>> The problem is that doing that will very quickly tell you that modern society fucking sucks. Almost nothing works, everyone hates each other, things that are

>> The problem is that doing that will very quickly tell you that modern society fucking sucks. Almost nothing works, everyone hates each other, things that are important get ignored because of greed, and most importantly, there's almost nothing you can do about it. I find modern society to be substantially better than, say, even a couple hundred years ago when electricity and indoor plumbing was barely making the rounds. Our lives are considerably easier than those of our ancestors because of modern conveniences. I think it's incredible that we can communicate instantly with almost anyone on the planet. If you think everyone hates each other, I'd suggest that you do either live in a big city where people are more prone to be absorbed in 'the busy', or get a lot of your interaction from the net and news, where yes, the algorithms and ad dollars come from negativity. That's just not how most of the world works, however. I can go to my nearest small town and everyone is being civil and I feel free to strike up a conversation with perfect strangers at a restaurant or bar and learn a new perspective or story. Most people don't "vibe high" as it were, and so if you think you do or can, you have the opportunity to spread that to other people through your interactions. Working towards a practice of gratitude for what IS will expand your capacity to see the world in a favorable light, and will not only help you but help everyone. Nothing outside of you has the capacity to 'depress' you or make you feel anything else for that matter. Your feelings and attitude come from within. Don't let someone tell you otherwise: it's YOUR power and your responsibility. That said, I live in a small, quiet, sparse town on some acreage with fantastic well water. My wife raises animals and she grows a lot of our food. It was one of the reasons I married her. Doing the farm thing isn't really for me (yet?) because I love tech so much, but it is peaceful out here and we're a short trip to some nearby decent sized cities if we want entertainment and such. I cannot imagine going back to live in the city again, it's just too stressful. The benefits of living closer to the land are hard to verbalize, but intuitively seem to feel good. If you want to be self-sufficient, that's a whole other matter. It's very difficult to do in the modern age with the giant conglomerates consolidating resources. But I have hope that more and more will see the need and benefits. Start small and watch videos and read things concerning 'regenerative agriculture', 'sustainable agriculture', and 'homesteading'. You'll likely be able to make friends who want the same things as you, even if you're in a sparsely populated place. You might be surprised how many people are giving it a go. It's worth a shot. Oh, and get a wife/husband if you don't have one already.