Introduction
 

You know things are not right – like Neo in “The Matrix,” you can feel the tension, the imbalance, the non-sense.  You see the lunacy at both the global and local level.  From international conflicts to social divisions.  From supply chain issues to rising prices.  From news media hype to hometown editorials.  You can sense the decline in Western civilization – the erosion of economic power, the loss of moral authority, growing distrust of our institutions.  The media is focused on social justice and climate change while ignoring existential threats to our financial system, energy production, and food supply.  The System is failing.

 

At its core, we are dealing with the consequences of building complex, unsustainable systems:

• Debt based finance that can only remain solvent with continuous growth.

• Highly diversified and physically distant production that requires cheap energy to work.

• Governance that has grown out of control – where unelected regulators wield power without accountability and elected representatives’ game the system for personal wealth.

 

The most critical short-term problem is energy:

• Peak (economic) oil – fossil fuels are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to obtain and will eventually be too scarce and expensive for many applications.

• The climate agenda has governments and private companies pushing alternative energy and electrification without assessing the resources and time to achieve this goal.  We have painted ourselves into a corner by cutting fossil fuel development while ignoring the fundamental limitations of alternative energy (huge demands for minerals, lack of storage capacity and inadequate electrical grid).

• The size of the economy is directly proportional to energy consumption.  Given the above, we will not have the additional energy required to grow or even maintain the economy.  This will result in a financial crisis because of our dependence on debt.  This is the “Catch 22” – there will inevitably be some type of financial / economic “adjustment”.  We do not know if this will be a prolonged period of declining standard of living or a sudden collapse.

 

All these issues are exacerbated by fundamental flaws in:

• Human nature – the desire for money and power; the belief that the ends can justify the means; our loss of intellectual curiosity/honesty; the majority either believing the mainstream narrative or accepting it to avoid conflict.

• The consolidation of wealth and control in the hands of international corporations, financial institutions, and governments – along with the outright collusion of these entities to protect their own interests and agendas.

• The ignorance or intent by those in power to push divisive politics, extreme climate and social justice policies and insane levels of spending while simultaneously restricting free speech and free markets.

 

While none of us has the power to significantly change this course of events, we do have the opportunity to improve both our current situation and be better prepared for whatever problems emerge.  There are many “survival” or “prepper” books available but most are focused on dealing with a limited duration event rather than building a well-balanced suite of resources and skills.  To highlight these issues, we will define some common terms (courtesy of Wikipedia):

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• Survival – “…the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it.”  Survival is clearly essential if there is some catastrophic event but we are looking for more - to thrive in the long term.

• Prepping – “…self-reliance, stockpiling supplies, and gaining survival knowledge and skills.”  This is a necessary part of being resilient but does not focus on sustainability - you cannot stockpile enough for a loss of our complex energy and production systems.

• Resilience – “…the ability to adapt in the face of adverse conditions.”  Now we are getting into a mindset of having a broader set of resources and skills along with the flexibility to deal with a wide array of possible problems.

• Sustainability – “…the capacity to maintain or improve the state and availability of desirable materials or conditions over the long term.”  For our purposes we should add ‘without relying on external inputs from the current socioeconomic system.’  A truly sustainable solution means you can meet your needs without outside goods and services.  It is unlikely that a single family can ever have all the skills and resources to achieve this objective.  A network or community of trusted people, however, can bring this much closer to reality.

 

In the following chapters, we will address the skills and resources needed to become more self-reliant regardless of your location.  This will be done looking at both how to add layers of competence (starting with a deep pantry before raising livestock) and how to stay in balance during the process (to avoid being an expert at food production without having the means to defend yourself).  Each chapter will include lessons learned and a list of resources with links to books, training, and supplies to help implement recommended actions.  Most chapters will also have a checklist organized according to your location (urban, suburban, or rural) and time phased – listing first steps plus actions to take over the following weeks, months, and years.