[MrVandemar]

> On one hand this, on the other, being born there is a live sentence. The thought that somewhere exists a kid just like I was, but his fate is to pick roots and other local equilibrium things, all his life… bitter.

You're judging the possible happiness of someone in a completely different geography and culture according to your own.

Just because you depend on wifi for your happiness, that doesn't mean everyone does.

The hypothetical kid probably has excellent, fulfilling relationships with his family and friends, probably feels satisfied with a meal of fish that you couldn't even imagine how good it tastes, is content with the sounds of nature, singing, staring into a fire and telling stories. Perhaps he can trap, kill and prepare an animal for eating and enjoys the esteem of his peers for doing so.

He doesn't owe rent. He doesn't need insurance. He doesn't worry about getting to work 5 minutes late, or working overtime, or whether the apples are "organic" or contaminated with pesticides, his parents are always home -- and probably his whole village or tribe are his family and teachers.

That kid has his own way of being happy and fulfilled and content, just as valid -- and perhaps more so -- than yours.

[wruza]

You got it backwards. I’m not judging him if that’s the case. I’m just empathetic to the ones that may exist as described.

And no, I don’t believe in the happy-life-in-the-forest. The first thing “aboriginals” do is to get themselves sneakers, t-shirts and soap. Although I’m not gonna defend or explore this further, believe what you believe.

As far as I’m informed, particularly Sentinelese don’t even have a constant fire to enjoy that tasty fish I couldn’t even imagine.

[jodrellblank]

> And no, I don’t believe in the happy-life-in-the-forest.

Jon Jandai moved from a village in rural Thailand to Bangkok, and took up a fulltime labouring job. He struggled to afford enough food to eat, slept in a shared room which was too hot, saved for a month to buy a pair of jeans to wear and realised he was still the same person and still unhappy, and he saw house prices out of reach with educated high-earners working for 30 years to pay a mortgage.

He didn't like it, and moved back to his village. He spends a month planting rice and a month harvesting rice and gets enough rice to feed his family of six for a year, and several times more than that leftover to sell at the market. 2 months a year work, ten months free time. He spends fifteen minutes a day tending a half-acre garden and gets enough vegetables for six people to eat, and more to sell at the market. And he fishes. He built a house with earthen building in 3 months.

He self-reports being much much happier, whether you believe it or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21j_OCNLuYg

[doodlebugging]

>As far as I’m informed, particularly Sentinelese don’t even have a constant fire to enjoy that tasty fish I couldn’t even imagine.

Actually they apparently do have a constant fire if they are anything like the related groups living on neighboring islands.

From the link describing technologies available in the region [0] please see the part about fire. If you follow the link back to other chapters fire is also mentioned so that it becomes apparent that it is an important thing in their culture. One link somewhere had an entry that described them as preferring to remain in their camps at night and being afraid of the dark.

Anyway, enjoy the chapters in that book if you have. There's a lot there.

[0]https://web.archive.org/web/20070715023903/http://www.andama...