Urban ecology (Sociology) -- Japan; Urban renewal -- Japan
It should be quite evident, then, what is most necessary for
survival. The sun, air, water, the land -- these are by far and
without a doubt the most precious things to us. Yet, even if we
do not seek them, Nature will give us unlimited amounts free. Or
perhaps one should say that it is always there in the form of
"Nature itself"; as long as we do not contaminate it, destroy it,
or cover it with concrete, it will always be there for us. Just
as with wild animals, if human beings have food, a modest
dwelling, and clothing, it is possible to survive,
self-sufficient and independent. Most other things are add-ons,
playthings, luxuries, trouble, disaster (like recessions), and
poisons (like cigarettes and food additives).
Therefore, indispensable to us now is preparation -- a warmup --
this in order to get the things we really need. As for all other
things, especially those which are to Nature worthless and
harmful -- convenience, extravagance, ease, glory, praise, and
all other urban paraphernalia -- it would be best to shut them
out of our lives from the start.
One does not need gorgeous clothing. The desire for beautiful
clothing is the desire for a means to conceal one's own
shortcomings. Clothes make the man, as they say; trying to
increase one's own value by dressing in fine clothes is a way of
advertising one's own worthlessness. A uniform is a means of
boasting of the city's power; military uniforms, medals,
parliamentary ID tags, and priests' splendorous robes are all
means of domination devised to make people bow down before them.
And decorating armor and helmets, which are supposedly meant to
ward off arrows and swords, was the creation of display
calculated to impress, not only one's enemies, but also allies
and common people with one's majesty.
If the stable boy gets nice clothes, then why not a military
uniform on a fox, and a fancy kimono on a badger? But whether or
not their status rises as a result is another matter. First of
all, they hate wearing such troublesome things, and will show
considerable resistance if someone tries to put them on; you may
not be able to get them on the animal at all. It is because they
are natural. And it is here that we find the difference between
the city, which is built upon human law, and wildness, which
finds its foundation in the law of Nature.
The purpose of clothing is to ward off the cold and to keep from
getting wet in the rain. If need be, we should be prepared to cut
a hole in a gunny sack for our head and wear that. And we should
wear light clothing, because it is best for our health to expose
our skin to the outside air. Let us begin preparing ourselves
right now.
Preparation for our Escape from the City
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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