Once in a while it strikes me how singularly fortunate we are compared to past generations: so many of the things we take for granted would have been unthinkable luxury, or even science fiction, a mere 20 or 30 years ago. Truly we live in a time of plenty… yet on the other hand, the future feels so precarious that every time I watch the news (and believe me, this doesn’t happen often), I feel like checking that my pantry is full and that we have a good supply of drinking water in case anything happens. I wish we were more self-sufficient when it comes to food and energy.
Read more in my latest Mother Earth News post:
“It all seems to be asking the following question: if the world is turned upside down and we can no longer rely on the fancy tools of modern man, do we stand a chance?
Well, do we? Honest introspection leads me, and many others, to conclude that we are less resourceful, resilient and capable than our forefathers. We do less things with our hands. We walk less on our feet. We don’t exercise our minds as much, because the convenience of the Internet is just too alluring. Many times, when struggling to remember a piece of information, I open up Wikipedia at once rather than strain my memory.”
Domestic Felicity 
It is good to learn wild edible foods too. Like dandelion greens. The hardest time for survival skills is winter.
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Laura, that’s certainly a good thing, but I believe that for those who can settle down and live in one place, growing will be more important than foraging. There’s also hunting, of course, but Jews don’t do that.
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I’m right there with you, in fact, I had a post last week (the Broccoli post) that alluded to this. I read the middle grade kids book “The War that Saved my Life” and it really spelled out for me the kinds of things people did when they were cut off from their food supply in WW2.
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This sounds like an interesting book, Jen! I’ll have to check it out.
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Preparedness is a good thing, but remember, no matter how much you store up, your supplies will eventually become depleted in a prolonged “End of Civilization” scenario. You’ll need to be able to produce your own in that case and be able to defend it. It’ll be a jungle out there.
This, then, brings up the ethical question of what do you do when a mob of your unprepared neighbors are carrying torches & pitch forks, pounding on the hatch to your bomb shelter?
Have a nice day, Everybody 😉
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That’s a pretty picture, Tim. Makes sense to seek out a rural community with people who know the value of growing and making their own.
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I teach about living in the 1700s – not the politics, but how you dressed, what you ate, and so forth. I had to learn to do all of the things I discuss, so I can cook over a fire, dip candles, and make my own clothing. It is daunting, and as the saying goes “it’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there”. Still, when our power was off for three days, we were warm and fed, so that’s a plus.
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This is fascinating! How do your students react, for the most part? Are they daunted by the hard work?
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