He didn't get into it, but I would guess he contributes a lot back to society, via his close-knit community. And for benefits to the whole of society I see two

He didn't get into it, but I would guess he contributes a lot back to society, via his close-knit community. And for benefits to the whole of society I see two positives: 1- If he's able to live off the land and teach other how to do so, I think that's a great contribution in that it might be important in disasters. 2- Also, if more people take up this practice, we might relieve the burden of the state to manage an increasingly complex society where many people might not possess the skills (or desire) to earn a decent living, but still do possess skills to live off the land and be productive in small communities. Just days ago EBT (food stamps) computers crashed and it made national news; how can it be bad to be self-sufficient? (edited this comment for clarity)