Am I crazy?

[milkmania]

Why are friends, family, and associates so averse to the idea of skoolies, glamping, alternative sustainable living, wind & solar energy renewable energy resources, and composting toilets????

They see my enthusiasm when I try to explain the things I'm learning and they look at me like I'm trying to put an Ozark Trail Walmart tent out behind a dumpster and I'm excited about it!

Is it because they've become accustomed to their ideas of conventional living? Is it because they've never stopped long enough to actually see what nature has to offer?

Are they too lazy to take the time to research alternative living and they want to keep making that mortgage payment, make that $70,000 suburban truck payment and continue letting Big Business lead them around by the nose hairs? One thing I see is they don't have the time to research material, because they are caught up in the trap!

They're simply amazed that I spend $7.00 a month and can download any new movie I want, any software I want, and any music I want. (And no, it's not from The Pirate Bay or bit torrents)
Also, I can go to websites and watch any series or sitcom that I want for free!
I learned how to build a digital antenna in 10 minutes and told dishnetwork to shove that dish! I can get 14 open air digital television channels (uncompressed signal) and I don't have to pay for all those commercials... One of my friends was complaining that her cable and internet was out for 2 days after the tornadoes came through town...

The only time my digital antenna television was off the air was at the same time I was 6 feet underground.
(first time in 40 years I've gone to the cellar, and when I came out had learned the town was hit by 3 EF2 tornadoes)

A 1 hour series is actually only 42 minutes... I never missed an episode of Justified on FX, Hell on Wheels, Breaking Bad... I even just downloaded the entire Wonder Years series, just for fecal matter & giggles! Winnie grew up NICE!!!!

I watched mayweather pacquiao fight 4 hours after it aired... So what if I had to stay away from the news, internet, and phone for a few hours, I just found something else to do with my time, saved $100 on the scam of the century, and it was like I was watching it live!

They actually want to pay someone so they can watch Dancing with the Stars???? Honestly, they are the ones that I don't understand!

food, water, & shelter...... that's all we actually "need".... Anything above that is a luxury, that someone else will profit from.

A couple nights ago, I found a really cool website where you can create your own nature sounds with tons of different tracks.... I find it very soothing to listen to a thunderstorm, windchimes, birds and crickets. And I can sit back and just say FTW for a little while longer.

give it a try, fully customizable and downloadable ogg format file
http://naturesoundsfor.me/nature_sounds_0013

or you can just it run in another tab in the background... that's what I do.

[crazycal]

Are you crazy? NO!!! I am and I embrace my madness. I don't care what people think even if it is family or friends. You will see how liberating it is when you don't give a crap what anyone thinks. All I can tell you is EMBRACE THE MADNESS!!!

[milkmania]

my idea of heaven... this was the view out my front door when I lived full time in the camper. I remember sitting out watching the stars, listening to the crickets and hearing the train whistle 30 miles away...

[Scooternj]

Crazy? Not in the conventional sense. I grew up spending a week or two in a tent on family camping trips...including sleeping in the dining fly when I was just over a year old; weekend camping trips with the Boy Scouts through high school; hell, I think I was one of the few in my training group who were comfortable in the shelter halves we had for field training at Ft Dix (USAF SP Airbase Ground Defense course, Mar-Apr '92).

With the Crown folks, they're keeping a classic bus out of the junkyard; Tango and Trunt are giving new life to antiques- hell, we're all breathing new life into old buses, repurposing them and keeping them on the road. And each bus we build is as unique as its owner, regardless of the skills they have. Because we don't want a mass produced, soulless RV-unless it's a Wanderlodge.

We're all unique, whether we're looking at it as an RV or a tiny home, a quick and dirty conversion or a multi-year rebuild.

[HolyBus]

I think part of it is an anal ocd training state of mind that is instilled by society (tv and friends). That may sound anti-establishment but I am saying it is o.k. to think outside the box.
If the people can't accept or even grasp the concept you are talking about, maybe they are like children who are afraid to let go of mom's shoulder and swim alone. They will continue defending their beliefs to feel safe.
Just do your thing and let them do theirs.

[leadsled01]

Winnie Cooper makes me crazy too...

[EastCoastCB]

[themoreweexplore]

I'm going through similar emotions. My friends are super supportive, but they don't understand or see much of the appeal. It took 7 years of living in a brick and mortar house to realize it's not for me. It took a while to open my mind to more alternative ways of living, and it's probably the same with your friends; they're just 10 years behind you. 10 years from now they'll be where you are now.

We just have to remember that while we don't like their lifestyle, they don't have to like ours, and it's not an "us vs them" situation, it's a "we're in this life together trying to figure out what makes us happy" situation.

