Virunga Review

Virunga is an eye-opening documentary about what was happening in the Congolese jungles. There are soldiers willing to risk their lives to protect the wildlife in the park and their precious mountain gorillas that helps bring in funding for the park from the tourism it attracts. But there are also greedy people that are trying to find oil in the country and will do almost anything to get it. While the soldiers are trying to protect the wildlife, there are rebel militias attempting to take over. This documentary shows the struggles that happen all the time on the other side of the world. It shows how even though there may be goodness in some people, there is also evil ready to test the loyalty of any who stand in their way.

Argumentative Paper

This modern-day materialist society has gotten so repulsive it's driving more and more people to live off-the-grid. Every year, campers, hikers, nature enthusiasts, and the like escape to an outdoor paradise where they can take a break from the everyday struggles and renew themselves. Though these people spend time in nature as a hobby, others take it to the extreme and make it their lifestyle. Whether it's regarding money, spirituality, or stress, there are people that permanently relocate to a secluded home off-the-grid. According to environmental journalist Bryan Nelson, "Sometimes, the weight of civilization can be overwhelming. The fast pace...the burdens of relationships...the political strife...the technological complexity--it's enough to make your dream of escaping to a simpler life more in touch with nature." Among these extremists, a life of seclusion is something I occasionally desire due to the fact I am the happiest and most peaceful when I am in nature.

On the surface, civilization might seem like a more comfortable option compared to off-the-grid living, but with either of those options, there are sacrifices to make. One thing about this society that drives people away is privacy issues. In Fredrick S. Lane's book, American Privacy: The 400-Year History of Our Most Contested Right, he explains, "Most Americans were appalled by the revelation that the Bush administration had been listening to the domestic conversations of U.S. citizens for more than four years without court supervision." For over 200 years, America has been considered a 'free' nation. That freedom is slowly disappearing. With living in the wilderness, a lot more is sacrificed. There aren't any grocery stores down the block, hospitals, heating and cooling systems in the house (if there is a house), and unless one of the people you’re with (or yourself) is a doctor, you might have to travel for an hour or more just to reach one. But the biggest sacrifice is having to hunt and gather food for survival rather than having a farm or other people behind-the-scenes putting food on the table. Despite all this, the reward is peaceful living and less stressful worries.

Unless one is accustomed to living in the wild their whole lives, the switch to a more natural form of living would take a little time to get accustomed to. An example of a family that's used to living in the wilderness their whole lives is the Alaskan Bush Family. The family consists of nine people: father, Billy, mother, Ami, four boys, and two girls. The children range in ages from 32 to 12 years old. Each member of the family brings a different talent and strength to the group, but together, they accomplish a lot--which makes them successful in their way of living. Out of the many decades of living in the wild, the family spent one year in an apartment in Ketchikan, Alaska after the boat they had been living on with all their belongings sunk. One year was about all they could handle before they went crazy from not being out in nature.

A more famous person that took on the task of living more simply is Christopher McCandless, the American that ventured into the wilderness of Alaska in 1992 and is famous from Jon Krakauer's non-fiction book about McCandless's life, Into the Wild. Bryan Nelson also reveals McCandless's reasoning for leaving, "Though he was well-educated, his upper-middle class background and academic success only fueled his contempt for what he saw as the empty materialism of society." Nelson explains that McCandless believed that the things that mattered most in the society he left behind were the physical possessions that could easily be replaced or thrown away. I would have to agree that society is still materialistic. People are so focused on having the newest iPhones, the nicest cars, or the coolest gadgets not because they need them, but because they want them. So many people go shopping for clothes so they can fill their closets and drawers with the newest and “cutest” shirts and jeans to the point of overflowing dressers and closets. A good example is women and shoes: they can have a whole closet filled with shoes and they would still want more because they don’t have a pair that will perfectly match the outfit they want to wear. According to Haley Phelan, 226 million people went shopping during the 2011 Black Friday alone. The annual craze is so popular because everyone goes out to purchase products or toys we don’t need, but we still get because they’re on sale and we want them. Plus, we live in a society where there is a television show that is solely focused on people that are hoarders. If that doesn’t say how materialistic we’ve become, I don’t know what will. With all the focus of this society being on what will entertain us for a few hours, we have lost touch with ourselves. There are so many people in therapy and suffering with depression because they don’t know how to be happy. When we’re burying our faces in technology, we forget to focus on maintaining ourselves.

