TWO OF MY VERY FAVORITE TV SHOWS

"LIFE BELOW ZERO" and "PORT PROTECTION"

So much of TV, even the news, is depressingly violent and showcases the poorest of human behavior. I find myself flipping through the channels to find something different. These days, I find myself looking for one of the several TV shows about "homesteaders" in Alaska, even if it is a re-run of something I have already seen. My very favorite shows of all of them are LIFE BELOW ZERO and PORT PROTECTION.

The series LIFE BELOW ZERO (photo above) is a documentary television series which illustrates the daily and seasonal activities of subsistence hunters and their families as they make their living in remote areas of Alaska. The show airs on National Geographic.

The series PORT PROTECTION (photo below) features a small community located on the northern end of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, in Wooden Wheel Cove. It is set on the shore of Sumner Strait, almost hidden among the trees. As you approach, you’ll see a handful of homes, with Calder Mountain in the background. The few dozen residents who survive there year-round offer insight into the independent lifestyle responsible for developing much of Alaska. The show airs on National Geographic.

WHY DO I LIKE THESE PROGRAMS SO MUCH?

I have often asked myself that very question. I have never been a hunter nor a serious fisherman. So why am I attracted to such programs? I came up with three reasons.

First of all, being an introvert myself, I can resonate with people who can spend long hours by themselves without going stark raving mad! Like me, they seem to enjoy living alone, looking for imaginative solutions to problems, thinking of ways to stay busy and entertaining themselves with the work they love.

Secondly, as a child I loved to play in the woods and streams of my little country town of Rhodelia. I always felt most free and imaginative when I was "in the woods" or creating "private personal spaces" for myself. I had no problem "being alone" for long hours. Life only became a problem when I could not "get away."

Thirdly, the characters in these programs teach some very important wisdom, values and life lessons that seem to be melting away under the harsh sun of the noisy and rushed culture that most of us have to live in today, especially in large urban areas. Their situations strip away a lot of the excess, waste and triviality that consume so much of our energy and attention and leave what is truly important: survival, self-reliance and gratitude. They give me a refreshing break from what politicians, movie stars, criminals, sports figures, musicians and beauty queens are doing and worried about. As Charles Kuralt famously said, “It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn't in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals."

I realize that these shows are "produced" and "edited" to "show their best sides," but there are a few things I have noticed, admired and learned from their subsistence living styles. They could rightly be called "values." They have a lot to teach us in that department!

1. They are very, very aware of "climate change." It is not a political situation for them. It is literally a matter of life, death and starvation. They are almost like "canaries in a coal mine." They are alerting us as to what is coming toward all of us and they are the first to feel it so intensely.

2. They love the land and the animals. They make sure that watchers know that they do not kill animals for sport. It is a matter of the availability of food and they have to work hard to secure it. They love the natural world's beauty: from its mountains, to its rivers, to its animals. They almost grieve having to kill some of those animals. They never take more than they need at any one time. They try to eliminate any suffering on the animal's part. They always make sure to tell the audience that they use the whole animal and waste nothing. After a killing, they always seem to pat the dead animal and thank it (and sometimes its Creator) for giving their lives that they might live and have something warm to wear. That always reminds me of what we always did when I was growing up. We all said "the blessing" together before meals or on our own if circumstances warranted it. With so little, they are still intensely grateful.

3. They are very conscious of, and proud of, their cultures. They are acutely concerned with "passing on their traditions." Children are told details about what things were like back in the day of their grandparents. They are taught to be responsible for "the elders" of their community. Every young hunter is taught to be aware of, and responsible for, their needs if they, themselves, are successful at hunting or fishing. Children are "brought along" on many hunting and fishing trips from a very early age. They are taught to hunt and fish starting as children. Hunting and fishing is first a school in how to be observant to everything around you. Second, hunting and fishing are schools in the skilled use of a gun, a trap and a boat or sled.

4. They constantly show humility in face of the powerful natural forces all around them. I especially admire the fact that they deal with "what is" with courage as it happens rather than whining about things not being the way they "should" be. Even when bitterly disappointed with set-backs, they seem to remain joyful and grateful, trusting in Providence, as they try to cleverly figure out "alternatives."

5. Yes, they brag a lot about their personal freedom and worry some about the day when they have to give it up and can no longer enjoy that personal freedom.

6. Last of all, I believe I like these shows because I see in those people the things I value personally: freedom, curiosity, resourcefulness, ingenuity, independence, creativity, determination, amazement, solitude and gratitude.