You're comparing the best of full-time bus life with the worst of "normal" life, so it's going to sound better. There are things about the full-time life that worry most people: retirement, health insurance, limited job opportunities, etc. Don't get me wrong, the full-time life is super appealing to me, but I imagine it's going to have its downsides as well.

Keep in mind that some people don't even enjoy camping at all. I don't understand that, but I can appreciate that we all want different things out of life. I'd rather be in a tent in a hail storm than in a big house on a comfy couch watching dancing with the stars. We're all different, and different things appeal to different people.

I, for one, think your idea of life sounds fantastic.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

[Tango]

"Crazy" is a relative term. Most people are way too anxious to follow the herd...even off a cliff if they have been brainwashed into thinking it is the cool thing to do. Buying into someone else's idea of a dream is, to me, beyond crazy. It's pathetic. The reality is, independent thinkers always have been and always will be, a very small minority.

These days, if I tell someone my plans...and they don't shake their head in disbelief...I figure I must need to rethink my plans.

Welcome to the club.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by Tango

These days, if I tell someone my plans...and they don't shake their head in disbelief...I figure I must need to rethink my plans.

I have classmates, friends, and family who are *actually* interested in the bus build. Not that they help (family's 2.5 hours away), but the fact that they're interested in this alternative to a stick and staple warms by cold, bitter, black heart.

[somewhereinusa]

I guess I have trained my friends and family well, they all think the bus is cool.

[themoreweexplore]

I found a quote for your friends:

"Resist the tendency to make right or true that which is merely familiar; and wrong or false that which is only strange."

- matthew taylor

[EastCoastCB]

Everyone I know thinks my bus project is pretty cool.
My parents cringe at the word "bus" though. They REALLY hate the whole idea and refuse to even acknowledge it.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by Tango

These days, if I tell someone my plans...and they don't shake their head in disbelief...I figure I must need to rethink my plans.

I must remember this.

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Everyone I know thinks my bus project is pretty cool.
My parents cringe at the word "bus" though. They REALLY hate the whole idea and refuse to even acknowledge it.

my son had a buddy of his come by the house the other day... one of "those well to do kids" that's constantly a thorn in my side because of peer pressure.... They're the ones that have to have the new ford Raptor and momma's gotta drive the newest Cadillac Escalade that gets detailed at the dealership monthly, and a LIFTED 2WD chevrolet truck with iirritating 50 series flowmasters, etc...
well, this kid comes by before my son got home... and I start in about alternative living, and he say's "Yeah, ***** told me what you've been studying and thought it was weird at first, but he's thinking it's pretty cool now".
So, I pull up the laptop and my information, a lot of build pics, info, etc... This kid thought it was so cool, was really impressed, and actually said "I could see myself living like that!"

And not 10 minutes later, I'm standing beside his lifted 2WD and I tell him I've got some stuff that will clear those hazy headlights in about 20 minutes... and he says "nah, that's ok.... dad's going to buy some new ones"

Why do some people just throw money at everything? Spend 20 minutes and LEARN SOMETHING NEW!
this kid is soft, and if he ever makes it.... it'll be from dad's dime!

My son tried out for a college baseball exhibition, (he'll be a high school senior) and was drafted into the roster as pitcher, along with the kid above... I couldn't pay the $275 entry fee, plus drive 4 hours and stay 4 days in a hotel... because we'd just made an unplanned trip to Texas last week to pick up that Dodge Charger... I apologized to my son that I couldn't pay it.... His reply was "It's ok, I needed the car more".

The soft kid got drafted also into left field, and replied that he'd attend the same day, where we'd had 12 days to decide if we could afford it. It just wasn't in the cards, and my son understood that.... then went out and got a job the next day so he could pay his insurance and tags.

I see adult peer pressure as well as childhood peer pressure all the time.

There's times when we're trying to figure out where the next meal is coming from, and my son understands that.... But, I've also taken these boys to dinner and watched this kid not leave a tip, where I've taught my son to always leave a tip!

I teach my son NEEDS vs. WANTS.

/rant off

[EastCoastCB]

My folks recently wanted their garage cleaned out.
they wouldn't even allow my bus on their property to load up their crap from the garage.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

My folks recently wanted their garage cleaned out.
they wouldn't even allow my bus on their property to load up their crap from the garage.

IMO

Time to disown them.

Any one not on my side of the fence is one the other side. The other side is outside of my life.

My ex wife was the first of many family to go.

Many so called friends since have faded away......

I believe in quality over quantity.

Nat

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

My folks recently wanted their garage cleaned out.
they wouldn't even allow my bus on their property to load up their crap from the garage.

.............

[beyns]

I told dad that we bought a bus to make a schoolie and he said "cool, can't wait to get over there and help". Best dad ever.