In the trying times of COVID (and generally in the existential nightmare of our modern technical era) the idea of reverting to a more basic lifestyle is all the more alluring. Escaping from modern society is not only accomplishable, but could very well be a much more satisfying life. Moving into the wilderness and living a more primitive lifestyle could do a lot for the soul.

The industrial revolution and its consequences have given us plenty of reasons to desire wilderness living, whether it be to fully appreciate and get in touch with nature, to prove to ourselves that we can live under much more physically strenuous circumstances or simply to finally, for once in our short existence, take some sort of control over our lives.

Getting in touch with nature:

We spend an exorbitant amount of time inside these days, whether it be due to the pandemic keeping everyone in quarantine or just a general shift into less active pastimes that quite often take place inside. We have lost touch with nature and instead welcomed our inescapable technological overlords, haunted by and addicted to the constant stimulus around us we never spend the time to enjoy the world around us. If we can separate ourselves from tech even for a short time in order to fully embrace the beauty of the outside world and, in a way, fully embrace ourselves.

Proving Something to Ourselves:

Human beings, particularly in more advanced countries  such as the United States, have become far weaker and physically fit as technology has advanced and made our lives far easier. Life in the wilderness is much more physically strenuous, but also much more simple and understandable. Building a small home in which to abide in and living off of the land would, of course, be very physically strenuous, but this could make us stronger and over time. We would truly be able to understand that, despite being weakened and beaten down by our current lives, we are still capable and self sufficient beings that don’t require the red-tape and bureaucracy of modern life.

Taking Control:

In the modern era, we have limited opportunities to exert full control over our own lives, whether it be the pressures to get a job and work for some corporation, the idyllic American dream that tells us what we should strive for in life or even the traffic laws dictating where, when and how fast we should go. Paving our own metaphorical path in the wilderness is one of the few ways we can take complete control over our own existence. Individual autonomy is much easier to achieve when we are not bound to the expectations of the world around us. Once we have no one to answer to except ourselves, all that is required is to live in a way that lets us rest easy when our head hits the pillow.

Seeking fulfillment in our lives is a problem many people face. Escaping society for the cold embrace of mother nature and the wilderness she has built definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s a nice idea and maybe, one day, we could go for it and really accomplish something.