How many of you are truly willing to live in nature? The Commune Experience

For starters, I dont know a thing about India, likely, I never will. Ladies from there are awfully cute however.

What I do know, is actually how to live off the land. I studied it, and yes, I actually lived it for two years. No internet, no roads, no police, no phones, no running water, and no stores.

Everything I did, I did. It was ALOT of work. Can it be done? Sure, if you set your mind to it and put in the hours to create your own little world. But you need to be realistic about this. There is alot of bad that can happen, be it alone or in a commune. I tend to dislike and distrust most people, hence the reason I went hermit for two years. Should anyone here actually consider something like this, take a step back and contemplate exactly what you are getting into.

Its not a fairy tale world out there where everyone works together for the common good all the time. With 20 people, you are going to have illness, childbirth, jealousy, etc... Thats just human nature. Can you deal with these things without picking up a phone? What happens when you have contaminated water? Run out of game in your area? Do the people with you understand COMPLETELY that they are the only ones who can help themselves and you?

Getting off the grid and walking away from society is one of the greatest and hardest things I have ever done. For anyone to seriously consider this type of a lifestyle, please, please remember things can and will go wrong, its not all candy canes and lollipops. How will you be able to cope when you dont have the strings of a society to carry you through the bad.

Attempting to reply to the past 3 pages of people would be folly at this point, so I'll just Leave This Here. I'd just like to back up Kailassa regarding the probable illegal intentions (or at least complete ignorance) of the original poster.

Also, it is illegal for foreigners to buy land in India. Something about a rebellion and throwing out an empire a couple decades ago or something like that, can't really remember the details right now.

[edit on 17-3-2010 by D.E.M.]

Never said its gonna be easy.

I did say its going to relativly cheap then other places.
As a westrener we come to india with a found thousands of bucks, we are like maharajas.


Its going to be very very hard for the first years.
But after that -> Smooth sailing

Ofcourse, there are things that will allways be problematic.
Like certine acts unacceptable within the community.
Or like health issues.

Well, there is westren hospitals few hours from decent spots we can take if thats what you need.

And for things like behaviour, we will just to get to know each other before we go for it.

Thats it.

Needless to over-complicate.
It can be simple if you choose it to be. (again - not saying it will be easy)

Originally posted by D.E.M.
Attempting to reply to the past 3 pages of people would be folly at this point, so I'll just Leave This Here. I'd just like to back up Kailassa regarding the probable illegal intentions (or at least complete ignorance) of the original poster.

Also, it is illegal for foreigners to buy land in India. Something about a rebellion and throwing out an empire a couple decades ago or something like that, can't really remember the details right now.

[edit on 17-3-2010 by D.E.M.]

As said earlier.

Illigal to buy.
Legal to lease.

Check it out for yourself...

Please read my post in previous page (the long one)

[edit on 17-3-2010 by freebourn]

hey wow! i have always wanted to do something like that.. sometimes i feel eventually we will all be "forced" to live much more simple and primitive in a sense. I am down!

lol D.E.M, nice of you to judge me and my intentions like that...

In any way.
Anyone who wishes to discuss this with me to further lengths can U2U me with his Windows messneger address.
And we can all speak of this together and ask questions.

[edit on 17-3-2010 by freebourn]

I live in the country, have a large garden and some chickens.

You can do this right here in the US.

However, we just bought the land, built our house and have lived in the country for almost 30 years.

The first thing that you're going to realize is this is a lot of work. It's also a lot of fun, but there are always chores to be done.

It's not some game where you can sit around most of the time drinking beer. I wouldn't recommend doing this with people that I didn't know. Most likely it won't work.

Best of luck.

reply to post by freebourn


Well, if you are dead set on it, at least check out the thread I linked up there. It's a good overview of the most glaring problems you are going to face right off the bat, though I've doubtlessly missed hundreds.

I'm not up to scratch with the legalities of leasing land in India, but I do know that building a community on leased land in a 2nd world country is pretty foolish. They aren't exactly known for having the most honest courts in the world.

Im been ignored here aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

reply to post by freebourn


Hey man, it's one of the worlds largest hash growing locations and people are well known for going missing there. Not to be rude, but the intentions of anonymous people on the internet are best considered suspect until proven otherwise.

