The Phenomenon of Modern Hermitism: Why People Run from the Benefits of Civilization

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

More and more people are deciding to leave the dusty bustling metropolises, reconsider their lifestyle and slow down: stop buying what they don't need, feel the greatness of nature, and do what they love. For what reasons they choose hermitism, and what colors their new life takes on when they are removed from the consumer society and career hysteria - in our material.

Move to a farm to raise children in an environmentally friendly environment

At first glance, having children is a factor that does not contribute to hermitism. The younger generation needs socialization, sports sections and creative workshops for development. But family downshifters, who gave up their careers in a big city and moved to a farm with children, have a different opinion.

The most compelling reasons to move are food of dubious quality offered in supermarkets; unfavorable environmental conditions that undermine the health of the child. And the main thing that they want to protect children from is the values of the consumer society.

Andrei and Alla Tokarev changed their life in the capital to running a peasant farm when they had children. They felt that the atmosphere of the metropolis was detrimental to the little ones.

The family decided to move in order to run a peasant farm and feed the children with healthy food. Young people did not strive for absolute isolation; the way of life of rural people would be quite suitable for them. But I didn't want the children to see alcoholics, so I had to choose a remote farm.

Here children breathe clean air, eat natural products, see nature, actively move, taking part in household chores. The absence of neighbors nearby allows you not to worry that animals will enter someone else's territory and trample the garden. The family lives with the sale of cheese products, and Alla also kept a remote job.

Remains a controversial topic of school education. Among downshifters, there are 2 opinions - some believe that it is necessary for children to learn, and the main reason is the ability to choose their fate in the future. Their opponents question the belief that education is worth the effort and is beneficial, since the learning system draws a person into a cycle of tedious fuss and constant consumption, from which downshifters run away. In any case, it is quite possible to master the school curriculum by settling in a deep forest. Children of elementary grades are taught remotely, and high school students have access to such a form of training as external studies.

Leave the "anthill" of glass and concrete, but stay at the epicenter of communication

Not all hermitism presupposes a rejection of social ties. Some downshifters, on the other hand, leave their offices to expand their social circle, meet people and do their favorite inspiring work.

Such an example is the former lawyer Yuri Alekseev, who settled in a dugout near the Yaroslavl highway. Here he reads, listens to audiobooks, receives guests, does bookcrossing, creates content for a video blog.

Yuri did not set the goal of moving away from society - he willingly accepts guests who strive to find out what hardships the hermit needs to overcome. How to wash, where to get clothes, food, water, how to provide a wireless Internet connection and charge a laptop? Yuri is reluctant to answer technical questions, but he is not annoyed, but he speaks with enthusiasm about politics and creative self-realization. And without hesitation, he accepts gifts - who will bring beans, who will bring cookies - everything in the household will come in handy. Asserts that a person needs very few resources for a life full of positive impressions and useful activities. It takes several weeks to build a dugout and a little building materials from the forest, and solar panels that produce 300 watts per hour help to charge the gadgets.

Yuri is now not just a hermit, but a media person with a YouTube channel, shares the life hacks of a professional downshifter and does not hide his opposition political views.

When nature and adventure attract and people repel

There are radicals among downshifters who choose habitats that local residents consider unsuitable or extremely dangerous. These include Mikhail Fomenko - "Russian Tarzan", who lived for 60 years among Australian aborigines … He was unable to overcome his thirst for wandering and adventure in the wild, even after compulsory treatment in a psychiatric clinic and the real risk of dying while crossing the Torres Strait in a canoe.

This hardy and dexterous man has lived in the Australian jungle for more than half a century - without communication with the outside world, friends and family, without political convictions and civil position. Mikhail's sports talents were noted back in his school years, when he set 7 new records and was recognized as one of the best athletes in Sydney. But in the team, Mikhail always felt like a stranger, so he preferred life in the jungle to public. In the deep tropics of Australia, he fought crocodiles, traveled great distances, treated himself with natural remedies and exercise, not knowing a better life for himself.

Only at the age of 85, Mikhail Fomenko felt that he did not have the strength to stay out of civilization, and settled in a nursing home.

Terror in defense of nature. How a hermit became a serial killer

American mathematics teacher Theodore Kaczynski from California (University of Berkeley) moved to a hut, as he considered industrialization and technological progress to be destructive processes for nature. Since childhood, this person was distinguished by an extremely high intelligence, mathematics was especially easy for him. After graduating from high school as an external student at the age of 16, he was admitted to Harvard University.

After completing his education, Theodor Kaczynski became the youngest teacher at a prestigious educational institution. To the surprise of others, for no apparent reason and prerequisites, Theodore Kaczynski stops teaching and settles in seclusion in the mountains of Montana. In reality, it was a protest against consumer lifestyles and technical innovation.

Theodore lived in isolation without electricity, communications, sewers for about 6 years before starting his nature protection activities.

The scientist created bombs from improvised means and sent them to research centers and universities in the country. So Kaczynski tried to stop progress. Kaczynski's explosive devices ended up in Michigan and Yale universities, on board an American Airlines plane, in computer shops, in the offices of scientists and officials. In total, there are 16 terrorist attacks, 3 dead, 23 wounded in 25 years of life outside of civilization.

The radical environmentalist was arrested in 1996, he was sentenced to 4 life sentences, but there was also the prospect of the death penalty. He is currently serving a sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado with no parole.

Former drug dealer leads a secluded monastic life on a rock

Maxim Kavtaradze has been living in seclusion in a hard-to-reach place for over 20 years. The place where the hermit settled is called the Katskhi Pillar - this is a 40-meter rock in Imereti (Western Georgia).

Previously, there were the ruins of a temple, but thanks to the asceticism of a monk, a functioning church was built - Maxim the Confessor.

He made the decision about such a life after leaving prison. Maxim's youth was far from righteous. Alcohol abuse and the sale of drugs brought the young man to prison. When the sentence ended, Maxim got a job as a crane operator, but soon felt that he wanted to serve God. He believes that the height brings him closer to the Almighty.

Several decades ago, the world learned about the last of the Lykov hermits. Many are still at a loss today, [GO = why Agafya refuses to move from the taiga to the people [/ GO].