Magnus Staar wrote:
Kohadre wrote: Living this lifestyle is both a combination of choice and circumstance, but truth be told I develop severe wanderlust if I stay anywhere for more than 6 months at a time. This has powerfully affected what kind of possessions I own, as well as my social habits and overall outlook on life.
Care to share more? Why did you choose this lifestyle? How has it affected your outlook on life? I really can't picture myself choosing to live this lifestyle, which is why I'm interesting in knowing more about it.
I chose this lifestyle for a number of reasons, primarily being that it helps me to stay more stable than I would be if I otherwise tethered myself to a specific location. Primarily living out of the contents of a backpack, my mobile lifestyle has kept me from accumulating excess "stuff" and racking up unnecessary debt for that "stuff". For what I do own, monthly charges are cheaper comparatively than if I were to purchase a fixed residence such as a home. It also keeps me more physically active and encourages socializing with others around me. Since I also have multiple chronic illnesses, having the ability to pack up all my belongings in a sum of 10 minutes has offered me the ability to relocate to areas where I can get access to better treatment and medication that may be illegal or restricted in other areas.
Having everything I own able to fit into a backpack has also enabled me to get out of some pretty bad situations, such as extremely abusive relationships and situations where places I lived at temporarily were run by slumlords and drug dealers. The less you own, the easier it is to grab and go when the situation necessitates it. It also makes you more resourceful in situations that would cripple other people, such as power outages or loss of running water. Anyone whose been on the road any amount of time has found some work around to getting warm meals and clean water that doesn't involve an outlet or tap.
As far as my outlook on life goes, I've gone from being an optimist to more of a realist. I've come to read people quicker and second guess myself less. As far as interacting with people goes, I haven't had any "real" friends for over a decade now. Interactions with people stay at a level of casual acquaintances, I never stay around one place long enough to put in the effort for it to become more fulfilling. I've also come to feel that people aren't as genuine as they portray themselves to be. They put on a great show most of the time, and have no problem asking you for help or favors while talking out their rear about how they'll repay you, etc... When I've tried to get people to do something as simple as hang out or forward some information on something I'm trying to look up, getting so much as a text message back becomes an apocalyptic feat. People I come across seem to just want the fun parts of friendships, without having to put any actual work in or deal with any of the life problems that friends are supposed to support each other on.
I approach each day in an almost survivalist, "just push on through" mindset. I feel that there's no real security, and any perception of it is just a temporary illusion. My backpack could get stolen leaving me with nothing again (has happened before), I could lose my job due to layoff or poor performance (also has happened), my living situation could change and I could be evicted without advanced notice (happened), or all of these things at once (happened).
I don't let myself get excited or overjoyed about anything, because that's when I start to make really stupid and poorly thought out decisions. I make it a priority to keep a level head and be as emotionally "neutral" as I can, because some of the times I have been screwed over the worst are by people who were close to me that made me feel I could let my guard down.
I think people really only come into this type of life in one of two main ways.
Way # 1 is that you're forced into it as a result of disaster, be it natural, man made, economic, or otherwise. People loose their jobs all the time, and sometimes that's all it takes to end up hiking down the road to try and catch a bunk at the city mission.
Way # 2 is that life screws you up so badly that you come to a place where being an outsider offers you more hope of stability and purpose than being a permanent resident of a local community could ever hope to.
