Unplugging from the Rat Race

Get a job, make some money, work till you're sixty, then move to Florida and die. There must be more to life than this! Ever wonder what's missing? - Daniel Quinn

I've noticed a couple times now that Paula Hay will recommend a film which shows what life could be like after Peak Oil officially arrives. So being a film buff myself, I will follow her lead and make a viewing recommendation. However, my first one will be for a television series that was well ahead of its time.

This series was produced in Britain in 1975. I then discovered it sometime in the early 1980s when it was aired on PBS. It's called Good Neighbours and is about a couple living in a well-to-do suburb of London who decide to unplug themselves from the rat race, as well as the grid, and become totally self-sufficient on their half-acre of land.

I fell in love with the characters and premise from the very first episode. In it Tom Good is having his 40th birthday. His so-called career consists of working as an engineer designing the little plastic animals that are found at the bottom of cereal boxes. He feels that his talents are under-utilized and under appreciated. When he returns home that day he finally confides to his wife Barbara just how much he really hates his job. This leads to some soul searching about what he would really like to do with his remaining years. The answer is to completely unplug his and Barbara's life from the rat race. This means quitting his job and turning their small plot of land into a compact and self-sufficient farm. (If you think that's unrealistic, check out PathtoFreedom about a CA family which has achieved precisely that goal.)

To make a long story short, Barbara agrees to the adventure and by the second episode they are beginning their new lives. Initially the race is on to become self-sufficient in terms of both food and energy production before their savings are completely drained.

Since this is a comedy, the Goods have a pair of upper-crust neighbors, the Leadbetters, who although initially appalled by their decision to drop out, are quite supportive after the initial shock wears off.

What impressed me about the series was how it gave the viewer a good overview of not only the technical issues of unplugging from the grid but also of the trials and tribulations one could expect to face. Initially, the Goods face one crisis after another as they climb the learning curve. In a few instances it's only with the help of their neighbors that they manage to avoid disasters which could have ended their dreams of living self-sufficiently.

If the idea of moving off-the-grid appeals to you, you may find this series enjoyable. When I first watched it, I truly envied the Goods. They had definitely found that missing something that Daniel Quinn refers to above.

I doubt that your local Blockbuster will stock this series, but Netflix definitely does. I know this for a fact, as I have begun watching it over. (I've noticed that the series has a second title, The Good Life, which can make things confusing.)