Originally posted by D.E.M.
reply to post by freebourn

 

Well, if you are dead set on it, at least check out the thread I linked up there. It's a good overview of the most glaring problems you are going to face right off the bat, though I've doubtlessly missed hundreds.

I'm not up to scratch with the legalities of leasing land in India, but I do know that building a community on leased land in a 2nd world country is pretty foolish. They aren't exactly known for having the most honest courts in the world.

Why need courts if you intend to live in the wild?
20-30 people should not have much trouble.
Anyway... there is much to be discuessd in with that I agree.

But please my friend, dont try to tag me as a charlatan and link people to your similar thread, its not very nice.

BTW
I think a 2nd world country is the best place!
Nature is still to be found... And you can sweep beurocracy under the rug...
And thats important for such a project.

Originally posted by D.E.M.
reply to post by freebourn

 

Hey man, it's one of the worlds largest hash growing locations and people are well known for going missing there. Not to be rude, but the intentions of anonymous people on the internet are best considered suspect until proven otherwise.

If you dont mess with them, they wont mess with you.

I know exactly where all the hash comes from, what villages to stay away from.

I have 5 Israeli friends currently living in parvati. and they told me exactly how it works there with the mafia.

If you come to live in peace you will find it.

reply to post by freebourn


Nature is still to be found in much of the 1st world as well. Heck, 80% of British Columbia (where I live) is untamed wilderness! It's a sad fact though, that if you intend on evading the courts and bureaucracy you are going to end up running into a great many people who are are doing the same. In general, the more lawless the area you intend to settle in, the higher the ratio is of people who are likely to shoot you and pillage your village.

But if you're willing to take the risks, that's your prerogative. I'd love to believe that peace begets peace in such a place, I've just learned the hard way from actual experience in these matters that such is not the case.

Good luck, however!

reply to post by D.E.M.


Theres a reason for that...
Like -40 reasons hehe......
Most places habitable in 1st world countries are occupied.


And no one will shoot you up and pillage your village... lol
Cops bearly get sticks, for a local person to get a gun costs thousands of ruppees. no one has guns there almost.

If you go to india for a short trip you'll see exactly what I mean..

And good luck to you too.

Originally posted by Becker44
reply to post by freebourn

 

Imagine if we are 20 people who come with 5 grand each. Thats 80 Grand

I'll go but I want to be the communal accountant.

Becker

LOL!

Its not counting the plane tickets.
Forgot to mention that.

I have to say something here....

I have spent my whole life living in the country. I have only had broadband for 2-3 years now, and still do not have access to cable TV. It wasn't that long ago that Internet was on a scratchy phone line with a modem, and not long before that that private phone lines were not available. I still have a private well; county water is not available yet, although they are trying to get a line in now. No sewer; we use private septic tanks. No delivery of anything this far out. Ambulances can easily take 15 minutes to respond. There is little to no police presence, unless they get called out for something specific; we literally just shoot the thieves. In an average day, I see many times as many animals as people. There is no convenience store. We generally make two or three trips to town every week, outside of driving to work.

I already live in something close to what you desire.

A few facts about living with nature:

• Nature is not moved by how you feel. It can kill you in an instant. Nature is survival of the fittest, and no matter how 'fit' you think you are, a tiger is 'fitter'. So is a snake, or a venomous spider, or any of a myriad of other creatures that live in the wild. We are not adapted to living without shelter; they are.
  
  
• Food does not come from a grocery store. It comes from agriculture. Nature will provide you with what you need to survive, but that is it. Forget ice cream, forget pizza, forget chips and snacks. You will have to eat what you either grow, kill, or find wild. Food choice is eat it or don't eat.
  
  
• I sincerely hope someone is familiar with wild foods. Many of them are poisonous, and some are poisonous but edible under certain conditions (we eat a lot of polk salad here, but if it is not cooked right, it is deadly). Taste is not always a good indicator. And you will be eating naturally-occurring foods, at least for a while. see next:
  
  
• Growing crops takes time. During that time, you still need to eat. So you will have to either hunt or gather. If you intend on hunting, are you planning on bringing weapons? It's a bit difficult to bring down an animal without them. Most animals are either equipped with claws and teeth, or are much faster than a human, or both. What are the laws in India on importing weapons? What are the laws in India on foreigners owning weapons?
  
