Simple Life

Wilderness Therapy, farm life, and the Peace Corps experience are often glamorized as the simple life. No distractions, no internet, just taking it slowly, and focusing on the important stuff. It’s true that the important stuff becomes the primary focus. There is hardly any choice. Wilderness experiences are process and survival oriented. To eat; wood must be found, broken, and hauled. Then the fire pit must be dug, the coal bowed, and finally blown into flame. Preparing to eat requires a remarkable amount of time. Surviving is hard, dirty work. The process of surviving allows time for thinking and constant connection with those around you. All work is done as a collective. Eating a hot meal twice a day, striking camp, hiking to a new camp, and setting up camp is a full day’s work. Still the students must make space for phase work, relaxing, writing letters, and helping their peers. Wilderness is very busy. 

By contrast the simplicity of modern conveniences disconnects the average person from the work of living. Heating a home and food is effortlessly clean with the flip of a switch. The switch disengages the flipper with the actual process of getting warm. Water for baths warms in seconds. An entire load of dishes are sanitized and dried via machine. Cars transport people in a fraction of the time walking or biking requires. Cars also enable people to effortlessly schlep all kinds of stuff. People from high income countries are not required to decide what is important because it is no trouble to throw a few extra things in the car. Indeed, technology makes most everything easier and faster, yet it is not considered the simple life. Life in a developed country offers abundant relief from challenging environmental factors yet gratitude for that relief is lacking.

If conveniences make survival less time consuming, then life in the era of technology should be the more relaxed pace of life. There should be ample time to bond with loved ones, hold politicians accountable, be creative, take care of our health, pursue hobbies, prepare really good meals, and engage with community. Somehow most people are lacking time most of the time. People are stressed and disconnected from one another. Endemic Illness and addiction are symptoms of chronic stress and loneliness.

To flip a switch discourages interdependence. You don’t need your neighbor, your children, or your spouse to physically survive in a modern society. It’s challenging to get down to the character of someone when you only see them flipping a switch. Disconnection is extremely burdensome and lonely. If there is a trauma, it is that much more challenging to overcome in the absence of enriching community. People turn to substances, work, and entertainment to alleviate boredom and discontent. Wilderness is experiential education and therapy. Everyday survival activities, like breaking wood and digging a fire pit help students to learn gratitude and joys of authentic, loving connections. Surviving and helping one another gives students a sense of purpose. Along the way students process about how they got to where they were, and what need they were trying to fulfill. In the wilderness, students explore how to lead whole hearted lives.