Arcadian Man
Aristocratic Virtues in Wild Nature.
Even in the aeon of the Classical Greeks, our ancestors understood the world to be ancient. Their myths praise a long lost place: Arcadia, an unspoilt wilderness of natural abundance.
In those deep mysts of history, Arcadian Man lived a harmonious life in accordance with the eternal turths of nature:
He was sustained by his pastoral flocks and the bounties of his wild game hunts.
He was a paragon of strength, beauty, and wisdom.
He was truly free, for his personal sovereignty was secured by his own skill and ingenuity.
This way of life was to become the ideal for Nobility throughout the ages,
and is still a valuable ideal for we who seek to live noble lives in the present.
The Emergence of City States
This unity with nature did not last. By virtue of the great abundance of his dominion, entire tribes of men descended from Arcadian Man. They themselves went on to merge their sacred hearths, and this gave rise to the City States of Eldar Days.
The Leviathan had come, and it was hungry.
Those Ancient Greeks, in their timeless wisdom, did not forget what they lost. As their City States waxed in power they held on to a sacred reverence for their wild places. They would from time to time return to that Arcadian way of life for its curative and fortifying boons, and would come home with renewed vitality to their Marbled Citadels. In this way, the City States came to be the protectors of Arcadia.
The Architects of Modernity were not so wise as they.
Modern man is beset on all sides by a thick miasma. Industrial AgriChemicals, Carcinogenic Foams & Dyes, Neurotoxic Pharmaceuticals, and inscrutable multitudes of other concealed poisons are subverting our health through Food, Water, Air, etc... Most men have been subjected to miasmic enfeeblement for so long that they have forgotten the virtue of vitality.
Much more could be written on the varied forms and origins of these blights, but for now our task is merely to overcome them.
Return to Arcadia
The Arcadian Ideal alleviates many of the lamentations of modernity with:
Total Food Sovereignty
A Vitalizing Lifestyle
Refulgent Sunlight & Clean Air
That which is best is often found in a balanced take. You do not need to entirely forsake all those luxuries and conveniences which you are so dearly addicted to. In fact, you should not. Modern technology offers us creative faculties and ruinous powers far beyond the means of Arcadian Man. Wielding this technosword is our birthright. But, many of those luxuries must be forsaken: those which coddle or weaken you.
An excellent standard to strive towards is that of the Roman Country Villa. Roman Senators would pride themselves on their ability to provide all the necessities for a comfortable life in their townhomes through the produce and industry of a villa in the nearby countryside. They would raise their own cattle and wheat, grind flour, bake fresh bread, make their own cheeses, cure their own meats, and brew their own wines.
Homesteading is a popular option these days, but I advocate a different approach: through the lense of an entrepreneur. Aspire to develop a productive country estate and loyal workforce for best results. Through this mentality, your can develop a vitalizing retreat for yourself that becomes a foundation for generational wealth.
This isn't even an especially difficult standard to achieve. In the modern context, you can begin with a few acres, some goats, and a rifle. All this can be had for a few Troy ounces of gold.
So give it a try, you who seek Arete. Start simple with a hike or a hunt and watch carefully the laws of nature around you. See the birds catching currents in the wind, watch how prey run and tremble, and admire stones which stand resolute despite rivers and rapids which break about them.
The Aristocratic Imperative
That would have made for an excellent concluding point, but we must examine one last thing.
It is not enough to merely return to Arcadia. There are powers now in the world which dispassionately devour whatever they can grasp. Our Arcades must be guarded. Those who wish to cultivate the fruits of Arcadian wisdom must also acquire the might to sustain these guarded Arcades.
Through this is revealed the Aristocratic Imperative.
Much that is good is of the same nature as Arcadia, it wholesome and beautiful, but difficult to restore once lost. This is the work of an Aristocrat.
To be wise enough to judge what is good.
To be resourceful enough to bring it into being.
To be mighty enough to guard it from ruin.
So it is that we see another mandate calling us to the path of personal excellence.
That is enough for now.
Wishing you wellness and prosperity,
~~~ Aldrich Naturalist