
The Strange and Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit - randomwalker
http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201409/the-last-true-hermit?printable=true
======
grownseed
Many, many times have I considered isolating myself, separating myself from
the seemingly vacuous concerns of a society riddled with senseless traditions,
layers upon layers of societal band-aids and pointless struggles over
ridiculously subjective arguments.

I spent most of my life being disgusted by the frivolity of most people's
desires and qualms, and for this reason, I feel I deeply understand why Chris
Knight did what he did. No reason, no justification, no particular aim, just
life.

While I still catch myself wishing for such a life, I realized I could not
blame or reject what I do not actively participate in. Furthermore, I came to
the conclusion, possibly wrongly, that a life worth living is a life worth
sharing, that society will always be able to offer you more than you can offer
it.

I now believe that the solution is not to reject society, nor be tied by its
requirements or norms, but rather behave as a free agent, with independence,
compassion and mental fortitude.

Law, Economy, Politics, Religion, Science, Technology, ... are, in my opinion,
mere relics and artifacts of thousands of years of civilization, localized
attempts at guiding the seemingly mis-guided, while becoming eventually
meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

These civilized relics are not necessarily bad, but as with anything else
attachment becomes the issue. While becoming a hermit is possibly the quickest
way of severing those ties, attachment is the burden of the mind, not of
society at large. Isolation diminishes, or even wipes attachment issues
altogether, but it does not resolve them.

This might come across as preachy, though it certainly isn't my intention, I
simply wanted to share my view with anybody who, like I used to, wishes for
isolation as a remedy.

~~~
mcs
I've had a recurring dream of building a little shack out in the woods and
I've constantly wondered if the Ted Kaczynski would have turned so dark with
modern access to the internet.

~~~
xnull
Kaczynski's case was very complicated by the experiments he was a victim of
and his retreat into the certainty of his own internal logic. Kaczynski with
internet is an interesting thought - though I'm not sure whether I would
expect things to have turned better or worse.

Interestingly, Kaczynski is alive and does send and receive mail. One curious
enough could ask his perspective.

------
soneca
_" I did examine myself," he said. "Solitude did increase my perception. But
here's the tricky thing—when I applied my increased perception to myself, I
lost my identity. With no audience, no one to perform for, I was just there.
There was no need to define myself; I became irrelevant. The moon was the
minute hand, the seasons the hour hand. I didn't even have a name. I never
felt lonely. To put it romantically: I was completely free."_

This part resonated a lot to me. I consider self-awareness one of my
qualities. But I too feel like the more I try and understand myself, the more
distanced of the world I am. If I micro-analyze every reaction I have, I miss
the point to connect to another person. I take myself out of society.

I found out that being defined by another person is a good thing for me.
Particurlaly by people I love. I want to naturally be the person that made
people I love love me.

~~~
pinkyand
The kind of situation(of identity loss and connectedness to nature ,etc) is
kind of a goal in eastern meditation traditions. But another goal is creating
compassionate people who care about others while carrying that identity-less
feeling with them. And true, one risk is that one would be happy with himself
and isolate himself. But those traditions know and try to manage those risks.

And i don't think this loss of self comes from self introspection, but more
from long solitude(which tends to break the psych construct we call ego).

And no wonder he like solitude so strongly - he didn't find happiness among
humans before. Hopefully after he get released , he can find some way to make
a living while having the ability to live mostly alone and in nature.

~~~
r00fus
> And true, one risk is that one would be happy with himself and isolate
> himself. But those traditions know and try to manage those risks.

