in which Ryo goes Ted Kaczynski (without the bombing part)
Last week, I spent several days up in Redding looking at property. It's always been a goal of mine to own land in the middle of nowhere, but the reasons have changed over time. Even last week, I was mostly looking for land for recreational uses: camping, hunting, shooting. Obviously, bigger would be better, but I settled on 40 acres because rural land tends to be parceled in 40 acre lots (or multiples thereof), and also because 40 acres, given the right geometry and terrain, would allow me to build my own 600 yard shooting range (the type of matches I compete in shoot at up to 600 yards). Also, I could afford to buy 40 cheap acres without wiping out my savings, and I don't believe in that whole mortgage thing (never did, even before this crisis).

While out there looking at lots for sale, I met and talked to a couple of people who do live on 40 acre lots in the middle of nowhere. Where, "middle of nowhere" is about a 30 minute drive from Redding on paved roads, and another 15-20 on dirt roads, with no power, water, or sewage, and for most intents and purposes, they're cut off from civilization as we know it. One guy said fire fighters didn't even have a map of the area, much less know whether/where people lived. Another woman said she had to chase off illegal hunters by blasting her shotgun into the woods, and that the hunters, disappointed about leaving empty handed, shot her neighbor's cow on the way out. The Sheriff, of course, was nowhere near.

Talking to these people made me think about life out there, on a 40 acre lot of land. As it turns out, with the combination of modern technology and ancient wisdom, one could live quite comfortably out there. You can get electricity from solar panels with a diesel generator as backup. Water? Pump it from a well, spring, or even collect precipitation (Redding gets 33" per year -- about 20 gallons per square feet). Septic tanks take care of sewage, and of course there's always composting for organic waste. You can even get internet via satellite (although latency might be high). For food, you can grow vegetables and raise livestock. The area I was in was pretty dry and the soil didn't seem particularly rich, so yield might not be terribly high, but it'd at least augment the diet (the woman I talked to had a garden with tomatoes, squash, carrots, corn, and had a cow, with a calf on the way). To me, it sounds like a comfortable, albeit basic life.

But here's the kicker. I then started doing the math. A piece of property I was interested in was going for $36.5k, which might go a little lower but include various fees, and we'll call it $40k. Another $30k would probably pay for a well, basic solar-based power, and material for an illegal (but livable) cabin. Technically, septic is required by law, but who cares when you have a 40 acre toilet (as long as you keep your shit out of the food). I could get all that with my savings, and I'd have a place to live for less than $50/month (property tax and road fees). Then factor in health insurance, food, fuel, maybe a car payment, etc and I'd probably live quite comfortably for $1200/month. If I did free-lance work and charged $30/hour (post-tax), that's only 40 hours of work per month. Ok, so I still want to put some money in the bank, so I'll work 80 hours, or maybe charge more. I can spend the rest of the time shooting, tending my garden, or just plain enjoying the peace and quiet.

Of course, then I started wondering what I was doing living out here in the suburbs, working at least 40 hours a week, every week. In fact, why does anybody live in the suburbs, or in cities? Infrastructure? Well, the grid is horribly inefficient, and who needs it when plenty of solar power falls on your land, and you can pump water from the ground. Security? Denser populations lead to crime, and are ripe targets for terrorism. Health? Again, population density increases risk of communicable diseases, not to mention the lack of exercise and diet of processed foods that are slowly killing us. And if that doesn't do it, we face death every day on the roads. So, what does that leave us with? Friendly neighbors? I know more about two random people I met in the middle of nowhere than I do about my next door neighbor who, at this very moment, is less than 20ft away from me. Humans simply aren't designed to interact with masses of people, and genuine communities have been replaced by public services (out there, you need to know your neighbors because they're the nearest support you've got).

If cities are less sustainable, more dangerous, less healthy, and socially alienating, do they even make sense? I can think of two reasons why cities make sense: tradition, and economics. As a society, we've become city dwellers, to a large extent. We don't know anything else, and many of you seem to like it, for whatever reason. But what's really keeping (sub)urban life going is probably our economy. The economy is driven by credit and consumption. Even the poorest contribute to the economy by taking out auto-loans or credit cards, or receive food stamps to buy Coke and Cheetohs for dinner. Our economy would come crumbling if people bought cheap land in cash instead of taking out mortgages on overpriced houses, or stopped feeding on Dollar Menus because they were growing their own food.

In other words, people living healthy sustainable lives is actually at odds with our capitalist society. You hear about "greentech" and "sustainability" every day, but fundamentally, what's unsustainable and ungreen isn't our manufacturing processes or SUVs: it's our economy. An economy that requires growth, and growth at increasing rates, while depending on finite resources is inherently unsustainable. But, of course, we can't admit that, and we have to keep feeding the beast. That's why we have ludicrous products like hybrids cars, which are actually more damaging to the environment than all-gas cars when you factor in the impact of manufacturing and disposal. That's why they won't tell you that keeping your SUV and commuting by public transit is better than buying a new car. That's why they won't tell you to eat less meat and processed foods, or to buy and use fewer electronic devises. Consume, consume, consume.

So, in short, y'all keep doing what you're doing, but some time in the not too distant future, I'ma go live on a farm.