I am 74 yrs. old so you can imagine compared to me being a child in the 50's to now. Wow. I guess the life I try for is maybe called a hybrid?? I keep it pretty simple compared to almost everyone else I know of all ages. I do have a cell phone and laptop, but not a lot of other electronic devices. I do very little shopping to things that you really don't need. All of my friends, do expensive hair cuts, facials, massages, manicures, pedicures etc...I don't have all the latest kitchen gadgets, Love going to the mountains and enjoying nature reading books. I still think in this day and age, you can still live a somewhat simple life, as long as you don't let what others are doing bother you. Yes I have been called cheap, out of touch , but thats ok. I loved your video and look forward to more.
Totally agree with you, Jan. I shun all the things you mention and have only a flip phone, laptop, and a tablet for watching nature, travel, and inspirational videos. I also read a wide variety of books on nature, inspiring people, and other cultures. I avoid the 24/7 crush of fear mongering on social media and news feeds and seek out positive and hopeful sources of information...you'd be amazed what the algorithm will suggest if that's what you regularly watch. Keeping up with friends by talking on the phone or in person when possible, or by extended email for those in other countries, prevents the loneliness so many people complain of today. Volunteering for a non-profit in a way that suits my abilities gives me a way to give back. My dream has always been to live an off grid life in the mountains somewhere, but at 65, that's probably not going to happen. It's okay, though. Your idea of a hybrid life of simplicity and modern convenience may be a compromise, but it's one I have accepted as well. It gives me hope to find channels such as this and hear how many others are working toward the same goals. Thank you for sharing!😊
I am very lucky in that I have ended up in a home that I own, where there is no passing traffic, and is in a very rural setting. I only go out of my home to walk my rescue greyhound Madge, and take the rubbish to the end of our private lane. Folk come and go around me, as they are second homes, and I enjoy meeting the new people. But I am happy being a recluse now, with just my Madge. I sold my car, as it made me ill to drive it, and I loved driving. I suffer sever anxiety, and can not walk far from my home, as my home is my safe place. I live on very little money now, which makes me appreciate everything I have, and I am so grateful for all I have. I have always loved nature, and love being near water, or trees, and thank the trees as I pass for them being there. xxx
Four years ago I was out on a run and had a heart attack. While I was recovering I had lots of time to read, and I read Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It was life changing for. He lived so simply and mindfully, and his other great essays like walking and a winters walk. I think that is the key to living a modern life, but really enjoying nature and the outdoors. I see every leaf, hear every sound and love feeling the wind on my face
Wow, what a life changing experience that must have been. And reading Walden must have also had a profound effect. I've read that one too, but I think perhaps it's time to revisit it. Thank you for sharing!🙏
Wanted to write a message before your channel blows up any more!! :D Instantly subscribed. Brilliant message and lovely storytelling skill. Keep it up! I hope the support you get allows you to do more of what you love out there in the wilds, living like we all should. Thank you for your message, it feels like it echos what I sit in an office telling my coworkers every day (probably not considered the best employee when I'm telling everyone to follow their dreams instead!) and taking us along for the journey, thank you!
I romanticize living that simple life in the woods, self sufficient and not dependent of the comforts of society all the time. This feeling has guided my path in my adulthood to stray from living the "normal life" and living alternatively. In an off grid cabin, an old rv on a farm, work exchange. Now I call a camper my home and have minimal things. I've never had a "real job" but settle with being a farm hand and a window washer. The quote at the end was spot on - living a simple and meaningful life comes with challenges too, this life is not easy, but if it is your authentic truth, it is so worth it.
I wish I can come along with you, In my present life experience with the nature is my dream rather than working from pay check to paycheck, I really want to have a simple life.
7 yrs now of intentional homelessness. Wouldn't go back to modernism for any amount. Just takes time and dedication. The balance of modern and natural existence finds itself. Breaking the bad habits that have been programmed for over a hundred years the challenge. Thanks again for another great video, keep up your insightful work. Blessings!💙☯️👁️💯
well said and that lake looks epic! I desire to build a hybrid lifestyle - a nice cabin in the mountains, a humble beach house near the ocean, and most of all freedom to choose which location and lifestyle will be most fulfilling in any given moment so I have no choice but to create millions of dollars and maintain vibrant health lol. Game on
I barely got through high school and never write but lately have been thinking about writing about this. More people need to understand it. My family used to be so poor we would cut would all day and live off game meat. It taught me so much. I live in Wisconsin and so many people think Milwaukee or the Packers but if one of those things lost a few of its biggest investors they'd fall apart. It's all so volatile. The land and life around us outside of a plastic city is forever. Or at least will be here past us. Im 26 and have found most of the problems and growth we need in life can be found in simplifying and taking away the excess. We're already what we need to be. Ive never seen anyone else that thinks this way. Maybe that the beauty in it.
