I have no idea which book/movie/whatever inspired it, but I had a teen fantasy about being a woodcutter. It was my way of working out the simplest world that would make me feel complete and happy – the opposite of the craziness and misery I felt as a young adult.
- I wanted to live deep in a forest and be a woodcutter
- I wanted a wife and children and live in a log cabin
- I wanted to protect them from bears
Practicalities didn’t matter – this was a fantasy that summed up my primal needs. Do meaningful work, have love, and look after others.
Twenty years later I achieved it… the cottage was a McMansion, the job was marketing, and there was nothing scary to protect my family from. But I got the family part right.
Last week I was as far away from my family as I could possibly be, where polar bears outnumber humans. And there are no trees (too cold). My family is only 42% of what it was before – no wife, but 50% of kids and dogs. No home that feels like home.
My new fantasy is:
- My own little self-sufficient farm
- Animals to love and look after
- Something evil to bring down using the Internet
The basics are still the same, and I think primally they are the same for most men. We just need to find a way to make it work in a very complex world.