The Importance Of Bushcraft In A Modern World
Our daily lives are becoming increasingly tech driven. It can feel like everything needs an app, a password or a chat bot just to get a basic task done.
Yes in many ways it can, or at least it is supposed to, make things more efficient – but what is it doing to us?
Increasing amount of tech in our daily lives is altering basic human behaviours and having a negative impact on our health. From a physical health point of view it is leading us down a path of a more sedentary existence, which immediately puts us at higher risks of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and osteoporosis – just to name a few! Studies are showing that our increased use and reliance on tech’ is impacting our cognitive health and driving reduced attention spans and cognitive engagement. This is now being compounded by people’s increased use of AI which is leading to reduced brain connectivity which impacts our brain health and increases our risk of developing mental illnesses too. This all feels like a slippery slope in the wrong direction.
Heavy reliance on tech is also leading to reduced problem solving capabilities and limiting critical thinking, with over reliance on automated systems causing a reduction in self reliance and core life skills. This is a worrying trend long term, this will not only lead to increased health problems, but we also need to be aware that skills will be lost, putting people in a vulnerable position if systems that they rely so heavily on cease to work.
But with many systems being put in place when it isn’t even our choice, what can we do to keep balance in our lives?
We’ve all experienced it, suddenly there is another new app needed just to park, or now you need an automated subscription for an amenity you’ve always used, or you have to deal with a bot when you just need to speak to a human! So it’s important to keep balance, to keep building on our own self reliance and to keep core skills fresh and practiced.
But there is some good news amongst the heavy grey cloud of extra data centres and AI, many people are thankfully realising the importance of real life, hands on experiences, seeking to build practical skills.
It is great to see the amount of clients who attend our courses for this reason, to maintain good practical skills as well as building confidence in their own skills, abilities and self reliance, and to know that they can still cope with some level of discomfort in our increasingly automated world. It is good to keep learning, to find purpose and to regularly set ourself challenges, but above all to keep as much independence and self reliance as we can. This isn’t just to make our adventures more enjoyable, to do well in a woodland setting, but to also transfer into our everyday lives, helping us to thrive long term.
So it seems it is becoming increasingly important to safeguard practical life skills, and be sure to pass these on to our next generations, making sure that we can in fact still function when things become less automated and maybe a little less comfortable sometimes. So let’s keep building on our skills, sharing knowledge and protecting our ancient skills.
