Living off the grid means to exist within our modern world undetected by the Vast Machine. Usually this term implies a conscious, deliberate act. Nomads traveling through Outer Mongolia or Berber tribesmen in Southern Algeria are basically living "off the grid," but not by choice.

Many people believe living off the grid involves a "survivalist" or "pioneer" strategy: i.e. building a log cabin in a remote area with solar panels and a hand-dug well. Anyone who lives for an extensive time in a rural area like Alaska quickly discovers that this style of living is often more of a pose than a true separation from the system. Someone can chop wood and kill an occasional deer while he shows at the local post office for social security payments and food stamps.

Those living off the grid in an urban area create a strategy that duplicates the multitude of day-to-day roles we play in contemporary society. These individuals offer a false identity to the Vast Machine while keeping a private identity for family and friends.

There can be a wide variation in a person's commitment to this strategy and one's actions may change over time.

Many people who attempt to live off the grid are sustained by a few basic beliefs:

We have the right to determine the direction of our lives.

Fear gives power to others.

True freedom is tolerance.