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There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

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Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#171

Post by photojosh »

nerdponx wrote: post #76
nabla9 wrote: post #42

Being alone and hiking and camping in the wilderness without human contact for longer period can be amazing experience. There can be initial anxiety and intense desire to go back after romance goes away and your internal shit comes to light. When there is constant need for do chores to survive but also free time and no human contact, no books, radio or music, mind gradually settles into itself. It's like coming from…

Where do you learn the outdoor and craftmanship skills you'd need to survive on your own in the woods? Lots of backpacking trips with more experienced people?

The kids and I binge-watched Primitive Technology [1][2], which is an Aussie guy who goes out to his land somewhere and does everything from scratch: building various shelters, fires, pottery, charcoal. It's brilliant. (And I wrote all this before noticing a sister comment mentioned it too.)

Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls is also a favourite of my kids, although it does get a bit repetitive after a few episodes. Good to have on in the background while you're doing something else, and you can just look up if something interesting happens.

For navigation skills, find your local orienteering or rogaining club and do some events.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA Pro-tip: turn on captions to see explanations. [2] https://primitivetechnology.wordpress.com

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#173

Post by erikpukinskis »

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #130
Mikeb85 wrote: post #57

The title IMO is far more interesting and thought provoking than the actual story. So this guy lived in the woods somewhat near people, and stole to get by... I've personally always been fascinated by the topic as I have met several hermit monks, have a friend who lived as one for half a year, and contemplated it for myself. The history of religious asceticism and hermits is quite interesting, and many of history's m…

Agreed. It seems really silly to sit around and talk about how awful civilization is while you leech from it to survive. If the guy made his own tools and found his own food without the use of everything our society gives him (save maybe knowledge), his words would carry much more weight.

I have a lot of negative to say about civilization, and my entire life over the last two years had been centered around undoing those things. I have to disagree with what you're saying.

If you try to change one aspect of your life, say being vegan, you find that the other aspects of your life conspire to pull you back. With valiant effort you can resist in some narrow sense... maybe not eating animal parts. But then you realize animal cruelty is inherent in almost all common forms of farming. And in order to participate in social activities you are expected to eat animal bits, and your doctor doesn't know how to support you.

And perhaps even more importantly, even if I succeed at meeting your requirement, say living in a separatist vegan commune, we will simply exist in a bubble until we burn up and disappear.

The way you have influence is not usually by taking an unflinching moralizing stance, but by pulling gently and incessantly on the rudder, steering your community almost imperceptibly towards a new place, making heart wrenching concessions, standing by as your values are desecrated in front of you, and getting up to do it again. To truly take a moral stance one must participate in the murky politics of the hive of human activity.

The absolutists just die. If not literally, then mythologically, because no one can understand their lives, and so no one learns from them... Except maybe a few accolytes who are trying to climb the same mountain of radicalism.

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#174

Post by pdfernhout »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #173
hoorayimhelping wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. It seems really silly to sit around and talk about how awful civilization is while you leech from it to survive. If the guy made his own tools and found his own food without the use of everything our society gives him (save maybe knowledge), his words would carry much more weight.

I have a lot of negative to say about civilization, and my entire life over the last two years had been centered around undoing those things. I have to disagree with what you're saying. If you try to change one aspect of your life, say being vegan, you find that the other aspects of your life conspire to pull you back. With valiant effort you can resist in some narrow sense... maybe not eating animal parts. But then…

Insightful post

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#176

Post by nimih »

dnh44 wrote: post #100
wging wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very interesting story. Also it's mildly weird to see such a correct/appropriate use of the word 'literally'.

The OED has redefined it so you literally can't use it incorrectly anymore. Of course because of that it literally has no meaning now.

It seems like it would be more correct to say that we (the English-speaking masses) redefined the word and the OED has simply done their job and documented common usage.

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#177

Post by gozur88 »

nimih wrote: post #176
dnh44 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OED has redefined it so you literally can't use it incorrectly anymore. Of course because of that it literally has no meaning now.

It seems like it would be more correct to say that we (the English-speaking masses) redefined the word and the OED has simply done their job and documented common usage.

Well, yes. That's how words change. Phrases, too - I've given up the "begs the question" battle.

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#179

Post by SophosQ »

kisstheblade wrote: post #123
foodstances wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a TV series "Alone" where they drop people off in the remote woods (far from each other) and the person that can survive the longest by themselves wins $500k. As the season goes on, you can see a clear decline in the mental health of many of the contestants. Many drop out just out of sheer boredom or loneliness, even though they have decent shelter and can find food. The winners usually last about 2-3 months…

Yes but people who go on reality shows are the type that really can't function alone and without constant attention from others.

Albeit I can't disagree with your point. There seems to be significant evidence to support the hypothesis that a minimal degree of socialising helps prevent mental decline.

For instance consider the different things you need to consider whilst holding a simple conversation. It's not the same as talking to a wall. It's a game with constraints and a game that our DNA would rather have us do in order to better our chances of survival through cooperation with other members.

Re: There Have Always Existed People Who’ve Simply Wanted to Be Alone

#180

Post by white-flame »

smallnamespace wrote: post #95
white-flame wrote: post #15

It baffles me that people think it's so shockingly outlandish that there are people who don't reactionarily buy into the tribalistic pressures around us to simply act like everyone else. Humanity is not homogeneous, yet some notions like these are always projected out to be considered an immutable, inescapable constant. I can only guess that's that same fear of being different shining through. I presume that on sites…

> buy into the tribalistic pressures around us to simply act like everyone else Does anyone else appreciate the delicious irony that parent is hitting all the right notes for an appeal to the tribe while at the same time criticizing tribalism? 1. Establish an 'us' vs. 'them' distinction ('I presume on sites like this') 2. Subtly denigrating outsiders ('draws many people outside the superficial social norms.') 3. Esta…

That's strawmanning my point pretty hard.

There is no "us" and "them" in what I'm saying. There's a bunch of varying individuals, and ad-hoc grouping whereever there's some perceived similarity.

The problem is that that grouping instinct goes overboard, and when nonsense or applicability of what emerges from the grouping pressure isn't questioned at all. This happens in small groups as well as large ones, so it's not even a majority vs minority issue. It's simply one of being swept up in our default reactionary ways, and when that is challenged, projecting an assumption that everybody is swept up in the same way as ourself (as the author does) because of that exact same instinct.

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