Though I have previously mentioned the reasons why people tend to leave society as being a way to escape, there is another, very different, reason why some people choose to live in the wilderness. There are a few people in this world that have a very strong love and respect for certain animals. One of them being Timothy Treadwell, the man who lived among grizzlies. For thirteen summers, Timothy spent his time in Alaska among the brown bears. He studied them and recorded every moment he spent with them while living in a tent among the bear trails. He had such a deep appreciation for the grizzlies, he felt they were his friends. According to “Bearman” Kevin Sanders, “Almost from the start, National Park Service officials worried about Tim’s behavior…A total of 6 park violations or complaints from 1994 to 2003, including guiding tourists without a license, camping in the same area longer than the 5 day limit, improper food storage, wildlife harassment, use of a portable generator, and misc. altercations with visitors and licensed guides. Treadwell also frustrated park rangers because he refused to carry bear spray.” His love for the bears was deep, but his carelessness about safety precautions and cockiness about his friendship with the grizzlies led to his demise. Unfortunately, there was no happy ending for him, but there is another man with a happier ending. Shaun Ellis is known for his documentary, A Man Among Wolves, showing how he was able to interact with wolves on a deeper level. One of his books, The Man Who Lives With Wolves, explains how he first came into contact with wolves and how he spent two years of his life completely isolated from civilization, living among the wild wolves. He dedicated those two years of solitude with the wolves in hopes of returning to civilization with a better understanding of their nature. Ellis described his experiences with the wolves, “I moved to the wild…I stayed with the same pack for over a year, watching pups grow to adulthood. I never missed human contact during that time. I felt a tremendous sense of belonging with the wolves.” The wolves he called a family took care of him. They brought food to him when he was weak, they trusted him to take care of their pups, and they protected him from predators.

As someone that has taken advantage of off-the-grid living, Eric Outram explains the reasoning behind it, "People who decide to live off-grid are often looking for a way to live in harmony with and lessen their impact on the environment. They enjoy a physical challenge, and/or appreciate some solitude." Outram uses the farming technique in which he grows food and raises animals for meat. Others like Shaun Ellis and the Alaskan Bush Family hunt and gather food for survival. Shaun Ellis set traps when he was waiting to make contact with the wolves, but as soon as he was accepted into the wolf pack, they began to bring meat to him. He tried to stick to a carnivore diet because eating all meat makes you smell like a predator, not prey, with the occasional fruit and berries. The Alaskan Bush Family hunts with rifles and they fish with fishing rods as well as catch salmon with their bare hands. Occasionally, they’ll take a dingy out into more open waters and put out a crab trap for special meals.

Living off-the-grid seems like a crazy idea to some people, but not having to worry about the common causes of stress such as taxes, mortgages, monetary struggles (bartering is very common in Alaska), materialism, and lack of spirituality, among others, is a much better option than the others. I, personally, can see why this society could be holding us back from being truly happy. So living in a forest, surrounded by a readily available food supply, and accompanied by experienced bush people, there would be a lot more time to enjoy life in its purest form.

Quote Post

Going off the grid: Why more people are choosing to live life unplugged
by John Platt

For some, modern-day society is too much to handle. So what do they do about it?

John Platt, a freelance journalist, suggests the reasoning behind the unplugged life, "Some off-grid people do it to get away."

Platt suggests there is an underlying reason behind people trying to escape society.

Platt is correct in his suggestion due to the fact I can relate to his message. It might seem like an obvious statement, but it hits home.