The Campfire Trail: December 11 - DIY Homestead

December 11, 2022

Day 436 of the Adventure

Many of my posts relate to the subject of Self-Sufficiency and this one will be the same. The only difference is it will probably sound more like a rant than anything else. It was triggered by a YouTube video I watched a while back that I just started thinking about again. The subject of my....... irritation, (I guess) had to do with the continually growing percentage of people who were not only relying on financial subsidies for their lives, but are reaching the point where they are beginning to "expect" them because.......... Well, they just expect it. Before I go into it, I want to make very clear that I don't simply lump all people into a single category. I fully support financial assistance for those who truly need it. Further more, I'm certainly not qualified to make the call on the complicated issues of hardship and disability necessitating those decisions. My rant today has nothing to do with that. It also has nothing to do with the general idea of the government throwing money at every situation that seems to demand it. No. this is directed at the mentality that causes us to feel like we deserve to have something, or anything, given to us just because. I'm reminded of the meme going around that has a sign along the roadside of a park that states, "Please don't feed the bears, It will cause them to become dependent on others for food and they will lose their ability to forage for themselves." Right along side of that was a "stand in line for government assistance" sign with people lined up all the way out the door. Again, not making a judgement on those needing the assistance. I'm directing my rant at the idea that we are gradually relinquishing our ability to do for ourselves, the things that we should be doing for ourselves.

Here's a case in point, and I apologize if you see yourself in my example. I have personal friends who are struggling to make ends meet. At the same time, are not actively pursuing employment or improved employment opportunities. They are spending more time cruising the internet trying to find other forms of support now that the unemployment has run out and now that the stimulus checks seem to have ended. It's as if we have forgotten that it's completely acceptable to just get a job and go to work! If it's mentioned that literally everyone is trying to hire right now, it's like "Yeah but that's all fast food and retail and blah blah blah....... Yeah..... but it's a steady paycheck. I have very little sympathy for that kind of an attitude when I think back 20 years ago, when I was in my early 40's and unemployed, trying to provide for a family of five. I took a $7.00 an hour job cooking in the kitchen of a local restaurant just to keep the bills paid and food on the table. Was it enough to satisfy my life expectations? NO, but it was enough to keep the bills paid until I had the time to work out a better solution.

My whole point is that we, as a society, seem to be willing to slowly trade our sense of independence for an easy dependence on something other than our skills, abilities, ambitions and motivations. Who is it hurting the most? Many are quick to say "It's hurting us tax-payers!" and that is probably true to a degree. I believe it's hurting those who are willingly choosing that path for themselves. I'm beginning to wonder if the value of living an independent life has gone completely off the radar for some. The idea that we are somehow entitled to a magic income to support our lifestyle is such a foreign concept to me. Just like the bears. If you continually feed them, soon they will forget how to keep alive on their own without the hand-outs. One of two things usually happens in those cases. They either starve or they become dangerous marauders, taking whatever they can find, wherever they can get it. A sobering thought for sure.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.” ― Ayn Rand

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Fog (Guatemala Decaf)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

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