Sorry, at least in Indian mythology the "ascetic" is idolized and glorified
(they exhibited superpowers through their isolated meditation). In what way is
this "managing those risks"?

~~~
dhruval
Developing various cartoon superpowers is mostly used in the context of being
denounced as being of inferior value compared to that tradition's idea of
spiritual salvation. So I am not sure if that can be taken as promoting
asceticism.

Leaving mythology aside, different spiritual traditions strive towards
different goals.

Sikhism rejects outward asceticism... "Asceticism doesn't lie in the earring,
nor in the shaven head, nor blowing a conch. Asceticism lies in remaining pure
amidst impurities."

Buddhism advocates a middle way, and is against too much asceticism as well as
too much hedonism and in mahayana a vow working to benefit others...
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vow)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_way](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_way)

Hinduism is a very mixed bag. A one of the most popular ideals involves
working towards outcome in a non-attached way...
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga)

Jainism probably has the most ascetic spiritual ideal among the indian
traditions.

------
ithought
I marvel out how perfect this story is in various ways. No real resolution to
it, no motive, no discernible point. The unfolding of it all and the brutally
abrupt ending; "We are not friends", seemed predictable shocking and sad at
the same time.

Interestingly, the journalist has an upcoming movie where he's played by Jonah
Hill. A fugitive murderer had used his name as an alias and through that, he'd
developed a relationship with him and interviewed him after the person was
convicted.

------
grecy
> _He was never happy in his youth—not in high school, not with a job, not
> being around other people. Then he discovered his camp in the woods. "I
> found a place where I was content," he said. His own perfect spot. The only
> place in the world he felt at peace._

This resonates very strongly with me personally. So much so, I traveled to
Alaska and hiked into "The Magic Bus" of Chris McCandless/Into The Wild fame
[1]. From there, I spent 2 years driving to Argentina, sleeping out in my tent
as often as possible. I'd often go a week without seeing or talking to another
person, two weeks when I found somewhere remote enough.

Since then I've moved to the Yukon, where I've met some very interesting
characters. One guy, in Dawson City, lives in a cave across the Yukon River
from town. He has a second cave full of chickens, and he sells the eggs in
town to make enough money to pay for food/beer. He boats across the river in
summer and walks across the river for 7 months of the year.

I once again feel the pull, and I'm heavily planning my next trip - 2 years
around Africa, hopefully getting as remote as possible. With luck, that will
lead into a 2 year Europe->SE Asia trip, once again camping and hiking as much
as possible.

[1] [http://theroadchoseme.com/the-magic-bus](http://theroadchoseme.com/the-
magic-bus)

~~~
vacri
Ironically, you can also find isolation in the heart of cities. A lot of
mentally ill people become homeless in order to find that isolation, that
release from social requirements. Yes, you see people, so aren't literally
physically isolated, but you're not seen yourself.

~~~
shubb
>>but you're not seen yourself.

I always find it interesting when people say that. When you pass a man in a
suit in the street, mostly see an office worker. When you pass a kid in a
baggy old hoody and a haze of weed smoke, you write them off as just another
PHD student.

That sentence, that when you are homeless, people don't see you - what it make
me think is more that these people refuse to see themselves as homeless bums.
They are still who ever they were before they became homeless. They have
parents, maybe children, maybe even a job that they still identify with.

There are people I work with who, honestly, I couldn't tell you whether they
have children, or a single fact about them except that they can sign QA
documents. I suspect they would say the same about me. We don't feel invisible
because we are able to accept what the other person sees in us - being a
generic office worker is an acceptable part of our identity.

Often, when someone says people don't really see them, it means that what
people see in them is not something they want people to see. However much
truth there is to it.

------
bmj
Reminds me a bit of the story of the Russian family that lived in a remote
section of the Siberian taiga:

[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-
russ...](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-russian-
family-was-cut-off-from-all-human-contact-unaware-of-world-war-ii-7354256/?no-
ist)

Granted, they weren't alone (it was a family), but they truly lived a hermit's
existence, even when they were discovered by geologists.

------
hyp0

      The moon was the minute hand,
      the seasons the hour hand.
    

Guy can write. Once his weekly obligation ends, he could make it work with a
source of income as a writer, using a smartphone, bluetooth keyboard, solar
panel, and get near a cell phone tower. Without rent and utils, he needs much
less money than usual. Order groceries etc online, so he can remain isolated
(and of course hunt/fish).

Or write a book, invest, live on interest in the woods.

He wouldn't really like _having_ to write, but he admires good writing, and if
it would grant contentment...

 _See also, coding in the
woods[http://www.atariarchives.org/deli/cottage_computer_programmi...](http://www.atariarchives.org/deli/cottage_computer_programming.php*)

~~~
pp19dd
Always awesome to see an outlier, and one removed from our busy lives. I can't
help but romanticize living far from others (though, in a cabin- for some good
eyecandy, see the 'cabin porn' tumblr.) But, having read this a second time,
the part that I definitely didn't appreciate is the burglaries. There are
plenty of people who homestead (low-cost, off the grid) just fine without
instilling fear into their communities (IMO, despite being a hermit, he did
have a community by definition of pillaging them to survive.)

