Provocative. Thanks for that. When I read "The Old Way" I began to think of hunting as a social development and community structure. I've read good arguments that hunting and eventually hunting in groups drove our social connections beyond our immediate kin to larger groups: clans. Our languages became shaped by the need to communicate about sharing the harvest and various rites and ceremonies came from that. Today we run from such events by giving honors without merit and devaluing the successful harvest of the most gifted hunters.
“Today we run from such events by giving honors without merit and devaluing the successful harvest”: That’s a big problem you’ve highlighted, John.
Is this because of the “me me me!” culture? We all want credit without the work?
Like you, the Old Way is changing my thinking about our pursuits- where does it fit? When there is active resistance and rejection to an activity that’s part of us, I’m left contemplating how we can stop running away from those events.
Thank you for your insightful comment. There is a lot more conversation to be had!
The concept of "if we fail, we starve" is such a powerful motivation that really gets demonized in this day and age. When we have safety nets for everything in life we sort of introduce iatrogenics into a complex system- basically we cause unintended harm. Great piece!
Well said and good point, Erik. Unintended consequences for sure...
It's funny to think about how the "if we fail, we starve" concept is controversial. I really don't think it is, but when we become oversensitized to anything that hints at competition or winning or losing, it immediately becomes a threat to some of us. I'm left thinking about something I hinted at in this essay- progress. How can progress be made with anything if everything is good in its own way?
Similarly, I'm sure my statement about there being a right and wrong (good and evil) will irritate some people. There's always nuance, but should these really be controversial?
Enough for now- I could write another essay here.😂
They really are luxury beliefs. I have no problem talking about such ideas, but when we can't acknowledge that it's indeed a luxury to see certain things as "relative," then that becomes contentious.
"Very few are involved in meaningful acquisition of food, where daily actions have a direct impact on our own as well as the group’s survival. Thus, the direct feedback of a close-knit tribe is missing. This is a constant evaluation that encourages us to change and learn, a cause-and-effect loop hardwired into our brains; to see, respond, act, and change."
Well, now you've gone and done it, Jesse: presented an evolution/action-based learning/growth model that could serve as the paradigm for a radically re-imagined education system. Very impressive. Thank you! 👏
Ha ha. Thanks, Baird- I'm flattered. But in all seriousness, I think there is something there in terms of taking advantage of our brains to learn things in an improved way. Perhaps a topic for a future post.
Humans have been hunting for longer than they've been practicing agriculture, and certainly longer than they've been raising meat in CAFOs. Not hunting is a new human phenomenon. Jim Posewitz says it best in Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting:
"For more than a million years our ancestors were socially organized, using tools and hunting. In North America 10,000 years ago, they hunted beaver as large as bear, ground sloths as tall as giraffes, long-horned bison, caribou, horses, musk ox, and mammoths. As recently as 300 years ago, hunting and gathering societies were common throughout the world. We are the children of these generations of hunters."
Tribal success and the necessity for various roles within the team all aimed at fulfilling daily needs. Many concepts lost on modern civilians due to basic need abundance and removal of necessity to contribute. Great piece
Great article, Jesse! As a parent of 3 young adults, with 2 being male, I totally see your point about the following statement:
“We’ve removed some of the direct actions and consequences of our ancestors, but we still operate (somewhat) similarly in terms of specialization. But that’s where the resemblance ends. Very few are involved in meaningful acquisition of food, where daily actions have a direct impact on our own as well as the group’s survival (only a small percentage of us farm, but the few who do generate a tremendous amount of food).”
I believe this has more of an impact, as well as a more negative impact, on men. When did it start? When men were called out of the fields and into the factories? But women were also lured into the factories! So the next generation didn’t have role models other than to work in the factories.
My eldest just recently, pulled himself out of the “factory” and placed himself back into the field. It appears to be having a positive impact on his physical, mental and spiritual health! If he “fail”, according to modern standards, he can always return to being a cog in the wheel and enslaved to the almighty dollar.
It's funny that you mentioned factories because I caught part of a documentary last night that highlighted that historical moment. How could we resist? A steady paycheck and promise of more money?
The generational issue in terms of role models is important, too. In only three generations, we've redefined "work." We keep redefining it, but perhaps not in a positive direction. Is it a great sign that a large portion of the teenage population wants to be an "influencer"?
