Finding Ourselves25thAugust
Our culture is wrapped around the individual's pursuit of happiness or self-esteem.
"Am I the best me I can be?"
"Make me better."
"My iPhone makes me happy (I jest as I type on my iPhone)."
Yet throughout the majority of human history the question always was, "Am I useful to the tribe or village?" So often I see people somewhere in their twenties still trying to find themselves, while only 50 years ago they would have been married, earning a living and having a family. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for the homogenized white picket fugue of Americana; what I am talking about is clearly identifying with a community and making their long-term health your top priority. That community, that family may be your housemates, your co-workers in a collaborative business, your own children, your soccer teammates or a group of friends who have traversed the thick and thin of life with you.
Personal growth and self-development can be a trap. While waiting for everything to be perfect, people hold themselves back from engaging in real life. Self-concern prevents young men and women from making commitments to community. It staves off maturity until our twenties, thirties or even into Never Never Land.
Imagine a world where taking care of the people and the land you live is the baseline expectation. Instead of being a far off goal where it's "never the right time", care and commitment can become as fundamental as breathing.
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Skills to care for community…
$25 Wilderness Survival Taster Aug 28 This day with Brian Schuch, one of our top primitive skills instructor.
1-weekend a month Wildlife Tracking Immersion Sept-June Tracking changes how we see the world. This is set to be one of the most comprehensive tracking programs ever developed. From trailing on difficult terrain to intensive study of predator and prey relationships, we're set to dramatically shift the face of tracker training.
More core taster days...
$25 Wild Edible Plants Taster Sept 12
$25 Wildlife Tracking Taster Oct 2
$25 Awareness & Stealth Taster Oct 3
Awesome guest instructors...
T-3 The Oldest Hunting Strategies Oct 16-17
T-3 Stalking, Movement & Camouflage Oct 23-24
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Nick Perry-Guetti Aug 25, 2010 11:43 AM
Insightful article, Tman. Did you happen to read that recent article (I forget where) about folks growing up slower (not moving away from their parents, getting married, getting mortgaged, etc? The author claimed it was because the newer generations of people growing up are just spoiled and immature. A lot of people (including me) responded that living separate from one another is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history, and that economic factors of these resource decline years might also have something (or more like close to everything) to do with why people aren't taking on those modern responsibilities in their twenties as much anymore. I think that if we were to focus on development of local economies, we might kill two birds with one stone: redefining the "finding of self" as the finding our working role in a sustainable community, while also creating structures that help us adapt to a changing economic environment. What do you think? |
