To your point about using what's available on the grid...
I differ in that I see using the grid as dependence on it.
Here is an example of why...
Our home's AC died last July. We allowed ourselves to suffer thru the hot and humid months of August and September. It averaged 86F at 10 pm in our bedroom. We just had the AC repaired this week. Why? Because we couldn't function last summer. We had food spoiling, etc.
Why is this relevant?
1) I didn't have central heat or air until I was 10 years old. Before I had it I didn't know that you could sleep without waking up in a pool of sweat.
2) We learned new methods of cooling the house, keeping food safe, and different sanitation needs from our experience.
3) My wife is LIVID about wanting to use the Air now. She is just plain mad that she is controlled by this "creature comfort".
The moral of the story is... Grid Use = Grid Dependency
You said you had a primitive youth without running water. Turn off the water to your house for seven days and write back.
I can understand that but you also have the knowledge to get by without when and if it comes to that, I see that as using the grid. I would guess 85 to 90 percent (lower on this board) of the people out there have no idea how anything works or comes to be with out the grid that is what I see as dependent on the grid. Am I spoiled Heck yeah I am but I went back to primitive in 04-05 while I was in Afghanistan. I spent the majority of my deployment outside the wire as it were and found that I can still do pretty well without. Heck I went 90 days with out so much as a stream to rinse off in, baby wipes is all I will say on that one, we were in the mountains building a FOB and had to build the showers from scratch. (water catchment, diesel water heater(could easily be wood), gravity feed at first then with a generator (again could be solar or wood)) I could have built it quicker be when you only get one bird every two weeks until the pass isn't snowed in it takes a while to get the parts you need. LOL
We had MREs but no heaters for them so we literally heated them over and old school camp fire.(what I wouldn't have done for a nice venison steak) It was like a long term camping trip where you had rockets mortars coming at you on a daily basis. lol
I have set aside many things needed for off the grid living if it comes or I can just build a really nice off the grid cabin on the lake or something if we get lucky.
JYD#176 "dein Gott schickte mich zu zerstören" "Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis" "Sometimes the chance of a zombie outbreak is the only reason I need to make many of my life's Decisions." General Delivery