I feel the same calling, and have all my life. I'm drawn to stories of people who have worked hard off-grid to make a life for themselves and have admired their tenacity and determination. I am in my late 50's and have worked a 9-5 my entire life, because, well... that is what was taught me as the appropriate thing to do. I am blessed and know (now) that there is no right path, and so understand that this one I've walked thus far is the one meant for me. My plan is to leave the suburbs of this massively populated area in which I live for the quiet countryside and set up a very simple homestead with a small garden. I would like to have only a telephone for connection and no streaming TV. (I have never been a fan of social media. ) Technology, although amazing, is not my vibe. So in these final working years in the corporate world, I will do my best to keep up with it and then have a wonderful ceremony where I ditch the devices. Nature is infinitely more amusing and provides wonderful company and until the day I can locate myself within it, I shall continue to visit my favorite natural spaces for rejuvenation and relaxation. Your video was nice to watch in such beautiful surroundings. Thank you.
I was very lucky that I could buy a bit of land from my parents, I started off living in a shed and then over the years when I could afford it I've added a bit more on and not live in a small home that I've built that very bespoke, I have a trough in the front deck that's got 100's of frogs eggs and tadpoles in now. I'm off the grid and I agree there's nothing better then cutting wood to keep a fire going to have a hot shower. The showers that I had to work to make hot are the best, it's hard to describe. I've been living off the grid for 20+ years now, I don't think I could live any other way. Debt free with a part time job is enough for me even though society says that's not enough. I have some great friends but I find it hard to imagine anyone wanting to share the life I have. I truly hope you find your way to a simple life. :)
@@Tim_G_Bennett thank you very much! 🙏💙 That sounds like such a fulfilling way to live. I'm sure I'll get to my own version of off grid living at some point. But until then, I am grateful for all that I have & enjoying the journey! Cheers!
I’m trying my best to get there . Land use to be so cheap and now it’s so expensive. One reason I started RU-vid besides a hobby is to have a second income to hopefully help fund my dream of being back on a small farm and off-grid.
I live in a small cabin with hubby and wash our clothes by hand. Hoping to plant our own fruits veg but we do have a lovely pomegrante tree outside our small abode. Life is simple , we are happy. I do yoga and chi gong daily. Working on going deeper in my practice.
Such wise words and realisations - Thank you for sharing 🙏It is a fullfilling way of life indeed, not without its challenges - finding the solutions becomes the fun of the journey and invokes the most growth 💚✌🌿
Just loved your video and mentioning my hero Chris Mccandless. Although I moved out of a big city into a small city near sea and jungle but still I want to live completely off grid.
Into The Wild was a huge inspiration for me as a teen. I still have some things to figure out but I'm convinced that it's possible to get all our needs met and can even thrive living a "primitive" lifestyle.
It can be done. I started out last winter just going into the woods with a stack of survival books but I wouldn’t go in to far at first. It might take a year to really get successful living that way but it’s not as hard as people think.
You are much younger than I but your voice sounds like my own talking to me. I constantly look at properties online. Something with a water source and many trees. Then there is the "Groovy" yurt, handmade in Mongolia. A sufficient one is around $10k. They're beautiful! I could have it all for about $55k. Then I wake up! Where I am now I don't need a car. My mortgage that I've had for 12 years is far less than I could get one for today. In the state I'm in now my handicapped son has benefits that he would have to wait years to get if we moved to a different state. Staying in this state just looks like it's not an option. Everything has become far too expensive here. Which is actually in some ways a good thing because what I have is worth at least twice what I paid for it. So we wait patiently and get out of a little debt and save and save for hopefully the not too distant future. Hopefully in this lifetime!!😂
It sounds like you are almost there. What state do you live in? Which ones are you interested in moving to? I’ve lived in 10 states and 5 countries, but I’m close to settling.
