Is this stuff in our genes?

[richpierce]

Do you feel "right" sometimes when you search for and find good stone for knapping, good shoots or cane for making arrows, good wood for making a bow, and when you are working on those projects?  I guess what I mean by "right" is a sense that "this is what I was made to do."

I suspect that when we finally get away from modern technology and noise and return to tasks that use all our senses that were so necessary for normal life for much of our past, we connect somehow and get a strong "vibe".

Do you feel it sometimes?

[Sparrow]

 You Bet !  It probably is genetic. Most of the human race has been living that way since the dawn of man.for the most part,it has only been in the last 200 years that man has been techno dependent. In wood there is spirit as there is in stone,natural fiber and fur. Try to get a "Good" vibe out of anything plastic. (Am awful fond of my polar fleece though)   Frank

[Coo-wah-chobee]

The only time I feel "right" is when doin' the things ya say. Rest of the time I feel like Iam just existing. ......bob

[jamie]

try this walk into the woods find a plant ya dont know and sit there and stare at it. feel what happens to your body may take 15 min make take 2 hrs but dont stop till ya feel it. may be something in the pit of your stomach or a tingle in your feet. just pay attention. when you think your done go home and identify the plant and if its edible and medicinal properties. if you spent the time with the plant properly the feelings you had will coincide with the things you find out about in the books.

first time i ever did this was with a poisoinous plant called false hellebore. it was something i hadnt noticed before and i sat in the canoe staring at it. after a while i cramped up and decided the plant was not something i should touch or eat. did some research and found the plant was poisonois. so yeah i think its in us all. im more at peace in the woods than anywhere else

[gene roberts]

Every time I am outside.At school with all the kids in my class that can't live without video games,ipods,and electricity I feel like that guy in all the paintings that's alone looking out over a ledge with a bow and tomahawk.It's very sad actually how much the other 12/13 year olds can't live without technology/modern crap.I would probably rather do without some of it.

[Justin Snyder]

I feel the same way when I go more than a couple of days without doing manual labor.  I think there are certain things that a healthy person needs.  This is why so many in society are out of balance and looking for a chemical fix (I think). Nothing wrong with an office job, but a person needs to get out and work once in a while.  Justin

[gene roberts]

That's right Justin.

[DanaM]

Genetic Memory guys, like the Neanthradals(sp) in the Clan of the Cave Bear books.

[Hillbilly]

Rich, I know exactly what you mean-I'd say that's the reason that most of us are here.

[Minuteman]

Plant identification by gastro- intestinal osmosis?
 Ya'll are somethin' else.
 I can identify with what Steve was sayin about the feeling ya get when doin things that bring fullness and fulilment to our lives. When something is right its just right. I certainly enjoy making my life more simple and exploring the ways our fathers did things. The whole "stare at a plant 'til gas makes yer tummy cramp" thing  is pretty wacky.
 Sorry, Jamie. Next time just take the book with ya and save yourself some time staring at a plant that may or may not kill ya if ya eat it. Wonder how many deer snuck up on you and sniffed your butt while you were staring at that plant.
 Sorry couldn't help myself.
 I agree with Justin as well,( wow ) work and I mean physical work is important to a persons well being. I certainly get my fair share.
 Chris
 

 

[TRACY]

Makes perfect sense to me RP. Geneticists say they have located a "truck gene" in the human genome that relates to why small boys gravitate towards playing with firetrucks and dumptruck toys and small girls don't exhibit this in the same proportion. For what it's worth.

Tracy

[DanaM]

A truck gene LOL is that a Chevy or a Ford gene

[leapingbare]

lol...  I think Jamie might be on to something maby, I mean how dose the deer know what to eat and not to eat. Some of those plants you dont get a 2nd chance.

[jamie]

ford

[huntertrapper]

oh my god its in my blood. skipped a few generations from my blackfoot great grandmother to me but its certainly in my blood. i cant go into the woods without seein a bow or arrows or broadheads. it can be taught though, even when i shot compound i i couldnt wait till the next year to shoot a recurve or longbow and when i shot compound i was making arrows and small sapling bows, so distractions can be overcome and you can go with your blood and do what feels right!