Farming in rural Ireland

In Ireland it is common for rates of depression to be highly prevalent in rural areas of the country. One population that are vulnerable are men, particularly farmers who may spend much of their time in isolation tending to their lands and livestock. A tough job to be involved in especially considering the long hours involving little human interaction.

 

Many middle-age men living in rural Ireland who spend the majority of their time farming may often have inherited the farm from their parents. Consequently, they may never have got married due to the amount of time they had to invest in the duties of farming life. Although no one is too old to find a partner, bachelors like these may feel that their time has passed and that there is little chance or time to pursue meeting someone.

 

The 'pickings' may be slimmer if a farmers only dealings with other people are other local farmers, employees in cattle marts and creameries, or vets making visits to the farm to check on animals and so forth. So much so has this combination of depression and isolation been recognised that some veterinarians are even being trained to spot the signs of depression in people they deal with. 

 

It's an extremely relevant issue in Ireland today and has been for a long time. The topic was recently examined in a 2013 film called Pilgrim Hill . It depicts the life of an Irish cattle farmer, living alone with his invalided father in a remote Irish location.

I'd highly recommend a viewing. It captures the forgotten side of rural Ireland and the tragic sense of what is often involved for some men working in the Irish farming industry today.

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The Irish Times (in a four-star review): "Barrett's debut feature is a quietly stunning slice of rural naturalism. A masterful debut."

Hedgehog's Dilemma

The hedgehog's dilemma, or sometimes the porcupine dilemma, is an analogy about the challenges of human intimacy. It describes a situation in which a group of hedgehogs all seek to become close to one another in order to share heat during cold weather. They must remain apart, however, as they cannot avoid hurting one another with their sharp spines. Though they all share the intention of a close reciprocal relationship, this may not occur, for reasons they cannot avoid.

 

From 'Studies in Pessimism' (Schopenhauer, p. 142);

''A number of porcupines huddled together for warmth on a cold day in winter; but, as they began to prick one another with their quills, they were obliged to disperse. However the cold drove them together again, when just the same thing happened. At last, after many turns of huddling and dispersing, they discovered that they would be best off by remaining at a little distance from one another.

 

In the same way the need of society drives the human porcupines together, only to be mutually repelled by the many prickly and disagreeable qualities of their nature. The moderate distance which they at last discover to be the only tolerable condition of intercourse, is the code of politeness and fine manners; and those who transgress it are roughly told - in the English phrase - to keep their distance. By this arrangement the mutual need of warmth is only very moderately satisfied; but then people do not get pricked. A man who has some heat in himself prefers to remain outside, where he will neither prick other people nor get pricked himself.''

                            

Both Schopenhauer and Freud have used this situation to describe what they feel is the state of individuals in relation to others in society. The hedgehog's dilemma suggests that despite goodwill, human intimacy cannot occur without substantial mutual harm, and what results is cautious behaviour and weak relationships.

 

The dilemma is also used to justify or explain introversion and isolationism. The concept originates from Arthur Schopenhauer's 'Parerga and Paralipomena'. It then entered the realm of psychology after the tale was discovered and adopted by Freud in 1921.

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Sometimes love can be a spiky situation.