Preppers

What Do You Feel Toward Those Who Lived Without Civilization

About this topic

What do we feel toward our ancestors who lived without civilization—those from primitive times, ancient hunter-gatherers, or people untouched by the benefits of civilization? This question explores the complex emotions we modern people, who possess both convenience and fragility, hold toward the lives of 'pre-civilization' people. Awe, envy, pity, longing, fear, respect… various emotions intertwine. Were they 'stronger,' 'wiser,' and 'freer' than us, or did they lead 'poorer' and 'harsher' lives? While affirming the progress of civilization, it illuminates the movements of our hearts that sense something lost. This question reexamines the emotional source underlying the modern prepper sensibility—being aware of dependence on civilization while being drawn to self-sufficiency and primitive technologies.

Conceptual positions

01 Romantic Perspective

The view that idealizes pre-civilization ancestors as 'purer and closer to nature' and laments the loss in modernity. Rooted in a Rousseau-like longing for the 'state of nature'.

02 Realistic and Progressivist Perspective

The view that affirms the development of civilization and sees the lives of ancestors as 'harsh, short-lived, and inefficient'. Emphasizes the benefits of modern medicine, technology, and rights, without romanticizing the past.

03 Critical and Degrowth Perspective

The view that questions the progress of civilization itself and finds value in 'sustainability' and 'communality' in the lives of ancestors. Critically views modern consumer society and environmental destruction.

04 Integrative and Coexistence Perspective

The view that both awe and pity coexist in feelings toward ancestors, acknowledging both the advantages and disadvantages of civilization while exploring the 'strength' and 'wisdom' that we modern people should learn.

Talk entry points

When you imagine the lives of ancestors who lived without civilization, what emotion comes to mind first?
Among the 'strength' or 'wisdom' that ancestors possessed, is there anything you feel you are lacking now?
Between the self who cannot let go of the conveniences of civilization and the self who longs for the lives of ancestors, which do you think is closer to your true self?
Have you ever felt 'pity' or 'envy' toward ancestors? What was the trigger?
If civilization were to collapse, what do you think we could learn from the lives of ancestors?
How are modern prepper activities (stockpiling, training, challenges toward self-sufficiency) connected to feelings toward ancestors?

Conceptual tensions

Longing vsPity

The emotion of longing for ancestors as an 'ideal way of living' and the emotion of pitying them as 'harsh and unfortunate' tend to conflict. Which one is stronger changes one's attitude toward civilization.

Progress vsLoss

Whether to view the progress of civilization as 'humanity's victory' or as 'a price paid for losing something essential'. Holding both perspectives changes modern choices.

Individual vsCommunity

Was the life of ancestors centered on individual self-reliance or mutual support within a community? How to think about its relationship with the 'individual strength' that modern preppers aim for.

Reality vsIdeal

Whether to strictly grasp the lives of ancestors based on historical facts or romanticize them as a 'lost utopia'. Depending on whether the source of emotion is fact or fantasy, current actions change.

Talk note

This topic is a space for dialogue that views civilization from both aspects of 'progress' and 'loss', and reexamines the relationship between the modern self and civilization through emotions toward ancestors. Without denying longing or pity, while respecting both, it aims to think together about how to nurture 'strength that does not rely too much on civilization' as a prepper.

Glossary

Civilization: A social state with highly developed technology, institutions, and culture. Characterized by cities, writing, agriculture, and states.
Ancestors / Predecessors: People who lived before us in modern times. Often refers especially to those who lived before the formation of civilization.
Primitive Life: A lifestyle close to self-sufficiency that does not depend on the technologies or institutions of civilization. Includes hunting-gathering and nomadism.
Dependence: Relying on others or systems. In modern civilization, we are heavily dependent on electricity, water supply, medical care, and food distribution.
Self-sufficiency: Producing and procuring what is necessary for life by oneself or within a community. Symbolizes escape from dependence on civilization.
Awe / Reverence: An emotion mixed with fear and respect. Often appears as a feeling toward the strength and wisdom of pre-civilization people.

Talk prompts

Ice breaker

Try imagining the lives of ancestors who lived without civilization. What emotion wells up most strongly at that time?

Deep dive

If you had lived in the era of ancestors, what kind of life do you think you would have led? And compared to your current self, what do you think you would have lost and what would you have gained?

Bridge

When the other person is talking about the progress or conveniences of civilization, simultaneously imagine 'what you feel toward the lives of ancestors'. Quietly explore what lies between those two emotions.

Further questions

The contemporary meaning of the question 'Were people before civilization truly happy?'
The suggestions that ancestors' 'views on life and death' and 'ways of relating to nature' give to modern preppers
When imagining the collapse of civilization, does the life of ancestors become 'hope' or 'terror'?
The divergence between the image of ancestors drawn by archaeology and ethnography and the emotional image we hold
The relationship between the motivations of people trying to practice 'living without civilization' in the modern era and feelings toward ancestors
Can 'respect' for ancestors sometimes become 'criticism' or 'encouragement' for the modern self?