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.
