The Millennial Return to Rugged, Rural Life
By: Kae Smith
Tags: Lifestyle, Alternative Lifestyle, Millennials, Sociology, Simple Living

Younger generations have long been trying to break away from the actions of the ones before them. The post WWII white picket fence families birthed the hippies of the 60s against the Vietnam War, then the Woodstock era. Then the political conservatism of the 80s (thanks Reagan), to the introduction of the internet. Baby Boomers to Gen X, to Millennials to Gen Z, each one desperately trying to be different than the ones before.

While you can argue that Gen Z is truly the internet generation, many Gen Z-ers and Millenials , ranging from their 20s to their mid-30s, are starting to turn away, not from the internet, but from traditional ways of living.

There is still a fear among people I know that they will become stuck in a cyclical, monotonous life like their parents went through (even though their parents had a brief stint of being a hippie in the 70s). Friends of mine in their twenties are already working towards financial independence and an escape from life of the work 9–5 and retire at 65; they’re scared that if they don’t make radical changes to their lives now, they’ll forever be stuck.

They’re scared. They’ve seen what a hectic life and high salary can bring you; watching their parents commute an hour and a half each way into Vancouver to pay for the big house, the winter trips to the mountains, the summer trips to the lake. They know the disconnect, the long hours, the stressed family. They’d rather wake up in the morning, already in the mountains, on the lake, and not have to worry about the house at all.

Arguments have been made that van life is less of a freedom movement, and more of an economic crisis that began in 2008 and was carried forward by the pandemic — they’re not wrong — but that argument doesn’t stack up for the off-grid living, or the cabin life. These options, while perhaps saving some money in the every day sense unnecessary, purchase such as commuting in a big city, or heating (for those with solar panels), are not cheap. This movement is not solely practiced out of financial necessity; many people are actually saving up money to transition to this way of life.

What Attracts People to This Lifestyle

Instagram, unfortunately.

The rise in popularity of these alternative lifestyles would never have happened without social media, as funny as it is.

(I suppose it’s not funny at all: most people living these simple life, rural life lifestyles are using social media to fund themselves. The modern technology was actually integral for the regressive move back to a simpler time)

Think about it: idyllic photos of white Sprinter vans parked over looking the ocean, doors propped open to show a cozy bed inside; YouTube videos of van and cabin renovations; blog posts about being a digital nomad and working from a bungalow in Bali with 30 other Americans doing the exact same thing as you. We see this, we want this. And we know that it’s attainable.

This isn’t fame, this isn’t wealth — it’s average middle class people who probably have degrees and had well-paying jobs putting in some time, money, and effort and changing their lives. and can now live comfortably off of a reasonable, semi-passive income. No wonder we all want this. It’s a dream that has the ability to come true.

We all have the ability to move into a van, buy land and a cabin, live abroad. All it takes is time and money; same as buying a house or investing in higher education — things we are expected to save and work towards. And more and more people are realizing that their hard earned money can get them to that lifestyle.

However, Instagram is not the only attracting feature.

People Don’t Want to Live in The ‘Rat Race’ Anymore

The world is shifting and priorities are changing. Many people in their twenties are more impressed by a friend driving a VW van than they are by a 100,000 dollar financed car. Working 80 hours a week and living in a busy city doesn’t hold the same appeal as working part time at a startup or coffee shop, and using the rest of your time on a creative venture, a side hustle/hobby, or perfecting your outdoor activity like climbing, skiing, or mountain biking.

The money is the main draw anymore. It’s the experiences.

Alternative lifestyles add to your appeal, make you interesting, give you an allure of someone worldly, hardworking, and creative. These are the attributes that people want to have these days.

How Does This Affect Society?

Is this a good or bad thing? How does this affect us as humans?

Overall, the bulk of the arguments lead to this being a positive thing. As the world continues to get crazier, more jobs stay remote or online, income stagnates, and cost of living goes up, more and more people will being making this shift in lifestyle either for financial reasons, or simple to enjoy life more.

The fact that this is already becoming a more accepted (and maybe even a little romanticized) as a way to live only paves the way for more people to live this way. For all we know, this could be a glimpse into the future — COVID19 radically changed our life structure: cities may not be a necessity anymore. We could all live productive lives from our rural towns, small forest cabins, sea side shacks and renovated vans.

This does not necessarily mean that everyone wants to quit their jobs and ‘produce content’ for a living. This ought to ease some concerns, because a)there’s only so much content that can be created, and only so many people that can make their livelihood from it and b)it means that many people want to still contribute their labor or intellect to vital occupations; they just don’t want to live in a big house, or have a massive mortgage.

The Keeping Up the Jones is the aspect of life that this generation wants to get rid of. Not the working, the fulfillment, or continuation and betterment of society. Who says a top researcher can’t live in her van? Who says a chef at a cool restaurant can’t drive down from the mountains for their shift a few times a week.

For as long as it needs to, society can chug along the same as it always had — just with the humans living within it making subtle and consistent changes. And who knows, maybe eventually the structure as we know if will collapse completely. But for now, the simple lifestyle can coexist with the modern way of living, which is just another reason as to why it’s so desirable.