It seems like living off the grid has become the new “it” thing.
But what does it all mean…? The living off the Grid definition is in it’s simplest form unencumbered.
We have the tiny house explosion with people wanting to downsize and go green. Or the van life movement where people want to do more exploring due to a wanderlust deep inside of them. You have Skoolie living, which is the conversion of old school buses into beautiful moving homes so you can take family and friends on the journey with you. There are also the custom built trailers you can tow anywhere with you and settle a location or continue moving on a whim.
All of these different styles of going off the grid have one thing in common and that is people who are exploring themselves and trying to live more sustainably. All of these different methods make defining the word and it’s original meaning more complex, but a bit of complexity is never a bad thing.
The Original Grid
Unfortunately things are going to get scholastic for a bit lol. The term grid appeared in english sometime in the 19th century. It is what we call a back formation- or a term that is made from another term, in this case that term is gridiron. This form of gridiron is not in reference to football (american football for those outside of the United States) but is instead based on a medieval torture device . The gridiron was essentially a large grate with parallel bars spaced somewhat evenly and connected by two end pieces, made of a heavy iron. They were used to cook humans alive as their form of punishment.
Nasty stuff if I am being honest but I digress. The term grid was back formed based on the ancient torture method/implement and began it’s new life as a cooking implement, the grid. Later to be known as a griddle or grate.
Off the Grid Concept
Now with a bit of the history out of the way we can move forward. The grid was eventually a term coined to represent the network of interconnected electricity for consumer consumption. This is typically done with at least two inducers that form a transformer. They take electricity from the power station that generates it, transmitting the electricity through a series of power lines and substations until it reaches it’s destination. This is typically a home or business.
These grids can span over towns, cities, states, countries or continents. The term is based on the grid like pattern of the components that generate, transmit, distribute and consume the electricity.
Now that the grid is understood, being off the grid originally meant not being connected to the electrical grid. It was a new way of thinking in the late 20th century after the grid was formed and covered large swatches of land. With the term off-grid being debuted in a book “Clicking: 16 Trends to Future Fit Your Life, Your work, and Your Business” written by Lys Marigold and Faith Popcorn.
What does it encompass?
Living off the grid was in it’s original form a type off outcast or hermit. It was a term used to describe survivalist and hippies who wanted nothing more than to essentially disappear. I use the term disappear because the goal of being off the grid was to get off of the governments radar and live by your own means. No big brother looking over your shoulder, no bills coming in the mail, unencumbered by the weight of society, enjoying a life the way you want to live it vs what society may want for you.
This is the sum of being off the grid. It is experiencing that freedom that you were unaware you had no access to. How can one know the pain of being unable to fly if they had their wings cut at birth?
Evolution
We spend a lifetime being indoctrinated into a system designed to keep you inside of it. This system is society. It like the electrical grid is made up of many components that all work separately for the greater good of something “bigger”
In our society that would be the 1%. The wealthiest people in the world reap the majority of the benefits. You are born to learn enough to become a functioning member of society. You are given enough access to education (School System) safety (Police, Fire department) medicine (Hospital, Clinic) food (Grocery Store, Restaurants) and utilities (Electricity, Gas, Water) with the idea instilled that if you play a larger role in society (make more taxable income) then you will reap larger rewards and more benefits aka more slivers of freedom.
This is the cycle. You make more taxable income and you spend more taxable income. You buy a newer car, a bigger house and you start a family. You get chained to the system at the base unknowingly as you save to retire and need more to make sure your kids have access to better education, safety, food, medicine and utilities. All with inflation eating away at every dollar you don’t invest which prompts you to put more of that taxable income back into society.
This is the grid now in it’s purest form. What people call the rat race or “Keeping up with Jones” or Kardashians in this day and age.
Definition
The living off the Grid definition today means getting out of this cycle. Living your life as you see fit vs what you were born indoctrinated to.
It means getting off of the utilities and owning property. Not renting or leasing and having to work 30 years to pay off a mortgage. Or getting a new car just because they added a new turn signal and front bumper to the model you got a couple years prior.
Off the grid is being the master of your own fate, maker of your own food, knowing what you put into your body and mind.
Today being off the grid means freedom.
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