Off the Grid
How Congressman Thomas Massie lives a life in a holler in Kentucky
If you have not heard of the 6-term Congressman from Kentucky, have we got a treat for you today. At a time when we are listening to a pair of octogenarians (or almost octogenarians in Trump’s case) debate who has the requisite skills, intellect, and understanding to lead this country, this article is not so much about politics as it is about how we as humans are able to learn and apply that knowledge.
It was not so long ago that man was able to be self-sustaining when needed. We would grow our own food, build our own shelter, and provide for our family through times of bounty and squaller. We had to adapt, learn skills, and apply those skills to the world around us in order to survive and thrive. Over the years, as a society, we have become specialized, and that evolution is not necessarily a bad trait. After all, specialization enables us to focus on skills at which we excel and, as a society, hopefully maximize our collective potential.
That said, we should not forget we do have the ability to not only perform but even master multiple skills within this life. Thomas Massie may not have set out to be an example of a modern-day renaissance man as he was just looking to build a home for his family, but I cannot think of a more exemplary figure of that oft-sought-after multidisciplinary trait.
Thomas Harold Massie was born in 1971, a Gen Xer, in Appalachia (the mountainous region that spans from Maine to Georgia). Specifically, he was born in West Virginia and raised in the hollers (hollows) of Kentucky. He met his future wife in high school and they both ventured off to earn degrees in engineering at MIT, where they would begin their start-up company focused on virtual reality. Massie earned several patents designing and building technologies, and was able to raise the venture capital necessary to create a sustainable and viable business after college. The Massies sold their company in 2003 and moved back to Kentucky to build a home for their family.
That is where the story in this video begins, with Thomas Massie and his wife Rhonda building (literally building) a home in the hollers of Kentucky. It is here that I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and give yourself about 30 minutes to peer into a life well-lived… life in a more traditional and independent sense.