"Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash."
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Can you give up cash and live in the wild?
Read the article, share comments, and discuss!
Read more here
Can you give up cash and live in the wild?
Read the article, share comments, and discuss!
He reminds me of Daniel Quinn's Beyond Civilization book - where Daniel argues money is no longer needed - in order to restore Earth back to it's natural state, people need to exchange goods and services...
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by people who live "off the grid." While he's living a life of integrity I can't help thinking that what he's doing really will not help to change the world, as most people will just see him as a nut. It is sometimes best to move people slowly toward change in ways they find more palatable rather than shocking them with weirdness.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the movie... "Into the Wild" and I have watched that movie 4 times, never tired of it! It is a dream of mine to hop into the WiLd for at least 6 months. My time will come! We are born to be WiLd!!~
ReplyDeleteDaniel Quinn is an interesting author. I agree with a lot of his eco-ideas. From what I remember, he feels that each tribe should not consist more than 70 or 80 people if we go back to Earth and live cashless. The bartering system would do well but it will not stop the rival wars between tribes over food and resources. However the idea will reduce the overall human population growth to its normal and sustainable size. We learned that the industrial revolution increased the world population very quickly and it is continuing to rise. There are more have-not folks in this world than before so something is wrong with the picture.
ReplyDeleteGoing off a bit here...I was reading James Joyce's book Ulysses. I was amazed that people, like Joyce, during the 1920s and 1930s thought about the future environmental impacts. When Mr. Bloom, the main character, was visiting the cemetery for the funeral, he was thinking inside his head that we are wasting a lot of trees to bury corpses in caskets. Mr. Bloom thought that if we just bury corpses without caskets, we would be fertilizing the soil. Talking about human composting. Mr. Bloom also wondered about how people spend fortunes on gravestones and the cost to be buried in a cemetery and that he concluded the world would be better off if people just share their money with the living instead of pouring their money on burying the dead people. That was an eco-sight that I got from reading the book during the Halloween time.
Kim, I somewhat agree with you. Mark may not change the world overnight but he is changing the world whether he is a hypocrite with his laptop or not. He is showing that people can reduce their impacts on Earth easily. I don't think he is asking everyone to live off the grid but to do as much as they can to reduce or cut off their consumerism habits, pollutions, and such. It is interesting we are seeing more "Thoreau" folks in our time.
Alynn, you should go for it. Six months is indeed long enough for you to experience what it is like to be living in the wild!!! If you do, please do take pictures and post your experience on EcoDeaf!
'cuse my rambling on the book.
kim, i believe people respond differently to different things- some people might think he is a nut, however, to me, he inspires me - to others, he might shock them into thinking and talking about what we value and why we value them. i think regardless of whether people think he's a nut, he's been successful at making people think and talk about it.... :D
ReplyDeletealynn, try this book - mark and mike both are great people - this might help prepare you for the WILD! :D
anthony - agreed on composting - i believe there are eco-graveyards for people who believe in just simply composting ourselves - i'd go for it. i want to give my body back to the countless bugs i've killed (intentionally and unintentionally) :)
Raychelle, You make a good point about the way he has gotten people talking about living differently. I hadn't thought about it like that. :-) I have to admit I have always been intrigued by the idea of living that way.
ReplyDeleteAlynn, thanks for the name of that movie, "Into the Wild"! I have been jogging my memory to no avail. I loved this movie, but I am not sure I have the courage to get to the level he went to, especially alone. So, what he did was very courageous and I have a great admiration/respect for this man.
ReplyDeleteI was a nomad and bohemian for a long time before my purchase of the house and I loved every minute of it. A lot more peaceful and makes you look at things people don't normally pay attention to. I found that I learn a lot more this way. Something I want to explore again as I miss it.
Mark has definitely taken the road less travelled -- an unpopular approach to one's lifestyle -- and it is what makes one bring
back more with rewards.
Anthony, it is why I want to be cremated but then cremation does require energy. Not sure if they would allow one to bury a corpse without a casket. I better hurry and put something my will for my family to follow :)
I've put in my will that I want to be eco-composted without embalming and other chemicals in my body. Raychelle, yes, there are eco-graveyards for peeps like us!
ReplyDelete