This strikes me as a very honest and written straight from the heart story. About to become 74 soon, I learned only very recently that it’s never too late to “start a new life”. Just to tell you that this is where my deep respect for your experience comes from…
Having purpose is so important. There was a time in my life I lacked purpose- it didn’t get quite as bad as you, but it got quite bad.
Being purposeful now determines so many of the decisions I make in my life - Big respect for talking so honestly about this Finn, as at least for me it is not easy.
“I felt lonelier in a city surrounded by people than I did when I was in Nature by myself.”
I resonate with this so much since moving from a bustling city to a place where I can see the sea from my bedroom. There’s something so healing about nature and I wish more people realised this. I’ve been following yours and Jack’s work since the JacksGap days and it’s so refreshing to see you making a real difference to the world and finding a deeper meaning to life (which a lot of people with your level of success from YouTube can’t say.) Good luck with the writing, looking forward to the next part!
I’m part of the first generation of kids that followed “YouTubers” that attended Vidcon in 2010 and really immersed ourselves in the lives of those that put theirs online.
It was an interesting teenage experience because the world’s possibilities felt so big, if only you had a camera and filmed yourself to put it on the internet. Ultimately, that path was not for me. 15 years later, I’m a photographer from a Northern California mountain town living in Los Angeles, feeling many of the same disconnects to my environment. On one hand, I love the city and the opportunity, but on the other I’m constantly yearning to pick up my life and “move to a farm.” The climate crisis has always felt like my corner of activism, like this impending downturn that we’re actually currently living and the powers that be don’t seem to care. I am not alone, this is the dream of moving on, living slowly, intentionally, more sustainably and in touch with our endorsement is shared by many of my peers.
It’s even more interesting to read a similar experience through your eyes. Excited to read more, great piece Finn.
Reading Jem Bendell’s Breaking Together was powerful for me. It made me feel really sad for a couple of months. Connecting with that pain felt necessary—it deepened my commitment to social change. It nudged me from theory and content creation toward ALSO taking action on a more practical level: exploring community living, choosing to live in a more radical and integral way, start a community project.
I also appreciated Bendell’s reclaiming of the term doomster—not as someone depressed, cynical, and therefore passive, but as someone devoted to building local utopias. Someone who finds meaning in doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of the outcome—or the scale of the outcome.
As a storyteller, I’m curious how you think about balancing (or not) “inspiring” audiences with a “positive” message, with being transparent about where we’re at—and the inevitability of collapse.
One of my fav quotes from Breaking Together:
“Although many people are breaking apart into self-righteous factions, many people have been breaking together, whereby they allow the upsetting situation to break down their old habits, so that they become more open-hearted and open-minded in how they live their life, including the way they relate to other people. As a result, they are dramatically changing their lives to prioritise creativity and social contribution. They are worrying less about their career, their financial security or following the latest trend. They are helping those in need, growing food, making music, campaigning for change and exploring spiritual paths. That is happening because they have rejected the establishment's view of reality and no longer expect its officers to solve any of the worsening problems in their society. After decades of greed, hypocrisy, lies, corruption and stupid policies, they are no longer waiting for any elites to rescue the planet. As they let go of false hopes that they will be saved, they can move through grief and begin living creatively again, with an awareness of how every day is a blessing. This doesn’t mean they don’t grieve, worry or feel sad and angry, but that their feelings of wonder and gratitude about life don’t immediately trigger those other difficult emotions or keep them stuck there. Instead, they are living life more fully, according to what they value. It is precisely because these people regard modern societies to be breaking down that they are living more freely. They need neither an underground bunker nor a fairy tale of a better tomorrow as they live, today, for truth, love and beauty. Who are they? I call them doomsters. I am one of them. Perhaps you are, too?”
Substack showed me this - so commenting as a stranger. I've recently had the opposite experience, having left the city for a more rural environment and found it outrageously lonely.
But - is the city really "the worst place to live for the environment" ? You'd think with robust public transit + many shared services that the city is oddly the best situation for the environment, when done correctly.
yes yes yes, I resonate so much with this. my shift came in 2021, I lived on a farm on the oregon coast and took an incredible permaculture course. And I also decided to go back to school to become a therapist, with ironically landed me in LA the past three years. I discovered ecotherapy and community psychology and definitely have a secret mission with all my clients to deepen their relationship to the natural world not only in hopes of it helping them feel nourished loved and like they will always have a place to belong, but also to get them to care deeply about the earth and want to take action to ‘save her’ (whatever that means at this point). Now that I’m graduated I’m so torn between moving back to luscious green Oregon where most people love the earth, or stay in this ‘concrete paradise’ and ‘wake people up’/inspire connections to the earth in a place where many people don’t even realize they are standing on top of it….. at the cost of my own happiness, le sigh.
I love this Finn. Will pointed me to this story and so glad that I found it. Wonderful that you are writing here. Will stay stuned. Thank you for sharing your perspectives. Susie Pearl.
This strikes me as a very honest and written straight from the heart story. About to become 74 soon, I learned only very recently that it’s never too late to “start a new life”. Just to tell you that this is where my deep respect for your experience comes from…
Thanks Eli. Good luck on the next chapter of your journey!
It’s amazing how open you can be about this.
Having purpose is so important. There was a time in my life I lacked purpose- it didn’t get quite as bad as you, but it got quite bad.
