I am supposed to be civilised, to be tame, a responsible member of a civil society.
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I should be orderly and predictable an exemplar of correctness. There is a problem with this, I go out into nature.I visit not seeing nature as something other than me, but rather, as a guest of Pan in some wild Bacchanalian party.
I do not go politely to see the view but rather to wander, participate, and dance within it.
Nature you see has not been tamed, she is not the subject of arbitrary human laws, she is the law.
Her law exists on the edge of the howl of the wolf and the drunken scent of the Dama de Noche. This law cannot be imprisoned by pen marks on white pages.
I hear this law, it calls to me and speaks with my outlaw soul. I am no longer able to be orderly, polite, and civilised. I bow down to this higher sensibilty.
When I go out into nature something happens, something that civilisation does not like.
Neil Hill is one of Europe’s top outdoor, wilderness and survival coaches. He believes that our modern disconnect from nature has led to many of our personal, physical and social problems. He has led courses into some of the worlds most hostile and wild environments. His passion is to reconnect people with their aboriginal roots in nature, enabling them to have adventures and experiences that unlock their massive potential, Neil is the founder of Rewilding Bushcraft.
