Were hunter gatherers lives the peak of human happiness?

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 07:23PM #1

That was the peak of happiness for humankind in my opinion

Humans were elite hunters and gatherers compelled
to thrive and survive in hunting gathering small communities.

The days anticipating and preparing for a successful hunt for the community, with all members of the community participating , and realising that dream, and celebrating together must be the highest high a human can have. What is the comparison today? There isn't anything close

Childcare, I here you say. No they didn't pay 2k a month to send them to little harvard, the community took turns to look after everyone else's children

There is no crime, no jealously over property or possessions.

The physical and mental wellbeing through excercise, the community, the bonds was at its peak in this epoch . All their thoughts had to be focused on the wellbeing of the community and honing their skills and enjoying the bliss of the next successful hunt

It was a simple and joyous life

Arghus · 30-06-2020 07:25PM

Yeah, constant fear and struggle and death - if you were lucky - by thirty.

893bet · 30-06-2020 07:27PM

Well **** me tommy, what have you been reading?

unhappys10 · 30-06-2020 07:30PM

Nah, I'd be happier winning the euro millions and retiring to my very own desert island to get away from all you fcuks.

30-06-2020 07:30PM

They didn't have the internet though..

jimwallace197 · 30-06-2020 07:32PM

badabing106 wrote: »

That was the peak of happiness for humankind in my opinion

Humans were elite hunters and gatherers designed
to thrive and and survive in hunting gathering small communities.

The days anticipating and preparing for a successful hunt for the community, with all members of the community participating , and realising that dream, and celebrating together must be the highest high a human can have. What is the comparison today? There isn't anything close

Childcare, I here you say. No they didn't pay 2k a month to send them to little harvard, the community took turns to look after everyone else's children

There is no crime, no jealously over property or possessions.

The physical and mental wellbeing through excercise, the community, the bonds was at its peak in this epoch . All their thoughts had to be focused on the wellbeing of the community and honing their skills and enjoying the bliss of the next successful hunt

It was a simple and joyous life

Are you kidding me, I doubt you or I would have lasted more than a couple of days

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 07:33PM

Arghus wrote: »

Yeah, constant fear and struggle and death, if you were lucky, by thirty.

That was the complete opposite of their mentality. They were physically and mentally built to live that lifestyle, as are you

buried · 30-06-2020 07:36PM

I'd say the only happy ones back then were the shaman's.

At least they had tunes and a bit of the auld drugs.

s1ippy · 30-06-2020 07:36PM

Yep, definitely.

One eyed Jack · 30-06-2020 07:38PM

badabing106 wrote: »

That was the peak of happiness for humankind in my opinion

Humans were elite hunters and gatherers designed...

I got as far as “Humans... designed”.

Once I got over that and read the rest of it, I knew I should have stopped at “Humans... designed”.

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 07:42PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

I got as far as “Humans... designed”.

Once I got over that and read the rest of it, I knew I should have stopped at “Humans... designed”.

I felt it was the wrong word also. What is a better word? Compelled?

corner of hells · 30-06-2020 07:43PM

badabing106 wrote: »

That was the peak of happiness for humankind in my opinion

Humans were elite hunters and gatherers designed
to thrive and and survive in hunting gathering small communities.

The days anticipating and preparing for a successful hunt for the community, with all members of the community participating , and realising that dream, and celebrating together must be the highest high a human can have. What is the comparison today? There isn't anything close

Childcare, I here you say. No they didn't pay 2k a month to send them to little harvard, the community took turns to look after everyone else's children

There is no crime, no jealously over property or possessions.

The physical and mental wellbeing through excercise, the community, the bonds was at its peak in this epoch . All their thoughts had to be focused on the wellbeing of the community and honing their skills and enjoying the bliss of the next successful hunt

It was a simple and joyous life

Sorta like modern day drug addict shop lifters.

YFlyer · 30-06-2020 07:53PM

Wibbs I believe extensively wrote about this topic.

odyssey06 · 30-06-2020 08:03PM

Preferable to about 90 % of the existences that came after it.
Seems like a much healthier life than say that of an 18th century peasant or serf.

