The Anglicans ended the concept of Monasteries in England, and, as time pased, in all the anglo-american world these special people have nowhere to go and live and do their thing. Some have great fortune. Some are steamrolled by the public health system or the prison system.
Normalcy used to be: special people go to a sacred place or create their own sacred place, and everyone respects it. It was so until the Reformation. It was an error, as we see.
I wonder if Christenson Bailey ever heard of Christopher Knight, a true hermit who camped in the woods of Maine for almost three decades. "The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit" by Michael Finkel is a NY Times bestseller (2017) about a man who lived in nature for about as long as the Vancouver woods dweller, but who virtually never spoke or interacted with anyone the entire time. Recommended reading. Utterly unique story.
Amazon overview:
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality; not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.
Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life - why did he leave? what did he learn? - as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.
The Anglicans ended the concept of Monasteries in England, and, as time pased, in all the anglo-american world these special people have nowhere to go and live and do their thing. Some have great fortune. Some are steamrolled by the public health system or the prison system.
Normalcy used to be: special people go to a sacred place or create their own sacred place, and everyone respects it. It was so until the Reformation. It was an error, as we see.
I wonder if Christenson Bailey ever heard of Christopher Knight, a true hermit who camped in the woods of Maine for almost three decades. "The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit" by Michael Finkel is a NY Times bestseller (2017) about a man who lived in nature for about as long as the Vancouver woods dweller, but who virtually never spoke or interacted with anyone the entire time. Recommended reading. Utterly unique story.
Amazon overview:
Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality; not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.
Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life - why did he leave? what did he learn? - as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.