  
• Believe it or not, other people are not always nice and do not obey the laws of a foreign country (USA). If you are living outside of society, especially in a foreign and under-developed country, you will be targeted at some time, whether for things you have made, the land you are on, or just because the locals don't like you invading their area. What will you do when a local is aiming a gun at your head and his eyes show no indication of not pulling the trigger? How about when one of them runs at you with a knife and presses it against your throat and starts to pull it across?
  
  
• Electricity is something you will not have, at least for a while. Batteries only last so long. Solar cells would help, but unless you have a major array with rechargeable batteries for storage, your electrical ability will be minimal and sporadic at best. Over time you might get something working, but it is going to be difficult without some electrical at first to build circuitry and apparati to produce it.
  
  
• If you don't like it after the first few months, then what? You'll walk out? There won't be any buses running, no Greyhound station. You will be alone and isolated in a forest full of wild animals in a foreign third-world developing country with no means of transportation except your feet. Around here, we call that a 'victim', usually a 'dead victim'.

It's a nice dream, but be realistic. I have seen people come and go around here all my life. They move in, love the area, start missing the things they were accustomed to, then leave in a huff and go back to their suburban lives, leaving a house for someone else to repeat the process in. Our utopia, the place I love, is not their utopia, even though they thought it was.

TheRedneck

I've always fantasized about living this way. Ever since a child.

Ironically, I was probably influenced quite a bit by MSM TV programmes in the UK when i was young.

Everyone of a certain age here, from the UK and perhaps beyond, will remember 'The Good Life'. A show where a middle aged, middle class couple Named Tom and Barbara Good dropped out of the rat race, up to a point.

They left their jobs, and owning their home stayed in suburbia, but living a self sufficiency lifestyle. They kept chickens, pigs, goats and even a cow. They grew their own vegetables, brewed wine and beer and made their own clothes, all from their semi in suburbia. They bartered for life's 'essentials', such as feminine articles, toilet goods and so on, swapping eggs and veg for them.

I though it was wonderful, and i often daydreamed of living a similar lifestyle.

Another TV show that had a similar impact on me, was a US show called 'The Life and times of Grizzly Adams'..most of the Americans will probably know that one, and remember it well.

The sheer beauty of the setting, the freedom and the sense of peace really struck a cord with me. Really inspiring.

I backpacked around pretty much of Canada in the mid 90's, with a semi-serious eye to actually doing what ol' Grizzly did...but alas my wife wasn't keen on the idea. Staggeringly beautiful country, and coming from the UK, which can be driven from end to end or side to side in a single day, the sheer enormity of Canada was something you have to experience to appreciate.

New Zealand is another beautiful country, which we loved visiting, the people are great too...a bit like the British were back in the 1970's, is how my wife and i thought of them..i don't mean backwards or anything, but just really friendly and open.

I now have two very young children, so i doubt living life as you want to would be viable at present for us, but i'll admit to being nostalgic for my daydreams, and hope everything works out for you the way you plan it to, should you decide to take the plunge.

I REALLY don't want to be the one to sour your enthusiasm in the least, and the photos you've posted look lovely (i'm not THAT keen on heat and hot climates, so India would be out for me personally), and i know that there are very good reasons for you wanting to get out of the area you are currently living in, but i think it needs to be said...that you *may* be swapping one war zone, for another by thinking of India. Tensions are always up and down with Pakistan, and both nations have 'the bomb'. Although that valley looks nice and remote, if war breaks out it might not be so picturesque.

But hey, who knows what tomorrow will bring eh?

Thanks for bringing back some lovely memories for me, and good luck if you go.

• Nature is not moved by how you feel. It can kill you in an instant. Nature is survival of the fittest, and no matter how 'fit' you think you are, a tiger is 'fitter'. So is a snake, or a venomous spider, or any of a myriad of other creatures that live in the wild. We are not adapted to living without shelter; they are.
  
  
  - Thats right, and according to my plan, we will have a shelter.
  We will have proper homes, wooden or stone is yet to be decided, need to take many things into consideration.
  There are dangers! Im aware of that! but its a risk I am willing to take.
  You have risks in city life also, a Truck barreling down the road at 120mph is also "fitter" then me.
  