Many people escape the busy life and it works for them. Plenty of them blog
about it. Martha from Canada: "I fondly remember an old friend saying that he
would never live in a place that had a traffic report." Her latest blog posts
are a selection process for which chickens get put on the chopping block.
Others write about getting new wood stoves, or photographing piles of wood
they chopped for the winter. No one blogs about burglarizing cabins.

------
GotAnyMegadeth
You could argue that he missed out on a lot of the amazing things about modern
life, you could argue that we are missing out on many of the things of a
solitary life in the forest. Either way, I'm glad that he didn't miss out on
one of the most important things about modern life: Pokémon.

------
personlurking
He may have lived in an uninhabited place but it seems, considering the amount
and variety of stuff he stole, his mind was almost constantly inhabited by the
modern world.

~~~
PhasmaFelis
Doesn't sound like either the amount or the variety was exceptional, given
that he was living off of what he stole. Food, clothes, books seems to be the
bulk of it; I doubt he had to replace that tent very often, for example.

~~~
personlurking
Perhaps exceptional for hermit standards (though I admit I don't rightly know
what those would be).

"He'd fled the modern world only to live off the fat of it."

Among the items: metal bedframe, toilet paper and hand sanitizer, laundry
detergent and shampoo, Coleman two-burner stove connected to propane tanks,
deodorant, disposable razors, flashlights, snow boots, spices, mousetraps,
spray paint, and electrical tape, pillows, three different types of
thermometers (digital, mercury, spring-loaded), watches, radios and earphones
(conservative talk radio, Everybody Loves Raymond, Who, AC/DC, Judas Priest,
and Lynyrd Skynyrd), handheld video games (Pokémon, Tetris, Dig Dug), hundreds
of books and magazines.

~~~
j1o1h1n
There have been many hermits to compare him with but my favourite is Simeon
Stylites who spent 47 years on a pillar.

~
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Stylites](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Stylites)

~~~
stef25
Mount Athos in Greece (which you can visit if you're male) still has
"hermitages" of Orthodox priests. Google turns up a few nice images. See also
this short article
[http://www.robertsemeniuk.com/mount_athos.html](http://www.robertsemeniuk.com/mount_athos.html)

------
wglb
A remarkable article.

The author of this has written a number of other spellbinding articles:
[http://www.gq.com/contributors/michael-
finkel](http://www.gq.com/contributors/michael-finkel)

~~~
kqr2
For reference, Michael Finkel was fired from the New York Times for
fabricating a character in a story.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Finkel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Finkel)

From the description of his book "True Story":

[http://www.amazon.com/True-Story-Murder-Memoir-
Culpa/dp/B002...](http://www.amazon.com/True-Story-Murder-Memoir-
Culpa/dp/B002ACPMKO)

    
    
      In 2002, Finkel, a rising star at the Times, was fired 
      for fabricating a character in a story about child 
      laborers in Africa

------
kingkawn
Kickstart an LLC that employs him to maintain his camping ground alone, a
privately funded forest ranger. Satisfy the terms of the court decision while
allowing him to return to his place and live in peace with supplies provided
at a drop site.

------
riemannzeta
This guy is more worthy of admiration and emulation:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke)

~~~
shimshim
He was not a true hermit. He received supplies from outside yearly and brought
his own tools with him - minus handles,e tc. However, Alone in the Wilderness
is a fascinating watch and I recommend it for anyone who wants to see what
living and working in the wild, alone, making your own tools.

------
sixQuarks
fascinating read. With 7 billion people in this world, it never ceases to
amaze me the different types of experiences humans have had.

I also just finished listening to the latest "Hardcore History" podcast
regarding WWI. Holy shit, what crazy things humans have done/experienced.

~~~
mr_luc
I highly recommend both "Storm of Steel" (best first-person view of the war)
and "Dreadnought" (best telling of the majestic story of the runup to the
war).

~~~
cafard
Just finished _The Sleepwalkers_ about the diplomatic and political maneuvers
from about 1900 on. I would strongly recommend Paul Fussell's _The Great War
and Modern Memory_ for reflections on the writing that came out of and around
the war.

------
arjn
Very nice article and writing - and a great subject.

To wander the woods all day, read when you want,

To be free of all connections, to not even need a name. There is something to
it.

