Beyond Borders: A Deep Dive Into the Nomadic Way of Life
by Stephen C. Meyer
What are people doing when they are not at work, in school, or on their phones? More than 30 years ago, the psychologist M. Scott Peck observed that almost two-thirds of people he spoke with considered their work and school to be “necessary evils” or “necessary evils with benefits.” Today, much of the same thinking is prevalent: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they are more happy when they are at home, at the gym or at the beach than they are when they are on the road for work or school. In my experience, this mentality has led many people to eschew “work-life balance” and instead embrace “work-life immersion.”
For me, the “work-life immersion” mindset has meant leaving behind traditional office hours, not getting a 9-to-5 job, and pursuing a lifestyle and lifestyle choice that reflects a “work-life immersion.” This choice has proven to me to be a life-changing journey, but for many people it has led to the same end as Peck’s two-thirds statistic.
The word “immersion” comes from the Latin word “immi-ludere,” meaning to be immersed or immersed in something. The same meaning is reflected in the ancient Greek word “eimagiai,” which literally means to be absorbed into something. Thus, the immersion that many of us choose implies that we are more at home in a new lifestyle, with fewer or no distractions and a greater focus on the experience itself: the people, places and things we experience for its own sake.
Of course, most things we experience for their own sake are not enjoyable—and when a task has no meaning or value, it can feel pointless and dead. However, a lifestyle that is all about immersion is a lifestyle that is always moving to the next destination—it is a lifestyle that allows your focus to be on the experience and not on what “happens to” you. “Immersion” is a lifestyle that doesn’t let you get caught up in the things that have