@@ahermitslife3684 the finger lakes are very beautiful. I love the wine tasting there. I have lived in Germany, Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, and the good ole USA. I’ve loved all the places I’ve lived. But as for the US, I def prefer some states over others.
Yes, our dreams sound alike. 💙There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both ways of living. I hope and wish for you to be able to get there in the not to distant future!
You are so blessed to have such family tradition to go back to basics and stay close to the nature! Also, that lake view is breathtaking 😍. I resonate a lot with this video as currenly I'm struggling with my self conflict of wanting to live a slow and simple life closer to nature, yet I'm bogged down by financial commitment towards my family. Thanks to your video, it reminds me to just keep going and not abandoning that dream of mine.
@@TheMisfitKayaneseChinese I am blessed and fortunate indeed. You're welcome! 💙 I'm glad it has inspired you to keep on going and not give up. I hope you are able to experience the slow and simple life you desire.
There seems to be a real need for people to lead a simpler life , as our world becomes busier,faster,more and more, toxic etc etc...I have been searching for a number of years now....( i am in my early fifties ) we have downsized, streamlined our possessions, etc but one still needs a certain amount of money to meet basic needs. I feel modern life is forcing me to live a way that i just dont want...i have to have a smartphone, the internet, the noise of modern life is making me ill i think....
I can relate. I too, feel forced to live in a way I don't want. I am trying to think of solutions to this. So that I may, along with others who feel the same, can at least live more closely to the way we would like. May we both find the simplicity we are searching. 💙
Well conveyed message! Unfortunately I too easily conformed to others ideas of what normal is and didn’t “wake up” to my true self until my life was well on its doomed track. I am now trying to gain back what I so easily gave up in my youth. So fortunate to recognize the importance of simplicity at a young age and grasp it for yourself.
Loved this one! Here is how I am working to simplify my life and connect with nature. Even with all the progress I have made towards a self sufficient off grid life. Having a Large Property, Food Forest etc. I still fall prey to the modern evening comforts after dinner. So one thing that me and my family are practicing is "starting" a short walk after dinner. I say start, not take, because sometimes all I can do to resist the temptations of modern comfort is to convince myself to start!
Thank you for sharing! I love the idea of this practice you are starting. I think sometimes the most difficult part is just deciding to start. Once we do, the rest tends to come more easily.
I strive to practice moderation in all aspects. In these later years of my life, I am close to realizing the life goal I've always had, without knowing I was working toward that goal all along. It was an unachievable dream in my early years which I am close to actualizing. Taoism teaches to do without doing. I had no idea that I have been practicing this my whole life. Stay true to your inner self.
"...it often takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to afford this dream." Every citizen already owns more land than they could ever hope to enjoy and explore. All you need is wheels. Those wheels may be on a used bicycle or a new touring bus (and everything between). Go with what you can afford. And people all over the World are doing just that, and living the simple life.
@@terrymoses7548 Thank you for sharing this perspective! While I would love to have a home on some land, I never want to take for granted the ability that I have to enjoy and explore the accessible land around me. Thank you.💙
Thank you, this video was well done, inspiring, and insightful. Simple living can mean different things to different people. I agree that unintentional living can be harder than intentional simple living.
Oh yeah I’d love to leave modern society but move where, prices of even rural properties are ridiculous now days and the really affordable places are so far from anything you'd have to essentially live as a subsistence farmer to survive. So I remain stuck in the urban jungle on my little hamster wheel 😢
Start small - dream big ❤ I too, am stucked in the hamster wheel, but every now and then I'm able to get a glimse of, the path I want to walk. So...I started walking...as one other wrote in the comment section: life is not always easy, but if we can make it meaningfull and fullfilling, we have come far. Spending less money, comsuming less c**b, eating more whole food, working less, saving more, breathe deeply, being out in nature (or just in a park), taking care of your body and mental health...❤ There is a lot we can do to create a goid life, even without buying land. I wish you the best. Greetings from Denmark
Hi. Almost two years ago we moved from a very noisy neighborhood to a more peaceful house in the countryhouse here in the UK. It is probably the best decision we made since now all we have around us is nature and we truly love it. Nature is both, a physical and a mental therapy that everyone should experience and embrace even more nowadays. What a beautiful place this video has been filmed. Where is it, please? From PSL, our slow living channel, we want to say 'thanks for sharing'🌟 We are new subscribers to your channel 🙂
Hello! Thank you for sharing.🙏 Happy to hear the change of scenery and pace has been peaceful. This video was filmed in Southern BC, Canada. Thank you for your support! I look forward to checking out your channel! ☺
Beautifully put dichotomy of idealism and reality. Wonderful scenery and cinematography! Thanks! It ain't easy, but it also ain't that bad. I'm doing it and have been for a long time. I wish I could even get simpler, but I'm still caught in the web of modern society, consumerism, and commercialism. We really do need each other in so many ways. "No man is an island."
