GOOD TIME CHARLIE 2
Not every acre of land
is suitable for agriculture. In fact, I would guess without
researching that far more land is NOT suitable than is ( I mean, duh,
right? ). Even though Agriculturists made the biggest fuss, the
biggest piles of corpses from disease and war, and are who is
recorded in the history books, most of the landmass is full of
NON-farmers. While they couldn't exactly revert to pure
hunter/gathers as was the norm until perhaps twenty to thirty
thousand years ago ( thank you John Wilder, for doing that research
so I didn't have to ), they stayed close.
*
Becoming an
agriculturalist is the de facto norm for survivalists, the rush to
the exits clogged with Green Acres wannabe mother humpers crowding
into the Ozarks and similar areas ( I had one coworker I turned onto
the Dark Side head out for upper New York wilderness to
homestead-hope the guy made it, as he was a good egg ). All that is
fine and well, the strategy being One That Will Work ( there are a
few, not Just One ). But don't dismiss being a nomadic herder.
There is a LOT of really bad farmland that is excellent grassland.
*
Herders act as a buffer
guard to farmland, and are much more efficient in converting sunshine
into meat ( a primitive field of wheat yields about seven bushels of
wheat, or about enough for one person per year if most of their
calories were grain. A cow needs 4% of their weight each day in
forage ). And I submit to you that a herder lives a life much closer
to that from which we evolved, by necessity being a warrior. The
LEAST change we had to accept in our 300,000 years to accommodate
overpopulation was that of nomadic herder/warriors.
*
So, just based on
geography and percentages, the majority of us will be returning to a
state not unlike what our VERY ancient ancestors lived and prospered
in. Of course, by prosper, I don't mean “lived the longest even if
most meaningless life”, but by living the fullest life no matter
how short or long. Children are portrayed as being little bundles of
dying, starving slaves through antiquity, but that is modern
propaganda ( wherein ALL previous epochs must be portrayed as brutish
and unenlightened ). Sure, kids worked all the time.
*
They worked as they
were learning, and it was to their immediate benefit ( not that of a
monied class ). Kids WANT to learn. They are curiouser than cats
and with more lives. They worked to learn and then worked to perform
meaningful actions. Aren't you happier when you are working?
Leisure and relaxation AFTER work is far more rewarding than sloth.
Isn't THE best time you spend creating and producing, NOT consuming
or merely earning money? Of course it is. Quality is far more
important than quantity, as a life lived.
*
Survivalism Deniers (
anti-survivalists, our nemesis' in their many forms ) mock us for
wanting to live a fantasy where we smite our enemies in a pointless
bloodbath. They are living in a fantasy that the Oil Age will never
end, not even realizing that is HAS been ending, and that point began
fifty years ago. Our only fantasy is to return to normalcy PRIOR to
the Oil Age, a life BEFORE change. The point that violence is less
hidden and more of our personal responsibility is besides the point.
Just because we are willing to accept the fact we must deal with
violence doesn't make us bloodthirsty monsters. Violence just IS.
*
We just want a return
to normal, without change ( and of course that is portrayed as
abnormal, but I say, stop letting them write your narrative! ). To
get there, of course we must go through the end of the Not Normal.
And we say, bring it on! Not because of the orgy of bloodletting
that is part of the return. That is just the price, not the point.
To get back to normal, the excesses of the energy surplus is going to
have to be undone. Might some of us enjoy the violence a little too
much?
*
What of it? Certainly
the hero's on the enemies side enjoyed the greed and the sloth a bit
too much, themselves. They enjoyed rolling in Scrooge McDucks piles
of gold and cash, which came at the expenses of everyone else. They
enjoyed the excesses of politicians micromanaging everyone else's
lives. They enjoyed the social engineering. So what if we enjoy
killing them for their efforts ( to be clear, this violence is ONLY
condoned AFTER the fall of the empire and its laws ). It was okay to
enjoy the violence when they did it.
*
To be clear, the change
we are looking at is JUST a return to business as usual. Not today's
BAU, but that which we knew three hundred years ago to ten thousand
years ago, all the way up to three hundred thousand years ago. I
cannot understand how anyone would view this as abnormal, especially
if they understand how unusual our brief life of surplus really is.