  
  
• Food does not come from a grocery store. It comes from agriculture. Nature will provide you with what you need to survive, but that is it. Forget ice cream, forget pizza, forget chips and snacks. You will have to eat what you either grow, kill, or find wild. Food choice is eat it or don't eat.
  
  
  - LOL gave those poisons up long time ago.
  if you grow dependable foods such as rice, you cant go wrong.
  You also need a small herd of goat (cows are holy) to get milk, and perhaps meat once in a while. giving up pizza is the least of my concerns.
  
  
  
• I sincerely hope someone is familiar with wild foods. Many of them are poisonous, and some are poisonous but edible under certain conditions (we eat a lot of polk salad here, but if it is not cooked right, it is deadly). Taste is not always a good indicator. And you will be eating naturally-occurring foods, at least for a while. see next:
  
  
  - We will need people familiar with these things to guide us first year to native plants to the area and all its uses.
  I can get that info in a week with my hindi skills, with a local villager.
  
  
  
• Growing crops takes time. During that time, you still need to eat. So you will have to either hunt or gather. If you intend on hunting, are you planning on bringing weapons? It's a bit difficult to bring down an animal without them. Most animals are either equipped with claws and teeth, or are much faster than a human, or both. What are the laws in India on importing weapons? What are the laws in India on foreigners owning weapons?
  
  
  - Fishing is quite easy.
  Hunting I will leave to the american folks, most of you do this very well, with your "right to bear arms"
  )) if we cant get a gun, we can use a bow arrow or throwable weapon of some sort. of course it will take lots and lots of practice to be perfect. but definately possible.
  If a few villagers in samoa can, why cant we?
  
  
  
• Believe it or not, other people are not always nice and do not obey the laws of a foreign country (USA). If you are living outside of society, especially in a foreign and under-developed country, you will be targeted at some time, whether for things you have made, the land you are on, or just because the locals don't like you invading their area. What will you do when a local is aiming a gun at your head and his eyes show no indication of not pulling the trigger? How about when one of them runs at you with a knife and presses it against your throat and starts to pull it across?
  
  
  - As I said, there is no such thing as a local villager with a gun....
  Guns costs lots of money!!! $500 for a villager is 5 years wage.
  The last thing he will do with it is buy a gun.
  Why do you think people will be so fast to harm you? what do you have that they want? are you suggesting that all the off-the-grid villages around are sitting in a dark room scared of other indians with guns who may come to kill them for their rice? it does not work like that there, trust me, I know it because I lived it.
  
  
  
  
• Electricity is something you will not have, at least for a while. Batteries only last so long. Solar cells would help, but unless you have a major array with rechargeable batteries for storage, your electrical ability will be minimal and sporadic at best. Over time you might get something working, but it is going to be difficult without some electrical at first to build circuitry and apparati to produce it.
  
  
  - You just need a good large mechanic solar panel which follows the sun.
  If you have the doe, its possible, dont forget.. with all the talk of 2nd world country, the people in India who can afford it live better then us westreners.
  We can handle very well without electricity in my opinion. but its a blessed bonus.
  
  
  
• If you don't like it after the first few months, then what? You'll walk out? There won't be any buses running, no Greyhound station. You will be alone and isolated in a forest full of wild animals in a foreign third-world developing country with no means of transportation except your feet. Around here, we call that a 'victim', usually a 'dead victim'.

- This is why I said, we should go for a dry run before, for a nice summer to see how we get a long and if we like this life. I think if we spend 4-6 monthes together and like it, there is no reason we will leave it after a few years, maybe after like 5-10 years, but that is alot of time, and everyone has free will to do what he or she desires.


TheRedneck



Thanks for your comments,


[edit on 17-3-2010 by freebourn]

reply to post by TheRedneck


Very wise words Redneck.

Especially useful, seeing as you live it every day.

Medicines are another thing we suburbanites pretty much take for granted, even a bad tooth would be a nightmare out on your own. Serious conditions, such as strokes, heart trouble, or even an infected cut, would probably be fatal to most townies.

As you say, personal or group safety is a major concern in the third world..well, pretty much anywhere these days, and that's just the human threat, never mind animals or parasites.

It is a lovely ambition, but when one considers all that could go wrong, it would take serious advanced planning.

[edit on 17/3/2010 by spikey]