A Van Down By The River

I recently read with great interest , a 24-year-old from Ashburn who has chosen to eschew modern convenience for primitive living. 

Like our ancestors once did, Eddie has chosen to return to a simpler time when people lived in vans and slept in parking lots; only now the parking lot sits outside a Wal-Mart rather than a Grateful Dead show. While inspired by Thoreau, the chosen lifestyle, thus far, is kind of “Jerry-esque,” although it'll be interesting to see where IT tech Rowe's journey takes him.

To me, Rowe represents a particular American archetype: the newly minted adult who goes off to "find himself" (or herself) by eschewing as many of the trappings of modern society as can be safely handled, and returning to a simpler, seemingly more genuine way of life. You can find the type frequently in literature, with writers from Jon Krakauer to Jack Kerouac to Mark Twain presenting some variation on the theme, to differing results.

I say, go for it.

While a higher purpose is always used to justify hitting the road – and Rowe does express he'll be hitting the road soon – the truth of the matter is that, when you're young, you don't have obligations weighing you down. It seems natural, indeed sensible, to run all over the country before getting bogged down by responsibility.

Yeah, sure, Rowe says he's living in his van to teach us about living green (though I, personally, can't see what's "green" about living in a greenhouse-gas emitting vehicle) I personally suspect he's really living in his van because he can. And why not?

How many Ashburn residents out there secretly live lives of quiet longing, always wishing they could step out of the box but never really having the courage to do so?  How many Ashburn marriages have ended because one or both of the betrothed didn't know who they were? How many respectable Ashburn professionals would've chosen a different route, had they merely taken the time to figure out what that route should be?

Communities like Ashburn are filled with people who live there only because it's safe. People settle down with nothing, really, to settle down from.

I say, instead of getting a job out of school, get a van instead.