On Being Self-Reliant

The wind is howling outside my door. The snow, well, it is trying to fall but we are only getting a small fraction of the 15 centimetres that was forecast. I am looking for snow and hope the forecast proves true.

Knowledge is Life. The essence of being self-reliant lies in the knowing. Self-reliance requires confidence, and knowledge builds that confidence. You need to become, not an info-junky, but someone who has an active curiosity and constantly strives to enhance their knowledge base. You have to learn to value the little tidbits of data that float your way. It also helps to be able to do so while swimming in an information stream. You may find it difficult to understand what it is you need to know and be tempted to try and collect everything.

You may drown while doing so. You avoid drowning by having a clear vision of where you are going. If you live within a community you do not need to know how to do everything yourself. You merely need to know who can assist you and have something to offer in trade. This exchange system benefits all parties. To make the exchange work you need to know who does what and where to find them. You also need to know what you bring to the deal. This awareness will increase confidence. You are providing for yourself, using a combination of skill and knowledge. This self-provision moves you towards self-reliance. Self-reliance paves the path toward self-sufficiency.

A major goal of self-sufficiency is to enable the individual to directly produce. If you are a homesteader living far beyond the sidewalks then this may need to be your goal. If you live in a community, you can barter with others to help met your needs, creating the sense of community through interdependence.

Communities may be self-sufficient unto themselves as they can produce all they need. A community, even though self-sufficient, may still want to engage in social exchange with other communities, just as individuals, often seek the company of other like-minded people. Sharing and cooperation are essential. We do not live alone but in the company of others, we just need to know who is there.

What does this have to do with food security? Well it can be difficult to grow all your own food, make your own shoes and clothes, produce cars, houses and all the items we need on our own. We usually need to enter into some form of cooperative living or exchange system in order to meet our basic needs. We can design those systems so that all benefit. We can learn the design skills we need through observing Nature and mimicking her works.

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