I just found this great video series on youtube called Happy People. I haven't watched the whole thing yet but it shows a community that for generations has been living off the land with very few modern conveniences. This is my ultimate goal in life. To have no mortgage, tv, and produce almost all of my own food. Strange as it sounds that's what makes me happy. If you have ever wondered what that would be like watching this show is much more realistic than the hyped up and somewhat fake "reality" shows you see.
I started to watch Happy People part 1 when I realized that people who live off the land often don't have pets; certainly not pets in the American sense, where they share your house and maybe even bed. I saw the dogs that were kept as hunters in Happy People Part 1 - all living outdoors, some chained. I knew the man who owned them knew what he was doing and he seemed very kind in that he was willing to continue to feed those dogs who no longer earned their keep and had grown old. I bet that is not that common, especially when food is hard to come by. That was when it dawned on me that American pets are a creation of modernity and the easiness of our civilization. For some reason that put me off watching the rest of the show. For one, the man who owned the dogs earned some supplies through trapping fur bearing animals. I knew I wouldn't want to watch that. He has to do that - it is normal and that is how he and his family survive, but it isn't something I'd look forward to having to do. I'm afraid the realities of life where we sustain ourselves aren't very romantic or "fun" - and unending work. Maybe I'll watch the rest of the series......I just had to adjust to the reality of them first, I guess.
ReplyDeleteSusan I think you make some very valid points. The reality of subsistence living isn't romantic. It is darn hard work! And you cant look at animals as pets, they are either food or helpers in some way. It IS very hard for Americans to understand that. I enjoyed watching all four parts, but then again we have lived a semi homesteading lifestyle for years raising chickens, gardening, and even raising our own lamb this year.
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