Greetings!
I would like to apologize for our lack of posting on the blog. We are very happy with the discourse garnered and feel it is just the start. The website is moving along pretty nicely now. We ran into a bit of a lull as we got busy. I can guarantee that we have not "lost interest" in this adventure. We are more pumped than ever, actually.
I can totally see how this may be perceived of as a publicity stunt. There are tons of people in this country who live off the land and are for the most part, self sufficient. They don't film it or make websites or anything. It's true. But, the way I see it, if we wanted to be famous we would do something like the guy who wore a cowboy hat and his underwear in times square. There's no doubt, we strongly believe in what this represents and the more people who are touched by it, the better. But, we aren't in this for fame. We just feel that there are a few things that people could be more aware of for their personal, familial and societal benefit. We decided to do this before we had the idea of filming it and creating a website. After we were confident in our understanding of what this can represent, we thought it might be cool to include as many people as possible.
Well, now you know what we believe and we've heard from a number of you. Great discussion by the way. I feel conversation really is the best way to gain knowledge. I had this thought that I wanted to pose and see if people agreed, disagreed or saw the concept in a different light...
I've been trying to come up with a definition of happiness. It seems like it maybe a word that will never have just one definition. I bet the feeling of true, genuine not-another-thought-in-your-head happiness feels different for everyone and manifests in different ways. I thought then, how can we tell if we are happy? Sometimes we are, sometimes we're not, sometimes we think we're happy, but then question if we really are, sometimes we ARE happy and don't realize it until we're pissed, other times we look back and think "oh, that was awesome", but we forget how we were miserable.
Anyway, so I was thinking that maybe the time to assess if we are happy people is when we are in a state of relaxation. Where do you want to be, physically and mentally. When work is done for the time being and one has a moment to ease their body and free their mind, where will you want to be? How do you feel? Are you happy with your accomplishments, who's around you, where you are? or is there something missing? What is going through your head and in your heart when you have time to be introspective?
Just a thought
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Great post Spencer!
ReplyDeleteMost people agree that happiness is an internal state of being and when one is introspective they are looking within and are not limited by external trappings and external circumstances.
Hence it is the way to achieve true happiness. Aristotle said the contemplative life is the life of happiness and Ethics of our Father states that happiness can only be achieved when it is not dependent on external circumstances. The only thing not entirely dependent on external circumstances is our own state of mind.
The wilderness, given its solitude, provides an outlet for tapping into the contemplative and introspective part of ourselves. Thus you have discovered another practical benefit of being in touch with nature and going on this excursion.
Question I have is what internal states are conducive to happiness? What should we be contemplating about in order to tap into happiness?
Make sure you post your GPS coordinates so I can find and scare you in the dark of night. Nothing like a surprise stranger crawling into your tent in the middle of nowhere!
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's not such a good idea you're bringing weapons along...
The question "How can we tell if we are happy?" made me think about happiness in the context of a couple eastern philosophies. Watered waaay down: Buddhism philosophy defines happiness as being able to forget your individual happiness. If you experience no anxiety about your own happiness, you have achieved it.
ReplyDeleteThe question then is "How can we forget about our individual happiness?” If you are constantly focused on forgetting yourself, you are in actuality focusing on it! Such a cruel cycle. Buddhism teaches that you must encounter something more powerful than yourself, something more important than your happiness, in order to truly forget yourself and your happiness. Buddhist teachings say you must awaken a spirit that is concerned with the happiness of all sentient beings. But how do you do THIS? We aren't all theological monks who can call on the divine for a spirit! What about the rest of us?
Many eastern cultures, including Buddhism, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain, say that one can free the mind from worldly and individualistic matters through physical experience. Yoga, which is now in the US mainly a yuppified exercise class (guilty as charged, cant wait for power yoga tonight at NYSC), is the practice of meditation, not just twisting yourself into a pretzel! This physical movements associated with yoga were developed by the ancients to help give your mind another focus. When practicing yoga properly, one's mind is unable to wander, to think about your plans that night, to lament over a fight you had with a friend. You practice these movements and focus your energy on making your mind still. Only then can you forget yourself. Once you forget yourself, your needs, and your stress, you will achieve happiness.
So anyways, a apologize if this all sounds a little new age-y and wacky, how does this relate to uncitylized and what these guys are trying to do? The same way that yoga is a physical practice that people perform use to free their mind and spirit to achieve happiness, I believe that people can do the same (or similar) by undertaking difficult tasks. Living in the wild for an extended period of time will be such a challenge, so physically demanding, that Spencer, Benny, and Eli will not be thinking of their happiness. They will be thinking of their survival, huge difference. In fact I think that they know going in that they WILL be pretty miserable as they adapt to living without modern conveniences that bring them joy (some which they don't even yet appreciate).
Maybe this is way off, I was certainly rambling, but its just another way to think about what they are doing, and the potential benefits they can reap personally.