Uncomplicated Biology

     Despite the ease of urban life, something seems to stir in man's rigorous society that causes him to long for the freedom of open hills and unexplored land. The open field, virgin forest, uncharted desert, and frontier land has always inspired great deeds and ideals of newness. Doing as no known individual of our species has ever done appeals to a great many people. This trait remains prominent in America, descendants of those who left the old world to venture into "unclaimed" lands.
     The glories of the simple life have been toted since ancient times. Although by modern standards, Alexandria, Egypt under the Ptolemaic Empire remained a small city, it focused creative arts from the far ends of the world. Poets held the life of shepherds as blissfully uncomplicated. Only the repetition of days called. Tending crops, caring for animals, and tending the home were the only "necessary" tasks to life unburdened with the needs of social pleasantries in the cities.

     Though the basic goal of this rural lifestyle is survival, stress is still prominent. Famine, drought, and disease are always factors. Socially, you are trapped with a very small group of people every day of the year usually limited to the ten to fifteen family members living in the house and farming the surrounding land. If something goes wrong, you have limited resources and manpower to accomplish the task. While the "simple life" has been glorified, several powerful reasons have gradually forced humans to congregate in ever increasingly large cities.
     This desire for a "simple life" has been around nearly as long as major civilization. The Hellenestic world, especially Alexandria, Egypt , focused on writing romantic literature (anacronistic terminology) that depicted farm work and animal husbrandry as glorious trades above the gloom of city life. The next time you wish for the simple life, remember the hard work in manual labor, the setting aside of harvest and limited resources to last through the months of unproductive winter. Life is much more dependent on the weather, and increased distance from other people confines relationships with the people in the area.
     Be thankful wherever life has put you. If a time comes to farm the land and store your produce, cherish those life lessons as much as ordering a meal in the restaurant, though the frequency of the second has lost its sparkling appeal for many. Enjoy your life as it is while always grateful for the others around you.


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Agatha Tyche