We are experiencing an increasing underground group of people who are a contemporary version of the “Luddites.” The Luddites were a group of people and a movement which was opposed to new technology. The main philosophy of the contemporary version is to return to a simpler way of life. I don’t think that this is anything new in the history of the earth. After the discovery of fire there were undoubtedly those who opposed it as evil and destructive. Probably with good reasons. As the ancient Greeks and Romans progressed technologically, I’m sure that there were those who wanted to return to the old ways with less structure, no wheels, chariots or carts. This kind of thinking made its way through the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Victorian ages and now into our own modern age. From the European to the Slavic and even into the Asian societies, without a doubt, the same “drop-out” mentality surfaced. The industrial age has morphed into a multitude of forms which have become increasingly complicated. And this has encouraged segments of each of these societies to drop out from the status quo of the time.
But, does this solve anything? Is it even possible to return to a simpler and less complicated way of life? What does this ultimately mean? How extensive can anyone get to be simpler in any modern culture? In our own time, can we forego electricity? Transportation? Packaged or precessed food? Grocery stores? Department stores with pre-made clothing, tools? Houses, running water, schools, jobs to make money to finance all of the above? Hospitals, medicines, pills, vaccinations to alleviate and prevent recurring diseases and plagues and out-breaks? Would it be possible to survive in our present society without the above? Communication is now instantaneous, and entertainment of all kinds. What would a simpler life be like now if it were even possible?
If you somehow obtained a farm left to you by a deceased relative and were able to grow food and become self-sufficient with animals also grown for food, this might seem attractive to some people until faced with the realities involved in its realization. Fruits and vegetables grown organically (without any protection) will face problems with either drought or flooding or being overrun by hungry insects before they are ripe enough to harvest and consume. Not to mention the constant labor involved in finding seeds to plant, growing them and tending to them with the care that this actually takes. Cows, chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, would have to be purchased and are expensive. Feeding them is expensive, and caring for them is a constant job with long hours from sunrise to sunset. Cows give milk (which must be pasteurized), chickens lay eggs, pigs taste good in many forms when properly cooked, and letting the above reproduce means that the older animals can be killed and eaten.
When was the last time anyone that we know has killed a chicken for food? Would we even know how? Killing a chicken or a cow or a pig is a messy and noisy business. (I won’t go into detail). Preparing the carcass for food takes time and patience and skill. Disposing of the unusable leftovers (offal), takes time and planning. This whole process takes many hours in every day of the week in addition to the caring for the fruits and vegetables that are growing. In addition, animals can give birth, get sick or diseased and possibly spread the sickness to all of the others making them potentially useless. (This requires a veterinarian). For all of the above to work or even be possible, many people are necessary. If not a very cooperative wife and eventually a large family, workers would have to be employed, and this is also expensive.
So what about the above qualifies it as a simpler life? Would “dropping-out” work for very long under these circumstances? Has the Luddite mentality worked in any society in the past? With any knowledge of history or human nature I think we can agree on a resounding “No!” Cults, which primarily attract confused females are really just based on free sex for the leader. It shouldn’t take much further thought to realize that we are in fact living the simpler life. And it will in time get even simpler. We are moving (kicking & screaming) toward a global society. Our world is constantly shrinking driven by economies, finance and goods and services. We are finally reaching out as one human entity to new horizons in space. All of the refinements we are experiencing are necessary to this end. We may not see this or want to participate, but it will happen anyway with our kids and their kids and so on.
Societies never move backward, only forward with or without the “naysayers” and the dropouts and the societal and governmental anchors. Progress happens! With or without the individual. And just like any of our games and contests, we are here to win. Our individual mentalities may vary (everyone is a little crazy, no one is 100% mentally), but our global society as a whole will not only survive but progress forward and onward and upward and outward. God bless our earth!