# going against the grain



## sykgutt (May 18, 2008)

well, i feel the need for a bitch-rant. what do you say to the general population about what you do? they all think i'm fucking crazy. i'm laughed at, or chided about how i'm gonna die out there, about how i'm horribly idealistic and romantic (all the while they're telling kids to dream big and that they can do whatever they want in life). i've got some doctor on a completely one track mind, diagnosing me with schizophrenia because i've got "delusions" and "irrational thought" along with the symptoms of depression. i've never hallucinated, never heard voices, he just thinks that it's incredibly delusional to want to travel for free once i finish school. i talked to the guy for 10 minutes, and he's stuck on the fact that i want to travel. every person i talk to about it says "yeah, read into the wild, he died". i don't know what exactly they know about the whole backpacking/travel/squatting thing, but i'm sure it's all bad, cause that's all i hear from them. is it true that everyone that hitch-hikes gets murdered? is it true that every trainhopper gets mauled? is it true that every homeless person dies of starvation? that's the vibe they get. i know it's not as easy as it sounds, it can be dangerous, and it's difficult, but if i told the guy i wanted to be a professional skateboarder he wouldn't think twice about it. 

what exactly do you tell them? what the fuck can i say? they don't believe me. i guess i'm just another kid who is pissed off at society, only because it's frustrating to fix it.


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## Mouse (Jun 3, 2008)

don't tell them anything.

when I was first thinking about leaving i didn't tell anyone a single damned thing. It was my own plan and i didn't need their input. 

well, i told my best friend and this one guy I was seeing at the time. that was it. they both were kinda iffy about it but didn't tell me it was impossible because they weren't stupid and knew I was tough enough to handle it and that i couldn't be told no.

You obviously know that there are a lot of people out there that travel and hop trains and live this life without suffering horrible consequences. Only the stupid naive ones get screwed. Just don't be stupid.hell, even the stupid ones usually come out fine. 

save up some fall back money. that's all I can say. After hitting the road several times and coming back to home empty handed I know it's best to have some $ to come back to when you're done or need a break. 

don't be lazy and don't stay drunk the whole time, you'll miss out on a lot.


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## macks (Jun 3, 2008)

it seems like people i tell about traveling are more interested to hear about stories and "how do you get food?" and "isn't that dangerous?", etc. i find that having a well thought out answer and maybe a story about how things worked out in a particular scenario (an awesome ride, scoring on a great dumpster, etc.) really clears away some of the bad media impressions.

my parents used to hitchhike back in the day and when i started they were not happy with it. after a handful of really fun and safe trips they have eased up. same thing about trains, once I had a few fun rides and shared the good stories with them they were more accepting.

i mean, you can't have an answer for every "what if..", but isn't that the fun of it? but yeah, if they're stuck in the whole hitchhiking is asking to get murdered, riding trains is suicide (not to mention ILLEGAL! you could get A TICKET!) then whatever, they can have their cubicle and eat a bag o' dix.


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## sykgutt (Jun 3, 2008)

the odd thing is, my mom used to hitchhike and travel around in the 70s, though she says that in this day and age it is asking to get killed. that's clearly media influence, though, cause that's all i've seen since i was a kid


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## Mouse (Jun 3, 2008)

people got killed back in the 70s. serial killers in the late 70-early 80s loved to stab a hitchhiker.

I think the only way it's gotten less safe is that the cops have gotten meaner.


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## wokofshame (Jun 4, 2008)

just accept there are arguments ya can't win.
i got lucky, my parents both hopped freights on the BN back in the 70's, biked across the country, etc lots of crazy shit.
but it IS a dangerous life. my mom had a farmer try to rape her, dad was thrown in jail in canada, tons of evil winds. just never fuck around near the railroad and always keep your wits about ya,
tell people your perspective and don't be surprised whan you can't swing them around to your way of thinking.
life just rolls this way and your inner strength is what you need to rely on.


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## Beegod Santana (Jun 4, 2008)

Something I learned a long time ago....

Just don't talk about it to the norms.

They're not gonna get it, and most of the time they just flip around what you say to serve their own parinoid delusions.

It's not a safe life style for sure, but to be completely honest I've had way more fucked up experiences just living in my home town than I ever have on the road. 

Ultimately, once you do it and survive, the same people who told you how stupid it was will turn green with envy.


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## Dameon (Jun 5, 2008)

I lived in the woods with a tent for a year, and I didn't hesitate telling people that I did it. Sometimes, stating the fact would be followed by awkward silence, and sometimes it would result in people acting offensively toward me or being shocked by it, but mostly I found people reacted cool to it. I think that most of the "norms" realize that a lifestyle free of responsibility and full of experience is highly desirable, and are envious of people that live that way. The amount of people who said "wow, I wish I had the courage to do that" far outnumbered the people that felt like throwing the dangers of it in my face or acting like it made me less of a person. However, that's strangers and friends. My family realized a long time ago that I'm weird and they won't be able to talk me out of doing weird stuff.

I think part of your particular problem, Skygutt, is that you're young. Nothing wrong with that, but I think as you get older and adults can connect with you more, you'll find you get different reactions. I'd be careful with that doctor, though, because if he thinks you're schizophrenic and depressed, he's going to want to start throwing medications at you. If you're not hearing voices or feeling paranoid, then feel free to lie to that doctor and tell him whatever will convince him you're normal.

The best way to get people to stop badgering you about how dangerous and horrible it is, is to do it. People are a lot more inclined to believe you can handle the danger once you've proved it.


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## Mouse (Jun 5, 2008)

people always express some form of envy when i tell them I've hitched cross-country several times.

i usually get 'wow.. i wish i had the gutts to do that." and then the typical questions "weren't you scared? how'd you make money? what wher when why how?" follow.

but when you tell people before you do it.. they think you're crazy. when you're speaking from experience people are little less judgmental.


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## Labea (Jun 5, 2008)

Mouse said:


> but when you tell people before you do it.. they think you're crazy. when you're speaking from experience people are little less judgmental.



You couldn't be more right. I never bothered telling anyone that one day I wanted to hop freight trains and hitchhike and live a life free of responsibility for anything other then myself, and carefreedom. I just did it, I left.


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## veggieguy12 (Jun 5, 2008)

_*
All men die; not all men really live.*_ - Mel Gibson, as William Wallace in "Braveheart"

(Wealthy, alcoholic anti-Semitic super-Catholic actor-directors get all the best lines.)


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## skunkpit (Jun 6, 2008)

agents..
family can become agents..


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