Nomad's Civic Duty

Quitting your job. Pimping out a minivan. Hitting the road to go experience "the world". There are stories about people doing this popping up on my newsfeed literally every day. The nomadic life is glorified and the 9-5ers are, if not demonized, pitied. We can read these snapshots and be hit with a pang of jealousy, utter confusion, or maybe even complete dislike. It depends which peak you're standing on. I'm currently climbing down one peak and onto another.

For the past few years I would jump at the chance to read any and all of these pieces--you can pitch my tent in the jealousy camp. I poured over these stories, taking note of the how to make each car a home; how to cook on the road; how to actually make some money while posting pictures on instagram (wut.). I was totally envious and fascinated. 

But like most things, as time has gone by my ideas have evolved a bit. Which is wonderful because a stagnant life with no change would be a waste. I've started a grad program that has done a brilliant job of blowing my mind in just a few short weeks. I'm starting to understand and appreciate the need for communities and civic duties. I'm starting to see the value of a full time job (hi rice and beans every night). I'm starting to value the sacrifice that we all make to keep our beautiful, amazing country beautiful and amazing. And that last bit is what sits most uncomfortably with me while I read of these voluntary nomads.

Being a citizen of the United States is the greatest privilege. There's no getting around the fact that we are combing through some really tough shit right now. This election season has seemed to pull back the sexist, racist, xenophobic, fear-stained curtains of our beautiful country and allowed people to shine an ugly, awful light through our house. Yet, we should recognize the brilliance that is the U.S. We are absolutely not perfect but we're an inanimate made up of imperfect, self serving humans, should we even expect perfection? No. At least I don't think so (but living by the creed by which we were created would be nice--looking at you "all men created equal").

So wrapping this back to the nomads. These articles that are written by these folks and published on online magazines bashing consumerism, 9-5 jobs, 401k's, rent, houses, garages, picket fences. They preach environmentalism and veganism and glutenfree-ism, breaking free from the 1% control. And to be honest, it all reeks a bit of white privilege. The ability to just say "'Eff' the retirement plan I'll just get in my car and go somewhere else" shows a level of status that many of these people don't address in their articles about being "poor and on the road". 

But I have to wonder: by pulling back and retreating to the comforts of your trunk-bed on the back-roads of the U.S. are you really helping or exploiting? You want to reap the benefits of the freedom and traditions and (attempted) conservationism without being an active part of society. 

This is obviously not a blanket judgement of all folks who do this. That would be stupid. Rather it is a remark on the glorified movement that's happening in the country. Convincing--particularly millennials--that we should quit our civic duties before we've even contributed to our country. It's encouraging people who are fed-the-freak up with the status-quo to retreat, drain their retirement, and act complacent in a time of great need for activism, leadership, and community organization.