Thank you very much!🙏 I agree, life is beautiful even if not always easy. I feel the same way, but glad that people who feel this way can be there for one another to support each other.
Hello, I'm the same therian who commented on some of your other videos. (I have my own account now.) Living in the woods with a little hunter-gatherer group made up of my friends who feel the same way has been my dream for years. I just can't find a way out of this unnatural pet cage that is school and the city in general. Whenever I go to the mountains on vacation, it's like the wilderness itself is telling me that I'm where I belong. But that taste of freedom never lasts very long.
@@Thornfury777 hello again Therian! I always enjoy reading your comments. It sounds like you and I are kindred spirits who can relate to one another. Perhaps with time you will be able to live where you belong. I hope so anyway!
Wonderful thoughts, totally relate to the challenge and the ideas. The distractions are so real. I hope to live a life at least for a year or so across this big land (Australia) just with my 2 Kelpie dogs together in the off-road camper truck I've built. I say to people "this is my house", but point to the truck and the trees and explain "but that is home"
Another beautiful video. Well said . Great topic. Glad you got to live simply out there in nature with your family .what amazing views….. I try to live as simple as I can. I only have RU-vid for entertainment and learning. I’ve been off other social media apps for seven years now….. a lot of things about it is the devil . I choose not to partake at this stage in my life . I love to have my peace as much as possible and live more stress free . My cat and dog keep me grounded and our food Forrest garden here in Florida. Thx for the reminder to get out more into nature ❤it can heal the soul
Thank you!🙏💙 And thank you for sharing!! RU-vid is definitely my favourite platform as well, but even with it I find I need to intentionally use it, otherwise it's very easy to keep watching as there are so many topics that look interesting! 7 years without social media is inspirational. I am highly considering getting rid of it as well.
This is a beautiful ideaology, for those who are able to pursue it. Many around the world work 24/7 to eat. A sad indictment of the modern world. I hope for the day when all can get a work/life/nature balance and believe this will be possible. Keep up the hope
Love the video, so true, going to subscribe and check out your channel! We all have to get more disconnected again and be happy with the easy things in life. Where are u located? Canada? The landscape is just incredible! ❤
I'm of a similar mindset about wanting to live simply, but realizing it takes a lot to make that happen. My goal now is to finish school, become a therapist, earn enough to buy land and then see if moving into more of a slow lifestyle surrounded by nature is what I actually want. I lived in my van for 3 months in 2015 and it was not at all what I thought it would be. We are very lucky to be able to think and experiment with how we want to live our lives. It's definitely not lost on me that choice and balance are key in finding what will work for us. Great video! I wan to start making content based around more abstract and thoughtful topics like what you are doing. Sub'd!
Thank you so much! I agree that we are lucky to think and experiment with how we want to live. Though we may face obstacles and challenges in that pursuit, some people have even less choice. I wish you much success on your own journey figuring out how you want to live, as well as with your own channel. Thanks for the support!
