Be A Psychological Nomad
Our early ancestors were hunter-gatherers who lived nomadically off the land. They would go from place-to-place according to the seasons and availability of shelter and resources. For most creatures in nature, home is a very fluid concept.
They also take only what they need from the land – no more and no less. They migrated around the ecosystem, from place to place so as not to excessively wear out any individual part, or become overly reliant on any one place.
The hunter-gatherer worked somewhere between three to four hours a day- hunting and gathering. They were tied to very little at all.
Then came the Agricultural Revolution
When the Agricultural Revolution came along, we began tying ourselves to pieces of land and growing wheat to gain a more dependable food supply. But as soon as we began tying ourselves to land, we were given something to protect. We were also given more work – much more than three or four hours a day.
This innovation gave us more to do. It gave us more sunk cost – we couldn’t let roamers come along and take our produce, so we had to defend it. The land became an extension of us and our livelihood – a bigger organism to look after.
In the same way a bird, which can fly freely in the sky becomes anchored to one place once it has a nest, do we become tied down when we shoot our roots into the ground.
Anchoring and Liability
Everything you possess or invest yourself into also becomes a liability. It is something else you must maintain or protect. Your house must be maintained and kept secure, just like your car, your family, and your job. Each has ongoing costs, and places demands on your time.
Everything you become anchored to also becomes a liability. It is something else that can be threatened, contested for, or that you might find reason to quarrel over. Hunter-gatherers didn’t have dishwashers that malfunctioned or lawns for dogs to poop on. There were less trivial things that could catastrophise and interrupt their day.
To be upset and frustrated over these things, first you must own them. This does not mean that ownership is bad – it means we must decide if it is worth it.
A Psychological Nomad
The Psychological Nomad is the one who is spread and diversified across many and all, relying on no single thing. How nomadic are you in this way? What are the avenues then, which you invest your time, attention and energy into so that you can have self-esteem? What do you anchor yourself to?
Is It Your Job?
Is it your job as a lawyer, teacher, builder, writer, or whatever role you’ve decided to play in society for now. Is this the only part of your identity? If you are anchored to it, you will be forced to defend it, just like the farmer whose whole life is his farm.
Is It Your Talent?
Is it your talent as a poker-player, as a leader, as a thinker, as a singer? Are you the smartest in your group, the best-looking, the most ‘successful’ or the funniest?
If so, you’ll have to defend your position if someone comes along who is smarter, better-looking, more ‘successful’ or funnier. We all know that attractive girl who surrounds herself with friends of lesser-looks to boost her own self-esteem – do you want to be the equivalent?
Is It Your Viewpoint or Belief?
Is it your religion or your political view that you are desperately anchored to? Are you handcuffed to your faith and your ideas like Gollum to the Ring of Power in The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings? If so you are not a true believer or follower, because you are attached – these attachments are like a child who clings to their mother for safety, who screams and writhes around on the floor, who will do anything to avoid having to stand alone.
When we grow, we should not depend on our mothers in this way, but that is not to say we do not love them. Rather, we connect with more people than we do as an infant, standing on our own two feet. This is the same way we must be self-sufficient and not depend on anything – not even our faith or deepest beliefs.
Never Be Anchored To One Particular Thing
Do not let your psychology live in one place. Design it so it is nomadic. Do Interest Mapping and see all the places your fascinating curiosities reside.
Not your career, not your partner, not your children, not your home and not your farm. If your whole life lives in one thing, then if that thing dies, you die too.
And this is unnatural.
