Since the inception of Swimming Home, I have been turning over an idea for an investigative reporting piece on this subject. I’m interested in hearing the Substack community’s thoughts here…
Who, typically, “gets” to go off-the-grid? And how can we make that privilege more accessible to the average everyday person?
I think we all would like to take two weeks off of work and enjoy a no-phones, no-responsibilities, health-focused spiritual retreat. Or have a lake house, an intergenerational cabin in the woods, a “summer” home or a country home that houses our seasonal retreats from this fast-paced, cruel, hyper-online world.
Sound off in the comments if you have thoughts about off-grid living.
(And/or if you’re too shy to share your opinion about who gets to go off-grid, please tag or share one person you believe I need to interview for this investigative reporting series.)
I just got back from a 6 days of PTO and every time I'm "away" I'm reminded that I can never truly get away unless I marry a trust fund kid and/or win the lottery.
We should all have the option to completely unplug, but realistically that isn't an option for the average person.
I think everyone that has trauma should be able to take sabbatical so that they can actually tend to their wounds. For instance, I have CPTSD and have been really *really* wanting to dive into the healing process -- but I've started a few times just to be unable to handle the effects of trauma work *and* my job/chores/bills/etc. Overwhelmed and left unable to integrate, it goes on the therapy back burner, again-- How can you heal from your past while you are having to cope with your present?
I feel like it can be hard and often impossible for working class people to make actual, substantial, lasting strides in their mental health, even if they *REALLY* want to, because that is kind of a full-time thing you'd need to take off work for.
And, even if I was offered a free, all expenses paid retreat, I still couldn't afford it -- that's missed hours at work, and I don't get PTO... That missed pay will send me into the red, bills-wise. Rent is still be due the 1st.
I think every job should offer PTO, non-negotiable, and two-weeks time-off is bullshit, you shouldn't have to choose between getting the flu and going on vacation. In a perfect world (or, you know, almost all of the other developed nations), paid time off would be required, and there would be enough to actually rest.
A guilt-free vacation is something that would taste so fucking sweet, dude.
This is such an awesome topic. What comes to mind are movements like FIRE (retire early) - working a high-paid job and aggressively saving/investing your salary, so you can retire early, and go off and do what you want. Like live off grid. I find that the dominant voices of this movement are male and white.
As I learn more about black people’s connection the land, however, I see that a lot of these modern movements (including “off grid” itself) are new variations of age-old lifestyles practiced by many southern black people and indigenous people. The work of bell hooks in Belonging digs very deeply into black life in rural Kentucky. The 2023 documentary Silver Dollar Road follows a black family who have been jailed and harassed for decades for refusing to sell their waterfront property to ruthless real estate developers. The land has been in this family since their ancestor acquired it one generation after slavery.
I think somewhere along the way, “black” became synonymous with urban, poor, and disregard for the environment. But we have always known the land like the back of our hands and are the original off-gridders, as a result of slavery but also as a source of freedom. The general off-grid movement leaves that out.
I just got back from a 6 days of PTO and every time I'm "away" I'm reminded that I can never truly get away unless I marry a trust fund kid and/or win the lottery.
We should all have the option to completely unplug, but realistically that isn't an option for the average person.
Oh god, I constantly daydream about this!
I think everyone that has trauma should be able to take sabbatical so that they can actually tend to their wounds. For instance, I have CPTSD and have been really *really* wanting to dive into the healing process -- but I've started a few times just to be unable to handle the effects of trauma work *and* my job/chores/bills/etc. Overwhelmed and left unable to integrate, it goes on the therapy back burner, again-- How can you heal from your past while you are having to cope with your present?
I feel like it can be hard and often impossible for working class people to make actual, substantial, lasting strides in their mental health, even if they *REALLY* want to, because that is kind of a full-time thing you'd need to take off work for.
And, even if I was offered a free, all expenses paid retreat, I still couldn't afford it -- that's missed hours at work, and I don't get PTO... That missed pay will send me into the red, bills-wise. Rent is still be due the 1st.
I think every job should offer PTO, non-negotiable, and two-weeks time-off is bullshit, you shouldn't have to choose between getting the flu and going on vacation. In a perfect world (or, you know, almost all of the other developed nations), paid time off would be required, and there would be enough to actually rest.
A guilt-free vacation is something that would taste so fucking sweet, dude.
This is such an awesome topic. What comes to mind are movements like FIRE (retire early) - working a high-paid job and aggressively saving/investing your salary, so you can retire early, and go off and do what you want. Like live off grid. I find that the dominant voices of this movement are male and white.
As I learn more about black people’s connection the land, however, I see that a lot of these modern movements (including “off grid” itself) are new variations of age-old lifestyles practiced by many southern black people and indigenous people. The work of bell hooks in Belonging digs very deeply into black life in rural Kentucky. The 2023 documentary Silver Dollar Road follows a black family who have been jailed and harassed for decades for refusing to sell their waterfront property to ruthless real estate developers. The land has been in this family since their ancestor acquired it one generation after slavery.
I think somewhere along the way, “black” became synonymous with urban, poor, and disregard for the environment. But we have always known the land like the back of our hands and are the original off-gridders, as a result of slavery but also as a source of freedom. The general off-grid movement leaves that out.