I just spent 3 days alone in the woods, and all I want to do is go back. I checked in on your channel and you've made a video expressing the same internal conflicts I've had for the past week. Is it silly and romantic to want less when we are surrounded by so much? I don't think so, I just think we are realizing that we are out of balance, and we are not surrounded by wealth and plenty, but are being pulled away from almost all meaning and purpose by convenience and distraction. While it wouldn't be desirable to live in a grass hut in the woods, I think the combination of our modern advances like solar etc. make "off grid" living the most desirable option for those not seeking material wealth in comparison to others. So it's not romantic, it's realizing that the modern system of convenience and distraction is unhealthy and unfulfilling and while in alignment with our surface desires for comfort, not in alignment with our deeper and more complex needs as natural beings. We now have the tools and technology to mitigate the past brutality of nature and ALSO escape the current nihilism of convenience and distraction in the city. So from the top of the lofty mountain made of material wealth and comfort that we have been carefully evangelized to climb, going off grid feels like going backward, but its not, its progressing through nihilistic modern society and discovering a new balance of technology and nature. Thanks for this video, your questions regarding the romanticizing of natural living really helped me think through this conundrum, and I think it led to a new insight, at least for me. Keep writing and being in nature, its working! All the best.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts!🙏 I do agree that discovering a new balance between technology and nature can relieve some of the discontent many of us face being surrounded by so much. I will definitely keep contemplating, writing, and being nature, in order to think of the many ways striking this balance could look like. Cheers!
Have you considered going in on some kind of ecovillage with other like-minded people? That way you can pool your financial resources together to buy a larger piece of land and have a built in community so you're not so alone. I suppose it can be difficult finding the right people though, people you can trust and share the same values.
@@grahamjanzmusic I do think about this from time to time. It sounds like a wonderful option! You're right, the most difficult part would be finding the right people to do this with. I may have to do some research into others who are doing it. Thanks for sharing the idea 😊
@@AwakenOurWild You're welcome! ☺My wife and I have been considering joining or starting a community, but we don't know where to do this or how to find the right people. There are websites with ecovillages and facebook groups that are updated all the time, but some communities are quite expensive to join. You have to pay up front and monthly, and sometimes work for free making products they sell, and/or they are really into horoscopes/reiki/cultural appropriation/dance rituals. Not to sound too judgement, these just aren't things we're into. We want to lower our ecological footprint, be as self sufficient as possible, and be part of an equalitarian community. Maybe do some workshops. I've seen some lone persons online who have bought up a piece of forested land to live off-grid and plan to clear the trees to put in a place to park their car and their RV while they clear another place to build their not so ecohouse. By the end of it, the entire plot is cleared. I guess people do it for different reasons and not necessarily environmental ones. I look forward to hearing about what you come up with from your research! :)
I don't get the thing you say, that a simple life is hard work. In my opinion, if it is hard work, you don't get the real meaning of simple life... It doenst have to be hard. And by saying this, you will scaring people of. A simple life is living with intention...to be in de now...Keep your living space as simple as feels good for you. Declutter many things, those doenst have any value anymore. Spend time in nature (if its possible) and spend time with yourself. Investigate what the things are, thats makes you happy...and make time for that. Take good care of yourself. But in the end, it all starts with intentional living in the now and enjoy the little, simple and basic thing.. ❤
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 💙 I do believe simple living is hard work, but in a different way than the hard work we face pursuing a path dictated to us by others or that we haven't chosen intentionally. Life will never be absent of hard work, but I think the hard work in choosing to live simply and intentionally is much more rewarding. That being said, I do agree simple living does make A LOT in life easier. And it's worth pursuing for that reason as well.
You just need to learn meditation, and meditate every day. It will set you free, and change your life. Everybody is looking outside of themselves for happiness and fulfilment, and it can only be found inside. There's no place, no relationship, no job that can give you that. It exists only within.
@@carahenken4452 thank you for sharing! I do have a meditation practice, and agree that it can be helpful in feeling contentment from within. I think everything else in life that's external can be enhanced if contentment can be found from within. However, I do still think it's important for humans to let themselves experience discontent, for this is how awareness is brought to the injustices in the world, and can be a stepping stone in ultimately making the world a better place.
@@AwakenOurWild the external world is all just cause and effect, or karma. It is not ours to change; everything is already unfolding as it should. The reason we suffer is because we resist or cling to what is occurring. When we learn to surrender, and trust the process of life without needing to control anything, then we experience true freedom no matter what.
@@carahenken4452 this in many ways resonates with me, but would you say the same for surrendering to that which is external but contributes to suffering? For example, if a group of people is being discriminated against and marginalized, do we simply let it happen because we are surrendering? Or would you say this is different from the more material or circumstantial dreams we have? Genuinely curious to hear your take on this. In theory what you are saying sounds really nice and I would love to just surrender and accept, but when housing where I'm from continues to soar in price and people's income does not keep up with inflation, I feel there is an injustice. I find it very difficult to accept. Thanks for sharing any thoughts you may have.
