Resilience 101?
[video:https://youtu.be/vP3Nt46mzNA]
This is a video called "Preppers vs Homesteaders" by Homestead Moma. Her vantage point is that she and her family (6 children I think) are homesteaders, possibly partly for religious reasons. I intend to watch more of her videos eventually, but this one I have watched several times.
One would think maybe the those in the "Resilience" crowd would be more apt to be left-leaning politically, old hippie types. Homestead Moma approaches the topic from a different angle, but definitely has some important points for all of us wishing to pursue resilience.
She says that the difference between "Preppers" and "Homesteaders" is that Preppers are consumers and Homesteaders are producers. The Preppers advocate hoarding a lot of stuff for when the SHTF (had to look that up = Shit Hits The Fan). Homesteaders already know how to produce what they need.
Two other points that struck me as particularly significant in her video.
- You can't just decide tomorrow that you are going to grow all of your own food. The learning curve is huge here. I can attest to this fact. Been trying to grow food in Texas for 25 years, and only finally this year do I think I will have significant success.
- For me however, the most important thing she said was that you need to build relationships.
It seems to me that Resilience 101, the first and primary step to resilience is building sharing relationships with family, friends and neighbors. Sharing, swapping, helping.
Comments
I am not sure it should even be called "Resilience"
It seems to me it should be called Dependence. We need to depend on each other to truly be resilient.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Dependence may not be the best descriptor.
While one does depend on others -- for assistance, for advice and the benefits of someone else's having made the same mistakes you're about to make and can avoid, for source material and markets for what you produce -- one really does achieve a greater self-sufficiency over time. You just don't usually want the isolation of self-sufficiency (that Preppers crave). You prefer the relationships you've built and nurtured, and those others in the relationship prefer that, too.
Our orchard exists because someone taught us to graft, someone shared scion wood, someone traded one hard-to-find fruit cultivar for another, someone warned us a certain tree wouldn't like our climate. Resilience is network. And there are networks already out there, if you look for them. Cases in point:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/%7Edailey/byfg.html
http://www.nafex.org/
Yes
Interdependence.
Yes, interdependence
especially on a micro-local level. I can say that because I live in a larger acreage non-urban area, but all here grow stuff. And with coordination, done not like a boss, we can find who grows what best and in abundance. Microclimates, who has done more soil amendments, etc. Several years back, my neighbor gave me persimmons!
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
I agree . . . Interdependence is the better term
Interdependence is absolutely the best descriptor.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
mhagle, saving this for later viewing, thanks...
love to garden, but don't have a space beyond my window sill, now. I can remember the gatherings on grandpa's farm, 'corn shuckings,' when all the neighbor's came to help out.
Learning curve is huge, so learn young.
I grew up as sort of a homesteader. My mother grew up growing food in Bisbee, Las Vegas, and Gunlock. So, when she wound-up in Hermiston with several kids to feed and no money, she knew just what to do. The sandy soil was perfect for digging very deep ditches, and planting a mix of plants on the sides and tops of the tall ridges. The water warden knew we would always use our full allocation and none would run-off.
Most of our neighbors thought my mother didn't know what she was doing until they saw the results later in the summer. We never had a bad season. I presume our neighbors adopted her techniques the following year. I never knew as we seldom lived in any given house for more than about 18 months.
I like the term "Resilience" because it best describes the people we were and knew living in the margins. Sharing (id est interdependency) was just a natural part of the process of surviving.
Years ago, a previous neighbor-set had well contamination
(due, as it turned out, to an improperly sealed well casing). But he would come up every two days to get water from our house, out of the one freeze-proof spigot. No charge, good neighbors.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Thanks
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Cool . . . thanks!
Followed, liked, and retweeted.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
KNowing how to preserve food and store it is as important
as growing crops. Very few area of the country can grow food the food we like to eat 12 months of the year, without major infrastructure investments. Those add time and money. It is less time intensive to preserve extra crops grown or purchased: fermented, dried, cold storage, salted, canned or frozen. Once the food is preserved keep the vermin and insects out.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Preserving is key! True
Part of the learning curve for me has been making sure after I harvest, that we eat it, I preserve it, or I give it away. Freezing works the best for me. It keeps me dependent on electricity, but it is easier and I am able to do it. And ultimately we use what we freeze.
Eventually I want to learn other methods too. I know how to can, but it is a lot of work!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
I never verbally compalin about the work of canning.
I was taught by women who had done it on wood stoves in the heat of summer and fall. My first choice is freezing. In winter its easy I just set it outside.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Thanks so much for this! I'm
Thanks so much for this! I'm assuming that preppers are predominately city dwellers...
Actually, my roommate's big on gardening, although not having much room, but used the sun-room for herbs and to start heritage tomato (mostly kept in large pots on the cement patio in summer) and other plants for what space she has for them. Always makes preserves - the raspberries never produced that much to have any over, being around the apple tree out back, but she also picks from 'self-serve, so-much-a-bucket' places and wild berries from the bigger parks in season, when she takes the dog out there. But we'll be moving in the summer and I certainly will miss that wonderful apple tree of unknown name, bearing some of the best-tasting apples imaginable. Don't know if a garden will be possible or not in the new place... But she does have the skills, whereas I haven't gardened in years, although I used to like gardening, (and a bunch of other activities) before life and under-regulated industry messed me up.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.