Thank you for sharing your story about your son. It's empowering to hear what other parents with similarly aged children are encountering and how they're managing it.
"Let’s look from the adult perspective of an office job. What if my job feels pointless? What if there’s no clear meaning to it? Excitement? No purpose? What if “progress” becomes relative and unmeasurable? Moving and unattainable benchmarks ensure a perpetual state of hope and hopelessness."
Exactly! This is why I'm a big fan of ESO (employee stock ownership) and open-book management where EVERY worker has a big financial stake in the game and some degree of ownership of the strategy that will determine the ultimate success or death of the company. People get pretty excited and creative when working within that structure!
I’ll posit that the spiritual starvation creates a long term issue at least equal to the short term empty belly…especially in the context of the last few sentences of your piece. I recognize (and read)two of the three current commenters. They, along with two other people whose post I read faithfully, are on a recent track which parallels your thoughts. Good stuff. Thank you. Tim
I agree with you, Tim. At first, I thought, "now's different than then" in that hunting provided only sustenance. But that wasn't true then, and it isn't now. In fact, I think because it's missing now, the void is being filled by those things which do a poor job at alleviating spiritual starvation.
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
Excellent piece, Jesse. I'd not known that about grade inflation--sadly makes sense. Of what value is a trophy if we all get them, win or lose?
Your analysis of cultural displeasure with hunting was interesting, people don’t like killing animals but also don't like the implied meritocracy in acknowledging consequences of failure.
You bring up the pointless, meaningless office job. "What if 'progress' becomes relative and unmeasurable?" It gets even worse when what's measured is clearly meaningless but measured for the sake of measuring something, to track "progress."
There's so much to say about this piece. You bring such critical and clearly conveyed ideas to the conversation. Thank you.
Yes, a lot is going on in this essay. I'm glad you enjoyed it, James. A concern I have is packing too much into one essay, especially when readers are bombarded with information (much of which is packaged into a highly digestible format). I appreciate you reading and your feedback.
Your writing doesn’t pack too much into an essay, it’s in the form it needs to take. It also forces readers to actually think and pay attention. You wrestle with complex ideas. To use what’s become a hackneyed metaphor, it’s easy for us to find easily consumed junk food to read. Your writing is not that.
You're speaking my language, and there is so much *meat* here. I love how you tie this to kids and their development. Not everyone deserves a trophy, and *negative* feedback can be a valuable teacher.
And the lack of direct feedback can be really disorienting (at any age), and you’ve made a solid case for why we need to create environments, both for ourselves and the next generation, where real challenges, clear consequences, and meaningful work can thrive.
Erin- I thought about your recent essay ("Parenting To Empower") a few times when writing this. I know your kids are a similar age to my own. I've found myself trying to look at the world from their perspective as they approach adulthood. The school example has been...dynamic. If they get the grades, but struggle with non-classroom learning/common sense, what does that mean? Have I failed? Is it society's job or mine to make sure they're capable? I could go on for a long time on such issues 🙂
😊 I hear you—am I doing enough or too much? Have I missed something important? There’s a lot of pressure to make sure they’re 'ready,' but ready for what?
Maybe the value is in the wrestling itself, in our desire to parent well. I hope so, at least.
There’s something vestigially enjoyable about seeing others relish the game you procure. When you feed people who have suffered (or willingly submitted to) cultural amputation, you rekindle a recessive spark. They might not acknowledge or understand it; if they do, they may be at pains to deny or dismiss it — but you recognize the display. A year later they won’t remember the salad, but they will have memorialized the main dish. I occasionally cook game for urban dwellers that had never set foot in the provinces. I never quite grasped why they got so giddy at the prospect, but now I know — it’s ghost gene therapy.
Corey- What a cool concept- ghost gene therapy. So much is well said in your comment here, and I think you're right on in terms of that connection to hunted game rekindling a primal feeling...some more than others. But it is undeniable. Thank you for reading.
Provocative. Thanks for that. When I read "The Old Way" I began to think of hunting as a social development and community structure. I've read good arguments that hunting and eventually hunting in groups drove our social connections beyond our immediate kin to larger groups: clans. Our languages became shaped by the need to communicate about sharing the harvest and various rites and ceremonies came from that. Today we run from such events by giving honors without merit and devaluing the successful harvest of the most gifted hunters.
