What is the Dirtbag Dao?

Simple Living Philosophy

What is a Dirtbag?

For outdoor enthusiasts, a dirtbag refers to someone who forgoes societal norms and conventions, often living frugally and dedicating themselves to a particular adventurous pursuit. The original dirtbags became known for living in caves and cars in Yosemite after WWII as they honed their climbing skills and devoted all their time to the sport. 

Today, the term dirtbag has widened outside the climbing world to encompass others who pursue alternative lifestyles and are willing to forgo more than a few common first-world luxuries. This includes backpackers, boondockers, and other nomadic and semi-nomadic people. We may be slightly removed from cave-dwelling, but we all follow the main dirtbag mantra:

 Time Over Money

The ‘dirt’ in dirtbag is a badge of honor that signifies the parts of our lifestyles that may repulse more conventional society: an unwillingness to trade too much of our time for labor, a lack of interest in status, a rejection of consumerism, and yes, maybe a few less showers than expected.

What is Dao?

Dao (or Tao) translates roughly as “The Way” and is a fundamental concept in Chinese thought. Dao is the process of reality itself, the way things come together, while still transforming and nods to the idea that change is the most basic character of everything.

There are more esoteric and mystical parts to Daoism as a religion, but I’m presenting it here as a philosophical school of thought. The main influential text of Daosim is the Tao te Ching (or Dao de Jing), written by Lao Tzu sometime between the 8th-3rd century BCE.

Living in accordance with the Dao means living naturally, frugally, and spontaneously. It involves recognizing the natural flow of events and following that flow without resistance, often referred to as wu-wei (non-action or effortless action).

Lao Tzu writes in the Tao te Ching:

“Simple in actions and thoughts,

You return to the source of being.

Patient with friends and enemies,

You accord with the way things are.

Compassionate towards yourself,

You reconcile all beings in the world.”

(Stephen Mitchell translation)

A Daoist attitude towards life is accepting, yielding, and content. The Dirtbag Dao is a philosophy about following our authentic selves, freeing ourselves from cravings, and living simply, while embracing the Way of the world.