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| What "Self-Sufficient" looks like |
“Over the years, Americans in particular have been all too willing to squander their hard-earned independence and freedom for the illusion of feeling safe under someone else's authority. The concept of self-sufficiency has been undermined in value over a scant few generations. The vast majority of the population seems to look down their noses upon self-reliance as some quaint dusty relic" This is from the "Adventure Quote" further down this page by Cody Lundin. I chose to start with this, specifically to address where I see the value of Self-Sufficiency and Self-Reliance in today's world. As we begin our journey into more of a self-sufficient lifestyle, I'm finding more and more value in it rather than less. As we continue to watch prices for necessities get higher every day, there comes a point where a real decision needs to be made as to how we chose to deal with it. Our perceived "safety net" of convenience, comfort and affordable living is vanishing before our very eyes. The question is, what are we prepared enough and skilled enough to do about it?
I've always believed that "easy times" result in a desire or possibly even a need, to be protected from hard times. With some, there's even the expectation that it's someone's job to provide the necessities. With that said, our "easy times" society tends to be fearful of what it might have to do if hard times ever occur. Thus, the need for some kind of protection from it, namely, the government. My parents were born in the Great Depression era. Both survived due in part by agriculture and in part by just being too tough to not survive. That generation understood hard times unlike any generation since. At least in our country. As I look at the attributes my parents carried with them all through their lives, I see the roots of self-reliance in their DNA. Even as times grew easier and more prosperous, my parents never completely released their grip on their depression era frugalness. My mom especially continually kept the memories of those difficult times close at hand with the continual "storing up" of necessities. The biggest difference between dad and mom's childhood experience was the connection to agriculture. Dad grew up on a functioning farm. Of course, in the 30's, that looked a lot different than it does now. Mom grew up in a "Farming Community", however not with the personal family-farm operations. Both equally poor, as any depression era family was. Yet dad's family had the farm to rely on for what it was capable of producing. Mom's family relied upon more of a substantive practice of gardening, a small amount of row crops and a cow or two. While both families struggled, their connection to a piece of land is what gave them the edge they needed to make it through the worst economic collapse in our history.
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| My Gardening Friends up the Road |
When considering the tenacity of that generation compared to the, almost entitled, outlook of our current populace (in general), it's a little scary to think of what things would look like in similar depression era type conditions. Hopefully, we will never really have to prove ourselves out in that kind of environment. However, I think this current economy will certainly test our individual resolve and resourcefulness in many ways we have long become unaccustomed to. A strong connection to self-sufficiency and the related skills that go with it can enable one to not only survive but thrive in today's strange world. A smile crosses my face as I see friends on facebook displaying their abundant garden produce as they methodically can it up for later use. Many of the men sporting their bib overalls and white beards. Many of the women in overalls as well, sun tanned from years of practice in the fine arts of rural living. Hands familiar with the chores of the seasonal preparations for winter. Their appearance alone suggests they've been there, done that, and got the skills and goods to know what to do next. And what to do next, is the same thing they've been doing for decades. Living life in a self-sufficient way. You know what? Every one of them I know and call friends, somehow live with a calmness about life. Much less stressed out over what all is going on around them. Perhaps their resourcefulness has already been tested and they hold keys that many of the rest of us are still trying to discover for ourselves. Something to consider as we all look for our own pathway through life.
Carry On
Many thanks to my friends up the road who live the self-sufficient life and were kind enough to allow me to use their images in this post.
Adventure Quote: “Over the years, Americans in particular have been all too willing to squander their hard-earned independence and freedom for the illusion of feeling safe under someone else's authority. The concept of self-sufficiency has been undermined in value over a scant few generations. The vast majority of the population seems to look down their noses upon self-reliance as some quaint dusty relic, entertained only by the hyper-paranoid or those hopelessly incapable of fitting into mainstream society.”
― Cody Lundin
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)
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