OPINION: If only it were so simple

He did not at all grasp the concept that in order to for me to drive that distance, I would have to purchase gasoline. I could not help but be drawn to the idea of returning to that level of innocence. The idea of living in a world where money means nothing and responsibility means even less is truly appealing.

I recently spoke with a close friend about what it would be like to escape the constraints of society and revert back to that childlike state of little to no responsibility – to be liberated from politics, pop culture and the American live-to-work mentality. I found myself weighing the positives and negatives of my current way of life and the idea of simply surviving.

How emancipating it must be to be free of the competitive, capitalist dogma that is American life in the 21st century. I would no longer strive for instant gratification and convenience, but rather be fulfilled by the simple pleasures of nature and human relationships. I could become self-sustainable by growing, hunting or foraging my own food. I would no longer be tied down to one place, but rather free to roam the land in search of the raw beauty of the earth. I would work to live rather than living to work. I would become a pioneer and gain knowledge from experience rather than someone’s distorted point of view. As Jack Kerouac so elegantly put it, there would be “nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

Yes, the thought of escaping the rat race is almost too tempting, but eventually, one has to realize the madness and hopelessness of such an idealistic aspiration.

Maybe in the 1960s, this type of lifestyle would have been much more possible. Train hopping or hitchhiking were commonly practiced, and an odd job might be traded for a few nights of shelter. Today, surviving on the streets or in the wilderness would be a harsh reality.

I can scarcely imagine what it would be like to go hungry or cold. Living without the convenience of technology would be an even harder pill to swallow. I would no longer hold the answer to every question in my hand by performing a Google search on my iPhone. I would struggle to navigate from place to place without the ease of a GPS. The absence of even the most basic of amenities such as warm water, microwave ovens and soft mattresses would make life incredibly uncomfortable for someone who has grown accustomed to them. It is likely that I would suffer the same fate as Chris McCandless did in Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction work “Into the Wild.”

Still, I believe I will always wrestle with the idea of leaving society behind and living a life free of responsibility. Perhaps the idea has been romanticized over time by authors and poets, but it is a wonderful thought, to be free from worshiping the almighty dollar.

Cameron Whitlock is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. Originally from Banks County, he lives in Athens.