The Imaginary Easy Relaxed Lifestyle of
our Ancestors
Barbara Henderson
Having just gone through a pretty
dreadful year due to the cancer treatment, I have tried to read everything I
could find on what causes cancer and how to avoid it. Page after page on the internet, some written
by well respected doctors, list ‘stress’ as a major cause. The go on to say that are living in the most
stressful time in history. I agree we
live in stressful times, but I disagree that this is the most stressful time
ever. The world is and always has been a stressful place. People look to the distant past with
nostalgia. It is a place in their
imagination where the world was much simpler.
In their dreams of a less stressful life that world is a place of
safety, peace, harmony, and plenty.
Unfortunately, that place is not somewhere in our actual past. That place never existed. Let’s look at a few things then and now and
do a comparison. Let’s look at survival
then and now
Food:
Then
– In the past people
grew a lot of their own food. The
individual family was responsible for growing, processing through canning,
drying, or smoking, and storage of their own food supply. Some products were available at stores
providing funds were available. Farmers
and ranchers of all generations faced a life of brutal hard work. They faced
floods and drought. They faced uncertainty on every hand. Farm families in the past had a limited diet
of seasonal foods and foods that they were able to preserve. Each meal was a lot of the same thing with
some variety through something like killing a chicken or snaring a rabbit. I know many of these people led contented
lives of joy and satisfaction. However
they worked so hard they probably didn’t have time to reflect on their joy or even consider
if they were content or not.
Nomadic people were always in dire
situations. Moving and living off the
land was a dangerous lifestyle. In
addition to facing the elements, rugged terrain, and the constant search for
food, nomadic people faced hostility from other nomadic wanderers. There just wasn’t enough food to go
around. There was seldom a day that they
knew from where their next meal would come.
Without refrigeration food had to be
dried to preserve it. In the more recent past canning food was another way of
preserving food. Vegetables and fruits
could be stored for part of a winter, but they would rot long before the next
harvest.
Now
- Food is still what sustains life. It still
requires work to get it. (There
are instances where government provides some things to people who do not
work. This article is written to
encourage Christians who are committed to serving Jesus. This type of person works if they are able.)
Today there are fewer farmers.
Food is sourced out to big business.
The food supply depends on crops growing, processing food, distribution
of food through a variety of means, and buying power of the individual. There is the added stress of food choices. Today we do have the luxury of food choices
most of the time. We also have the
responsibility of making healthy choices, cooking nutritious meals for our
families, concern over GMO foods, trying to afford organic foods, avoiding
things that are known to cause cancer and other diseases, and the list goes on
and on.
Shelter:
Then
– More often than not
there was no pre-built home to purchase. People had to actually chop down trees
and build their own home. If trees
weren’t available they made homes from bricks made of mud, animal skins, and
even ice if happened to be an Eskimo. If
there was an already built home available it cost a lot of money just like a
home now. The roof was made from wood
shingles or even straw. The houses were
drafty. Heating them was close to
impossible. Windows were not even
available for most of history. There was
no indoor plumbing. There was no hot and
cold running water. There was no
electricity. There was no central heat
and air conditioning. If you think
these are not big deals then you really need to try primitive living for a few
days. Even this won’t give you an exact
idea of how primitive families lived because you can pack up and go home when
you want to. This life was especially hard on women due to the fact that they
actually are the weaker sex; add child bearing to their load and a shorter
lifespan was often the case.
I remember going to graveyards with my
grandad to catalog information from gravestones when the family was doing a
family tree history. I saw firsthand
gravestones lined up where a man might have three wives one at a time. When the first wife died the husband
remarried. He needed a helpmate to raise
the children from his first wife. When
the second wife died, the husband married again. This wasn’t due to any evil on the part of
the men. It was just life. Primitive families did the best they could do
under the circumstances in which they lived.
The headstones for babies and small children were overwhelmingly sad
generations later. I can’t imagine what
sorrows these families went through.
Now
– Shelter is still
the most expensive thing on anyone’s budget unless they have a huge budget and
collect classic muscle cars or jet airplanes as a hobby. We have homes that are more easily heated
today. In many instances we do have air
conditioning. We have electricity. We have indoor plumbing and running hot and
cold water. These things are expected in
civilized nations today. They cost a lot
of money. Today, someone could attempt
to live a primitive life; in fact I am sure some people have made that choice. But, having lived with modern conveniences it
would be very hard to live a primitive life permanently. It is overwhelmingly harsh and
unforgiving.
Clothing
Then
– Keeping a family
clothed was almost a full time occupation.
Animal hides or woven cloth was needed.
Then the material had to be made into clothes. This was done by hand up
until a few hundred years ago. Can you
imagine the hours of work that went into growing wool or cotton, spinning the
raw material into thread, and weaving the threads into cloth? Then an actual garment had to made by
hand. Shoes were an equally difficult
task. I can’t imagine the difficulty of
keeping even a small family adequately clothed.
Things changed when bolt cloth became available. Store bought shoes of any quality were never
cheap. Most people of a bygone age would
have laughed at the thought that hand-me-downs weren’t wearable. The idea of used clothing was equally
laughable. People wore their clothes
until they were worn out.
Now
– Decent wearable
clothing is available for almost free. I
say that because I have shopped in thrift shops. There are days when a large part of the
inventory is 99cents. It may not be the
most fashionable clothing, but in today’s world where people wear anything
fashion is really what you personally can afford and what you want it to
be. Clothing is so readily available
that the skill of sewing is almost a lost art.
