A Wilder Life: Learning from our past to create an epic future.
Eric Edmeades
Behavior Change Dynamics: Helping people and organizations create lasting behavioral improvements.
At 12 years old I was looking at a human skull.
A 259,000 year old skull found by my grandfather.
I wondered a great deal about what life, and death, must have been like for this early human. I wondered what hunting was like. And communicating. And life without shelter or electricity. Without agriculture or food storage.
I wondered to what degree our instincts are, perhaps, better suited to that more ‘natural’ way of life than the very ‘civilized’ lives we live today.
In 2011 I was invited to meet with the Hadza (or Hadzabe) people of Tanzania. I was intrigued.
The Hadza people are among the last hunter-gather peoples on earth and, while we must not romanticize them as purely representative of our past, it is fair to suggest that their lifestyle is the * closest representation * to our ancestral lifestyle in existence today.
My first meeting with them was life-changing for me; I saw that there is a great deal that we can learn by observing them. I have visited them almost annually for a decade. Some of my visits have been fleeting; a day or two. And at other times I have embedded with them; staying for longer periods of time to really immerse myself in their culture.
My visits with the Hadza have played a major role in the work I have done with WILDFIT? which is, ultimately, a company that helps people ‘rewild’ their relationship with food.
A few years ago I made the decision to introduce some of my clients to the Hadza people in partnership with @Neekotours. (This is not something that I can offer everyone but if you are interested in the ultimate cultural experience DM me and we will let you know what our plans are.)
And, if you are curious about the Hadza or how we might be able to improve our lives by learning from them, post your thoughts below. I will do what I can to answer you or, at least, to offer my perspective.
I believe that we can take the best of their world and the best of our world and live more enjoyable, richer, wilder lives.
#HADZA #WILDFIT #REWILDING #REWILDYOURLIFE #AWILDERLIFE #THEREMEMBERING #HADZABE #WILDFIT
Leistungsdiagnostik und Trainingsoptimierung, 25+ Jahre Leistungssport - über 10.000 Leistungsdiagnostiken in mehr als 100 Disziplinen
4 年I love this kind of experiences... But in the most cases, if I look around, the human beings are working hard, to destroy themselves...:-(.
Midlife Mindset For Joy & Meaning | Banish Negative Self-talk ?? Transform Your Relationships With Compassion & Ease from the Inside Out in 12 Weeks
4 年I always wonder, with persistent HG groups, do they know what they've got? I imagine it's difficult not to see it purely as 'better or worse', but there are some things they've got that we settled folk just don't and vice versa. Shoes allow less care to be taken when moving, which means less risk of immediate injury, but at the cost of longer term weakness, desensitisation and deskilling. The same is true for much of our technology. It allows/generates long term weakness, deskilling and forgetfulness without the cost of sudden death for ourselves and our immediate communities. I suspect that the best lesson to be learned from the Hadza is to enact a culture that embeds the expectations of our biology as the key to health and wellbeing. Time for no tables, chairs or beds and walking to the shops... barefoot with a bag and some rope. Though I can't see how I'd be able to visit them in the near future, Eric Edmeades, I love that you continue to go back and that they appear to have chosen to continue and protect their own way of life. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for maintaining 'the old ways'.
Blockchain Research | On-chain since 2019 | Defi | Master of Science in Blockchain and Digital Currency | Master of Science in Blockchain and Digital Assets | Payments Expert | Chillguy
4 年Nice !! I love it. From my very limited knowledge - our ancestors really knew how to their lives as part of their ecosystem
Pioneering AI & Emotional Intelligence | CEO, Vibeonix | Transforming Emotional Well-being with Voice-AI Integration | Helping Organizations Harness Emotional Data
4 年Wow. I appreciate your call to discover your ancestors and connect with them. Beautiful.
Simplify Operations and Improve Strategic Decisions?? Management Advisor on the Board and beyond ?? International Impact in five languages ?? Excellence and Disruptive Leadership
4 年I love the evolutionary perspective and the adventurous trait!