Eh, I think the Walden aspect is spot on. I downscaled my career, but five years ago - however for precisely the reasons the author cites. I was burned out from

Eh, I think the Walden aspect is spot on. I downscaled my career, but five years ago - however for precisely the reasons the author cites. I was burned out from needing to be available 24/7 for a decade - spending your life waiting for the sky to fall really takes its toll. My job wasn’t bullshit - it was my business, and I had real responsibilities to my employees, my customers, and my shareholders. As to the “back to basics” movement, I followed this path, bought myself a laughably cheap home (<€50k) in a laughably cheap country (<€20 tax per year), and while I no longer have access to some of the services I once had, I couldn’t be happier. I do what the hell I want to, whenever the hell I want to. Agency is worth anything. Over the past year, I have been contacted by a stampede of acquaintances, friends, their friends and acquaintances, who all want to do what we’ve done. Most work in tech, in meaningful senior roles. Rural property prices have suddenly rocketed both here and in my country of origin. Yeah, it’s mostly apocryphal, anecdotal, idiosyncratic, but I think people are just realising that they are miserable, and spending time doing crafts and outdoorsy stuff has made them realise that these things feed the soul.