updated 6/26/04
Civilization Survival Tip No. 7
The Rural Cure
by Paul Ingraham, Vancouver, Canada MOREclose
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
Credentials and qualifications
I am a writer and retired Registered Massage Therapist (unusually well-trained for a massage therapist, a 3000-hour program). I’m almost done with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. I am a peer reviewer for The Natural Standard, and a copyeditor for Science-Based Medicine. My most important qualification is more than a decade of workaholic post-graduate study, clinical experience, and constant conversations with readers from around the world, including many experts who have provided countless suggestions and criticisms.
For more information, see: Who Am I to Say? More information about my qualifications, credentials and professional experiences for my readers and customers.
The Civilization Survival tips series was originally commissioned by CBC Radio One for “The Early Edition,” and broadcast between September 30 and October 4, 2002.
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Several years ago I spent a summer living in a shack on Salt Spring Island, a kind of super vacation. For a while, I achieved escape velocity from the urban lifestyle. I generally did sweaty farming things in the morning and then worked on my hammock technique all afternoon.
That’s the biggest difference between here and there, you see: pace. Island time isn’t just slower: it’s in another dimension. Living in downtown Vancouver today, I wonder what exactly was I thinking in that hammock? Where was my head? For pity’s sake, I could have been researching my investments! If I’d had any! All that precious time wasted!
Another distinction between urban and rural life is ambition: namely, there isn’t much of it past the city limits. Consider my charmingly unmotivated girlfriend. In the city, this is a glaring fault, as obvious as a second head. She belongs in the country, where freaks like her are accepted by others of her own kind.
Of course, I’m jealous. I am diseased with speed and ambition. I know that massage therapy, hot tubs, and Wreck Beach can temporarily relieve the symptoms of workaholism — but the only real cure is to spend a season working for room and board on a farm. This is drastic action, I know, but I challenge you to take the idea seriously. If you’re truly exhausted with diesel fumes and noise pollution, a rural pilgrimage might be just the thing. This is your life we’re talking about, after all. And who knows: you might even stay out there.
Further Reading
- If you are interested in a rural cure, there is an organization that will help you do it: WWOOF Canada. WWOOF stands for “Willing Workers On Organic Farms.” For a small fee they provide you with a comprehensive, nation-wide catalogue of organic farms looking for people willing to work 4-6 hours per day for room and board. It is an amazing way to travel! And an amazing way to get out of the city and learn about farming.