Recently, I've encountered people who live, "off the grid." This is a prime location for that kind of living. Rural area with cheaply available land, weather not too harsh, plenty of sun and wind, artesian well water not terribly difficult to obtain, etc. Most of these people I meet are what you might be inclined to call, "hippies," or, "hippy rejects," from the 60's!
Regardless, they take great pride in their independence and they get along quite well for the most part.
It's not something, "city folk," understand very well. You can only grow so many tomato plants in your 600 square foot back yard. Or your 3,000 square foot back yard. And if you HAD enough land to grow enough to support your family and also provide a cash income to yourself, you'd still be subject to the usual calamities of nature which impede your ability to survive. Not something to take lightly.
You think you want a well-drilling rig in your back yard while they punch down for water? Assuming you can even get the permits for it if you live in the city! Want to generate some wind power for your home? $40,000 off the top to save $1,500 a year so your payoff is 25+ years. Maybe it's a worthwhile investment. What happens if you have an equipment failure? And the company is out of business after five years because the U.S. government support for the company has been withdrawn? Not to mention, they're typically noisy beyond belief. NIMBY is going to play a part, to be sure.
Yeah. I know. Lots to think about. The above only barely and briefly scratches the surface. Most people who speak of personal independence are living in a dream world. Some have it right but they are very few in a practical sense. The hippies I mentioned above are still working for, "the man," because they need jobs with cash incomes in order to make ends meet.
Practically speaking, living in society is a big plus. Having other people around you gives you strength, comfort, ease, convenience, entertainment, internet, an income (for the most part), support, etc. ad infinitum. Although you may not necessarily live without all of those things just by going off grid, the character of each those things changes quite dramatically.
How is this relevant to the OP? The fact is, yes, we should always be willing to criticize our government, our politicians, each other and our practices and beliefs. It's a worthwhile endeavor. Blind faith in our system is intolerable but so is blind tolerance and complacency. Rather than become a despairing nut job survivalist and overly willing to kick the whole system into the trash can, 'twould be better to reform it in ways which are valuable to all. There's the rub, though.
It implies that some of the things you (all of us) hold sacred and dear may have to be compromised but very often, that's the nature of working together toward a higher purpose. Hypothetically speaking, you think my beliefs are bad things? You may very well be right but that's hardly the point. I think your beliefs are bad too and that's not the point either and ultimately,
it doesn't matter. We find that we always agree when it comes to the big, overall picture. That we have common ideals, as mentioned above, but if we let the little things creep in and get in each others' way, we don't get much done and it becomes a bickering fest like a bunch of school kids.
It's like all of us wanting to climb the mountain together but allowing ANY particular distraction along the trail slow you down or stop you. Yep. There's a river full of diamonds next to the path but you know what, I don't care about 'em. Even if you do, we need to still progress together and if we reach our higher goal, we can come back and address the little things we passed up along the way.
Again, though, it's just tough for people to give up the things they think are important when so many others think they are insignificant. The true measure of insignificance will be determined by how much a particular issue helps our hurts our common cause. Its a vicious circle and a tough one to break down.
--Wag--
