The Power of Self Sufficiency

Today we live in a world where people are less self sufficient than ever before. When you think about it, most of us are dependent on corporations to mass produce everything for us. They provide us with food, clothing, energy, and many other goods which are critical to our life.

In many countries, particularly industrialized nations, we have lost much of the knowledge that our ancestors had. Some would argue that this is natural, since humans tend to get rid of any knowledge which is impractical to their lives.

For example, they would ask, what is the point of knowing how to grow your own food when you can always buy it from a grocery store?

Knowing how to grow your own food can make you more self sufficient and knowledgeable, and capable of surviving adverse economic or environmental conditions. In the past, it was common for a man to teach his son how to hunt, fish, and survive out in the wilderness.

Today, very few men bother to teach these skills to their children, because they are either too busy, or feel that such knowledge is not at all important. But consider some of these facts: During Hurricane Katrina, the social framework of New Orleans totally broke down. There was no clean water, no grocery stores opened, and no police available to enforce the laws.

For the first time in many people's lives, they were totally left to their own designs. And what was the result? Hurricane Katrina was a disaster. Many people died and the government took days to respond. If many of the people who were present during that Hurricane had the knowledge and skills to be self sufficient, they would have survived.

Living in a culture where everything is dependent on corporations to mass produce everything leads to disaster when the social framework breaks down, even temporarily. It is for this reason that parents must teach their children the power of self sufficiency.

Teaching Your Child How to be Self Sufficient

A self sufficient child is one that is truly free, and these children will do well once they become adults. The first step in building self sufficiency in your child is to make them responsible for their own actions, along with tasks that you give them. You can start by giving the child a simple task to complete, and do not remind them to do it.

Simply sit back and see how well they do it. Another form of self sufficiency training is to give your child something important for them to take care of, and see how well they can perform. If your child can take care of something important, then they will be able to take care of themselves once they become adults.

A parent who spoils their child too much will make them weak and dependent, as opposed to strong and self sufficient. A man will want to teach his son some basic survival skills, such as how to find water in remote areas, or even how to hunt and fish.

While these skills may not seem like they are important, they become critical during natural disasters or other adverse man made events. Even though we have only moved about a decade into the 21st century, the signs of the times have become clear. Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean earthquake, and the September 11 attacks are testament to the fact that disasters can strike anywhere at anytime.

Those who are not prepared for these contingencies are the least likely to survive. As a parent, the last thing you want is for your child to be dependent on the government or any other source. History has shown that when disasters occur, whether they are man made or not, the government can do very little to help those that are victimized by the event, especially at first.

Therefore, you must teach your child the importance of disaster training. In addition to natural disasters, parents must also prepare their children for economic contingencies as well.

Preparing Your Child for Adverse Economic Conditions

A number of statistics show that economic depressions occur in roughly 75 year cycles. This means that on average, your child will have to live through at least one major depression during their lifetime. The last major depression occurred in the 1930s, and it has now been about 70+ years since this event, and we now seem to be entering another depression.

To survive bad economic times, there are a number of skills that parents must instill in their children. In addition to the survival skills mentioned above, parents must teach children the importance of staying out of debt, saving money, and developing skills which can be used to offset bad times.