I was fulltime for one year. While on the road, I spent a stretch of time around Slab City. They have a saying in the slabs: “We’re all here because we’re not all there.” That is to say, there is a reason why people end up where they are, and it usually has something to do with their personalities. So I believe there is something in common in all of us who ended up on a nomadic path.
I do think that people romanticize. There are tons of people, for example, who fantasize about living on an off-grid farm, but one week of waking up at the crack of dawn to milk goats or cows can sometimes cure them of their fancies. And a sizeable portion of the membership here is not nomadic. In fact, some of the most vocal posters on this forum with the strongest opinions about “their” nomadic community don’t even have rigs.
There comes a threshold that you have to cross, and only those who really have it in them (or who are really delusional) will cross that threshold. The delusional ones end up broken down on the side of a road in Arizona with a blown head gasket, and will post here along the lines of, “Please help! I have no money, and I just offered my last 20 to the mechanic, but it’s not enough!” And you have to just shake your head... I believe that there is definitely a general disconnect between what nomadic living “means” or represents to people, and what it really is. Everyone first comes to this forum because they had a fantasy of a cheap, easy-going nomadic life. A portion of members here actually set out on the road. And a smaller portion still remain on the road.
But what makes the non-delusional ones cross that threshold? I don’t know, but I agree that we probably share something. I see a trend of bucking the system among the forumites here, and I have been a little rebel myself at times in my life. That is to say, I sometimes didn’t mind standing out or doing something in an unconventional fashion. I see a trend of appreciation for small spaces here, and even after I abandoned my nomadic life a few months ago, the home I settled into is very small (600 sq. ft.), and I like it that way! I see a trend of loathing for materialism among the forumites here, and I too see little value in luxury or status. As a young man, I chose a path that led to a decent career, but my goal was never to pleasure my ego with material possessions. I delight in simplicity, in reduction, and in freedom, and I think those are pleasures many of us in this community share.
But I see those same traits that lead people to nomadism also cause a lot of the recurring heartache here. The same trait that makes someone “buck the system” and insist on doing things her or his own way has undoubtably, in my mind, also been at the root of the persistent poverty and lack of healthy and meaningful social interactions discussed on this forum. “We’re all here because we’re not all there,” indeed. There are fascinating people in the slabs, but many of them couldn’t make it in the real world. The Slabs is their escape. For some who will come across this forum and this community, the road is their metaphorical escape.
And, of course, there may be some traits that bind us all, but our motivations vary. I’ve been reading here pretty regularly for more than a year. Some folks are motivated by desperation. Some by a longing to be free. Still others by a longing to disconnect. And still others yet by a longing to connect.
As with all things in life, those running away from something usually never escape, but those running to something sometimes make it to their destination.
