I have often thought how satisfying life must have been back in the old days. In the days when a man had to forage for food or grow his own. When the majority of things he had, he made with his own hands. For the ladies too, it must have been a satisfying thing. Their destiny was pretty much shaped by their own hands and effort.
Sure it must have been tough. There were times when you had nothing extra,when you barely got by. But the times you came in with the evening meal, or harvested that crop must have been exhilarating. The satisfaction of success is like a drug.
Man has made great progress. That is what we believe. Our jobs provide us with the money to survive. We use our brains more than our brawn. Some even make a living being brainy. For most of us it is a combination. I am left with wondering if I could survive the old way. Would I have the intestinal fortitude to persevere ? Anyone can learn to shoot a gun and kill an animal, that is not a challenge. The challenge lies in having to do that to survive. I can fish, and do so for sport, but to do it out of necessity is a different thing altogether. Building shelter and providing for the basic necessities is a full time occupation.
It does make a huge difference what you are born into. The things you are raised with and around shape you. I was born into automobiles and electric appliances and such. I am no pioneer. There are things I do not like that a pioneer had to live with everyday. Creature comforts that are taken for granted today. I do believe I would adjust to these inconveniences. I have no question that I could hunt game and fish. Farming however, that would take some learning. I'm not much of a farmer.
I think it is the freedom of that life that is the appeal. When you were your own man. Not many rules or regulations to worry about. Didn't need a license to live, that license had already been granted to you by your maker, government had not taken it away. That, I think, is what the native Americans thought too. We Europeans came and introduced government and man's rules. We call it progress. As we progress we need to think about what it is we are progressing toward ? What is the destiny of man ? What is it that we are trying to accomplish ? We speak of space travel and advances in science and medicine. We talk about education. But, to what end ? Is the end to the benefit of all mankind ?
I do think a man needs struggle to thrive. Pioneer days were more of a physical struggle than anything else. You against the natural elements. We have progressed to more of a mental game. With the mental game I don't think you get those " endorphin's " , if that is the correct term, that give you that sense of euphoria when you are successful. That manly feeling ! The feeling that makes you want to beat your chest and declare, I am man ! Or women, for that matter. That is why we play sports isn't it? Why we exercise today. We need that fix.
Maybe it is the redefining of the manly role in society that bothers me. I was raised more in a time of manly men doing manly things. Were there social issues with that ? Absolutely. Was it better ? Ah, now that is a good question. At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I will say I like well defined roles. The blurring of lines confuses me. I do prefer the physical game to the mental one. With the physical, the results are immediately obvious. I like that. With the mental the answer may not become obvious for days or even years. The mental is for sitting by the fire and relaxing after a hard days labor. That is the time to bask in the satisfaction of a days work. A time to brag about your accomplishment, a time to give thanks that you survived another day.
Sure it must have been tough. There were times when you had nothing extra,when you barely got by. But the times you came in with the evening meal, or harvested that crop must have been exhilarating. The satisfaction of success is like a drug.
Man has made great progress. That is what we believe. Our jobs provide us with the money to survive. We use our brains more than our brawn. Some even make a living being brainy. For most of us it is a combination. I am left with wondering if I could survive the old way. Would I have the intestinal fortitude to persevere ? Anyone can learn to shoot a gun and kill an animal, that is not a challenge. The challenge lies in having to do that to survive. I can fish, and do so for sport, but to do it out of necessity is a different thing altogether. Building shelter and providing for the basic necessities is a full time occupation.
It does make a huge difference what you are born into. The things you are raised with and around shape you. I was born into automobiles and electric appliances and such. I am no pioneer. There are things I do not like that a pioneer had to live with everyday. Creature comforts that are taken for granted today. I do believe I would adjust to these inconveniences. I have no question that I could hunt game and fish. Farming however, that would take some learning. I'm not much of a farmer.
I think it is the freedom of that life that is the appeal. When you were your own man. Not many rules or regulations to worry about. Didn't need a license to live, that license had already been granted to you by your maker, government had not taken it away. That, I think, is what the native Americans thought too. We Europeans came and introduced government and man's rules. We call it progress. As we progress we need to think about what it is we are progressing toward ? What is the destiny of man ? What is it that we are trying to accomplish ? We speak of space travel and advances in science and medicine. We talk about education. But, to what end ? Is the end to the benefit of all mankind ?
I do think a man needs struggle to thrive. Pioneer days were more of a physical struggle than anything else. You against the natural elements. We have progressed to more of a mental game. With the mental game I don't think you get those " endorphin's " , if that is the correct term, that give you that sense of euphoria when you are successful. That manly feeling ! The feeling that makes you want to beat your chest and declare, I am man ! Or women, for that matter. That is why we play sports isn't it? Why we exercise today. We need that fix.
Maybe it is the redefining of the manly role in society that bothers me. I was raised more in a time of manly men doing manly things. Were there social issues with that ? Absolutely. Was it better ? Ah, now that is a good question. At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I will say I like well defined roles. The blurring of lines confuses me. I do prefer the physical game to the mental one. With the physical, the results are immediately obvious. I like that. With the mental the answer may not become obvious for days or even years. The mental is for sitting by the fire and relaxing after a hard days labor. That is the time to bask in the satisfaction of a days work. A time to brag about your accomplishment, a time to give thanks that you survived another day.
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