I live on a farm and, though I still buy most of what I need to live from the store, I also try my hand at some of the "crafts" of the past for reasons of practicality and curiosity. It is incredibly humbling to realize that people had to survive by what they made and grew, the animals they raised, etc. Even being experienced with farm work, I can't imagine my life depending on it. Without the backup of reliable trade, it must have taken serious training, practice, and generations of wisdom handed down for people to master the skills needed to survive--then a lot of hard work. It's a daunting prospect.
Part of the reason that so much historical fiction is about kings and queens. It truly is difficult to imagine how hard life was for most human being for most of our history. Equally, of course, it is hard to imagine that it did not seem as hard to them as it does to us because they had known nothing else. Normal, wonderful, and terrible, again.
Bruh. Mind blown. What an excellent insight.
I live on a farm and, though I still buy most of what I need to live from the store, I also try my hand at some of the "crafts" of the past for reasons of practicality and curiosity. It is incredibly humbling to realize that people had to survive by what they made and grew, the animals they raised, etc. Even being experienced with farm work, I can't imagine my life depending on it. Without the backup of reliable trade, it must have taken serious training, practice, and generations of wisdom handed down for people to master the skills needed to survive--then a lot of hard work. It's a daunting prospect.
Part of the reason that so much historical fiction is about kings and queens. It truly is difficult to imagine how hard life was for most human being for most of our history. Equally, of course, it is hard to imagine that it did not seem as hard to them as it does to us because they had known nothing else. Normal, wonderful, and terrible, again.