Being self sufficient was just a way of life for my great grandparents. They had a giant garden, fruit trees and a root cellar. They did a lot of canning, raised chickens and had grass fed moo cows for milk and for slaughter. What they couldn't provide for themselves they could acquire through trade or a general store. They had a wood burning stove. They hung their clothes on a clothesline to dry.
These practices were passed on to my grandpa. He grew up during the Great Depression and is part of what is often referred to as the "Greatest Generation." Times were tough. Unemployment was as high as 25%. Men were willing to take any job, however back breaking, to provide for their families. People were charitable though and neighbors helped neighbors.
I have heard people call our current economic state the "Great Recession." If things don't improve and we dive into a full depression I'm afraid life will be much harder than what the Greatest Generation had to endure. Our society is much different. Our families are not self sufficient, in fact many of our families are broken. Moreover, even our communities are not self sustaining. Grocery and other retail stores rely on food and products shipped in from other parts of the country.
And lets be honest, we have turned into a bunch of softies. Replacing long days in the field for long days in front of a computer. Kids have ditched Kick the Can for PlayStation2. The chores my grandpa was responsible for in the 1930's would now violate child labor laws. We are soft in body and in mind. We don't need to think we have Google. There is a sense of entitlement that runs rampant through our nation. We are easily offended and everyone seems to view privileges as rights.
These generational differences in people and in society would prove to be disastrous in a modern day depression.
Make no mistake, we are not living among the greatest generation. We live in a time of frivolous law suits, happy pills, road rage, and frappuccinos. If (or as some believe, when) our economy collapses people are not going to be prepared and people are not going to be charitable - maybe not even civil.
The answer? Prep. Prepare yourself and encourage loved ones and neighbors to do the same. Your decision to begin now could be monumental for you later.
1 comment:
Wow, that is a thought provoking post. You managed to succinctly describe the current climate of civilization that could easily culminate in a tragic crisis in the blink of an eye. I truly don't think that most people understand how drastically life could turn for the worse. It's just prudent and good sense to be prepared for very hard times. I'm not talking simply food, altho that is our most basic need but, also tools and skills to equip us for being self sufficient. Being ill-prepared could feel like a punch in the gut, feeling regret and remorse for being "too little and too late" in preparing for your families well-being.
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