why I'm okay with tribalism

We have evolved in tribes. We cannot enjoy social satisfaction without an us-versus-them social group. I don't feel socially satisfied in my life right now, I want more friends, locally, who I can see daily. I never felt so good socially as when I was living in the dorms at school. Every day and nearly every moment of free time I spent socializing with a small contiguous group. I even consider myself an introvert. The idea that we need alone time is legitimate. But living in four walls that you own and have complete independence in is a modern phenomenon. Humans spent most of our evolution thus far in group living situations. I think that group living is ideal for happiness and mental health. The occupy Wallstreet movement was described by author Daniel Quinn as the "new tribal revolution." By making the public land truly public. For all people inherently, regardless of economic class.

minimalism in a nutshell

For  a while I have been thinking about how to reduce and simplify my possessions, here are some of the ideas I've come up with.

I strive for two things when it comes to possessions:
- I don't want to keep anything I don't use frequently
- I want the most convenient version of the things I do use

I have shed many items that I once used frequently or found a substitute that replaces multiple items. I usually have one pair of pants, thermal long johns, and waterproofs. This pretty much covers all climates year round. I have about three shirts. One fleece, a down jacket, and 2 shells. For a long time I've been itching to give away my winter shell and just use my rain-shell over down in the cold, not quite decided yet since I appreciate the extra insulation. When deciding whether or not to pitch something I ask myself:

When did I last use this?
When will I use it next?
Is storing this item more of a hassle than the benefit I occasionally get from it?
Can that benefit be derived from an alternative item that I use more often?
If later my situation changes and I need this item, will it be more difficult or costly to replace than to store?

There are major trade offs here, and everyone is a little different. I've found the more mobile I am the more likely I will be to pitch it, since storage while traveling is at a premium. The more stuff you have the less space you have and the more you will have to dig through the excess to find what you need. On the other hand, if I'm staying put at a job for a few months. It isn't such an inconvenience to have an extra jacket hanging up out of the wall.

living in a vehicle

I've been living in a van with my S.O. for 2 years now while we finish our degrees. We initially bought the van to live in overt he summer in AZ while we had summer jobs since we had to travel alot and didn't want to pay rent for somewhere we would never be. We decided we liked van life and continued to live there even in winter in Northern Michigan. We had the van insulated with spray-foam insulation and additionally we stay warm with thick down sleeping bags. We really don't have a problem staying warm with the down and the insulation. We crack the windows slightly at night for ventilation, but I am not too worried about CO2 since the gaskets on the doors have dry rotted slightly and allow in oxygen as well. We don’t have much living space in the van but we really only sleep there. We have a queen sized bed and with storage underneath and a small area that we can change clothes in, place our backpacks, etc. The van has no back windows and you cannot tell form the outside that its anything other than a contractor van, in fact it is: We use it to deliver packages for one of our summer jobs. Because there are no windows we don’t have to worry about anyone who might think it’s bad if someone sleeps in a vehicle (not that it’s any of their business). At night we park in public parking areas where you are allowed to park overnight, this sometimes includes park-and–ride lots. When we travel we often park in neighborhoods or apartment complexes. We only stay a night and often don’t even leave the car. I would not want to anger anyone or creep them out by parking in front of their house, so I try to park where I will be out of the way. As for cooking we eat out a lot, but we did this when we lived in an apartment as well. We sometimes cook on a small camp stove in the car and we wash our dishes with a little soap and water in an appropriate place, as in not onto someone’s front lawn but maybe in the woods, or perhaps at a sink on campus, being careful not to leave behind a mess. Dishes are not a big to-do as we usually eat pasta or soup in two bowls with two spoons total. I sometimes toss the bowls in my backpack for the day and give them a quick rinse when I get the chance. Something I am sometimes asked about is where we go to the bathroom. This is really a non issue. We don’t really just hang out in our van during the day, we tend to be busy at work or school, so if were in the van it’s usually for a quick nap or for reading. I try to use the bathroom before I settle down for the night, so in a building on campus, perhaps the place we had dinner at, or a friends house who we were visiting. If it so happens that nature calls during the night I just squat in the bushes in front of someone’s house… I’m joking, I have learned to use a wide mouth bottle to pee in if necessary, it’s no big deal to me in the middle of the night. The next day I will bring that bottle to a toilet with me (in a backpack so it’s not so obvious) and dispose of it, rinsing the bottle out and reusing it for a week perhaps before replacing it with another  bottle. During the day we are in classes or studying on campus. We use the showers in the gym on campus and don’t really have any trouble staying clean.

Neither of us had very many possessions so we didn’t have much trouble fitting our things in the van. I’m sort of a minimalist, if you couldn’t tell, and I really scoff at people who pay for a storage unit. Perhaps that’s because I don’t own much of value besides a really nice sleeping bag (yup $300). I like living in a van because I always have what I need with me. If I want to go away for the weekend I have only to buckle my seat belt and I’m ready. I can take a nap practically anywhere… and in my own bed too! I save lots of money on rent, obviously. I probably use a little more gas than I would if I were in a house, and spend more on oil changes, repairs, maintenance, but I have no electric bill, heat, cooling, phone line, water, TV, internet, or any of those things. With the money I save I can afford to take more trips… and like I said before, I’m ready for a trip at a moment’s notice. Some people consider those who live in vehicles to be homeless, and think their lives are quite retched. I don’t mind occasionally brushing my teeth in public (I actually have always done so because I brush after lunch) for the opportunity to travel more, have infinite convenience, and a simpler life without material excess. I think many people who may be opposed to vehicle living have the wrong idea in mind, and perhaps worry about crazy people doing their laundry in their front yard, or shitting in their tulips. I think many people wouldn’t personally like to live in a vehicle and think that anyone who does must be really desperate. There certainly are examples of this, and I don’t mean in any way to disregard the struggles of someone who is living in a car by necessity instead of choice. The culture of suspicion surrounding people who live in vehicles makes me sometimes secretive about my choices. I certainly don’t advertise about my lifestyle (except on my blog of course). I sometimes worry that the local police will “discover” that I am living in my van; I know it is illegal to sleep in a vehicle in some places. I think that it is important to accept people without undue judgment. I am causing no harm to anyone by my lifestyle choices. I have heard it said that car dwellers should be unwelcome in communities because they don’t pay taxes. I certainly pay income tax and sales tax. I don’t pay property taxes and probably never will because I don’t much aspire to home or land ownership. I hope if you’re interested in alternative lifestyles that you enjoyed this writing, and that perhaps it provided a different perspective or at least an entertaining read.