I made a lot of clothes for my kids when they were small because I could
still do it cheaper than buying the clothing that I wanted them to wear. I was good with a sewing machine so it wasn’t
a big deal for me. The winter coats in
thrift stores today are amazing. I
absolutely can’t imagine how readily available they are. I think of growing up in Alaska and the struggle
mom went through to keep warm coats for her six kids and I still can’t believe
it. Shoes are available in all price
ranges and styles. Some people have over
a hundred pairs of shoes! Most of them
would be worthless if they actually had to wear them long, but they still have
them. And people have shoes for walking,
running, dancing, working, and resting.
Medicine
Then
– For most of
recorded time there was no ‘modern medicine’.
There were no antibiotics although some herbs have antibiotic properties. Doctors did not have the resources to
adequately diagnose disease. If they
were able to diagnose a particular illness their recourse was still a simple
natural remedy. Obviously this worked often, but often it was not enough. Surgery was not something available for even
something as simple as appendicitis until recent history. I am 100% in favor of herbal remedies,
essential oils, vitamins, and other supplements. However, without modern medicine I would have
died as a child. And that is what happened
with many children who lived a primitive life.
Now
– Eternal life is
still only available through Jesus Christ, but modern medicine has made vast
improvements in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Death because of childbirth
is almost non-existent in developed countries.
Cancer treatment is available.
Knee and hip replacement is available.
Day surgery for heart blockage is available. Medicine to lower blood pressure and improve
heart function is available. To truly go
to a primitive lifestyle all these advances would have to be given up. And do not worry that modern medicine is
contributing to global over population.
Remember that the earth has a creator, a Savior, and a sustainer.
Supplies
Then
– In a truly
primitive culture supplies for anything were either not available or difficult
to come by. Even salt was a commodity
that was in short supply. There were no
hardware stores or building supply stores.
There were no supplies easily and readily available.
Now
– Supply stores are
available for just about anything you want.
If there isn’t a store near you then it can probably be ordered on line
and in your hands in just a few days.
Building supplies, remodeling supplies, soap making supplies, hobby
supplies, baking gadgets, restaurants with ready made meals, frozen foods for
easy cooking at home, shoe stores, clothing stores, specialty size stores, pet
supply stores, farm supply, fabric stores, and even herbal remedy shops. If you can think of it someone has it for
sale! Of course there is still that one
little problem. You are required to pay for whatever supplies you need or want.
Transportation
Then
– People walked. Can you imagine walking everywhere you go
without adequate footwear? I don’t know
what people did for shoes, but I am sure it was expensive. I am equally sure
that people often went without shoes when they really needed them.
People rode a horse or mule or
donkey. Or they used a draft animal to
pull a cart. The animal(s) were not free
to begin with. Then they required food
and shelter to keep them healthy enough to do their job. My dad said that transportation has never
been cheap.
Now
– we have all sorts
of transportation available today up to and including air travel. Like anything else it grows more expensive
every day. It doesn’t cost to feed a car
on the days you don’t drive which makes it cheaper than a horse in that
way. But the cost of a vehicle and fuel
is substantial. Dad was correct.
Transportation has never been cheap.
Peer
pressure
Then
– The first recorded
incident of peer pressure causing someone to misbehave is recorded in the book
of genesis. Eve was talked into
disobeying God by Satan. Peer pressure
has been with us ever since.
Now
– Satan is still with
us influencing people to follow other people instead of thinking for
themselves.
I am not suggesting that anyone who
currently lives a primitive life or wants to live a primitive life should
change their mind. If that is what you
want to do, then you better give it a try!
But don’t think a primitive lifestyle is going to be free from
stress. It will be different stress, but
I believe it will be equally difficult to live with.
Everyone on the planet is facing
political and social unrest. Obviously
this is stressful. People all have ideas
of how to solve at least some of the problems, but no one has power or
authority to implement their solutions.
The uncertainty of the future is in itself overwhelming without faith in
the Almighty God who created us. No
matter what the social, economic, and political outlook may be Christians can
be confident that God has not changed.
In the world today Christians need to live a life that is pleasing to
Christ. Don’t worry about anything. Continually give thanks for God’s daily
benefits fail not. Do not fall into
compromise in seeking to get along with the world. Do not set feelings above scripture. True compassion for the lost people of the
world demands that we do not waver from the truth that God has revealed to us
in the Bible. Certain behaviors are
sin. No one, Christian, atheist, or
otherwise, has power or authority to change God’s message. Christ died for all humanity. He never wavered even when faced with the
cross. Will a Christian dilute the
message of salvation when God Himself did not water down the truth?
There never was a time since God
created the world that stress has not been a major part of life. Even Adam and Eve were faced with the stress
of dealing with the lying serpent.
Nothing has changed. And nothing
will change until God Himself sets up a perfect world. Until that day there is going to be
stress. In the meantime there is rest in
the Lord. There is comfort in obedience
to God’s instructions.
The changes that are going on in the
world are temporary. They are not going to last. Evil is not always going to be with us. God Himself will one day separate His
children from the devil’s children for all eternity. In the meantime Christians can’t pull off a
dramatic military style coup and force a Godly population on the world. Christ Himself said His kingdom is not of
this world.
What we can do is the same thing
Christians have been doing since Jesus gave His followers the great
commission. Live the gospel. Preach the
gospel. Do not back down when standing on the Bible as your source of truth.
Ultimately there is coming a day when
stress actually will be worse than at any other time in history. This is what is known as the ‘great
tribulation’ and ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’.
It will be a time of turmoil such as the world has never seen. As long as God leaves us in this world our
job is to tell the world the way of salvation.
Some will hear and follow Jesus. They will gain eternal life. We have been commissioned to take the gospel
to the world. No matter what is going on
in the world the job description of a Christian does not change. Our God does not change. The foundation on which we stand is the Rock
of Ages. ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall
reap, if we faint not.’ Galatians 6:9
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