I have just finished a book by a man who spent 40 years living off grid by a loch in the Scottish Highlands, getting as much of the food and other resources he needed from the land as he could.
He never used a computer, let alone the Internet, and didn’t possess any kind of phone, let alone a mobile phone or smartphone. This was not a lifestyle to romanticise, as it was incredibly hard work and he nearly died several times, but despite this the AI revolution sometimes makes me want to head for the hills in a similar way. The Keswick Convention may appeal to those who are of a similar mindset.
This man, who became known as “the hermit of Treig”, is very open about the fact that he interacts with people fairly often, travels by train or hitch-hikes, visits the supermarket every now and then, and friends order things for him online. He benefits from consumer society and lives the sort of privileged – if extremely harsh – existence that is only possible if the majority of people stay in towns and villages, leaving the loch-side largely undisturbed.
