People living in the forest - modern hermits and dropouts

Away from the family, away from any luxury, away from civilisation - people who choose to live in the great outdoors and spend their time in the forest - it happens!

Away from the family, away from any luxury, away from civilisation - people who choose to live in the great outdoors and spend their time in the forest - it happens!

We at NIKIN know that trees and forests are essential for life on earth - which is why we are actively committed to the reforestation of forests worldwide. Since the dawn of mankind, more and more civilisation has taken place - societies and systems have emerged that sometimes function better and sometimes worse. Those that function better often have a serious effect on the health of people and nature. There are still primitive peoples today who have not modernised, are happy with it and live in nature. That is why it is not surprising that more and more people are leaving our society and starting a new life far away from civilisation. But who are the people who live in the forest?

For what reasons do people retreat into nature?

There are many reasons why people retreat to the forest. One thing in advance, it is actually forbidden. For safety reasons, among others. Nevertheless, people often let the modern "forest people" have their way. Because many of them are harmless. They withdraw gradually and voluntarily, for example because they initially live professionally in and with the forest and gradually reduce their contacts with "civilisation". Others see themselves as "guardians of the forest", want to make themselves useful, remove waste and simply be left alone. Quite a few forest dwellers have gone through psychological or social problem phases in the course of their lives and have chosen the forest as a place of retreat.

Only very few can be described as conscious dropouts who abruptly turn their backs on civilisation. And they often don't stay long - while the better-known forest dwellers in Switzerland can often pursue their way of life undisturbed for decades and are tolerated to a certain extent.

It should be mentioned here that there are of course also people who live in the forest in order to hide there: because so-called "crime tourists" also stay here, who are only passing through and want to attract as little attention as possible.

A life in the forest - a romantic ideal?

How healthy or hard life is in the forest depends on the individual case. Frugal hermits sometimes manage without the benefits of civilisation at all. Others are resourceful, fiddle around with their own wind and solar energy supply and even have a telephone connection. It's all a question of attitude. Those who live (over)in the forest for decades are usually quite healthy. After all, everyday life often entails a lot of strenuous physical work, as well as a lot of consumerism. This can even be good for you, especially when it comes to food. And here we can state: only the hardy get into the garden, or the forest. Those who do not adapt well to the way of life of their ancestors and take care of themselves will either give in quickly or even fall seriously ill. Because outdoor life is not a bed of roses, nor is it a romantic commune.

How healthy is the distance to civilisation?

The way of life and daily routine of modern forest dwellers is very different. Some of them go or went about a normal activity. The cultivation of fruits and vegetables for daily use alone takes up a lot of time, as does the collection of wood for personal use in many cases.

Life in the forest does not exclude contact with civilisation

Many "forest people" are not hermits at all - like the Swiss "Diesel-Sepp", who liked to drink his beer in the nearby village. And many a forest dweller has a telephone and internet, but all in the solitude of the forest. Others want to turn their backs on civilisation and not even claim social benefits, like the group of forest dwellers who made the exit just a few minutes' drive from Bern, Switzerland.

The life forms are thus as diverse as the "forest people" themselves - however, one can assume that by no means all of those who temporarily or forever retreat under the trees are known. Who knows how many people live in the forest today and consistently avoid contact with civilisation?