1900 Island Twist Ending

I absolutely love watching historical documentaries and also historical reenactments.
This show is about a couple of different families that have to live in a small fishing village and survive.
It is absolutely harsh living, hunger, hand washing clothing, boating and catching fish, starting fires,………………….but………………

After a month none of them want to leave. They are all sad and none of them want to go back to the modern/real world.
It very much reminds me of how the Pandemic shut down awakened that in people. I think that for so long many people have been in a work trance. Get up, get ready, get your coffee, drive to work, sit in a cube, drive home with thousands of others, have zero energy, rinse and repeat.
We are meant to smell the air, have bare feet on the land, touch water, kill our own food. So many are doing none of those things. In essence, has humanity been taken away from a huge part of the population?

The other interesting thing about this show is that everyone had to work. It was all hard but there were people that didn’t think it was fair that others had more food. The family with the most children were very whiny. In that aspect not much has changed. There was an elderly couple and they couldn’t help much and they both admitted that neither one of them would have probably lived very long back in those times.
I’ve shared a clip, it’s a fun watch and not too long. Just got me thinking a lot about our world.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'll take my job responsibilities over that type of existence any day.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: JAGStorm

I'll take my job responsibilities over that type of existence any day.

I love modern things like air conditioning and heat, but I do think we are missing out on a huge part of humanity.

I spoked to my elderly mother about this at quite some length. She was born in conditions like that, in a fishing village. She said everyone was dirt poor, but everyone shared and there was a lot of happiness. She said now nobody shares, and nobody really knows their neighbors. Back then your neighbors weren’t just friends, they were like your family. She was taken care of by her neighbors during the war as if she was their own child.

I asked her wasn’t it hard to hand wash clothes and catch food. She said yes, but because they didn’t know any better they didn’t realize it. This is funny, only the ultra rich kids had ramen noodles to eat. They got them so often they were sick of them and would trade with the poor kids.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I know most of my neighbors and happen to be friends with many. I'm not seeing why it would be necessary to revert to a more labor intensive subsistence lifestyle to be 'happier'. As a matter of fact, I think it would make most people unhappier.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: JAGStorm

I know most of my neighbors and happen to be friends with many. I'm not seeing why it would be necessary to revert to a more labor intensive subsistence lifestyle to be 'happier'. As a matter of fact, I think it would make most people unhappier.

That is the twist I wasn’t expecting either. My mom also said similar things.

Think of it like gardening. You can buy a can of peas. Or you can labor and grow your own. You work the earth, plant the seed, water and weed. In the end the product is so much sweeter. The work didn’t seem bad, maybe even pleasant for the outcome. The can of peas are nasty and over processed and devoid of natural care.

Everything from clothing, to food, to building your own house etc. I imagine there are a lot of these “feelings” we’ve lost.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Think of it like gardening.

Growing some peas and growing/hunting enough food for your subsistence is much more labor intensive for the latter. The reason the United States became such a huge world economy was due to how we were able to provide products like beef, sugar, beer, bread, pork and vegetables. We not only supplied domestic need in abundance but we were able to supply the global market as well beginning in the mid-1800's and it wasn't via subsistence living.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Think of it like gardening.

Growing some peas and growing/hunting enough food for your subsistence is much more labor intensive for the latter. The reason the United States became such a huge world economy was due to how we were able to provide products like beef, sugar, beer, bread, pork and vegetables. We not only supplied domestic need in abundance but we were able to supply the global market as well beginning in the mid-1800's and it wasn't via subsistence living.

I’m not disagreeing with you. There was absolutely no hiding the fact that every aspect of life was sheer labor in this show. Even with that, they all wanted to stay. I’d go so far as to say they were devastated they had to leave. Even the moms doing loads of laundry by hand and making every meal from scratch. You would think they would be the ones that wanted to go back to modern luxuries the soonest, but you’d be wrong.

Back to that world economy thing. Yes we’ve advanced, we have self driving cars, we have vacuums that run themselves, we have litter boxes that are self cleaning, but… are we happier? Are we more satisfied?
It seems more people have mental issues, commit suicide, have anxiety, and on and on. I would bet that if we went to a primal village and asked if they were happy vs. a regular American family we might be downright shocked.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Even the moms doing loads of laundry by hand and making every meal from scratch. You would think they would be the ones that wanted to go back to modern luxuries the soonest, but you’d be wrong.

My mother came from a town, that when we visited in the 1980's, still washed their clothes in a communal fountain. She isn't going back to that ever, trust me.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Even the moms doing loads of laundry by hand and making every meal from scratch. You would think they would be the ones that wanted to go back to modern luxuries the soonest, but you’d be wrong.

