Off the Grid: Life On the Mesa

If you haven't seen this yet it's worth a look. There's a documentary on youtube (embedding disabled by request so you have to click to watch) that highlights a small community in New Mexico. Here's the trailer.



The community is off the grid. Everyone lives in trailers, shanty shacks and other buildings that they manage to hobble together. There seem to be a lot of vets, old hippies and crazy people in the community. Then there's the little group of runaways who think that the rules don't apply to them. The only real government are the "elders". Everyone has a say but ultimately the elders make the decisions. Resources are limited. They have to haul their water from miles away. It's interesting to see how they interact.

This particular community probably wouldn't last in a grid down, supply lines cut, SHTF scenario. Once the gas dries up they wouldn't be able to haul water, anymore. They also can't produce enough of their own food. If they really put their heads together and started working towards that goal now they could probably come up with some viable solutions but for now they don't seem interested in doing anything more than is necessary to get by. A couple of them look like they're trying but they have a long way to go to get anywhere near being self sufficient.

Despite all of that I still think that it's a pretty good look at what some communities could look like once things start going down the tubes. Resources will be extremely limited. People will do what they have to do to get by. They'll start accepting the fact that their own security is up to them. Are you ready to have to live like that?

Comments

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Anonymous said…
I really can't figure out what these people are after,other than freedom. If this were a survival type group,they would be goner's in no time! With the mini junkyard,they would be easily spotted,they waste ammo,and what did they blow up? How many cars did these few people let rot away? I did notice they have bottled water,so a town is nearby.
Dustin Tarditi said…
I think "resilient communities" and "circle up the wagons" mentality will prevail after the initial shock of a major event. Vigilantism runs strong in this country, and it won't be long before people doing their best to live righteously will have to posse up against those who hold their own personal survival above all ethics and character standards.
Ryan said…
I watched the whole video on Netflix. It was pretty interesting.
Other than a real world look at who will and who won't survive, that video makes those people look like anarchists in a way. They'd never survive without outside sources.

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