In December 2016, Mark Boyle decided to move away from modern technology, says Hai. In the past three years he has not turned on the light, turned on the oven, listened to the radio, watched television, sent e-mail , didn’t call or didn’t do other modern things.
It doesn’t do anything that requires energy or “sustainable energy.” “That was my starting point, but I decided to go to a more extreme level,” he said. So he turned off his computer, deleted all social media accounts, closed his credit card and got rid of all the electronic equipment he had.
Now he feeds on fishing or farming, makes his own toothpaste from wild fennel seeds and cuttlebone, and uses the soapwort he planted to wash his clothes.
His home is a wooden cabin he built himself and he likes to spend dark winter nights under sheepskin blankets in front of a cozy wood-burning stove. Mark does not have an alarm clock or a watch. “I get up at dawn and I’m in tune with the rhythms of the season,” he explained.
There are many wooden things in his house. “Once I start woodworking, I can’t stop,” he says. “It’s just one of my favorite things to do. I can cut (wood) for hours.
Mark is not crazy, he is a normal person. He was a manager in an organic food company in Bristol. After many years of proximity to the modern world, he moved away from information, radio and television. “Of course, I am interested in what is happening in the world. I know Brexit. But I’m glad I can give it up. What can I do to help resolve the issue? »
He also realized that his new life was not about becoming a hermit, but about finding peace.
He learned to fish. Sometimes he can spend five hours chopping wood if he wants. Sometimes he sits and reads books. Sometimes he looks at the sky and admires its beauty. Or go for a walk in the woods and communicate with nature. “When I walk, nothing bothers me. I listen to the birds sing, I feel calm,” he said.
His life exudes an extraordinary calm, so he couldn’t remember the last time he got angry. “I don’t even know what can stress me out,” he says.
He bakes homemade bread, eats potatoes and vegetables. “Before, I ate potatoes and vegetables every day. Once or twice a week I eat mackerel and trout. Sometimes he goes to a pub to listen to music or have a glass of beer with friends. He wanted to try making his own buckskin shoes, and they brought him buckskins.
He said: “I will never be able to live in the city again – there is a bad atmosphere, terrible air quality and untreated water,” he said. “Calm protects me. I am in a very peaceful state – it protects me like a bathrobe when I travel the world.
Would you be able to renounce the achievements of civilization?