But then, there were a lot more peasants.

It was not the peak but it was a local maximum. There was violence raids anger ... a stranger would likely be attacked or assaulted. Our capacity for such things evolved in hunter gatherer state.

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 08:07PM

jimwallace197 wrote: »

Are you kidding me, I doubt you or I would have lasted more than a couple of days

You or I would not, but I think they would have been happier living their lives with the skills they would have had to learn

Allthough, there are some hunter gatherers tribes still in pockets around the globe

If you took the happiness index chart with them versus people living in cities

What do you think the result would be?
I think they would be alot more content. In fact I would go as far as say I would guarantee it

Food, shelter warmth. That is pure happiness to them!

4068ac1elhodqr · 30-06-2020 08:14PM

Depends on the environment, in the arse of some Amazon rainforest, tropical swamp, barren bush or antartic: no thanks.

However an Native American Indian, with mixed tundra, open grassy plains and perhaps a nearby beach or lake to dip in: no so bad.
Spend the day chasing buffalo, picking berries, medicinal plants. Then back for a camp fire sing-song, banging drums/Pocahontas, followed by puff of the smoke and yarns about the ancestors, along with free horoscope from the elders, all under starlit skies.

Then Europop man arrives, takes land and animals, installs a 7-11 convenience store which in turn, makes everyone raging alchoholics, void of purpose.

suicide_circus · 30-06-2020 08:26PM

Less self indulgent neuroses, obesity and dental cavities but more dingos eating your baby.

buried · 30-06-2020 08:28PM

Do not underestimate the power of indoor plumbing. I like to do a bit of half bushcraft outdoors camping myself, but to do it all the time? Nah man, It's not until you lose something like indoor plumbing or hot water on tap you start to realise the peak of human happiness is right now. Go a week or two without plumbing, you'll understand.

odyssey06 · 30-06-2020 08:30PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

Less self indulgent neuroses, obesity and dental cavities but more dingos eating your baby.

I see your dingos and raise you a short faced running bear or a haasts eagle.
Want to see an eagle as big as a lion?
Sounds cool... wait what? Swoop.. thump... thud.

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 08:33PM

buried wrote: »

Do not underestimate the power of indoor plumbing. I like to do a bit of half bushcraft outdoors camping myself, but to do it all the time? Nah man, It's not until you lose something like indoor plumbing or hot water on tap you start to realise the peak of human happiness is right now. Go a week or two without plumbing, you'll understand.

But hunter gatherers didn't have that luxury to lose.

They lived in complete simplicity. Hunt. Gather. Celebrate. Shelter. Fire. Eat

People today have 100 needless things to worry about. How many insurances are there?

Feisar · 30-06-2020 08:35PM

buried wrote: »

Do not underestimate the power of indoor plumbing. I like to do a bit of half bushcraft outdoors camping myself, but to do it all the time? Nah man, It's not until you lose something like indoor plumbing or hot water on tap you start to realise the peak of human happiness is right now. Go a week or two without plumbing, you'll understand.

Agreed, when yer dicking about with a knife, feather sticks and a fire steel to get a fire going for a cuppa you start to realise how handy we have it.

Arghus · 30-06-2020 08:42PM

badabing106 wrote: »

But hunter gatherers didn't have that luxury to lose.

They lived in complete simplicity. Hunt. Gather. Celebrate. Shelter. Fire. Eat

People today have 100 needless things to worry about. How many insurances are there?

I guess in some ways their worries were less numerous, but they certainly weren't less acute. It's a handy luxury to be able to fret about insurance, rather than the elemental concern of will I survive the day? Or will this tiny splinter in my foot become infected and kill me?

Sure, you could always give the lifestyle a lash there for year. Head off into the wilderness and see how you get on.

odyssey06 · 30-06-2020 08:45PM

Feisar wrote: »

Agreed, when yer dicking about with a knife, feather sticks and a fire steel to get a fire going for a cuppa you start to realise how handy we have it.

