I have studied philosophy, a great deal in fact, and came to some of my conclusions based on real-world experiences. I have to be honest and admit that my own experiences are simply my own, but from a long time watching others, I came to some of my aforementioned conclusions. I can but live by what I have seen and experienced, no?
As far as 'intellectual refinement' I claim the phrase "tomato, tomata". My points are pretty straight forward, and easy to grasp. I perhaps could work on my delivery a bit better though.
In response to #1:
Howard Bloom has greatly influenced my thinking on the topic of politics in human society. I think his suggestions are rather revolutionary, and exemplary of the type of thought that, although uncomfortable to many people exposed to them, offer SOMETHING, minus mists and ghosts and mumbo jumbo. He stated that, society ALWAYS has a pecking order, and it ALWAYS will have a pecking order. Unfortunately, for mankind in the modern area, again according to Bloom, the pecking order is not linear, and it is always being mutated, almost like a viral organism, to suit them that have control over it. Social groups of animals have the same thing, and will sometimes be what we would call "insanely violent" without any visible cause. It is part of a complex development of species. However, I believe that those of us who choose to leave said ladder of attrition, can attain a peaceful, even more enriched life, because we are no longer beholden to the "rule of mules" as I call it. There will ALWAYS be conflict in human-on-human interaction, but being a lone wolf has many benefits to being part of a herd that is hell bent of self destruction.
In singular cases, it has been observed, the world over, that human beings are relatively harmless to nature, and can sustain a healthy balance between the land and themselves. In groups, that tips. The larger the group, the greater the schism, and eventually, the larger the idiocy. It is like a backwards evolution, happening in real time, versus the nonsense idea many cling to that Utopia is possible. Human Nature, itself, is a null switch against harmony, because human beings, especially in ancient times, and perhaps MORESO today, are insatiable beings. We want, and we want all the time, and we want right now. When you are on your own, nature doesn't care. She will cut away the crap, and force us to either adapt on the fly, or perish. In groups, it becomes somewhat diluted, and perhaps them that should NOT see another genetic dawn, rise atop those that perhaps deserve the lungs they breathe with.
I suppose some of this comes from a place of bitterness at mankind as a whole, on my part, but I have thought about it for a very long time, and it makes sense to me. Again, tomato, tomata.
In response to #2:
Self-reliance leads to many benefits that most modern people miss. Being able to overcome sudden disaster, and the like, is one. Being able to feed and shelter oneself from nature is another. Many people (not most, but many) believe in a near-mythical grocery store entity that will always enable them to attain food or drinks at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, in a seriously bad situation, these sorts of people die earlier than their more self-reliant neighbors. Almost on principle, hah.
Self-reliance also gives a person the courage to "do what is required" in pretty much any situation. Where one person would hesitate, and die, another would act, and perhaps overcome near-certain death.
I am by no means demonizing, well, attempting to demonize, technology. I would be hard pressed to locate one person in America who does not benefit, in one way or another, from modern tech. I mean hell, posting this is proof I use the internet. However, I am very strongly against being "emotionally addicted" to access. I use it, but I am not a slave to it. I can function for week/months/years without sitting at a computer at all. It is hard, being raised as I was on silicon, but I have trained myself to do it. Another example is Television. The only people with any shred of RIGHT to defend Television, are the people who WORK in Television. It is their bread and butter, and thus they have a moral reason to defend it. However, I have never gained ANYTHING from sitting in front of it, except random factoids about animals in foreign places I will never see, and even those seem dubious, when held up to scrutiny. I have not owned a Television set in nearly 15 years now, and I have no plans to again in the future. The amount of personal freedom a man or woman can attain is limited only by their willingness to 'test the fences'. Many people in my life assume things, and thus never leave their grazing grounds. I want more for myself, and thus my self-reliance stance has grown quite strong in me over the past 7 or so years.
Being in the rat race has a lot to do with the outlook people possess. If you unplug from that, and stand outside the madness, many times a human being can be taken back to a primal, pure area of the psyche. This place is where "surviving another night in the snow" is tantamount to "winning a grammy" only with life-long merits. Some things simply cease to matter, when you reconnect with the world as it was before man began building his crap.
I appreciate your response, and I will give deadly-serious thought to what you posited. I hold the same opinions mostly, but I will assuredly look into what you said.