Self-Sufficiency: When it’s just too easy to flip the switch
When a grid system becomes a three-nation monopoly, and knowing that three former sovereign nations of people are all but wholly unprepared for a flip switching event, it almost becomes a game to see what would actually happen should the power “mysteriously” go off. Who would be blamed? Putin? China? ISIS? A domestic “terrorist”? One can only guess at the global possibilities, but switch flippers really do not like the self-sufficient. They call them hoarders, mentally ill, and other demonizing titles of loathing.
Funny how the government hoards nature’s seeds in seed vaults, weapons and ammo, food and water in underground bunkers, and private militias, but should you or I store peanut butter, rice, beans, water, non-perishable canned goods, bottled juices, toilet paper, etc., we are hoarding nut cases. Sure.
Anyone who has prepped for problems knows the enjoyment of the process because, in this world, a lot can go wrong at a moment’s notice in a crisis-enforced reality. Jobs can be lost with no notice, power fails due to “polar vortexes”, Thanksgiving shopping sales and court decisions can turn into national riots, and “bugging” has taken on whole new meanings as we shout out a big howdy doo to the NSA and their partners. A lot can happen, has happened, and will continue to happen. We’ve been set up for chaos; we’ve seen chaos, and more is on the way as we well know. Pandemic sickness is certainly on the radar and agenda.
I’ve been getting my vehicle ready for winter, buying canned goods, and buying used blankets and bulk tea candles for my clay pot heaters. They do work amazingly well. I have other things on my lists, and I am diligent. I’ve managed to store eight more gallons of non-potable water in retained empty cleaning supply jugs, and I just keep buying gallons of drinking water to add to my 5 gallon container collections. There is always more that I want, more that I need, but I’ve plugged away for years, and what I have makes me happy.
I am poor, and people always ask me how I have so much. The answer is that I have foregone the in-demand, hand-held electronics, the latest clothing and trinkets, and tell-a-visions. I have my computer, which is required for my job and this website, but I pay fewer monthly bills than anyone I know. My money goes to prudence and the impending needs of my family. I learned a long time ago that shopping and upgrading is an addiction to corporate enslavement. Sorry, slaves, that this truth is maddening. Keep making your excuses for your addictions. That’s what addicts do.
When the SHTF in my neck of the global world, I will lock down, shelter in place if I can, and be as prepared as time has allowed. Since we now live in the land of polar vortex nucleated winters, I hope to fair another cold(er) season knowing the power can simply disappear with flips of switches or satellite weapons or aerial interruptions of multiple makes and measures, or even for practice drills. So can water. I am glad that I had the foresight of a squirrel to store up and prepare for that which has been guaranteed. For those who chose upgraded phones and tell-a-vision sets over long-term life supplies, best of luck. For those who have prepared themselves, congrats to you and the squirrels for your self-sufficiency. Some critters can still see the forest and the trees.
