Hunters/Gatherers with Cell Phones
The joy that radiates from the face in this photograph seems absolute. It also seems so rare. The smiles of my acquaintances lack such complete joy. Happiness does not define their constant state of being.
I just returned from Kauai where I spent several days with this person whose name is Fro, and Bronson. Could their genuine happiness be a product of what is missing from their lives (computers, offices, media entertainment, and books) and what is present (hunting and fishing, not as occasional recreation, but conducted as a way of deriving each day’s food).
The protein in their diets is all wild. Each ‘catch’ is evidence of their patience, skill, cunning, strength, and courage. Their survival and the well-being of their extended families depend upon their knowledge of the nuances and complexities of their ecosystem. Fro tracks the travels of wild boar. Bronson reads the patterns in the waves to detect the presence of fish. Both understand how to make themselves invisible to their prey. Once detected, their ability to harvest their prey depends upon the skill in using spears, nets, knives, and bows and arrows. Neither would consider fire arms because they are loud, violent, and fearsome to their prey. Their methods are gentle, even while they are stalking and killing. Deaths conductged with skill are elegant and painless.
Fro and Bronson occupy a niche in the food web of their homeland. They exist within a resilient community of humans and non-humans. This experience is remote from the lives of most westerners. Are we paying for our convenience by sacrificing fulfillment?
Of course, it must be mentioned that both Fro and Bronson have cell-phones.