It’s been 2 days since I left the isle of arran, packing up our little tent in the dark, catching the ferry to the mainland and heading back to industrialisation!
I booked into a chain hotel with Hariand far from it being a relief to finally be back in a ‘civilised’ environment it felt, very unnatural, despite it being on the surface, very comfortable.
The first thing Inoticed was how stuffy it was, with sealed windows, and heating…I felt like I couldn’t breathe…
I also noticed how quiet it was, but not in a good way…
Let me explain.
The one thing you instantly notice when camping on your own on a small island with few residents,in late autumn, is how much closer you feel to the elements, literally!
Everything affects you immediately, from wind, to rain, midges (small bity little things,) andd how you become more adept at noticing any change in the weather, listening for wind abating and rain easing in order to go outside the tent to boil a kettle or cook some food without your pan being flooded by the rain!
I miss it!
I miss being able to breathe fresh air flowing through the tent. I miss blowing up my leaky mattress in the middle of the night. I miss having very little to distract me. I miss watching therain coming in over the bay, and knowing we had 5 minutes to dive for cover! I miss the self reiliance, and living simply.
In stark contrast, here I am in a busy city, surrounded by all the manś inventions and technologies, to keep me safe and comfortable!
I think itś important to list the contents of my hotel room to understand how much we have invented and created, and this is just a basic room!
- Bed
- duvet
- sheets
- pillows
- 2 x chairs
- carpet
- desk
- multiple led lights
- power sockets for charging
- smart tv
- mirror
- coat hangers
- bin
- mirror
- flushing toilet
- shower
- sink
- air conditioning unit
- kettle
- cups
- spoons
- packets of tea /coffee/sugar
If you think about it carefully, can you imagine the number of people it has needed to create this, how many manufacturing companies were involved in making all these items, where they were made, and how they were packaged, shipped, and distributed?
And all these items were need to be maintained, cleaned, and replaced when they break or are worn out.
How many of our world’s natural resources were used in furnishing my hotel room?
What cooubtry were they manufactured in? What are the ethics of the countries/ companies/ people making these items?
Just so I can be – comfortable!
I was comfortable in my little tent, felt more free, had no lighting and electricity, no utility bills, no taxes…but that’s not how the world works, right?
If everyone was doing what Iwas doing , pretty soon, thered be no more of all the things we are used to, no more hospitals, roads, medicine, policemen, food, beds, and there would be nothing to buy, the world would descend into chaod, wouldn’t it? There wouldn’t even be anyone making little tents anymore, or camping stoves and sleeping bags!
So maybe I am just being selfish, not contributiing to the machine that keeps us all fed, clothed, warm, and safe! Maybe, as my dad says, I should just ‘go and get a job’ like everyone else!
But I’m not afraid of work, and Iike having purpose in my life, and contributing to the well being of everyone else, but I refuse to be a cog in a machine that is slowly, acutally quickly breaking the world, which isbwhy I have spent the last 20 years deep in thought, trying to come up with a concept which would create peaceful prosperity, a more harmonious interconneted species, and cause the least harm to the planet,all the while evolving..
I’m nearly there! Haha
the key to part one I see, is understanding ‘how I think ” and ‘ why I think the way I do’ then letting go of as many things external to you … then taking a long walk to derpen your understanding of the human experience (from your own perspective) to develop insight and compassion.
part two is helping others do the same.
part three is using that deepened experience and insight for the benefit of everyone else …
I’m on part 2!
let the great british walkabout begin…
more info coming soon…
