One thing I find much agreement on between folks on either side of the political spectrum – especially those on either extreme – is self sufficiency. There’s a variety of benefits, direct and indirect, of efforts to become more self sufficient at various scales. I realized recently the importance in distinguishing between self sufficiency vs. survival-at-all-costs, when someone asked me about how personal weaknesses, differences, and disabilities could lead to their demise in a community/world that prioritizes self sufficiency and a survival mindset.
In a survival-at-all-costs situation, it is indeed an ugly context where any weakness could lead to one’s demise. However, self sufficiency and even ‘preparedness’ or ‘survivalism’ is not the same as survival-at-all-costs; rather, it’s about taking measures to avoid situations that dire in the first place. Prepare in advance to address weaknesses and optimize use of strengths. Take responsibility unto oneself to identify and compensate for one’s weaknesses (which can look a lot like self improvement at a personal scale, or team building at a neighborhood block scale). Self sufficiency can be improved at various scales (a subtle lesson about what ‘self’ really means), and at all scales there are lessons which can contribute to healthier lives and landscapes. It is not doomsday eat-or-be-eaten, but it is probably the best thing we can do to lessen the blow should we ever face such dark times as we have in the past.
“Helping you live a better life if times get tough or even if they don’t.” – Jack Spirko
[…] I tried to do so without doomsaying or promoting long-term damaging ‘prepper’ activity (the overlap of far-left and far-right self-sufficiency movements can be a fine line to […]