When the modern mind thinks of the “wild”
Much of the time, Imagery resembling that of a scene from an adventure film most likely comes to mind..
An over exaggerated ideal about ferocious animals encroaching in the darkness, or suffering from thirst and hunger..
These are modern concepts of what modern humans call the “wild”
Certainly if you placed a modern human from the city who's never been on a bush walk in the deep of the jungle, there would be a high chance of these versions of reality becoming true and he would most likely die. The ingrained fear of the "wild" is plausible, as we have moved so far away from the natural world, it has become a foreign world to many.
What do I mean when I say "modern mind"?
The perspectives of most of the population of today, have been shaped by the westernised culture of industrialisation and capitalism. I am included within that category!
I was born inside a hospital and grew up learning the behaviour's of a very damaged and confused culture that has been disempowered by the unbalanced hierarchy of authoritarian rulers for centuries. These consumeristic lifestyles have over the many years, programmed the mind of the modern human from a mind that is wired to nature and senses to a mind that is wired to social media and takeout.
Lets think for a moment, about 99.9% of our tribal living ancestors who lived and thrived in the wild.
To compare the modern man and his not so distant predecessor’s is a scarey comparison to face.
Looking at it from health and survival perspectives, mankind has most certainly and rapidly devolved.
One only has to look into the numerous scientific research on the body of a hunter gatherer compared to the modern human body to see the exponential difference in health and functionality.
Sure we are advancing technologically and I am grateful for the medical research and treatment that has saved the lives of many close to me.
But I want to dig deeper, I want to find the origin of the problem, why there is so much disease and illness in the first place? Lets start there.
My passion on ancestral living and rewilding is really just a passion to be human.
Finding lifeways that lead to health and wellness. I want to feel alive and as connected as I possibly can.. I want my family and loved ones and future generations to thrive as well..
It is difficult to find the deep nourishment humans need whilst living in a city. Although possible!
When the majority of modern disease, mental illness and crime are due to the simple fact that humans are no longer living as they are designed to live, it becomes clear that something is wrong with the way modern society functions and we need to change it if we want to leave a flourishing earth and human culture for the future generations to grow up within.
The modern mind has become so used to the many issues of the modern world because often it has never seen or known any different, one of our greatest strengths as humans is our adaptability; but in this instance it comes with a long term price.
When researching anthropology, it becomes evident that our hunter gatherer tribal living ancestors had societal and living structures that created health and a functioning community. Their systems lead to strength within the tribal unit therefore leading to a healthy flourishing existence.
Some opposing perspectives might argue with the response “we cant go backwards”.
Of course we cant, even if every body in the world wanted to live as a hunter gatherer there are far too many of us now and this existence just is not possible. Rewilding is not about going backwards. It is about coming to terms with what has been taking place on the earth for hundreds and thousands of years compared to what is going on for the last 10 thousand years since agriculture (the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to farming societies) began and more urgently the last 300 years since industrialisation (the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society) began.
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Rewilding is finding pathways that lead to health for not only us humans but for the land we are birthed upon. Also a healthy understanding of the true events of history. Our decisions are what give us power or takes our power away. Rewilding is a form of reclaiming our birthright as humans to live in connection with the land and ourselves; we can break that down into many areas of our life.
Humans are not designed to sit in chairs all day or look at screens, we are not designed to have every thing handed to us all wrapped up waiting to be heated from the press of a button. We are designed to be resilient creatures that can adapt to any landscape. We are remarkably innovative creatures with excellent physical skills that ensure our survival. We have lost touch with this innate human orirgin becase we have come so far in the direction of domestication and laziness.
Research shows, our bodies function at their best when they are moving for a minimum of 8 hours a day.
Research also shows the impacts of being in nature on mental wellbeing. Grounding, earthing, these are well known terms in the wellness community.
You really don’t have to look very deep to put the dots together. "Oh right, we are degenerating as a human race mentally and physically because we are not living in our natural habitat."
So the question is, if we cant go backwards, how do we create a lifestyle that connects us to our origins?
It begins with the mentality one operates from. We must do the lifelong work or rewilding the mind. Awareness is a profound tool for change when applied. Becoming educated on ones own health and the faults of society and culture and being aware of how they effect you, the land, the community.
Are you making the choices in your life? Or are you finding yourself making the choices forced upon you? What are you making choices towards, gifting the future generations a better future? If not that, then what? Creativity? Health? Growth?
We have the potential to thrive out in the wilderness, yet we obey the government orders and do what we are told?! Anarchy is not being a punk with attitude with a "F&#% the system" vibe, true rebellion against those who stole our rights is growing your own food, making your own clothes from natural materials, giving birth at home, raising your children in a sane community culture that promotes creativity, becoming apart of a tribal unit rather then operating from individualisation. It is about reclaiming the humans rights that have been stripped away over the generations. These are true acts of anarchism.
I am concerned about the lack of soverign thinking that takes place within the modern world today, and my intention within these writings that I am to share is to reignite some passion that I know is within us all. Who doesn’t want to be free? Who doesn't want to be healthy? Who doesn't want to see a healthy eco-system? We all long for it, we all have different ideas of what freedom looks like. We need to be asking questions now, and making decisions that lead to the life that promotes healthy living practises and earth care.
I hope to inspire these empowered ways of being through some of the living practises I will share throughout this blog.
Its important to clarify my human-ness here, I am still apart of the problem I wish to solve. I have a phone, I own a car. Im not saying I am perfect, what I am saying is that our choices make a huge difference. I choose to only source food from local farmers. I process my own meat when I can. I live off-grid, collect my own spring water, shop at op-shops or make my own natural fibre clothing.
There are many decisions we can make every day that all add up and eventually lead us to the meeting place of empowered living practises and regeneration of the eco-system that keeps us alive!
Let's remember how to be humans
