The video above, in which some guy starts out with nothing and builds a kiln and a hut out in the woods, has been getting a lot of shares across my Facebook wall, eliciting responses like “Wow — I want to learn how to do this!” and so forth.

Once again, I feel compelled to stick up for civilization.

We spent thousands of years getting away from any of this nonsense, and now, people who haven’t thought it through clearly express a yearning to return to the dirt and the sticks (and the bugs and the sweltering heat, and many more truly rural experiences).

I say, thank God we don’t have to do any of this any more. All the time I’ve saved from not having to do any of this — not having to build stone age axes, not having to contend with crawlies in the woods, not having to work in the muck all day on the off chance I’d be able to cook a stray lizard — has allowed me to read books, attend the theatre, write plays, travel, and enjoy time with friends.

I’m also glad not to be hunting and gathering. Which, as I understand it, consumed every waking moment.

Yay, civilization. For those who feel differently: Hey, your savage experience awaits. Head on out there.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 6th, 2016 at 11:16 am and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.