![]() ![]() John's primary concern was that we should not readily give up a world that had been so long in the making - a world of hunter-gatherers, small-scale farmers, sailors and foresters. He learned many sailors' songs, and, later in life, loved reciting them around campfires and at rowdy parties. Back once again in the UK, he worked for a time on one of the last sailing barges on the east and south coasts. ![]() After returning to England in 1945, he decided to travel overland from Europe to India, experiencing a vast variety of cultures still dominated by peasant farming. He came to realise that much of human knowledge and culture is an ancient inheritance, and not primarily the product of urban progress.ĭuring the second world war, John served with the King's African Rifles, and saw service in Ethopia and Burma. He spent much time with Bushmen, whose assured hunter-gatherer lifestyle in a semi-desert environment profoundly influenced his thinking he said that they took from nature only as much as they needed for survival. Instead, he went to study agriculture at Wye College, Kent, after which, at the age of 20, he moved to South Africa, where he managed a sheep farm, worked in a copper mine and joined the government veterinary service. ![]() ![]() His stepfather's chewing-gum business held no interest as a career for John. ![]()
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