Being purposeful now determines so many of the decisions I make in my life - Big respect for talking so honestly about this Finn, as at least for me it is not easy.
Thanks Will.
“I felt lonelier in a city surrounded by people than I did when I was in Nature by myself.”
I resonate with this so much since moving from a bustling city to a place where I can see the sea from my bedroom. There’s something so healing about nature and I wish more people realised this. I’ve been following yours and Jack’s work since the JacksGap days and it’s so refreshing to see you making a real difference to the world and finding a deeper meaning to life (which a lot of people with your level of success from YouTube can’t say.) Good luck with the writing, looking forward to the next part!
I appreciate reading your story and thinking about my own. Sometimes we have to step into the wrong places to find the right ones.
I’m part of the first generation of kids that followed “YouTubers” that attended Vidcon in 2010 and really immersed ourselves in the lives of those that put theirs online.
It was an interesting teenage experience because the world’s possibilities felt so big, if only you had a camera and filmed yourself to put it on the internet. Ultimately, that path was not for me. 15 years later, I’m a photographer from a Northern California mountain town living in Los Angeles, feeling many of the same disconnects to my environment. On one hand, I love the city and the opportunity, but on the other I’m constantly yearning to pick up my life and “move to a farm.” The climate crisis has always felt like my corner of activism, like this impending downturn that we’re actually currently living and the powers that be don’t seem to care. I am not alone, this is the dream of moving on, living slowly, intentionally, more sustainably and in touch with our endorsement is shared by many of my peers.
It’s even more interesting to read a similar experience through your eyes. Excited to read more, great piece Finn.
Great writing—I'm curious to read more.
Reading Jem Bendell’s Breaking Together was powerful for me. It made me feel really sad for a couple of months. Connecting with that pain felt necessary—it deepened my commitment to social change. It nudged me from theory and content creation toward ALSO taking action on a more practical level: exploring community living, choosing to live in a more radical and integral way, start a community project.
I also appreciated Bendell’s reclaiming of the term doomster—not as someone depressed, cynical, and therefore passive, but as someone devoted to building local utopias. Someone who finds meaning in doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of the outcome—or the scale of the outcome.
As a storyteller, I’m curious how you think about balancing (or not) “inspiring” audiences with a “positive” message, with being transparent about where we’re at—and the inevitability of collapse.
One of my fav quotes from Breaking Together:
“Although many people are breaking apart into self-righteous factions, many people have been breaking together, whereby they allow the upsetting situation to break down their old habits, so that they become more open-hearted and open-minded in how they live their life, including the way they relate to other people. As a result, they are dramatically changing their lives to prioritise creativity and social contribution. They are worrying less about their career, their financial security or following the latest trend. They are helping those in need, growing food, making music, campaigning for change and exploring spiritual paths. That is happening because they have rejected the establishment's view of reality and no longer expect its officers to solve any of the worsening problems in their society. After decades of greed, hypocrisy, lies, corruption and stupid policies, they are no longer waiting for any elites to rescue the planet. As they let go of false hopes that they will be saved, they can move through grief and begin living creatively again, with an awareness of how every day is a blessing. This doesn’t mean they don’t grieve, worry or feel sad and angry, but that their feelings of wonder and gratitude about life don’t immediately trigger those other difficult emotions or keep them stuck there. Instead, they are living life more fully, according to what they value. It is precisely because these people regard modern societies to be breaking down that they are living more freely. They need neither an underground bunker nor a fairy tale of a better tomorrow as they live, today, for truth, love and beauty. Who are they? I call them doomsters. I am one of them. Perhaps you are, too?”
Hi Finn. Thanks for sharing your journey thus far.
Spoiler alert - went to your Juntos farm today - bought cauliflower kimchi and sat in the grounding session.
I applaud where you landed and the messages you are getting out.
Love the honesty and hear you re: needing connection with nature. Excited to follow along!
Awaiting part 2 🙏
It's already live! You can read it here: https://finnharries.substack.com/p/mountains-psychedelics-and-jungle
Can’t wait for part 2 and following your new journey!
Substack showed me this - so commenting as a stranger. I've recently had the opposite experience, having left the city for a more rural environment and found it outrageously lonely.
But - is the city really "the worst place to live for the environment" ? You'd think with robust public transit + many shared services that the city is oddly the best situation for the environment, when done correctly.
yes yes yes, I resonate so much with this. my shift came in 2021, I lived on a farm on the oregon coast and took an incredible permaculture course. And I also decided to go back to school to become a therapist, with ironically landed me in LA the past three years. I discovered ecotherapy and community psychology and definitely have a secret mission with all my clients to deepen their relationship to the natural world not only in hopes of it helping them feel nourished loved and like they will always have a place to belong, but also to get them to care deeply about the earth and want to take action to ‘save her’ (whatever that means at this point). Now that I’m graduated I’m so torn between moving back to luscious green Oregon where most people love the earth, or stay in this ‘concrete paradise’ and ‘wake people up’/inspire connections to the earth in a place where many people don’t even realize they are standing on top of it….. at the cost of my own happiness, le sigh.
A theory on prioritising human energy over time and money: https://manageyourmindwellbeing.substack.com/p/energy-time-money-full-article?r=4ni5kb
I love this Finn. Will pointed me to this story and so glad that I found it. Wonderful that you are writing here. Will stay stuned. Thank you for sharing your perspectives. Susie Pearl.