Let’s be honest for a second. Look at your phone. Look at the news. Look at the absolute clowns running every government on this planet. If you had the choice to just unplug the whole thing and walk away, would you do it? Most of you say yes. You lie. You wouldn't last a day without your precious Wi-Fi or your heated car seats. But over in **Ukraine**, there is a group of people who aren't just talking about **off-grid living**; they are defining it. They are called the **Simple Believers**, or *viruiuchi prostaky* if you want to optimize for local semantics. And frankly, they make the rest of us look like idiots.

Here is the deal. These folks have decided that the 21st century is trash. And are they wrong? They look at electricity, cars, and **higher education**, and they see one thing: distractions. To them, that means God. To me, it just looks like they figured out that the modern world is a scam before the rest of us did. Think about it. We spend our entire lives chasing the next upgrade. We run on a hamster wheel until our hearts give out, and for what? So we can buy more plastic junk?

These **Simple Believers** looked at that hamster wheel and decided to just sit on the floor. They don't want electricity. They don't want your cars. They definitely don't want your college degrees. They think those things pull you away from the truth. While you are doom-scrolling on social media, getting angry about some politician who doesn't know you exist, these guys are probably chopping wood or staring at a wall. And they are probably happier than you.

It is easy to make fun of them. "Oh, look at the weirdos living in the dark." That is the arrogant voice of the modern world talking. That is the voice that thinks progress means building more apps to deliver lukewarm food to your door. But let’s look at the context here. This is happening during the **war in Ukraine**. There is a massive, brutal conflict going on. There are drones flying overhead. There are missiles designed by the smartest engineers on the planet blowing up apartment blocks. The pinnacle of human technology right now is finding new and exciting ways to kill people from a distance.

So, can you really blame these guys for opting out? The modern world brought them tanks and rockets. They are rejecting the very things that are currently tearing their country apart. There is something grimly funny about that. The world is obsessed with high-tech warfare, and these guys are worried about the moral danger of a lightbulb.

Don't think I am letting them off the hook, though. I am sure they are a barrel of laughs at a party. Religious zealots are usually miserable people to be around. But compare them to the people we have here. Look at the "trad-wife" trend on the internet. You have these influencers in America pretending to live a simple, traditional life. They dress up in vintage clothes and bake bread, then they edit the video on a distinctively modern computer and upload it to a server farm that uses enough energy to power a small city. It is performative. It is fake.

The **Simple Believers** aren't doing it for the 'likes.' They aren't posting selfies with their candles. They are just living in the dark. That requires a level of commitment that makes the modern hipster look pathetic. The Left talks about reducing carbon footprints, but they won't give up their air travel. The Right talks about traditional values, but they are glued to the TV screen. Both sides are frauds. These Ukrainians are the real deal.

They also shun higher education. The experts will tell you this is dangerous. They will say these people are keeping their kids ignorant. Maybe. But have you seen what **higher education** gets you these days? A piece of paper and a job serving coffee to people who yell at you? Maybe skipping the indoctrination centers isn't the worst idea in the world.

In the end, though, it probably doesn't matter. The modern world is a jealous beast. It wants everyone plugged in, everyone paying taxes, everyone consuming. These **Simple Believers** are trying to hide from the storm, but the storm is everywhere. You can turn off the lights, but you can't turn off reality. They think cars and electricity are the problem. They are missing the bigger picture. The problem is people. As long as there are people, there will be noise, war, and stupidity. You can sit in the dark all you want, but you are still stuck on this rock with the rest of us.

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### References & Fact-Check * **Original Source:** This commentary is based on reporting regarding the "Simple Believers" (Viruiuchi Prostaky), a religious community in Ukraine known for rejecting modern amenities including electricity, cars, and higher education. For the baseline reporting, see: [In Ukraine, a Community of ‘Simple Believers’ Shuns the Modern World](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/world/europe/ukraine-simple-believers.html) (New York Times, March 1, 2026). * **Context:** The community operates independently of mainstream Orthodox structures and maintains these lifestyle restrictions despite the ongoing conflict in the region.