A very interesting book. How much our lives are dependent on "things" is brought out in the story. Unfortunately our world is not as simple and physically uncluttered as the Australian outback so it would be very difficult to discard what have become essential to our lives. There are people fortunate enough to live a life closer to nature but even they have at times found it necessary to obtain things from the more mechanized world. Living in harmony with other tribes (nations) is an essential part of being able to freely exist and our world is a far cry from that.
The scene where she is told to place all she has, clothes, IDs, etc. in a pile and then she watches it all burning touched a chord in me. Everything we have is expendable. Life itself is what is important. How would we react if we had to do what she did. There is so much that I hang on to because of the memories attached and also because I enjoy seeing them. How difficult it must be for those people out west who see all their possessions totally destroyed by fire.
I am glad you chose this book. It was interesting and thought provoking. Part of me wishes I could live as this tribe did, but the rest of me is happy to be in my temperature controlled office, in comfortable clothes, writing on my computer. I think the goal may be in a balance between our current lives and our ideal lives.
There were several sections that struck me. The first was the food. One of the issues I have with the way animal flesh is served in restaurants is that so much of it is wasted. An animal gave its life, yet people don't eat so much of it that is edible. Unfortunately, it doesn't even end up going to other animals, either. I wish that we, as humans, were much more aware of what and how we eat our food.
The part about water consumption and skin burning did make me squirm a little bit as I read it. It can't be good for her skin to burn and peel and burn and peel over and over! Additionally, while their bodies may be adept at absorbing water by food (and eating fewer things that suck hydration (salt, caffeine, alcohol), how could you expect someone whose body was not adapted to exist like that?
Finally, the "hoof" piece. As someone who goes barefoot most of the summer, I understand that. It bugs me that our society is so obsessed with smooth, soft feet. Feet are meant for walking (maybe not so much that there is dead tissue to be cut with a knife, though) and therefore should be hardened. The same for shaving, dyeing hair, etc.
2 comments:
A very interesting book. How much our lives are dependent on "things" is brought out in the story. Unfortunately our world is not as simple and physically uncluttered as the Australian outback so it would be very difficult to discard what have become essential to our lives. There are people fortunate enough to live a life closer to nature but even they have at times found it necessary to obtain things from the more mechanized world. Living in harmony with other tribes (nations) is an essential part of being able to freely exist and our world is a far cry from that.
The scene where she is told to place all she has, clothes, IDs, etc. in a pile and then she watches it all burning touched a chord in me. Everything we have is expendable. Life itself is what is important. How would we react if we had to do what she did. There is so much that I hang on to because of the memories attached and also because I enjoy seeing them. How difficult it must be for those people out west who see all their possessions totally destroyed by fire.
I am glad you chose this book. It was interesting and thought provoking. Part of me wishes I could live as this tribe did, but the rest of me is happy to be in my temperature controlled office, in comfortable clothes, writing on my computer. I think the goal may be in a balance between our current lives and our ideal lives.
There were several sections that struck me. The first was the food. One of the issues I have with the way animal flesh is served in restaurants is that so much of it is wasted. An animal gave its life, yet people don't eat so much of it that is edible. Unfortunately, it doesn't even end up going to other animals, either. I wish that we, as humans, were much more aware of what and how we eat our food.
The part about water consumption and skin burning did make me squirm a little bit as I read it. It can't be good for her skin to burn and peel and burn and peel over and over! Additionally, while their bodies may be adept at absorbing water by food (and eating fewer things that suck hydration (salt, caffeine, alcohol), how could you expect someone whose body was not adapted to exist like that?
Finally, the "hoof" piece. As someone who goes barefoot most of the summer, I understand that. It bugs me that our society is so obsessed with smooth, soft feet. Feet are meant for walking (maybe not so much that there is dead tissue to be cut with a knife, though) and therefore should be hardened. The same for shaving, dyeing hair, etc.
Good book, B.
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