I honestly don’t have a huge problem with asceticism altogether, taken to far, as a continuous ends in itself yes, but as a means, as a way to clear ones eyes and have another look, no. Asceticism to me plays a foundational role in all human cultures and societies. From the Buddha and Jesus to the shaman and vision quest. I think asceticism makes beginning rewilding a lot easier, it opens the door so to speak so one can take the first step.
I think the idea of asceticism as a means towards rewilding isn’t useful. If you’re used to warmth and comfort, and then go out into the wild where it is cold and hard, it’s really just going to drive you back into where it is warm and soft. I think too many of us are prone to being reactionary in situations such as these. If we show people warm, fuzzy, happy fun in wild living (and I stress show), we’ll have more success in getting the point across. I had some small success with this cooking a meal over a fire with my girlfriend, just hanging out and roasting food. I plan to try such a thing with a group of friends soon. Then, I’ll move on to roasting food I’ve gathered over a fire with them. Then maybe bring them with me foraging. Before they know it, they’ll be happy hunter-gatherers!
I wish I had some experience, real world, my own, most of all, but even books would be nice. As it is, I’m kind of just stuck on the sidelines here, watching this conversation avidly. I really liked Dan’s story of making a village with his class. I wish I had a teacher that cool. It also makes me relaize that I need to get out and experiment more, actually figure out what I am talking about instead of just relying on facts and figures.
However, I do agree on the asceticism point. We will never get people to believe in the leaving civilization thing if we show it to them as absolute sacrifice. As Quinn put it, we have to show them that they can get more of what they want, not less of what they don’t.
I alos think a major problem with applying the anthropological studies is the skill and ability gap that has been mentioned. It may be possible to live that easily, but you need proficiency in the skills and physical capabilities, proficiencies that I don’t have.
It may be possible to live that easily, but you need proficiency in the skills and physical capabilities, proficiencies that I don't have.
Luckily, becoming proficient isn’t nearly as hard as mastering a skill. Good luck, Matt, and remember to ask for plenty of help along the way. I know I do. 
Ascetism or Discipline? Maybe it’s natural to be loose, to move around fluidly. Zen Buddhism often teaches that enlightenment is the easiest thing in the world… it’s our original nature to be enlightened (or perhaps “wild”). Why is so hard then? Because we’ve spent so much time developing all this rigidity against it. It’s like we’ve kept our muscles so tense for so long that we’ve forgotten what it means to relax, play it cool, move around, let things go. Even when we begin to trust our bodies a bit, let them bounce to the beat and rhythms, all our training tells us “No! Stop!” And we tense back up. Yet with practice, the world opens up, welcoming us back in. Maybe it takes some discipline, a shift in values, but truly the path is a return home, to our deep-seated nature.
So… Rewilding – Hard? Easy? Perhaps both. Difficult to loosen up our defenses against all things wild. Yet easy because the wild energy is given freely and naturally without our effort, if only we can open ourselves up to it again.
Well let me speak from my experience. I wouldn’t have ever even came here if it weren’t for my asceticism. That asceticism driven by my cynicism of course… and boy did I go ascetic in about every way, straight edge, figured I’d end up a monk, etc. etc. What it did for me, it let me step back and see another view. Or did I already have that view and that coincided with my asceticism? I don’t know, all I know is I never wanted the ascetic life, I just figured I’d end up there. And if I never went there, where would I have ended up now? On drugs or alcohol 24/7 like many other of my peers and my family (in past), an indebted cog in the machine (like now), only with more massive debt to sit behind that nice car, with kids? What? To me, it takes a bit of asceticism, at least to keep the shackles off. But maybe I have a different view of asceticism, and as I said, I don’t hold it as the point itself, or the ends or goal, but a means. Of course I’d rather have the luxurious life, the luxurious hunter gatherer life, or I wouldn’t have come here, but I’d rather have a bit of asceticism for now than full in trappings to civilization, I just can’t do that.
Rewilding, easy or hard? Easier than you think, harder than you’d like.
Luxurious? How much luxury? How hard are you willing to work for it?
Bugs? No problem. 1001 plants to keep them away, and drink fragrant teas until mint is coming out of your pores. (Sounds gross, but smells better than far too many people anyway.)
Aestheticism? Not a good selling point. But useful in hardening yourself up.
One my big rewilding things is a lot of walking up mountains, an hour on the treadmill, weights as often as is safe, and as close to paleo as I can. Can’t afford to be out of breath when its time to move.
- Benjamin Shender
Thanks for all those posts everyone. I’m happy to see what others are thinking about this discussion.
As far as ascetism goes… I make a big distinction between “going without” because it’s “virtuous” and “going without” because it ain’t worth the cost.
As I see it, when hunter-gatherers “went without” it was cuz it ain’t worth the cost.
As far as bugs go… Well, there are a lot of solutions, but that doesn’t mean you can walk up to Joe Random and convince him of that!
Now, if you pick your opportunities and demonstrate it to Joe Random in the park one day when bugs are everywhere and bothering the shit out of him… that’s a very different story, ain’t it?