My mother came from a town, that when we visited in the 1980's, still washed their clothes in a communal fountain. She isn't going back to that ever, trust me.

I’m not saying every single person alive would be happier in that environment. We’ve obviously advanced because we wanted things to be easier. What this show highlighted is that for some, maybe a lot, easier is not always better.
Maybe the struggle in some things equated to happiness

a reply to: JAGStorm

And there are still people pining for the Soviet Union because they liked the structure and order it imposed but I'd wager the bulk of the people who grew up under that are shedding tears for the 'good old days'.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: JAGStorm

And there are still people pining for the Soviet Union because they liked the structure and order it imposed but I'd wager the bulk of the people who grew up under that are shedding tears for the 'good old days'.

Totally different.
1900 island people were as free as it gets. Their survival depended on them and possibly the help of their neighbors.
Something very primal, human, something built into us.

It is the exact opposite of government interference in our lives, which I think we have a a whole lot more of than people want to believe.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
1900 island people were as free as it gets.

They are as free as their obligations to providing everything for themselves requires. I'd ask how much time off they get but I think I already know the answer, a few decades off their lifespan.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: JAGStorm
1900 island people were as free as it gets.

They are as free as their obligations to providing everything for themselves requires. I'd ask how much time off they get but I think I already know the answer, a few decades off their lifespan.

They actually do talk about that on the show. The old couple said they would not be alive.
BUT time off, they actually get significantly more time off than modern people.
When the waves were too high they can’t fish, when storms come in they can’t fish. I just read something that said that modern US workers work longer and more than almost any time in history.

I wouldn't mind a mix of both. Enough solar/batteries to run the house. A fan. Or two. Basically, live off grid and self sustaining to the point of surplus for storage or trade.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
When the waves were too high they can’t fish, when storms come in they can’t fish.

They're giving the sugar coated version, they aren't sitting around when it rains too much, they still would have all kinds of maintenance and upkeep work to perform that could be done indoors.

I just read something that said that modern US workers work longer and more than almost any time in history.

People work 5 days a week now primarily when it used to be 6, and sometimes 7, days for factory work.

I'll be honest this is no surprise to me. Anyone who subscribes to Theodore Kaczynski's social beliefs and doesn't just look at him as a madman will come to quickly understand, humans, like animals, need space to wander and enjoy the world. We have been trapped inside a technocratic society, bogged down by everything from work to social status. It is when you truly work to let go of these ideas we've been programmed to subscribed to you, feel a pull inside to become a wanderer. Something I have always been described as. There is a world to discover out there, and lots, if not most, have an urge they suppress to follow that idea.

I just spent the past 2 years wandering parts of this country I would not have otherwise done if I didn't take a lot of his lessons to heart. What I personally found was true freedom, true self rule, and a renewed sense of self. I met great people, terrible people, and I learned more in these 2 years than I have ever done. How? I got out of my comfort zone, I did things I would not otherwise have done without this experience.

We have an inherent need to work for what we want, whether that be food, house, material goods, there is always a sense of happiness when you achieve these great things. I always heard the saying "it is easier to be poor than it is to be rich." I never fully understood it until I lived in a society that only cared about putting food on the table and nothing else seemed to matter except celebrating with family and friends. When I saw that I really understood this saying on one level. The other level is taken from the bible about being poor with integrity and rich without, summed up of course. I am no bible thumper, but I do believe there is a lot of good moral lessons we have lost by not adhering to the words that are actually in there.

Say what you want about who you want. Sure I can quote Kaczynski all day on this. I adhere to the belief Nelson Mandela spoke on this topic "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." And in this country when we seek to demonize an individual to no end, I have learned that is becuase what they are saying is more powerful than anything our government can and will say. But back to the topic at hand. If you want to begin to understand the beliefs that come abound from hard work, disconnecting from the material society, and just living and enjoying what the earth provides I recommend "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau and "Industrial Society and Its Future: Unabomber Manifesto" by Theodore John Kaczynski. 2 of my favorites summing up the attitude of simple living and why we as humans have an urge to live like this but why we do not. There are many other books and short stories on this, but I believe these 2 do a wonderful job applying to our American way of life and how we have become trapped in it.

