentally and physically. I learned how to avoid fights in the first place, and how to (ideally)
end them quickly, or defuse them. Still, I try to move in the world with respect for others, seeingeveryone as my equal, and not having any air of arrogance. 

We talked for another hour. My friend nodded and smiled, and before we went to sleep in ourtents, he declared, “Laziness, weakness, and fear. That’s quite a story. And I like how you had the 
presence of mind to grow out of each of these character traits. Of course, I don’t believe a word 
of it, but it was a great story.” We laughed so hard we couldn’t talk, and soon we each retired to 
our tents. 

Meet Sophie, age4, a beautiful girlwho was found 
wanderingalone, but never 
lost her trust in 
people. Sophie is anabsolute 

sweetheart! She is friendly, affectionate, and lovesattention. 

Despite the stress of being rescued and confined to acarrier, shehas shown nothing but trust — no hissing, scratching,
biting, or 

fear. She’s 
a gentle,
huggablecompanionwho just wants to be loved. 


This gorgeous longhaired tabby is already spayed, FeLV/
FIV negative, and ready for her forever home after she’schipped. We hope her next family will make sure shenever has to be lost or alone again. Apply to meet her athttps://www.lifelineforpets.org/sophie.html, oruse the QR code. 

Pet of the Week 

Looking for a best friend who's equal parts goofy andhandsome? Meet Rex, a 1½-year-old red-brown Pit BullTerrier at Pasadena Humane with a lot of love to give! Heloves to play gently with his toys, but his favorite thing inthe world is his beloved blanket, which he proudly carriesaround, keeps nearby, and loves to share with whoever isnearest to him.

 When he’s comfortable, Rex is happiest when he's leaninginto you for pets, then settling down with a toy or chew fora cozy nap. And when the camera comes out, he's a natural 
model — it's almost impossible to take a bad picture ofthis extremely photogenic pup! Rex is the perfect mix ofplayful, affectionate, and irresistibly charming. If thatsounds like the dog for you, come meet Rex today.

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptionsinclude spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate 
vaccines. 

Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 9:30 a.m.


5:30 p.m. 
View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.New adopters will receive acomplimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bagfilled with information about how to care for your pet.Pets may not be available for adoptionand cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com