Sometimes I think about dropping out of society and going to live as a survivalist...

Sometimes I think about dropping out of society and going to live as a survivalist. At least then I might find day-to-day fulfillment in providing for myself. And even if I starve like that guy in Alaska, better that than this, right? But I don't do that for the exact same reasons I don't kill myself, I just don't have the right sort of go-getter personality to pursue goals like that. So instead I stay here banging myself against the wall, trying to participate in society because that's what I was taught to do, it's what I'm supposed to do. And as long as I keep trying then every now and then events happen such that I become happy, but only in the same way as a slot machine works. I feel so demoralized pulling the lever every day knowing it's stupid to stay here hoping to win big.

Books for this feel?

My novel desu
My last short story desu

>he doesn't find day-to-day fulfillment in the sublime arts

Anyway, maybe you'll find Walden helpful. I think Thoreau found a good middle way between society and completely self-reliant solitude.

...

summat by bear grylls or ray mears or someone like that i guess

How?

your family won't let you do this

Occasional reminder that McCandless did literally everything wrong and died like a bitch.

find something that gives your life meaning or off yourself, i mean you're already dead.

>find something that gives your life meaning

not op but searching for it every day with almost no hope

what do you do?
do you just stay in your room all day? that's a surefire way to petrify yourself.

Hey OP. I can contribute here!

I am 25 and just quit my job to pursue my ambition of living as self-sufficiently as I am able. Last year I bought a small dilapidated church (pic related) in the outer hebrides (islands in West Scotland) and I've spent my time off work since then renovating it and preparing it to be lived in full-time. It has electricity but no running water, although there are freshwater lochs or small lakes within a mile. I have some solar panels set up and some hutches for chickens to be kept. I planted some crops and they grew pretty well considering I wasn't there to maintain them. Will have to keep an eye on bugs and frost but I've done a lot of research.

I'm moving out there in late January with a ton of supplies in case the worst happens. Also taking my entire library with me as I've essentially turned the largest room (i.e. the room where people previously gathered to pray) into a cozy living room with bookshelves along the sides Hoping to install a fireplace but there's issues with getting someone out from the council to okay it.

This sounds very appealing for an individual of the urban environment like me

I wish people would completely forget about the Hebrides so they'd be nice and empty when I eventually move there myself.

>Will have to keep an eye on bugs and frost but I've done a lot of research.
So, which titles do you recommend? I'm not OP, but someone aiming to be more self suffiicient in the long run.

Are you taking lodgers?

No. The food he ate was considered safe and only later was it shown to cause wasting if you were on an extremely low protein diet.

I'm impressed. Show us more pictures please.

What kind of crops do you grow? That would certainly be the hardest part I think, especially if you want a legitimately healthy and varied diet.

Didn't expect so many replies!

Where I'll be living is very sparsely populated. There are a few towns here and there but for the most part there is only a small shop, a church, a post office and so on.

I've been reading a lot of John Seymour's books, as he was something of a representative figure of the British self-sufficiency movement in the 1907s, and wrote a lot about using small plots of land in ways which maximize its potential as a means of becoming self-sufficient.

No lodgers I'm afraid. My uncle, a carpenter, helped me install the solar panels and some other skilled labour and he says he'll come over since he likes fishing.

I agree, and I'll be taking supplies for the time being, it being winter and all especially. I intend to begin with carrots, runner beans, beetroot, tomatoes, hopefully potatoes at some point. I've prepared the soil as best I can (turned over the earth, filtered out stones, stolen some fresh soil from mole hills and mixed it in) and as long as I take care of things I should be able to grow a decent crop. Storage will be a problem however.

It's called "rabbit starvation"

isnt that because the meat is so lean? its about fat content, not protein..

neat

do you have an outhouse?
how are you financing this? it seems to me that on the way to becoming self sustained one would have to invest loads of money

good luck user

>on the way to becoming self sustained one would have to invest loads of money
if it werent for property tax i dont think it would be that hard.

>the British self-sufficiency movement in the 1907s
1970s, but yes. I'm familiar with his work - a lot of it aren't usefull in a modern context tho'. If you're going the permaculture way (which is the best idea imo), you should consider 'The earth care manual'. Extremly usefull work.

Still interested in specific titles; I might have overlooked something important - who knows.

I have worked full-time since graduating at 21 years old, saving money as a result of living pretty ascetically the entire time. And the property itself was relatively cheap, largely because it isn't intended for human habitation. Since it's only me living there however and since I have no real concerns about the interior not reflecting the usual plan of a house I've essentially turned the large main room where religious services were previously held into my living quarters, with a single bed, a desk and chair, library shelves, and so on. It has quite high ceilings so I'm going to have to see whether this will make it too cold and may have to install some sort of basic ceiling separating and thus creating another floor of sorts, which'll help with storage.

Also regarding finance: I know I won't be able to live forever like this without earning some money in the future. But my plan is to spent twelve months spending as little as I have to and then worrying about an income after that. Maybe after a year I'll feel the urge to return and involve myself in society once more, or maybe I'll just earn a little money and then return to the island.

You will definitely be cold. I live in a large house in the south, which is relatively warm, but have had to wear outdoor clothes for the colder weeks or months, as heating up the entirety of the house is near impossible. I would recommend building one or two small rooms with proper insulation that you can heat up for sleep, reading and eating.