The Happy Idiot
There seems to be no shortage of Pollyanna type people who somehow manage to stumble through life serendipitously, managing to get by without a scratch or a care. They have been unfairly labeled by society as “happy idiots.” These are not necessarily the homeless or down and outers but are in many cases intelligent and often well-educated persons. They simply have consciously chosen a different path and have decided to extricate themselves from the noise level of our overly connected world. Having learned over the decades to not judge that with which I have had no personal experience, I began to wonder if their approach may have some merit, and possibly something quite valuable to offer. I am an explorer reader and want to experience ALL that life has to offer — “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” Perhaps it is time to punch out and join their ranks for a trial run? Should I “walk a mile in their shoes?” After much thought I decided to give it a try.
When I travel internationally, I have a strict set of rules that that I follow without exception. Doing so allows me to be total immersed in the experience that I have traveled far and paid dearly for — no television, radio, internet, email, newspapers, magazines, or cell phone use, and NO exceptions. Nor do I wish to converse with anyone about anything other than the experience that we have come for, what we have seen and done, and the people we have met. I want TOTAL immersion. Having been down this path 85 times, I should be able to carry out a similar plan here in the US when I decide to check out.
Exactly how does one go about this? Information is always the first step of any successful endeavor, so I ventured off to the library and returned with several books that might help me chart my course.
The first is by the brilliant and acclaimed author Howard Axelrod (no relation to me), entitled “The Point of Vanishing: A Memoir of Two Years in Solitude.” This personal account by a man who in 2015 voluntarily spent two years in a remote cabin in Vermont with nature as his only companion “spoke to me.” The experience changed his life forever, and for the better. It is a masterful work, and I suggest everyone read it. It gave me many ideas as to how to proceed, as well as a blueprint for my own experiment.
The second is the classic “Walden Pond” by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau undertook a similar retreat to Axelrod’s, also two years in duration, some 170 years earlier, in the not so different remote woods of Concord, Massachusetts. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.” Despite the large time span between the two author’s individual experiences, the parallels are striking, with each person becoming more appreciative, self-sufficient, and happier, with all of the human senses heightened to a new level.
I currently have no intention however of going to the two-year extreme that these authors did. At least for now, I wish to remain at some level a part of society, and plan to escape not to a remote location, but here, in plain sight. Still, many of these author’s insights, trial and error-based skills, and lessons learned, would certainly serve me well in my upcoming experiment.
After much consideration, I planned my logout to be for thirty days. I looked at it as a form of taking medicine. If this prescription proved to be clinically effective, perhaps an even larger dosage would follow. In the case of both authors, positive physical and mental health effects manifested themselves within the first few weeks and continued to progress throughout their two years apart from society. I still have some obligations, so a full checkout, at least at for now is not possible. Nor am I ready to go “cold turkey” just yet. I needed a less extreme approach, and thirty days seems right. I began to formulate a plan that would guide me on my maiden voyage.
Beginning in the 1980’s Microsoft’s chief fromage Bill Gates would take a week twice annually and spend time alone in an undisclosed cabin in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Gates labeled these “Think Weeks.” During these days of isolation, he consumed himself with reading, brain storming, and formulating business strategies and technologies. Among the many successful outcomes of his quiet time was Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Gates considered this cabin a unique location that was neither work nor home, but in fact a break from both. In this setting he was able to laser focus his mind and extricate himself from all of the interruptions that impeded his mental growth and progress. The peace and silence created a sense of clarity and awareness that did not exist in his daily environment. Both linear and abstract thinking skills flourished. Since Gate’s initial foray, retreats of this type have become more common amongst business leaders and contemporary scholars and thinkers.
In planning my retreat, I determined what was taking up space in my mind and providing little value or fuel for personal and intellectual growth. All the clutter had to go. The answers were easy: television, computer, cellphone, daily print news, and certain types of people. These absolutely had to go.
