It dawns

I was walking on Greenham Common with my two border collies on Monday evening as dusk approached. In fact I wasn't just walking, I was exploring.  I was exploring parts of the common that I hadn't visited before, heading off the footpaths through a gap in the gorse, to make the walk more interesting for the three of us. This might not have happened if the weather had not been so changeable, as I had taken a book with me to read. Within a minute of leaving the car, an annoying group of raindrops decided to spoil my reading.  There wasn't a sufficient density to justify the term "raining", but it was enough to prevent me reading outdoors.

So it was, with my book tucked under my coat, and out of sight of the rest of mankind, I found myself in the middle of what was once Europe's longest military runway.  It turned out we were not alone though.  A buzzard had joined us, and proceeded to glide around thirty feet above our heads.  There was a blustery westerly wind blowing, and our new companion was heading straight into it, as was I. I had good reason to thank that wind, as the buzzard's ground speed was reduced to not much more than my own. I was able to witness some genuine flying expertise, as the buzzard's head stayed utterly stable, while wings and tail twitched and twisted furiously to resist the buffeting of the gusting wind.  My surroundings drifted into insignificance, as I accompanied this airborne killer, following the westward route of so many fighters and bombers that had preceded us for the fifty years the airfield was active.  For something like twenty seconds, I walked along the runway, while the powerful bird of prey cruised above. Finally, giving up on its search for prey in that sector of the common, the bird twisted to the right, exposing its wings to the wind like a sail, and tore away to the north, plunging lower to gain speed even faster before climbing again to clear the trees at the edge of the common.

At that moment, I realised that I wasn't just physically exploring Greenham Common, but that mentally I was exploring subjects as diverse as history, geography, ecology, sociology, physics, biology and philosophy. Within the space of thirty minutes scouting around the site of possibly the most famous nuclear weapons location in the UK, I had pondered the relativity of scale.  To us, a bomber overhead is a daunting and terrifying prospect. To a shrew, the silhouette of a buzzard against the dark grey clouds would have triggered a moment of fear, and released a dose of adrenalin to assist in reaching safety as quickly as possible.  I had also thought about the analysis that had taken place to ensure the safety of the area for the public; I had marvelled at the aerodynamics of a bird of prey. So much to think about, just by walking and looking.  More relevantly, I realised that I am happiest away from crowds, noise and technology.  There was no thought of taking a picture of the buzzard or recording the sighting as an achievement. I just wanted to enjoy being there with the bird, to enjoy its company - to be a part of the natural world, rather than a spectator.

This was the day that I thought I might be a Young Luddite, a phrase that formed easily in my mind.  A quick search of the Internet reveals only 88 hits for the phrase, so it would seem that there aren't many of us. Or are there?  Am I just one of the few that uses the internet so much? Admittedly, I'm not that young, and am a computer programmer, and spend a considerable amount of time online; but I am increasingly backing away from the readily accepted conveniences of modern life.  I don't necessarily want to resist change, but I do tend to.  I don't think that advances in technology are a bad idea, but I do think they should be more carefully evaluated before being accepted as a good idea. My fundamental concept underlying all this is that mankind is extraordinarily able to cope and adapt, and has evolved massively in the last few thousand years to reach this point of extreme intelligence.  I suspect that we are now in danger of the majority of mankind losing that intelligence, as we depend more and more on electronics to do our thinking for us. As we delegate our mental activity to our machines, surely we are in danger of retrograde evolution.  Scientists are already fearful that the current youngest generation might have a lower life expectancy than their parents due to poor diet and limited phsyical exercise.  Are we in danger of adding that they will have a lower mental capacity too?

For an example of what I mean by a Young Luddite; I will certainly use the internet to plan a route, but only because I don't own detailed maps of the whole of the UK.  Having planned the route, I will try to memorise it, and anticipate landmarks along the way.  I may even jot down a few notes like "A46 till just after Lincoln", but not "proceed for 300 yards then take the third exit at the roundabout".  I'd rather be watching out for a signpost that reads "A46" than counting exits on a roundabout, or depending on a gadget stuck to my dashboard.  It makes me feel more alive, more of a Luddite, and Younger.