Reflection: Expectations and Surviving Under Extreme Conditions

From time to time, Mrs. Denmarkguy and I watch various "docudrama" series, usually on the History Channel, about people living and surviving under extreme conditions.

That could be somewhere in the Australian Outback or it could be somewhere deep in the interior of Alaska. The common thread here is that resources are scarce and nature around you is harsh and doesn't give you much, other than what you are willing to work for.

There was a time in my life when I seriously thought about moving far far away from everything and everyone... and basically leaving most of the trappings of civilization behind. At the time, I was growing increasingly unhappy with what "being civilized" really had to offer, and the attendant stress associated with pursuing those "offerings.".

Now, people have a variety of reasons for wanting to move far far away and to get off grid and truly get outside any kind of charted territory. Some people just like the challenge, and some people are running away from something, and some people — like I was at the time — are simply tired of the way things are.

In watching these programs, and in thinking back on my own considerations in possibly pursuing such a lifestyle, one of the things that occurs to me is that many of the things that keep people tied to civilization so fervently as they are... is that they have very high expectations for what they're going to "get" from life.

Or, we might even say that these expectations pass over a fine line into the land of entitlement. They would never move so far away because that would earn enough "likes" on their Facebook posts!

One of the reasons I thought I might do quite well out there was specifically the fact that I have very low to no expectations of anything or anybody. I never felt like life "owed" me anything other than what I could create with my own hands for myself. Or perhaps with my own brain power and ingenuity.

Which is definitely "not enough" for an awful lot of the people walking around on Planet Earth in 2023!

Sometimes I can't help but wonder whether we — as a species — have increasingly lost touch with what it means to actually create your own life? Sometimes it feels like people expect their perfect life to come to them in an Amazon delivery van.

Maybe I am being a little overly cynical here, but to what degree is it really necessary to constantly be expecting "more" of everything, every day. Or, as an acquaintance recently remarked "people are just so EXTRA, these days!"

I realize we're all different, but I'm really OK with a little "less" life, rather than "extra!"

But maybe that's just part of the "natural flow of things" for most people. We tend to be "extra" when we are younger, and come to value the beauty of "less" as we age.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Friday!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!

Proud member of the Silver Bloggers Community on Hive!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT posted anywhere else!)
Created at 2023-07-28 00:06 PDT
0901/2156