As world events, both nationally and internationally, explode in violence, deep debt, instability, and uncertainty, I ask myself have I done enough? Am I far enough away from the violence? Do I have systems in place that will hold me and my family in good stead for years to come? It’s complicated, and a heavy burden, to detach from the culture, from the world systems, and to create a self-sufficient lifestyle. It is also freeing. There’s so much detail to each aspect that it’s no wonder people throw up their hands and say it’s impossible. I think it’s possible to a large degree, and I accept the things that still connect me to the “System”. Until… I find a way to sever those things, or I am forced to, whichever comes first.
Examples of things that still connect me are: banking, taxes, insurance, electricity, products I cannot make myself, and Internet access. Those are not small things, but they are the things that remain until I am able to detach from those things too. I have done a good job of avoiding excessive taxation, but I can’t go without banking or insurance. I could live without the products I cannot make, raise, or grow, certainly. And I would be happy if the entire Internet crashed and burned – really. I fully expect bank closures on the order of weeks, not days, so keeping the gas tank full, the home well stocked, and having some cash on hand, as well as barter items, makes sense. Affording alternative energy has been a problem for me with so many other demands. If the grid goes down for a very long time, I don’t think being able to purchase enough gas for the vehicle and generator is a long-term solution. Maybe if the cost of solar wasn’t so outrageous, I could at least keep the basics running. In the North, the worst problem is keeping warm, so a wood-burning stove is critical. But, in the South, the worst problem is keeping cool enough to function. The “Himidity” (heat and humidity) is suffocating.Continue reading“Could You Live Off Your Land, Right Now?, by SaraSue”
