An Alternative Choice

           The depth of the Adirondack wilderness offers residents a rare opportunity to live off the grid in a sustainable manner. This self-sufficiency is seldom found in a society as modernized as the United States. Currently, our lifestyles are majorly based around spending long hours at work to achieve a high income that fuels consumption. Instead, those who live off the grid incur little expense and thus are free from pursuing a high income. Now, the time those would have spent in the office is entirely theirs to spend however they please. Of course, much of this newfound time must be dedicated to the countless chores required to live in self-sufficiency, but to those who make the commitment, it’s worth it.

            In addition to the tangible economic differences between lifestyles, the two offer differing spiritual economic dynamics. Again, under our current model of society, consumption is king. Consumption is the goal and drives people everyday from the moment they wake until the day is over. However, the spiritual economics suggest that consumption has a decreasing marginal utility. In other words, after a certain level (i.e. food and water are taken care of), each increased unit of consumption brings less and less utility. With this in mind, the life of an off-grid resident makes much more sense with regard to the derivation of happiness. Adirondack resident Bill Campbell completely communicates this sentiment as he says, “There are really important reasons to simplify our lives. When your expenses are low, you don’t need much income, and you can focus your life on what’s really important,” (Randall). Here we see Mr. Campbell make an important distinction as he separates income from “what’s really important,” (Randall).

Mr. Simmons’ attitude is one of two requirements to live an off-grid lifestyle. The Adirondack’s themselves fulfill the second requirement as they offer a wilderness large enough to provide isolation from the bustle of society. The former of these two requirements is rare enough to be considered odd. However, because the latter requirement is a mammoth landscape centuries old, anybody who fulfills the first requirement is lucky enough to act on his or her desire thanks to the wilderness. Although they may not be the majority of the park’s composition, off-grid residents are out there, happy as can be enjoying what their lifestyle has to offer.

Works Cited

Levine, Justin. "Cabin Life: the Decision to Live "Off the Grid"." Adirondack Almanack. 2012.Web. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/03/cabin-life-the-decision-to-live-off-the-grid.html>.

Randall, Thom. "Living off the grid in the Adirondacks." The Sun. 2014.Web. <http://www.suncommunitynews.com/sports/living-grid-adirondacks-savoring-rhythm-nature/>.