Second post on Personal Survival

THE LIST
The Following Listed Items are must do items to survive in the world as we know it today 2012 and the world that we will live in, in the years to come.
• One year supply of non-perishable food stored.
• Get out of debt—do it now.
• Have a year’s supply of clothing and don’t forget good durable shoes.
• Maintain good health and store needed medications where possible.
• Maintain a positive and cheerful attitude; most of the events that will affect your life occurred beyond your control.
• Develop good community relations.
• Inventory your skills and develop new ones that you need.
• If you need it, and who does not, increase your education.
• If possible store a year’s supply of energy for cooking, light and heat.
• Store a year’s supply of domestic animal feed.
• Get land to grow your own food.
• Develop strong spiritual beliefs and accept the guidance given.
• Develop a time management plan to get everything done.
• Study and research alternative medical treatments.
• Develop some type of home security plan.
• Consider the ultimate disaster.
• Put together a “Bug out Kit”.

Some updates for 2014.
• Today October 2013 we had a shutdown of government with a few exceptions. The military and Social Security and a couple of other needs will still be paid. I am sure that Congress and the President will still get their checks. This creates a new need to have a stash of emergency cash available.
• The folks responsible for documenting climatic change have agreed that global warming is inevitable and it was cause by hydrocarbon emission. This just is not true. Many of the indicators based upon eons of geological data paint a different picture. We have had current events that will cause more climatic change than global warming. The greatest of these is the shift of the earth’s axis and the level of energy emitted from the sun. The actual energy received by the Earth from the sun is decreasing. We are headed for global cooling not global warming. This be-ing said I would add a family greenhouse to the list of things necessary for long term survival.
• The long term cycles of climate, economy and government seem to follow the cy-cles much like the seasons. That is spring, summer, winter and fall. (See FOUR SEASONS OF THE UNIVERSE). This cycle has been repeated before and when the winter cycles come things change and the action of the people becomes strange. The winter cycle usually last for 20 to 50 years. We are in for change I just don’t know what it will be.
These are the basics to survive many more can be added. This book will address these items. Many other needed items will be addressed as resources.

IS SELF-SUFFICIENT LIVING FOR YOU?
Many people look at self sufficient living as being away from society. That is a matter of definition and it depends upon what you want. Do you really want to be away from every-one else? To live self sufficiently is that necessary?
Let’s look at self sufficiency. I believe that self sufficiency is attainable in degrees. Where I grew up in the Mountains of Montana self sufficiency was a way of life. It did not exclude the rest of the world. Today to be totally self sufficient is a pipe dream of the first order. You will always need something from someone else, whether it is parts for your machinery or cloth to make clothes. (A little ice cream on occasion is good too.) Yes nearly all of these things can be produced at home, however, that might not be the best way to be self sufficient.
Sometimes being self sufficient is being able to barter your skills with someone that has a skill in a different area. Trading grain for hay to feed your livestock does not make you less self sufficient. You need to decide what self sufficiency means to you. It means these things to me:
• As totally self sufficient in all areas of my life that I can reasonably be. (The key word is reasonable.)
• No outside financial help is a must. This means that I will make all of my own ex-penses, preferably at home on my land.
• Produce as much of our own food as possible.
• Produce as much of our own energy as possible.
• Achieve financial independence. It is necessary to become debt free.
• Adequate housing and land for my family.
• The ability to survive for one year with minimal outside supplies and outside in-come.
• Neighborhood relationships that allow everyone to survive in a crisis.
Now I need to choose where I am going to set up my homestead. My personal choice is a small rural community with land not too far from a near small town. Where I grew up it was 1/4 of a mile to the nearest neighbor and the next neighbor was 5 miles away. It was 15 miles by dirt road to town. I don’t want that life style today even though it was fun as a child.