“Today we run from such events by giving honors without merit and devaluing the successful harvest”: That’s a big problem you’ve highlighted, John.
Is this because of the “me me me!” culture? We all want credit without the work?
Like you, the Old Way is changing my thinking about our pursuits- where does it fit? When there is active resistance and rejection to an activity that’s part of us, I’m left contemplating how we can stop running away from those events.
Thank you for your insightful comment. There is a lot more conversation to be had!
The concept of "if we fail, we starve" is such a powerful motivation that really gets demonized in this day and age. When we have safety nets for everything in life we sort of introduce iatrogenics into a complex system- basically we cause unintended harm. Great piece!
Well said and good point, Erik. Unintended consequences for sure...
It's funny to think about how the "if we fail, we starve" concept is controversial. I really don't think it is, but when we become oversensitized to anything that hints at competition or winning or losing, it immediately becomes a threat to some of us. I'm left thinking about something I hinted at in this essay- progress. How can progress be made with anything if everything is good in its own way?
Similarly, I'm sure my statement about there being a right and wrong (good and evil) will irritate some people. There's always nuance, but should these really be controversial?
Enough for now- I could write another essay here.😂
Exactly! It's eye opening to see how quickly theoretical concepts begin to pale in the face of real and immediate consequences!
They really are luxury beliefs. I have no problem talking about such ideas, but when we can't acknowledge that it's indeed a luxury to see certain things as "relative," then that becomes contentious.
"Very few are involved in meaningful acquisition of food, where daily actions have a direct impact on our own as well as the group’s survival. Thus, the direct feedback of a close-knit tribe is missing. This is a constant evaluation that encourages us to change and learn, a cause-and-effect loop hardwired into our brains; to see, respond, act, and change."
Well, now you've gone and done it, Jesse: presented an evolution/action-based learning/growth model that could serve as the paradigm for a radically re-imagined education system. Very impressive. Thank you! 👏
Ha ha. Thanks, Baird- I'm flattered. But in all seriousness, I think there is something there in terms of taking advantage of our brains to learn things in an improved way. Perhaps a topic for a future post.
Humans have been hunting for longer than they've been practicing agriculture, and certainly longer than they've been raising meat in CAFOs. Not hunting is a new human phenomenon. Jim Posewitz says it best in Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting:
"For more than a million years our ancestors were socially organized, using tools and hunting. In North America 10,000 years ago, they hunted beaver as large as bear, ground sloths as tall as giraffes, long-horned bison, caribou, horses, musk ox, and mammoths. As recently as 300 years ago, hunting and gathering societies were common throughout the world. We are the children of these generations of hunters."
Wow, yes he did. What a great quote, Deborah. Thank you for sharing it here. And I like your phrase: "Not hunting is a new human phenomenon."
Thank you.
Tribal success and the necessity for various roles within the team all aimed at fulfilling daily needs. Many concepts lost on modern civilians due to basic need abundance and removal of necessity to contribute. Great piece
Thank you, Kyle. You summed up the gist of it in a lot fewer words. 😊
Haha I prefer your words and wisdom on this topic always
Great article, Jesse! As a parent of 3 young adults, with 2 being male, I totally see your point about the following statement:
“We’ve removed some of the direct actions and consequences of our ancestors, but we still operate (somewhat) similarly in terms of specialization. But that’s where the resemblance ends. Very few are involved in meaningful acquisition of food, where daily actions have a direct impact on our own as well as the group’s survival (only a small percentage of us farm, but the few who do generate a tremendous amount of food).”
I believe this has more of an impact, as well as a more negative impact, on men. When did it start? When men were called out of the fields and into the factories? But women were also lured into the factories! So the next generation didn’t have role models other than to work in the factories.
My eldest just recently, pulled himself out of the “factory” and placed himself back into the field. It appears to be having a positive impact on his physical, mental and spiritual health! If he “fail”, according to modern standards, he can always return to being a cog in the wheel and enslaved to the almighty dollar.
It's funny that you mentioned factories because I caught part of a documentary last night that highlighted that historical moment. How could we resist? A steady paycheck and promise of more money?