Oh ..and Rudyard Kipling ... wonderful.

~~~
andregoiano
Just like Christopher McCandless, he searched for some privacy and isolation
in the remote corners of America.

------
lazyeye
For anyone for whom this story resonated, this book is well worth a read:-

An Island to Oneself [http://www.amazon.com/An-Island-Oneself-Tom-
Neale/dp/0918024...](http://www.amazon.com/An-Island-Oneself-Tom-
Neale/dp/0918024765/)

More info on Tom Neale:-
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Neale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Neale)

~~~
webnrrd2k
One to add to the reading list:

Ordinary People As Monks & Mystics: Lifestyles for Spiritual Wholeness by
Marsha Sinetar
[http://books.google.com/books?id=hxzvdKqddzQC&printsec=front...](http://books.google.com/books?id=hxzvdKqddzQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ordinary+People+As+Monks+%26+Mystics:+Lifestyles+for+Spiritual+Wholeness+Paperback+%E2%80%93+May+14,+2007+by+Marsha+Sinetar&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2Jb2U8jDN5bcoASix4KgCg&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false)

------
keithpeter
OP reminded me of this

[http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-09-25/news/sky-
writer/fu...](http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-09-25/news/sky-writer/full/)

And this

[http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/contemporary-
prose-o...](http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/contemporary-prose-on-
essex-the-edge-of-the-orison-in-the-traces-of-john-clares-journey-out-of-
essex-by-iain-sinclair/)

Fugue? Small scale stroke? Or just a need to quieten the brain? Has this man
had a neurological examination of any kind?

------
suprgeek
If you want to put faces to names mentioned:
[http://www.pressherald.com/2013/04/09/north-pond-hermit-
susp...](http://www.pressherald.com/2013/04/09/north-pond-hermit-suspect-in-
more-than-1000-burglaries-captured/)

------
daveslash
Being someone who grew up in Maine, not _too far_ from there, spending hours
upon hours as a young child, alone exploring acres and square-miles of woods -
what struck me the _most_ was " _whoah, the boogie man WAS real all those
years...._ "

------
ilamont
Did this remind anyone else of the Satoshi Nakamoto outing
([https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7353283](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7353283))?
Journalist befriends recluse, turns it into a magazine story.

~~~
qzxvwt
Truth-finding and ethics in journalism is really interesting.

"The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and
providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious
journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with
thoroughness and honesty."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_journalism#Codes_of_p...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_journalism#Codes_of_practice)

But what if "providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues"
requires lying/manipulation?

"Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what
is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible." Janet Malcolm,
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journalist_and_the_Murderer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journalist_and_the_Murderer)

------
contingencies
自然: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziran)

樸:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_%28Daoism%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_%28Daoism%29)

------
coldcode
There are many times in life where you wonder if you would be better living
alone outside of the regular world. This guy actually did it. I would go
insane if I was alone for more than a few weeks.

~~~
keithpeter
Its OK for about a week or 10 days. Then you need to return to maintain
normality. I did hang out on my own when I was younger, but never longer than
a couple of weeks. This is UK, very high popn density place.

 _Knowing_ that there are people to go back to is really important of course.
I wonder about the rough sleepers who have no-one sometimes.

------
gre
Chris Knight was the name of Val Kilmer's character in Real Genius.

------
joeyspn
Why is that article dated on _September 2014_?

~~~
seren
The article will probably be in the September issue of the printed magazine.
This pretty common in the paper world.

~~~
patrickyeon
That doesn't even need to be future tense. The "September issue" often means
the "display until September" issue for periodicals.

------
zem
as a kipling fan, he was almost certain to have read "the miracle of purun
bhagat"
[[http://www.hermitary.com/literature/kipling.html](http://www.hermitary.com/literature/kipling.html)].
i would have loved to see his opinion of it.

------
pthreads
Who is to say he is the last true hermit? There could be several in this
world. We just don't know.

------
yuvalo
"You speak like a book, one inmate teased."

------
comrade1
Did he not have a sex drive? I just can't imagine an existence like that,
without sex. I'm about 1/2 through the article.

~~~
archagon
Many people live without sex (or even masturbation), including for religious
reasons, and have throughout history. The idea that sex is some sort of carnal
"need" like hunger feels like a very modern one. I find it odd that people
tend not to question it.

