>>2369266The thing about being /out/ is that to a certain extent, the security blanket of civilization is gradually pulled off of you. It's not easy to quantify with words, but subconsciously there is certainly an element of caution / fear / respect that permeates you when truly out. Psychologically we are conditioned to seek safety in numbers and the lights of civilization. If I recall correctly Thoreau encountered actual wilderness in Maine and was left somewhat shaken by it.
From a pragmatic perspective, in the absence of the arms of society, the mind will almost instantly return to the state of our ancestors. This means we begin to think in a fashion we aren't accustomed to - we load occurences with meaning where normally we would explain them away. As a spiritual person myself, I have to wonder, which is the true state? Is man in the wilderness a regression to savagery and idiocy, or is man in the city merely dulling the voices of his nature and heritage with a thousand modern distractions.
