Off the Grid communities

In preparation for my upcoming anthropological adventures on Off-The-Grid Communities, I wanted to share with you all this intriguing interview and article about one man's story.

Starting next month, I will begin taking trips to Off-The-Grid communities in an effort to understand the culture, or subculture these people have created. Until I can travel and make more connections, I will be starting at the nearby community: Slab City. There I will go, with my violin, to create a haven for my curiosities and become accepted by the community. As a true anthropologist, I will not be an observer from the sidelines, but instead will try and become a participant. I will not truly be able to find what I seek until I can actually live off the grid for a period of time, at least the better part of a year. When that time comes, I will be ready to live a minimal lifestyle with little connection to the reality and world I have called home for 25 years.
















I often fantasize about living a natural, minimal lifestyle with little possessions. But on the other hand, I dream of exploring space, and a world where we advance exponentially, where tomorrow becomes today, and there are no limits to what we can do.

According to this article, the purpose is to find balance. But is that possible? Both worlds are extreme. Can you live a simple, natural life, while still keeping up with advancements and supporting future endeavors? Is this new subculture of "wildcrafters" going to hinder our success if it continues to spread infectiously? It seems to me that only positive, wonderful consequences can come from throwing out the clutter in your life and living a more peaceful existence. Yet if you dream of space exploration, technology, and he advancement of society, how does this way of living support that?

THIS is the balance I wish to achieve. I would love to have both, but How?

My favorite excerpt from this interview is when he states:

"

It was a beautiful thing, all that simplicity, because there was this whole new freedom. In my simplicity there was actually expansion because if you take away the clutter, you're left with this wide-open canvas of creativity and possibility. Those are times where you can find your own inspiration, your own purpose and authenticity, and express yourself from there. And it may be for other people that they would go into that situation and think about it completely differently than I did. But I think that once you've gone into this well of solitude and silence, it's hard to just live a superficial life. You'd maybe continue in the same path but do things a little differently."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/08/1914819/meet-the-man-who-lived-in-a-one.html#ixzz152gU4LNO