“In the heart of Devon, a quiet revolution is taking place. A group of like-minded people have rejected modern living and are striving for complete self-sufficiency in the Dartmoor woods.”
YouTube (note the lively/heated discussion going on in the comments)
I guess the internet is messing around again.
I can see the link for the video embedded in the comment you replied to. I’m not sure why you can’t see it.
No Worries. Here it is again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIgElQwMJpY
If you don’t see that link I just posted above this line of text…
Try searching YouTube for “George Lailey Commemorative Bowls.”
The problem is the video and/or link don’t show up in the admin page. Now I see it in the blog post. Great video.
Owen,
If you enjoyed the bowl turning video.
You’re going to be “bowled over” watching this craftsman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIgElQwMJpY
You forgot the link. I already found a very good video on this subject that I’ll post soon. But go ahead and send me your suggestion.
Good point, Owen.
Upon eviction, the structures themselves would probably just get abandoned. Perhaps pulling out whatever components inside that have value, but only if they have somewhere to take those items.
As far as where to they go after that? Good question.
I hope that they are trying to formulate a plan for that possibility (in my opinion it’s an eventual certainty.)
Oh sure, if evicted I’m certain that they would make a huge public relations appeal in hopes of getting stories in the media and lots of photos of the little kids getting kicked out of their homes. However, it wouldn’t be difficult for the government to counter that by portraying those buildings as shanties and tar paper shacks. It would be pretty easy for the government to convince the average public that eviction is an act of “saving” those kids from hardship and adverse living conditions. Most average people would buy into that argument just by seeing pictures of the buildings.
In my humble opinion… this will happen… it’s a near certainty. The only question is how long will it be before the government acts.
If the group is able to build a nest egg of savings, perhaps they can eventually purchase their own land somewhere and move there. That is… IF they are thinking that far ahead. Sadly, I see no indication of long range planning on their website.
I guess they can all just live off welfare if kicked out? Either that or rejoin the commercial society and take low paying jobs. Or both. Lots of people have to do both just to survive these days.
I’m sure you know the saying, “The only thing that is constant is change itself.” So yeah, their situation is tenuous. Some council may come along some day and use photos of the dirty kids to try to win votes by ‘saving’ them from garden work, ha ha.
A few extra links for those interested…
Website for this group:
http://www.stewardwood.org/index.ghtml
Another video about the same community that was uploaded 2 years after the one Owen posted:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuWswXPO-Is
I want to socialize with others, but I don’t think a “communal” arrangement like that is the lifestyle I choose. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Not sure I’d want to live in the glorified tent structures (not all of them are tents). I enjoy camping, but not sure I’d enjoy it 24×365.
The most unnerving part of the video Owen posted was the revelation that they do not own the land they are on. It’s government park land. All it takes is one election to bring in a new administration that kicks them all out to make them homeless. That possibility would hang like the sword of Damocles over one’s life every day. I submit that it’s not question of “if” but a question of “when”. Eventually there will be a government administration that wants them out. It’s inevitable. Who needs that kind of stress?
If you live in constant fear of getting the boot, what is the real incentive to build long lasting systems to food, clothe, and shelter oneself?
That said, there are some admirable parts of what they are doing. Some of them are doing some very cool things… such as the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33sdZvX3TqI
I guess it boils down to admiring and maybe adopting the individual aspects of their lifestyle that one finds worthwhile, and skipping the rest.
They probably decided to build temporary structures because they could get evicted. Those houses could easily be dismantled and moved. But then what? Where would they go?
I enjoyed the last link to green woodworking. I used to do that years ago. The video didn’t show the last step of storing the bowl in a paper bag of wood shavings until it’s dried out. Then you can do the final turning and finishing. Great hobby that kept me up at night it was so fun.
I wonder if they’d be allowed to build with earthbags? That canvas roof and walls could be improved on. I admire their desire to get out of the “rat race” of the modern world. I suppose that some do work but, they are taking the risk and making their plans to do just that.
Just a guess, they may be restricted to non permanent structures.