The Campfire Trail: January 9 - The Campfire Trail

January 9, 2024

Day 830 of the Adventure

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In some ways, a self-sufficient life is often not a choice but a necessity. Back during the Great Depression, I would say that nobody made the choice to become more self-sufficient. It was something that was thrust upon an entire nation. Those who were living self-sufficient lives going into it had the benefit of being very likely more prepared than everyone else. After all, it was their lifestyle before-hand. Those who had never relied upon their own abilities to carve out a life free of employers and large economic forces, found themselves in desperate and unfamiliar territory. Ironically, even though the circumstances are similar yet completely different today, many of the images of the Great Depression are currently being replicated in larger cities around the country. I suppose that in a fortunate light, there does exist a safety net of sorts now that did not exist back then. The downside to that is that the net is being stressed to the breaking point due to the added burden of the borders not being secure. The protests regarding this in larger cities have not reached riot proportions but it's certainly possible to see how it could.

The mass of humanity back then was pressed into self-sufficiency by necessity and it was not a pretty sight. Both my parents were Depression babies and each had a different experience growing up in the years of the Great Depression. One parent was raised on a farm and the family was already largely self-sufficient. The other parent was raised in a small town on a small farm-like parcel of land. While they got by, they never fully had the resources to do anything more than simply get by. They learned quickly, I'm sure, to make the most of what they had. In the end, and from what I know of their history, they struggled to get through it. Still, both sides of my family fared better than much of the country. They never had to leave home looking for work and a paycheck. They never knew the hard reality of their families being separated. I actually inherited a few of my grandpa's tools upon his passing. They were instruments of, and a testament to, his ingenuity and frugal ways. His Self-Sufficiency.

As I consider the world we are living in, I contemplate the principles of self-sufficiency. It's more than just learning how to reduce the grocery bills, heating bills and fuel costs. It's a mindset of self-reliance. Not only to improve the abilities for taking care of ourselves, but to reduce the burden upon others that would need to figure out how to provide the safety net for us in the event one is needed.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “During recession greed dies, frugality survives.” ― Amit Kalantri

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