The generational issue in terms of role models is important, too. In only three generations, we've redefined "work." We keep redefining it, but perhaps not in a positive direction. Is it a great sign that a large portion of the teenage population wants to be an "influencer"?
Thank you for sharing your story about your son. It's empowering to hear what other parents with similarly aged children are encountering and how they're managing it.
"Let’s look from the adult perspective of an office job. What if my job feels pointless? What if there’s no clear meaning to it? Excitement? No purpose? What if “progress” becomes relative and unmeasurable? Moving and unattainable benchmarks ensure a perpetual state of hope and hopelessness."
Exactly! This is why I'm a big fan of ESO (employee stock ownership) and open-book management where EVERY worker has a big financial stake in the game and some degree of ownership of the strategy that will determine the ultimate success or death of the company. People get pretty excited and creative when working within that structure!
Here, here! to that. The creative juices flow and motivation skyrockets in such arrangements. And everyone profits. Excellent point to highlight.
I’ll posit that the spiritual starvation creates a long term issue at least equal to the short term empty belly…especially in the context of the last few sentences of your piece. I recognize (and read)two of the three current commenters. They, along with two other people whose post I read faithfully, are on a recent track which parallels your thoughts. Good stuff. Thank you. Tim
I agree with you, Tim. At first, I thought, "now's different than then" in that hunting provided only sustenance. But that wasn't true then, and it isn't now. In fact, I think because it's missing now, the void is being filled by those things which do a poor job at alleviating spiritual starvation.
Thanks for reading.
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com
Cool idea! I’ll check it out.
Excellent piece, Jesse. I'd not known that about grade inflation--sadly makes sense. Of what value is a trophy if we all get them, win or lose?
Your analysis of cultural displeasure with hunting was interesting, people don’t like killing animals but also don't like the implied meritocracy in acknowledging consequences of failure.
You bring up the pointless, meaningless office job. "What if 'progress' becomes relative and unmeasurable?" It gets even worse when what's measured is clearly meaningless but measured for the sake of measuring something, to track "progress."
There's so much to say about this piece. You bring such critical and clearly conveyed ideas to the conversation. Thank you.
Yes, a lot is going on in this essay. I'm glad you enjoyed it, James. A concern I have is packing too much into one essay, especially when readers are bombarded with information (much of which is packaged into a highly digestible format). I appreciate you reading and your feedback.
Your writing doesn’t pack too much into an essay, it’s in the form it needs to take. It also forces readers to actually think and pay attention. You wrestle with complex ideas. To use what’s become a hackneyed metaphor, it’s easy for us to find easily consumed junk food to read. Your writing is not that.
Thank you, James.
You're speaking my language, and there is so much *meat* here. I love how you tie this to kids and their development. Not everyone deserves a trophy, and *negative* feedback can be a valuable teacher.
And the lack of direct feedback can be really disorienting (at any age), and you’ve made a solid case for why we need to create environments, both for ourselves and the next generation, where real challenges, clear consequences, and meaningful work can thrive.
Erin- I thought about your recent essay ("Parenting To Empower") a few times when writing this. I know your kids are a similar age to my own. I've found myself trying to look at the world from their perspective as they approach adulthood. The school example has been...dynamic. If they get the grades, but struggle with non-classroom learning/common sense, what does that mean? Have I failed? Is it society's job or mine to make sure they're capable? I could go on for a long time on such issues 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting.
😊 I hear you—am I doing enough or too much? Have I missed something important? There’s a lot of pressure to make sure they’re 'ready,' but ready for what?
Maybe the value is in the wrestling itself, in our desire to parent well. I hope so, at least.
There’s something vestigially enjoyable about seeing others relish the game you procure. When you feed people who have suffered (or willingly submitted to) cultural amputation, you rekindle a recessive spark. They might not acknowledge or understand it; if they do, they may be at pains to deny or dismiss it — but you recognize the display. A year later they won’t remember the salad, but they will have memorialized the main dish. I occasionally cook game for urban dwellers that had never set foot in the provinces. I never quite grasped why they got so giddy at the prospect, but now I know — it’s ghost gene therapy.
Corey- What a cool concept- ghost gene therapy. So much is well said in your comment here, and I think you're right on in terms of that connection to hunted game rekindling a primal feeling...some more than others. But it is undeniable. Thank you for reading.