Frontiers Open up again

Visions of the Rewilding Renaissance
#1

I was thinking about a few things about the crash based on some things I’ve recently read. One was Jason Godesky’s article on The reopening of the Map. The other was Dimitri Orlovs account of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Godesky’s point seems to be that civilization will contract in a way similar to the reverse of how it spread. Areas far away from cities will become more inaccessible again when oil becomes more expensive. As it stands now no place on the globe is inaccessible. Everything can be reached by helicopter, or small plane, land rover, atv. snowmobile, etc.

The thing I got from Orlov’s account is that once the crash starts political activism, is out the window, because no one wants to hear it. People just want to survive.

So I was thinking, I’m not going to waste any time trying to convert anyone to primitivism, There is not enough time to make a difference, people don’t want to hear it now, and will care even less when the shit hits the fan.

But anyone serious about wanting to live primitively will have a perfect opportunity to live as primitively as they want in remote areas as civilization contracts. There aren’t going to be yuppies flying up to remote mountian ranges to heli-ski, there won’t be all the vacationers using the national parks, they will belong to whoever can survive there.

If living primitively becomes a practical enough way to live, it will spread.

Civilization won’t contract to nothing over night, but it will start to get smaller again and wild areas will begin to get bigger.

#2

Yep. We think alike. In fact, I’ve only ever wanted to talk to people (about rewilding) who ALREADY feel disatisfied with their lives, and already feel curious about the rewilded lifestyle. I prioritize strengthening a changed mind, over changing a mind in the first place. On some level I don’t think you can really do it anyhow; like you say, Ted, the world will change their mind, if anything can.

#3

Well, I look at it in two ways, there will probably be some new “converts” that might have a totally different frame of reference than that of primitivism, but might have similar values of wanting to reconnect with the earth, live off the land etc.

On the other hand there may be “ideological primitivists” that perish with civilization.

Eventually people will be more primitive out of sheer neccessity, the survivors that is.

The thing I am most excited about is that I have a chance to be a pioneer!

If I play may cars right I can be one of the first people paving the way living out on the land in communion with the Earth.

I always wanted to be a Mountian man. Within my lifetime the frontier in Alaska closed up, the homestead act ended and it all came under various jurisdiction, but in my lifetime it will be a frontier once again.

#4

exactly!

if people seem interested, i’ll throw the ideas out there in the hopes that they sprout. but i don’t spend energy where i don’t think it will bring a return.

I decided to try to rewild myself in every way possible so as not to be one of those primitivists that perish with the passing civ.

Eventually people will be more primitive out of sheer neccessity, the survivors that is.

I think that’s exactly what will happen. Even people without primitive skills training will start figuring things out. Our species has amazing resiliency when we let it work.

The thing I am most excited about is that I have a chance to be a pioneer!

And to pioneer in so many different arenas: We can teach our fellow survivors how to track and hunt and render fat. We can work with them to build rhizome hamlet/tribes. We can find our relationship with the non-human community again.

It sucks that we’ll have to reinvent so many wheels. But at the same time, I really enjoy inventing things.

#5

you have to choose the people you are going to influence carefully. i can tell some people are ready for something new, and some are not ready. i find that the people i can influence the best are the people who are already questioning things. questioning is a good sign of an open mind. and those who dont’ question? well, it would be pointless to give them an answer then woudlnlt’ it?

#6

Ha! Exactly.