rat wheel

RAT WHEEL


Please support Bison by buying through the Amazon graphics above and to the right of each article. Or, visit
http://bisonpress.com/affiliatebooks.html
You can purchase anything, not just the linked item. Enter Amazon through my item link and then go to whatever other item you desire. As long as you don’t leave Amazon until after the order is placed, I get credit for your purchase. Thank you.

*

A minion wrote to me and asked about prepping and simplifying. Said minion was of the minimalist school ( in that almost all possessions are done away with. The “you don’t own them, they own you” type of thinking ). Now, I have nothing but admiration for this philosophy. I would love to stop running on the gerbil wheel of life, bribing the government for the right to earn a living so I can eat, every babble and trinket I own needing constant upkeep and investment. Well, I should say, minimize my being subjected to the need for material goods ownership and upkeep, as we all need something. Try being a minimalist in winter clothing, for instance. My only problem is that in the past I’ve run across this theory, tried to apply it to my life, and failed miserably. There is always a disconnect between theory and practical application. I’m too much of a pack rat and I can’t help myself. I would get rid of almost all of my worldly goods except the cloths on my back, triumphantly proclaim to the heavens that I was now free of binding material goods, and then go about buying everything all over again as my budget allowed. Most people would just conclude that I’m weird, but I like to think I’m the only sane one out there and then try to talk my way around justifying my position. So here goes, explaining why being a pack rat is natural.

*

Simplification is in essence only practical from a position of surplus. The last time it was widely practiced was about ten thousand years ago. Even nomads and herders don’t simplify. They are limited in their carrying capacity, but they carry as much as they can. Only when everyone was a hunter and gatherer was it easy to live simply. There were the resources from nature to constantly replenish what you left behind or broke or what was stolen. But once we were forced to turn to agriculture because of either climate change or population pressure, we no longer had the luxury of living off the surplus of nature. We had to produce a surplus from a specialized climate or geology and trade it with others for all the things we needed. So, by definition, no longer being 100% self reliant, we had to start stockpiling. Either our surplus product, or the scarce product we were coveting. This way, in lean times we had a “savings account” of tradable items or if trade was disrupted we had a small amount of what we needed. At certain times through history, trade could be very expensive and uncertain. It made perfect sense to not rely on “just in time” delivery. Because we are being squeezed into spaces too small to allow self-sufficiency, trade is essential to survival. Those that think they are living on a self-sufficient homestead forget they are not producing their own automobile or its fuel, or the ammunition they need for predators, or the guns that fire it, or smelting the ore used in garden tools. Trade keeps us alive, as I’ve recently bellowed at you as you cover your ears and hum something along the lines that you are NOT listening.

*

Those living a simple life now are dependent on the Oil Age providing all they need. Even the guy living in a hut in a national park, eating wild berries and trapping insects for the stewpot, he is dependent on oil feeding all his neighbors so they won’t compete with him for that food. I don’t think it is possible to live simply and be a prepper. You need to stockpile a lot, and the possessions will indeed own you. Oh, you can minimize the amount of stuff you need, not much more than what my $500 frugal plan calls for, but you need to own a pile of crap nonetheless. Although, by burying it all, you should be able to have the best of both worlds. Live simply while you can, then have a stash when needed. If it isn’t buried, then you must own buildings ( and maintain them ) to shelter your stash. Then you get into your whole accumulation thing ( furniture, tools, paint and shingles, light bulbs and etc. ). Granted, each individual has their own definition of living simple. Some own more than others. I just think you need to beware it is a haphazard existence during a collapse. As the surplus shrinks ( hey, we might even be at zero surplus right now ), less people will have the luxury of resupply. The thing that makes collapses so extreme is that trade breaks down. We might still see oil availability to haul goods, but if the banking structure breaks down it won’t matter ( as much as it pains me, worse than a hot needle shoved into my junk, I have to admit that the readers of The Survivalist Blog ([Capt. Creekmore steering that ship ] have their perceptions clear regarding economic collapse as a far worse threat than Peak Oil. Oh, I know it is only due to media coverage designed to continue the three year bank bailout that keeps this in their minds [ how else to explain the pandemic threat as being thought severe as the movie Contagion is in theatres- but perhaps I’m being too harsh ], but whatever the motivation, they understand the threat ).

*

Stockpiling scarce goods was a normal and smart activity, a primitive savings account of old. All preppers are trying to do is anticipate future scarcity and start their savings account now. Just like the smart ones used to do everyday, good times or bad. During the Oil Age, we had the luxury of saving paper currency backed by promises of future oil. That is already over and done, so recognize that not saving tangibles was a luxury, not a normal activity. We aren’t the weird ones, we are just reviving old, time honored practices ( gold and silver are tangible substitutes, only good for trade purposes. NOT a collapse savings, but a post-collapse savings ).

END
The Official Bison Web Site http://www.bisonpress.com/
*
My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
*
Anyone can submit a guest article. No minimum word length, no writing skill necessary ( just get the idea across ). You retain copyright ( this must be your original writing ) and I’ll just use the once. I’ve yet to turn down an article, just don’t use the N Bomb or libel another that can sue me. Send by e-mail ( please, label as “guest article” so I can find it easily later ). Payment will be your removal from my enemies list.
*
By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there.