In Thoreau-esque fashion, I plan to one day retreat to the wild to teach and test myself on the matters of self-reliance and solitude. There’s no need to delve in to the semantics of why I want to do this because, if you think about it, it’s a very ideal and pleasant way of life. Indeed, for me there’s no real mysticism or magically romanticised thought process attached to the idea of living a primitive lifestyle, I merely want to try to experience the outdoors in an authentic and natural way. I’m not excluding any and all sentimentality, though, because there’s still a burning passion to honour my ancestors, and without that goal in mind I wouldn’t even be thinking about doing this. And I’m well aware of the dangers of romanticising a plan so much so that it might blind one to real potential dangers. Only when I’m ready would I venture out in to the wild. That brings me nicely to the next section…
To me Bushcraft is the culmination of the many thousands of years our ancestors had to hone their skills and make a living in whatever environment they found themselves. But that’s just the survival aspect of Bushcraft. I think that Bushcraft’s most important role for us in the modern world is to enable those who feel a powerful connection with nature to live off the land, to see the world through the eyes of the men who knew it intimately. Such a connection is something which our ancestors had since they were born, although they didn’t necessarily know it as it was just their way of life.
I respect many aspects of the traditions of ancient man and have always been deeply enamoured by the natural world and the men who could thrive in it. When I found Bushcraft I felt as if I had found a part of myself that had been lost. Indeed, it blends seamlessly with my world-view and deep respect for the people of old, but there are problems with the mainstream view of this hobby and consequent image it has created.
From my observation Bushcraft is synonymous with survival schools and ex-military men and women. The problem with this is that although Bushcraft teaches vital survival skills, just surviving isn't why I want to go out in to the wilderness. For such people it’s as if the skills learnt in Bushcraft cease to be relevant once they return to civilization, having braved the harsh conditions of the wild land in which they were stranded. And what heroes they were for escaping it, the media will say. That is how most people see Bushcraft, but there is a small percentage of us who practice primitive skills because we understand that we are creatures of the earth. Following this view, we think that wilderness is not something from which we can or should be able to escape. Lynx Vilden of the Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects puts it best in the following video:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/embed/CYtyiRb2k9E[/video]
So, with all of that said, my goal is to master these ancient skills in such a mindset so that I can be confident in my survival.
Let's talk about primitive living. Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age... Do you partake in reenactment? Do you study ancient history? Are you planning to do something similar in your later years?
To me Bushcraft is the culmination of the many thousands of years our ancestors had to hone their skills and make a living in whatever environment they found themselves. But that’s just the survival aspect of Bushcraft. I think that Bushcraft’s most important role for us in the modern world is to enable those who feel a powerful connection with nature to live off the land, to see the world through the eyes of the men who knew it intimately. Such a connection is something which our ancestors had since they were born, although they didn’t necessarily know it as it was just their way of life.
I respect many aspects of the traditions of ancient man and have always been deeply enamoured by the natural world and the men who could thrive in it. When I found Bushcraft I felt as if I had found a part of myself that had been lost. Indeed, it blends seamlessly with my world-view and deep respect for the people of old, but there are problems with the mainstream view of this hobby and consequent image it has created.
From my observation Bushcraft is synonymous with survival schools and ex-military men and women. The problem with this is that although Bushcraft teaches vital survival skills, just surviving isn't why I want to go out in to the wilderness. For such people it’s as if the skills learnt in Bushcraft cease to be relevant once they return to civilization, having braved the harsh conditions of the wild land in which they were stranded. And what heroes they were for escaping it, the media will say. That is how most people see Bushcraft, but there is a small percentage of us who practice primitive skills because we understand that we are creatures of the earth. Following this view, we think that wilderness is not something from which we can or should be able to escape. Lynx Vilden of the Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects puts it best in the following video:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/embed/CYtyiRb2k9E[/video]
So, with all of that said, my goal is to master these ancient skills in such a mindset so that I can be confident in my survival.
Let's talk about primitive living. Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age... Do you partake in reenactment? Do you study ancient history? Are you planning to do something similar in your later years?
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