True it is a life of ease and contentment but as a peak experience a hunter gatherer tracking and killing prey... bringing home the bacon to the tribe... probably trumps anything today in sports... art... work etc.

So imo their lives were not the peak but they probably experienced more peaks of happiness (and lows) than todays average people. It is what we were wired for.

Feisar · 30-06-2020 08:48PM

Arghus wrote: »

I guess in some ways their worries were less numerous, but they certainly weren't less acute. It's a handy luxury to be able to fret about insurance, rather than the elemental concern of will I survive the day? Or will this tiny splinter in my foot become infected and kill me?

Sure, you could always give the lifestyle a lash there for year. Head off into the wilderness and see how you get on.

There’s a book called Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers and one of it’s premises is that we are not designed for the constant style of stress the modern world brings. Rather, the short sharp sabertooth attack is what we evolved to deal with. Adrenaline dump, fight/flight. Dead or back to the campfire.

suicide_circus · 30-06-2020 08:49PM

odyssey06 wrote: »

I see your dingos and raise you a short faced running bear or a haasts eagle.
Want to see an eagle as big as a lion?
Sounds cool... wait what? Swoop.. thump... thud.

NOooooooo!!!!

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 08:50PM

Arghus wrote: »

I guess in some ways their worries were less numerous, but they certainly weren't less acute. It's a handy luxury to be able to fret about insurance, rather than the elemental concern of will I survive the day? Or will this tiny splinter in my foot become infected and kill me?

Sure, you could always give the lifestyle a lash there for year. Head off into the wilderness and see how you get on.

I am definitely not advocating that lifestyle nowadays!

I firmly believe people were happier back then no matter the hardships, that was life.. The highs were more frequent and alot higher and longer lasting than you would get in a modern society

They had 5 or 6 things that could make them unhappy, not 100 things

c.p.w.g.w · 30-06-2020 08:52PM

Arghus wrote: »

Yeah, constant fear and struggle and death - if you were lucky - by thirty.

Apparently, the fact that those aren't issues anymore is the reason for things like social anxiety...

Aurelian · 30-06-2020 08:54PM

The majority of the hunter gatherer diet came from the women left at home minding the kids and gathering to feed them. The fathers off hunting didn't contribute as much. So, being a hunter is probably the modern equivalent of going off to play a match with the lads and leaving the wife at home to do all the work.

buried · 30-06-2020 08:55PM

badabing106 wrote: »

But hunter gatherers didn't have that luxury to lose.

They lived in complete simplicity. Hunt. Gather. Celebrate. Shelter. Fire. Eat

People today have 100 needless things to worry about. How many insurances are there?

But that's the most simplistic way of looking at how they lived. You can't say those six things were the absolute daily formula those people had to go through. They still got sick, they still had to find and war over resources, they still had to go through a whole raft of serious problems that you don't have to even think about.
I mean, you say 'hunt' like everytime it would have been a pleasure and these boys would get a definite result at the end of it. There wouldn't have been a sure fire result everytime they went out to do that so there was no insurance there either. It would have been a gigantic pain in the arse,because your very life and those back at the circle would have totally depended upon it.

30-06-2020 08:56PM

no you're grand thanks

badabing106 · 30-06-2020 08:59PM

buried wrote: »

But that's the most simplistic way of looking at how they lived. You can't say those six things were the absolute daily formula those people had to go through. They still got sick, they still had to find and war over resources, they still had to go through a whole raft of serious problems that you don't have to even think about.
I mean, you say 'hunt' like everytime it would have been a pleasure and these boys would get a definite result at the end of it. There wouldn't have been a sure fire result everytime they went out to do that so there was no insurance there either. It would have been a gigantic pain in the arse,because your very life and those back at the circle would have totally depended upon it.

I'm not saying it was easy, far from it. A constant struggle. The rewards though!

Their goals and aspirations were simple

When you achieve those goals, that is a kind of bliss that most people' will never know

Were hunter gatherers lives the peak of human happiness?

Would you have been happier living in a Hunter Gatherer community? hunter gatherer? 78 votes

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