How To Live In Harmony With Nature And Reduce Pollution 1. Many Production Which We Do Not Need Actually For Human Beings Has To Be Stopped We manufacture so many products and it is creating pollution. So if we minimise our products, pollution would be less. We produce so many things which we do not need, like cold drinks, leather products, potato wafers, chips, fruit juices, chocolates, biscuits, pickles, ice creams, etc. Cold drinks, fruit juices, pickles, ice creams, etc. Should be cooked at home only. If we stopped producing this things which are not required for humans, so much pollution could be reduced. If we colour the clothes pollution occurs. So if we don't colour our clothes, the pollution resulting from colouring the clothes can be stopped. Let everything remain in natural colour. 2. We Should Cook Foods In Its Natural Form We can cook rice and wheat in our homes and eat it. Rice and Wheat is produced in farms. Then it is packed and transported to big warehouses, then wholesalers buy from them and supply to retail shops. But if a manufacturing company makes bread from rice and wheat, then to make bread a manufacturing company has to be set up, machines and working staffs are needed. When a company is built many other things are also needed. Then at last a plastic pack is required to pack the breads. So if we start cooking eatable things in its natural form then we do not need many companies like bread manufacturing company, tomato ketchup, noodles, fruit jam, pizza, burger, etc., the things required for the company and the plastic pack, paper box pack and glass bottles. If done like this, so many companies will not be required and hence less pollution for the world. Also we could save our money like this. If you buy a packet of bread, it would cost you more money than if you cook wheat and rice in home. Previously before industrial revolution, we didn't have technology, but our foods were rich with nutrients. Now we have technology, but technology is polluting our foods and our foods are not rich with nutrients, and because of that also we have health problems. If this is done, then many jobs would be lost. For that many peoples should do farming and they should be given loans if they do not have enough money to start farming on their own. Food, Medicines, Surgeries and Education's should be made free to the world till the world settles down with farming. After that food, medicines, surgeries and education's should be stopped free to the world. Many people should study botany subject so that they have knowledge of plants and they should do farming. Is their any another solution, that humans won't lose jobs and also pollution would decrease. Humans have to take this step certainly instead of going on polluting the earth, making wildlife extinct and also mass extinctions of humans in future. 3. Electricity Pollution We create electricity from many types of sources like coal, water, etc., but it creates pollution. If electricity created from windmill and solar energy then no pollution occurs in the creation process. But still to manufacture windmill and solar machines pollution would occur. As I previously said that if we shut down many manufacturing companies which are producing things which are not needed for humans, then the world would not require so much electricity. If less electricity required, then less pollution generated. 4. Could We Stop Drinking Cow's and Buffalo's Milk Whatever vitamins and nutrients we get from milk, if we can get it from other eatable things, then we can stop drinking cow's and buffalo's milk. As milk has to be packed in glass bottles and plastic packs and then transported to places. All of this can be stopped. For infants whose mother's have died or mother's who cannot breast feed their infants, only for them cow's and buffalo's milk should be given. We use milk in tea and coffee. Instead of milk we must use coconut milk with tea. 5. How Much Should Be The World's Population Every place should have a single house. No buildings, everything ground floor. If we do this and the whole lands of our planet earth would be occupied one day with homes, farms, forests, schools, hospitals, etc., then we would come to know how much our planet earth can have maximum population. Once the population is determined, then we have to maintain that population. For example if our earth can have a population of 10 billion peoples, then when the population reaches 10 billion, then everyone should have only one child till the population reaches 9 billion peoples. As if we have only one child then the population decreases. When population is 9 billion peoples, then everyone should have 2 children's till the population reaches 10 billion peoples. After that again we should have only one child. In this way population can be maintained.
Very interesting, very relevant... just a pity you talk too fast - like you are in a hurry and a little stressed. No calm, harmony, serenity or humility is felt behind your words... Whish you all the best for your dreams come true.
@@ddaavvee68 no, I haven't. I discuss in the video the complexity of feeling "the call to leave modern society behind" and how sometimes I may feel that desire, but how it's not so simple, and how upon further reflection it may not actually be what I truly want.
@@alexbmw5503 full disclosure, I've made less than $100 from RU-vid so far. So no, as of right now, it is not how I am "surviving" and may never be. We'll see!
