“Do not stare into the Kelly Kettle,
lest the Kelly Kettle stares back into thee”
Long Walks & Anarcho-Primitivism
Paul Mobbs’ blog on lifestyle change and simplicity, exploring the ecological and psychological dimensions of regularly spending time outdoors
At the root of this discussion is a very simple question: “What if, one day, everything just stopped; could you survive?”. I don’t mean apocalypse; I mean engaging with the very practical reality that long before human civilisation ends, or nears the end, ‘consumerism’ will have collapsed first.
That is what this series will explore: How it is possible to learn to live “when the lights go out”, and to do that very easily and cheaply. How, by spending time developing practical skills outdoors – outside of the restrictions of today’s everyday ‘normality’ – you can learn to move beyond the restrictions of that life, as the inevitable breakdown of ‘normality’ grinds inexorably forward over the next 10 to 20 years.
This site merges ‘Ramblinactivist’ Paul Mobbs’ ‘work’ and ‘relaxation’ blogs to develop a new way of looking at today's multiple, related ecological crises. It proposes that the response of us as individuals is entirely the same no matter what the issue – creating a new simpler, less material lifestyle outside of the common expectations of ‘modern’ society.
Metal containers for boiling water are ‘ancient’; but what do you think ancient Greek (their word, ‘kotyle’) or Roman people used to heat their pans? Electricity? Kerosine? Compressed petroleum gas? Heating water is foundational to human society – a technology that defines us. How do we maintain that skill in an increasingly uncertain world?
There are events and periods of history that are not talked about; they raise difficult, political questions about that history. Viewing how the past has created the world as it is today, with all its perceived faults, can be a journey into that unspoken, ‘taboo history’.
Written three-hundred and seventy-two years ago, this prologue outlines some of Gerrard Winstanley’s key phrases and ideas. It’s about the importance of action to create change rather than ‘just talking about it’, and the unwelcome reality that too many people talking about change delays the achievement of it through direct action.
This blog post also contains an podcast recording of the text.
I have no mobile phone; I have no watch; but I have time. Many have questioned how I dare wander abroad without the technologies of time measurement and mobile communication. In this post I explain, in reply, my querying of their ‘necessity’.
Revisiting the story of the local Leveller revolt from 372 years ago, to see how the problematic patterns of history laid down then, persist into the modern-day.
This blog post also contains an podcast recording of the text.
Walking, camping, and foraging, are the last ‘natural’ refuges outside technological society – the last ‘commons’ open to all irrespective of wealth; albeit one that’s always under threat.
I know I’m not alone in that position. More importantly, I know there are many more who want to ‘downshift’ into “something else” – other than where they are now – but have not the first clue how.
So many times people passing have said to me, “what have you got in that big rucksack?” In this blog post I’ll outline what it is I carry in ‘my big pack’, and a little about why I take it.
Long Walks & A/P, Part 6, New Flower Moon 2022:
Long Walks & A/P, Part 5, Imbolic 2022:
‘Radical References’ No.2, Lammas 2021:
Long Walks & A/P, Part 4, Flower Moon 2021:
‘Radical References’ No.1, Beltane 2021:
Long Walks & A/P, Part 3, Worm Moon 2021:
Long Walks & A/P, Part 2, Imbolic 2020: