{"id":12766,"date":"2025-01-14T11:10:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=12766"},"modified":"2025-01-14T11:53:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:53:06","slug":"leaving-it-all-to-live-in-a-ghost-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=12766","title":{"rendered":"Leaving it all to live in a ghost town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mark Manson<\/a> (the author of ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’) traveled to the California desert to visit Brent Underwood at Cerro Gordo<\/a>. Brent bought a deserted mining town in 2019, originally just for kicks and the occasional visit. He wound up escaping there when the pandemic struck. Now he lives there full time – mostly by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how has living alone for years gone? What follows in the video is a little bit of a philosophical exploration of leaving it all behind and discovering the ancient Greeks were probably right<\/a> – and modern society is wrong about what freedom really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting quotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Loneliness is intoxicating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m sad to report that my dopamine fueled monkey brain did not find peace and solace among the rocks or dirt. I mostly just found boredom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s escapism. That’s the big appeal of the idea of lone man in the wilderness. All my problems are left behind wherever I leave them and I’ll go to the woods. But the same anxieties, the same stress, the same issues still exist. Running to a mountaintop is not going to solve any of your problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What he is referring to (leaving Austin behind and committing to his ghost town) is the freedom of commitment. Freedom is not the ability to do what you want – it’s the freedom to not be distracted by the things you don’t want.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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