My advice though, follow your inner spirit to wander and meet new and different people. Enjoy the differences the world has to offer. It'll help you find your place in it. You will feel your inner most desire and feel a pull to where you truly can call home. I know for me it was a once in a lifetime experience and the place I ended up feeling a pull towards, is not what I expected when I set out on this journey. I say enjoy what the world has to offer! I'll leave you with these 2 quotes that sum of these points and society today:

“Imagine a society that subjects people to conditions that make them terribly unhappy then gives them the drugs to take away their unhappiness. Science fiction It is already happening to some extent in our own society. Instead of removing the conditions that make people depressed modern society gives them antidepressant drugs. In effect antidepressants are a means of modifying an individual's internal state in such a way as to enable him to tolerate social conditions that he would otherwise find intolerable.”
― Theodore Kaczynski

“There is goоd reason to believe that primitive mаn suffered from less stress and frustration and was better satisfied with his way of life than modern mаn is.”
― Ted Kacyzinski,

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Even the moms doing loads of laundry by hand and making every meal from scratch. You would think they would be the ones that wanted to go back to modern luxuries the soonest, but you’d be wrong.

My mother came from a town, that when we visited in the 1980's, still washed their clothes in a communal fountain. She isn't going back to that ever, trust me.

I’m not saying every single person alive would be happier in that environment. We’ve obviously advanced because we wanted things to be easier. What this show highlighted is that for some, maybe a lot, easier is not always better.
Maybe the struggle in some things equated to happiness

So like a fishing village if I was with the right crowd I'd probably enjoy it immensely. Yes it would be a humbling experience at first

I could definitely see lots of people enjoying the simplicity of it all. Of course, it's not for everybody.

Was this the same show that did like an 1800s prairie settlers a few years back? IIRC correctly they had young and teen kids who didn't adapt as well as their parents did.

All it might take is a large enough solar flare...

Just being outdoors and active would be a boon to society's health and well-being, after those less adaptable were gone atleast

a reply to: putnam6

So like a fishing village if I was with the right crowd I'd probably enjoy it immensely. I could definitely see lots of people enjoying the simplicity of it all. Of course, it's not for everybody. Was this the same show that did like an 1800s prairie settlers a few years back? IIRC correctly they had young and teen kids who didn't adapt as well as their parents did.

I don’t think it’s the same production but similar in set up.
There were two teen girls on this show and they had a hard time at first but caught on.
The little kids seemed to do really well and enjoyed it with the exception of hunger.

I think they were did this for one month. You could actually tell some of the women lost quite a bit of weight, so I believe they were truly reenacting it.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: putnam6

So like a fishing village if I was with the right crowd I'd probably enjoy it immensely. I could definitely see lots of people enjoying the simplicity of it all. Of course, it's not for everybody. Was this the same show that did like an 1800s prairie settlers a few years back? IIRC correctly they had young and teen kids who didn't adapt as well as their parents did.

I don’t think it’s the same production but similar in set up.
There were two teen girls on this show and they had a hard time at first but caught on.
The little kids seemed to do really well and enjoyed it with the exception of hunger.

I think they did this for one month. You could actually tell some of the women lost quite a bit of weight, so I believe they were truly reenacting it.

Im definitely gonna watch

It would depend on who I was with and I'd probably do better 10 years younger, but I'd like to think I could be happy and content. All I know is I never had the damn stress and aggravation over TPS reports when all I did was construction or landscaping for a living, and always slept great.

think this is the Frontier House series also from PBS but yea it was much earlier



and they had these listed as a similar series, Victorian Slum LOL now that ought to be interesting because that's the thing with me if I was outdoors in the fresh air on a prairie, woods, or ocean I'd likely be fine. Wallowing around in the filth and crowds of Victorian England having to dodge the Sweeney Todd's of the world though, not so much.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: JAGStorm
1900 island people were as free as it gets.

They are as free as their obligations to providing everything for themselves requires. I'd ask how much time off they get but I think I already know the answer, a few decades off their lifespan.

Some people want Quality over Quantity. Travel the world and you will see how cultures we may see as "poor and backwards" and live much shorter, but the quality of their lives are so much better. For many in the USA the later stages of life consist of sitting around and literally just waiting to die. How is that quality? Go down to Southern Florida and see all the nursing homes. All the 55+ yr and older communities. Go and talk to the retiree's and see how truly happy and fulfilled they are at these later stages in life.

I've done this and my own personal belief is that if I live another 10-15 years and they are joyous filled with family and friends and what I deem success, then I will die extremely happy. However if I live another 25-35 years and the last 10-20 are filled with redundant thoughtless tasks and I'm just sitting waiting to die... Yeah i'll take the 10-15 good years.

Sure life is what you make it but health comes into play... You have to be realistic. As we age, we are more prone to breaking down, thus not being capable of everything we used to be. So it's not like we are guaranteed great health being able to do the things we love as we get older. The potential for our bodies to wear out and wear down is there. Our minds same thing. So I want the near guarantee of shorter and happier and long and sad. However, you could live to the ripe old age of 100, be active and have a great fulfilling life. The best part is it's all a matter of personal opinion.

But don't use the decades off their lifespan as a negative becuase it may not be a negative to everyone.