> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # [Poem] Freedom of Association - URL: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/freedom-of-association/ - Published: 2026-09-01T17:00:38.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T17:00:38.000Z - Description: A Poem and a Directory - Author: Tom Shaw - Tags: Poems, #substack, #substack-type-newsletter, #substack-access-everyone, #Import 2026-10-24 12:50 Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThere were no middle-men who could see us, To interrupt with the superfluous. We chose to meet as men. We brought no censorship, nor false paper Designed to turn our efforts to vapour Through clipping our wings—a value-scraper— We chose to meet as men. We who are responsible for our life; We who seek only the best for our wife In love, in work; We who don't just survive But find pleasure in chasing how to thrive - We chose to meet as men. We convened beneath the sheets of darkness, Beneath the new moon, in all its starkness, We came to make a trade. We came while the vampires were too busy Indulging on blood they'd made fizzy. Let it get to their heads, make them dizzy! We came to make a trade. Let the ogres - those destroyers of soul - Let them believe they have achieved their goal. Let the hollowed-out village ring its death toll, Let them set running each chicken and foal - We came to make a trade. The dawn came to illuminate our deal. The men who saw, they could not help but feel: We were truly living. Us men, who know what we need and desire, Whose purpose is to earn something higher, We don't require to cheat or conspire. We were truly living. And: All of us have that flame in our heart, No matter the circumstances we start With, whether a ruin or piece of fine art, We will always create the next part And be truly living. We're building the oasis we're seeking. We're ever-improving: ever-tweaking; Freedom is our making. Each of us have a value, and a place, To go through all the motions of the chase To improve the place we live, and build grace. Freedom is our making. How are we doing it? By choosing men To gather with who, again and again, Stand in their integrity, even when It's tough. They'll all tell you, ten times of ten: Freedom is our making. ###### Freedom of Association \~ A Poem by Tom Shaw [Subscribe now](#/portal/signup) I’ve just reached end of a read-through of Atlas Shrugged as I write and share this poem with you. Aside from the attractiveness of starting a parallel society where everyone secretly trades in gold away from the government (spoiler alert!), I’ve been inspired by the championing of individual human creativity that permeates the novel. While I don’t agree with every manifestation of the belief system that forms the backbone of the novel, the core tenet remains refreshing to read today: each one of us as individuals are the creators of our reality - and a rejection of our individual value for a nebulous “greater good” is at the root of so many of the problems our society still faces 70 years after Ayn Rand wrote this book. This doesn’t mean we act as lone wolves; it means we work with and exchange what we create with others who hold that same respect for our abilities. That’s where this poem comes from, and I share it with you today as a tribute to all the amazing individuals, collectives and businesses who also see that: those who are here to *build* that more harmonious world in the best way we can, where we each maintain and elevate the agency we have over our lives. With this, I’m also including a list of businesses and offerings that I am already supporting, intend to support in the near future, or would support if my personal circumstances were different. I’m excluding *informational* or *event-based* resources from this list as these are time-limited or rapidly-changing things. I want to focus on things that have immediate practical and tangible uses today. In time, I’ll likely update and add to the list whenever I find new initiatives worth supporting - or remove some if I discover they’re pivoting in unsavoury directions. **I am not being paid by any of the companies included here** \- they are all projects I simply feel are doing great things and who deserve promotion. --- ## Directory ### Clothing - [B-LIGHT](https://b-light.se/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a company by my friend making organic cotton gym- and activewear - [The Hemp Shop](https://www.thehempshop.co.uk/clothing.html?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- clothing made from hemp, which is naturally EM-resistant - [Bahe](https://bahe.co/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- barefoot shoes with graphene-infused soles for permanent grounding - [Conscious Spaces](https://consciousspaces.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- silver-woven EMF-resistant clothes ### Finance & Money - [Local Silver Mint](https://localsilvermint.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a company minting small units of silver designed for easy accumulation and exchange - [Stack Wallet](https://stackwallet.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- the crypto wallet I personally enjoy using the most - [SimpleFX](https://simplefx.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- site for trading and speculating on the price of pretty much anything that’s traded globally - [RetoSwap](https://retoswap.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a platform for trading cryptocurrencies and buying cryptocurrencies with fiat money in a decentralised way - [Prompt.cash](https://prompt.cash/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- Accept Bitcoin Cash on an online store ### Health & Wellness - [Biospectral Systems](https://biospectralsystems.com/https://biospectralsystems.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a company from the excellent [Nathan Siles](https://nathansiles.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) selling blue-blocking glasses and grounding gear, currently working on releasing the world’s first full-broadband infrared lightbulbs. - The multiple initiatives of Dr. Tom Cowan: - [New Biology Clinic](https://newbiologyclinic.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- personalised holistic care rooted in the proven natural healing principles of the New Biology - [Dr. Cowan’s Garden](https://www.drcowansgarden.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- nutrition through food, not supplements - [drtomcowan.com](http://drtomcowan.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- select natural remedies and books from Dr Tom Cowan - [Cultivate Elevate](https://cultivateelevate.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- high-quality mushrooms and minerals from the excellent Matt Roeske - [Dorset Sea Salt Company](https://www.dorsetseasalt.co.uk/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- the local sea salt company to me ### Services - [Travala](http://www.travala.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- book flights and hotels directly in cryptocurrency - [Lulu](https://lulu.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- for publishing your own physical books and sell them through print-on-demand (that doesn’t require you using Amazon!) - [Ulysees XYZ ](https://uly.xyz/?ref=tom-shaw.uk)\- why use AI art when Uly is available? - [Miranda Webb](https://mirandareneewebb.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) and [WINNR Digital](https://winnr.digital/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- both recommended options if you want websites building. ### Tech - [Qortal](http://qortal.dev/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- an initiative to create a new, decentralised internet. Currently offers apps for crypto exchanges, publishing, online stores, social media, online office tools (think Zoom and Google Docs equivalents) and more. - I have a little bookshop, [Anarchy In Print](https://qortal.link/APP/Q-Shop/Tom%20Shaw/q-store-general-Books?ref=tom-shaw.uk), going on Qortal, where I’ll be selling on a few books that I’ve collected over the years as I downsize my storage - go find me there if you want to support my work, the work of Qortal, and pick up some great reading material in the process 📚 - [Framework](https://frame.work/gb/en?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- Laptops designed around being fully repairable and up-gradable - [GrapheneOS](https://grapheneos.org/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a project creating a “de-googled” and more privacy-oriented phone operating system that can be installed on a variety of phones - [Above Phone](https://abovephone.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a good option if you are looking for something that works out-of-the-box. - [Daylight Computer](https://daylightcomputer.com/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) \- a computer designed without blue-light LEDs --- Did I miss anything out? Leave me a comment to let me know: [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) Thank you for making time to read this piece. I look forward to bringing you more soon. With gratitude, Tom [Subscribe](#/portal/signup)