One little-known technique which can be used to survive tough times, even TEOTWAWKI, is not necessarily an all-important or crucial one; but the optional activity might nevertheless prove to be invaluable to both ourselves and others. It is also a great distraction from our problems of the day, helps combat boredom, and can serve as a stress management tool. The technique? Journaling!
Journaling is simply the act of writing personal thoughts in a diary. Although seemingly simplistic, keeping a personal journal is often encouraged by spiritual mentors, health care professionals, and even some employers (truck drivers keep logs of their time on the road). Online blogging is little more than a diary in electronic form. Much of our history as we know it today is based on the recorded words of common men. From the Bible to the Federalist Papers, private and public written words can have a powerful and long-lasting impact.
One need not be a skilled writer to maintain a journal, for some of our most interesting records of history are found in personal letters. For example, soldiers throughout history wrote home to their wives and we have learned much through their personal accounts of specific battles, people, and events of their time period. Undoubtedly, writing (and receiving) letters helped the soldiers maintain hope and relieve stress during discouraging times. Keeping emotions bottled-up for prolonged periods of time can lead to physical problems such as depression and high blood pressure, as well as lead to angry outbursts of irrational behavior which can put survival goals at risk. Journaling can provide a means of releasing negative emotions which is good for overall psychological and physical health. During tough times people will need to utilize every available option to cope with their difficult circumstances and journaling can be a part of that coping mechanism. Recording the peaks and valleys in our lives can also help identify patterns in life which can then be anticipated in future days. Documenting past failures and successes can help us to remember and learn from our past experiences.
Knowing we have faced and survived specific difficulties in the past, as recorded in our journal, we can be inspired and empowered to survive them again in the future. Our personal writings can also serve as an instruction manual for others. In looking at my own family history, one of my late ancestors often made dandelion soup during a time of hardship. However, she never documented the recipe so her version of the dish has been lost forever. In a different time and place, such knowledge could have meant the difference between life and death for another person.
Journaling also can keep us alive forever, even if only in the memory of another person. Few would have remembered little girls by the name of Laura Ingalls Wilder or Anne Frank had it not been for their personal writings. Their names are still remembered by millions as a result of their stories being published. Oftentimes readers can learn a thing or two from such personal writings which can be applied to our lives today, if not only enable the reader to appreciate the hardships endured by others. A journal can help provide perspective. Oftentimes we cannot readily sort through or solve an issue while we are in the midst of it, but better understanding of our situation can come upon later reflection. In this way, a journal can help us develop of deeper understanding of ourselves and the problems we face.
Many U.S. Presidents and leaders of foreign countries have written diaries and maintained journals, but their perspectives on life are not typical of the common man. A diary written by Chairman Mao, for example, would provide a very different view of the Cultural Revolution than a diary written by the average Chinese person who also lived during that time. Through our own pens we can inform future generations, even if only our children and grand-children, about what we did as well as how and why we did those things. As a family heirloom of sorts, our journals can be something to be cherished for generations.
My own family history includes a woman who kept a daily diary for fifty years. She came to America by ship after selling her home in Germany, but she used all the proceeds of that home sale to purchase a shawl for warmth. Her journal entries are packed full of similar interesting details which will keep her memory alive forever. Yet, another family member left home to purchase a loaf of bread for his wife and didn’t return for three years. Had he kept a journal I might now know what he was thinking, where he went, what he did, and why. Few appreciate mysteries which can never be solved.
For a number of reasons journaling can offer many positive benefits and results. However, as a word of caution, a journal can also be used as evidence against the author in some legal situations. Be cautious and wise when putting personal thoughts on paper. Although not a perfect solution, an author could choose to begin a journal by stating it is entirely a work of fiction (even though it is not). This could help create an aura of reasonable doubt for enemies while keeping the truth within family circles.
The supplies needed for journaling are a simple as a good supply of ball-point ink pens and notebook paper. Three-ring and spiral-bound notebooks are acceptable, but a professionally-bound and more durable “blank book” can also be purchased at most book stores today.
Manual typewriters can be used, but they require maintenance and ribbons of ink. Electronic blogs can be maintained as well, but archiving them amidst ever-changing technology could pose a bit of a problem. For example, my father recorded himself using audio tapes while in the jungles of Vietnam and sent them to my mother. I still have those audiotapes, but the equipment needed to play them hasn’t been commercially available for decades. Thus, a good piece of family history is essentially lost forever. All things considered, using simple ink and paper is perhaps the best way to go when keeping a journal.
A few suggestions to include in your writings are: What caused us to begin thinking about preparing for tough times? What event caused you to put your thoughts into action? How did you prepare? What were your difficulties and successes in making preparations? What were your expectations for the future? What event made it clear it was time to begin using your emergency preparations? What was life like for you before and after that life-changing event? Be sure to include before-and-after mentions concerning laws in force, customs, traditions, habits, routines, etc. What were other people in society doing on a daily basis to survive and cope during the crisis? Did they also prepare in advance for tough times? In what ways do we interact with, or avoid contact with, other people? Future readers will want to know about our most joyous and exciting occasions as well as the most depressing and boring ones. Give them all the details about how a holiday was celebrated, for example, including clothes worn, decorations used, foods eaten, gifts exchanged, songs sung, etc. Also include personal struggles and how you resolved them. These kinds of topics are the common and essential elements which have made the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne Frank so popular.
Be specific! Future readers may be very interested in modern-day prices of various goods or the fuel economy of our motor vehicles. They may be shocked to learn we paid so little (or so much) for gasoline and water. Also list your total income and monthly expenses or what items were traded with others. We don’t know what the future holds, but they may find it fascinating we wore time pieces on our wrists or powered electrical appliances through a wire plugged into a wall outlet. There may come a time when SPAM, a popular canned meat product, is no longer available; so describe how it is packaged as well as its appearance and taste.
Be descriptive, for future generations may not have access to some of the items we commonly use today. Just as hoop skirts, bonnets, pocket watches, and cuff links have gone out of style; something as common as a pencil or waterproof match could be a strange concept to future generations. Likewise, future generations may have access to inventions we have not yet even imagined. Just as affordable wireless cell phones didn’t exist thirty years ago, the devices which are so common today may not exist thirty years from now. Windows-based computers didn’t become widely popular until 1995, but who can know if the Microsoft company will still be around in 2025? Common GPS devices were not-so-common only five years ago, but they could be obsolete only five years from now.
How did we do the things we did, such as repairing shoes or cooking a certain dish? How did we make bullets for our modern firearms long after bullets could no longer be found on store shelves? How did we make gunpowder or wine? How did we manage to enjoy a hot shower every day despite not having electricity or running water in our homes? Each of these topics could become mysteries unless you provide answers in your journal. When it comes to details, the reader should be given enough to exactly duplicate your actions to achieve similar results. Be personal, for our writing will one day be the only means of speaking to our descendents. What do we want them to learn from us? What values do we hope they will inherit from us? Speak to them, for they just might heed our words.
In conclusion, while making preparations which include food stocks, tools, and the like; include a good supply of ink pens and paper. Both are things which would be incredibly difficult to make on your own during a time of crisis. They are most affordable when acquired from retailers during “Back to School” sales. Not only can journaling be as entertaining as playing cards, but it can serve multiple useful purposes now and in the future.