I started with the TV. I heard it blaring from the next room. “Hoda Koda has broken up with her boyfriend.” Hoda who? “There has been cheating in the sports world.” That is hardly news. It has been going on since the ancient Olympics in Greece in 776 BC! “There is tension between America and Russia, China, and North Korea.” Anyone unaware of this must be living in a cave! “The Wahoobie Covid variant has been found in the sewers of Overall Patches, Indiana.” Yes, certainly something I need concern myself with. “Dr. Fauci has made a new prediction.” Dr. Fauci made a prediction? The man has made more predictions than Nostradamus! “There has been a snowstorm in the Northeast.” What a shock. A snowstorm in the Northeast in February! Unimaginable! None of this is useful or of any value to me. Clearly television had to go immediately. I literally pulled the plug from the wall. As the Brits say, “done and dusted.”
As for the computer, I simply pulled the plug out of the wall like I had done for the television and put it in the closet.
The cellphone was next to go. Easily done. I turned it off and put it in the desk drawer. In my new life I won’t need to reach anyone, and no one really needs to reach me. I’m not that important.
I subscribe to three newspapers and quickly realized they were not all that different from the television, nor one another- Just more “brain clog.” These needed to go if my evolution into a happy Idiot were to be successful. Now they make a daily non-stop journey from the front door to the recycle bin.
The next step was to extricate myself from the massive amount of meaningless chatter that I hear from people each day. It amazes me how long it takes some people to say nothing. Additionally, I encounter many people with copious amounts of “information” but little “knowledge.” I have thinned out the people I speak to considerably. Those who I can engage with in meaningful dialog are a welcome part of my new world. Unfortunately, in the name of scientific method, all others have been thrown off the island. I believe that this purging process is requisite for my journey to be undertaken in earnest.
How do I use all of my newfound time you ask? I am up before sunrise. I exercise two to three times per week at the gym and walk four miles three times per week. I ride my bicycle to the beach where I stretch, meditate, and swim in the warm azure blue waters of southeast Florida. I read at least a book per week, listen to music, attend live concerts, hike, and do photography at the nearby wetlands. I hear the sounds of nature that I never heard before and see things with a new perspective. The air smells fresher, sounds are clearer, food tastes better, and colors are more vibrant. I have become a careful observer of human nature and watch with amusement as the people around me jump like trained seals with every chirp and beep of their cellphones. I am not currently part of their universe.
It has been two weeks and not nearly as difficult as I expected. With only half of my experiment completed I have I already become a reasonably successful happy idiot, and am experiencing the same sense of peacefulness, wellbeing, clarity, and vibrancy as the aforementioned trail blazers who have gone before me. My thinking has changed dramatically, and I am able to quickly separate what is important for happiness and good physical and mental health, from that which is not. I genuinely like it! Obviously, I can’t live like this forever, and will soon need to begrudgingly return to the chaotic world to find out who Hoda Koda is dating and what Dr. Fauci’s prediction du jour is. Has there been any more sabre rattling from our enemies? I am probably at least two COVID variants behind and have some catching up to do. Exactly where is Overall Patches, Indiana anyway?
Well folks, as Mr. Ernest Hemingway would say “there you have it!” I have shown great aptitude and skill in my goal of experiencing life as a happy Idiot. I have gained so much contentment and have sacrificed absolutely nothing. I look forward to the final fifteen days of living apart from our world and am already thinking about a sixty-day hiatus.
I’m not selling anything reader, nor recommending that you logoff yourself. All I can tell you is that it worked marvelously for me. Please don’t criticize or look down your nose down at this happy Idiot until you give it a try. I AM HAPPY! As mama used to say, “don’t judge it until you have tried it
If you do decide to push the eject button, please remember my simple disclaimer. “Your mileage may vary.”
Howard Axelrod is a travel photographer, writer, and former high technology executive. He has photographed in 85 countries on six continents. He is a resident of Ashland, Massachusetts and Delray Beach, FL. Howard can be reached at highwind@verizon.net.