In general, people are going to judge any claim they perceive to be extraordinary very harshly, unless you can positively demonstrate the claim to them. At least, that’s been my experience with most of humanity…
Just as a side note, what plants are good for bugs? I really hate conventional deet style bug repellant, but I don’t know what else to use.
Giuli started a good discussion on this here.
In general, there’s quite a lot that can be done and, as Ben says, there are just tons of plants that help out with this. For any given method, tho’, you should be forwarned that your mileage with any particular method or plant may vary somewhat. Partly by what’s available in your bioregion, so, be prepared to experiment a little.
For my part, I haven’t found anything short of greasing up my skin to keep mosquitos off, but other insects (including ticks) largely leave me alone and bees and I get along great!
Fragrant plants mostly. Mints are good choices. Citronella actually comes from a mint (point that out to Joe Random next time). The trick is you have to have the scent on all of your skin to repel them, otherwise they’ll just go to the unexposed parts. Eucalyptus is a good plant, peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, lemon balm, etc. All good insect repellents and tasty teas. Drink enough of the tea (should be strong) and your skin will being to put off the scent itself. Your sweat will actually repel bugs! And in the mean time the tea has its own benefits.
- Benjamin Shender
Ascetic virtue: I can dig it. I think it can expand your knowledge of self quite a bit. It helps you see what you can go without and define your limits. It helps you to develop qualities of patience and endurance that can prove useful in certain situations.
However, if you don’t set asceticism against the virtues of simply living in a world of experiences (in other words, if you do nothing else but abstain, like a monk), then it loses that value pretty quickly.
This comes from the perspective of someone who retreats to ascetic behavior (a “comfort-zone” of non-action) way more often than she would like to admit.
I went on a really fantastic date today for lunch, so today I’ve felt an increasingly strong pull away from the ascetic life. You know…? (Oh dear… sorry if that got too personal.)
in the last week, we (as in the people i live with) processed 2 deer in 2 days. this was actually a huge amount of work; first gutting, then skinning and butchering, then slicing up meat for hours to hang above the woodstove for drying, fleshing hides and preparing them for tanning, bashing skulls to get brains out. it was all very beautiful and connecting to the land we live on and the deers, but we were exhausted. where we live we dont have to pay rent - and we also dont have to pay for food because there are tons of dumpsters nearby. so in my life, the motivation to eat wild food like deer and dandelion comes from a desire to connect with the land, and not atall because it is easier - because it aint! when the industrial economy collapses it will be an easy way of life comparatively - but right now it is alot more work to hunt and gather that just getting food from the supermarkets, dumpstered, bought or otherwise.
more beautiful, yes - easier? not yet.
I could be wrong, and I admit it freely so don’t jump down my throat if I am, but it seems that when people talk of how hard work will be, they are talking about the work as in themselves or a small number of people doing it.
When we talk of an easier life with work not being that hard, we aren’t talking about 1, 2, or even 5 people sharing it. We are talking dozens. A whole community of people sharing the work load. Processing a deer is a lot work, yes. But add a large group into the equation? Not that hard.
Hunting for enough food adequate for dinner could take all day for one, if they manage to catch anything at all. Send a hunting party and your odds of a feast go up.
It can take all day for one person to build a temporary shelter. It can take only hours for a group to build a semi-permanent one.
Miranda,
Reminds me a bit of how in the south they used to have big get-togethers around harvest time for processing and preserving garden foods. Imagine rooms full of chatty women snapping pole beans. Work and play intermixed. This definitely speaks to the benefits of the group in rewilding, not the lone survivalist…
~wildeyes
miranda,
i am dafinetely aware that traditionally indigenous people would not be doing this stuff in small groups of say 5 people - i am rewilding now though - right now, with a small group of people that i hope will get larger as time passes. i see that probably alot of us that choose this type of path won’t start off with a fully intact community to share work/play. in theory, it would be ideal to have a fully intact community and a thriving landbase as a hunter gatherer. in the reality of my life, though, the land has been reduced to almost a desert, the people scattered and lost. i was talking about my experience right now - not theoretical rewilding in the future.
Congrats on your rewilding venture for the here and now, but I wasn’t really talking about the rewilding of here and now. Yes, it is hard to start, but many people think before they ever try that things will automatically be hard forever. Many people will never start a rewilding venture because of the preconceived notion that life this way is difficult. Or, they will start and then stop because they did not have enough man power.
I hope your group increases in size over time!
This one is easy… the economic downfall we are currently living is turning large portions of the population homeless… . and homelessness is a major awakening to many. people that once coveted their BMWs now wish they had a garden and a good dry place to sleep. we dont have to try to educate others… the world will do the educating …
I’ve never spoken to my family about it, though I don’t try to keep it a secret either. I do, however, have a history of getting with boys who have no interest or maybe are afraid of the idea. One absolutely loved civilisation and littering and I promptly ended that!
The issue now is the one I’m sure I will marry is very wary of the idea though he loves to go out and be “feral” with me; maybe I can persuade him yet. ;D