Off the Grid

I have seen memes lately touting the idea of dropping off the grid. They ask would you rather live, and they show a mountain cabin, a farm on the plains, or bungalow on a secluded beach. They compare that to a smoggy view of a big city.

Obviously, this is an example of oversimplifying the question. A big city is not a single entity. The neighborhoods in a big city vary as much as the economy and the ethnic demographics. The memes assume the reader will automatically reject the big city because it is, by definition, bad. A lot of people love living in the city, walking to markets, and not having to drive to get to work, or world-famous venues. I’m not one of them. I’ve spent enough time in big cities to know that life isn’t for me.

I guess that leaves living off-the-grid somewhere. No, there are plenty of other options. Living off-the-grid is one of those things that sounds better than it is, especially for senior citizens. Living alone, far away from civilization is bad for the three areas of health that senior citizens need to focus on.

It is bad for our physical health. Living away from civilization means you are far away from medical help when it is needed, and sooner or later, it will be needed.

To live off-the-grid you would either need a lot of money to get you everything you need, or you are going to have to be at least partially self-sustaining. That means work, and a lot of it. The older you get the harder that work will be.

Living off-the-grid is bad for your mental health. There have been many studies that link cognitive decline to lack of human interaction. We need the give-and-take from other people to keep out brains working effectively. If a person is susceptible to cognitive problems, this could be a disaster.

A person’s emotional health would definitely be at risk. Even if you live with a partner, that kind of isolation is not good. Of course, you can augment using social media, if you have a connection, and enough power. It that case, you wouldn’t be all that off-the-grid, would you?

No, I like the suburbs. Being a retiree, I like living in an active adult community where I have wonderful friends and plenty of things to do.