You'll learn two things from watching this video:
- Don't ever stop practicing
- Legolas is REAL
But, I think there's also something much more important hidden this totally wild, mind-blowing video of a guy running around and jumping while firing off arrows like you've never seen before (except in Lord of the Rings).
After watching this video I started thinking a lot about what's currently taking place in the Self Reliance and Bushcraft movements here in the US and around the world. It's incredible to realize how much 'old knowledge' is at risk of being lost thanks to all of our modern technologies and conveniences.
Anyone can (and should) be a student of history - our universities and academic organizations are filled with brilliant minds passing down the stories of empires, wars, philosophy and politics from our past. But, there are historians of a different sort that we need to pay more attention to as well: people like Dave Canterbury, and even Lars 'Legolas' Andersen in this video. People who are taking our history one step further by dusting off, learning, teaching and preserving the actual skills and knowledge of our past that would otherwise be lost.
It's a fact that none of us would be here today if it weren't for the survival skills, agricultural knowledge, and self-sustainability of our ancestors. I'm not talking about basic survival skills like building a fire or finding drinking water, but actual the knowledge and skills needed to live and function year after year.
For most of us alive today and fortunate enough to live comfortably, the need for those skills has been diminished and downright replaced - you can live your whole life without needing to know how to knit an article of clothing for yourself, build a log cabin, or craft tools out of wood or metal. You can go to the store and buy it all or hire someone to do it for you. Even those who are woodworkers or craftsmen today often rely heavily on modern tools and machinery to do what was once done by hand.
Our lightweight hammock design is another example of learning from the past: when people find out that our hammocks will never spin or flip you out on the ground they immediately ask what amazing thing we've done to make it that way. They're shocked to find out that all hammocks used to be that way and that it's simply a return to the way hammocks were originally built - it solves a problem by going back to the common knowledge of centuries ago.
I sincerely hope that none of you ever find yourself in a situation where being able to shoot an arrow out of the air as it races towards you is a necessary survival skill. If you do, well let's be honest, how did you even get yourself into that situation? You should probably spend more time relaxing in a hammock and less time angering people with bows and arrows.
I hope, though, that you can see past all the over the top archery stunts in this video and take something else away from what Lars is showing the world with this soon-to-be-viral video: Never stop learning from the past.
As the new year begins, make a plan to take some time in your life to learn an old skill - metal smithing, leather crafting, knitting, masonry, woodworking, rope making, pottery, etc. Be that person that knows a little bit about a lot of things. Make a few things instead of buying things. And once you've learned something, whether it's a basic understanding or a complete mastery like you see in the video above: pass it down.