Sure, life was never stable as far as war and conflict and natural
disasters went, but the core stability was our social organizations.
Today, we have the exact reverse.
*
Today, we aren't
touched by war or natural disaster, per se, but we have zero
stability in our personal lives due to a lack of a stable group
culture, or a stable family or governing body. I think we got the
crappy end of the bargain. No one wants to be touched by war, but at
least if we were we would have a support network to pick up the
pieces. What we have now is just a sterile safety with no human
support network.
*
I'd wager most people
would gamble with violence to return to a group to belong to. THAT
is what the collapse promises. And I think that since most of us in
antiquity lived a normal life risking our lives for the group, that
seems perfectly natural to us. To a frontline soldier, their lives
at risk was worth the solidarity of the group. And that is with a
group you barely bond with. Imagine how much better to do so with a
group you had long time associations with, which would not be
disbanded later. So am I happy the collapse is almost here? Of
course. Why wouldn't I be?
*
And how can you
increase that happiness NOW, before the collapse begins and even as
your life is now being disrupted? Simply, start focusing on the
future and ignore the past. Embrace what will be and try to live
that way as much as possible. Don't place your focus on money and
working a meaningless job. Yes, you need money. We all do. But
should you be earning it to keep the old paradigm alive? Or earning
just enough to get by? I know a lot of consumerism must be
continually practiced. We must stockpile for the transition.
*
But shouldn't you be
focusing on producing rather than JUST consuming? Producing
anything. It is practice for the new life, PODA. It will bring you
disproportionate pleasure, believe me. Let us stop lamenting what
will not be much longer. I think for me, the least pleasurable
aspect of post oil will be the lack of books. But better part of a
tribe returning to the oral tradition of storytelling around the
fire, than a lonely life surrounded by books and no people. Do I
hate people? Yes. Why? Not because I just hate people, but because
I'm no longer surrounded by tribe.
*
The people out there
are strangers and enemies. There is no need to socialize with them
because of that. I wasn't a hermit in my younger days. I was rather
sociable. But they were Americans, weren't they? Today I am
surrounded by foreigners who were given my land ( and I don't mean
OtherColors only, but also the native born who are NOT Americans, the
White Communists. I'll get a knot in my stomach once again at the
sight of the American flag when I'm once again surrounded by my
countrymen ). Yeah, the future looks a whole let better now when it
looks like the past.
( .Y. )
( today's related Amazon link click HERE )
*
note: some Americans rediscover their testicles. FedGov farm inspectors threatened HERE.
*
note: free for today books, EMP HERE ( apologies if this one was already featured. I try not to duplicate ).
*
note: some Americans rediscover their testicles. FedGov farm inspectors threatened HERE.
*
note: free for today books, EMP HERE ( apologies if this one was already featured. I try not to duplicate ).
*
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* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there
Seeing it as a return to BAU means giving up on deeply held beliefs about ongoing progress and a particular destiny that looks a bit like the original Star Trek series. Limitless access to energy and resources, unless you need a transient plot twist. But then back to no limits. And people say religion is the opiate of the masses.
ReplyDeleteProgress is a religion to most.
DeleteScience fiction, and this belief in "The Future", is a religion. The science-y religion assumes we're going to have gobs and gobs of energy "too cheap to meter" and the solar system and then the Universe will be ours.
DeleteHowever the doctrinaire survivalism I see is also a religion - you're better prepped, do your push-ups etc so when the "sinful" (non prepared) people all die, maybe with a bit of help from you, then you get to take all their stuff.
Honestly we don't know if Doomsday will come as suddenly as a meteor on April 29, 2020, or a long slow grind of CO2 inching up and up, or a plague or plagues, or what. It may be a real smorgasbord of a little of each (April 29 2020 the thing swings by, and is set up for a solid hit on it next pass).
I'll be the first to admit survivalism is a dysfunctional religion. But, dammit, it's OUR dysfunctional religion!
DeleteFarming is possible almost anywhere, but not like people think. The most likely origins of agriculture was folks found something they liked to eat and took care to plant more of it in ideal locations. They were still foraging, but tried to stack the deck in their favor, reducing calories expended. If you can forage in an area, you can farm, just not acres of green beans in the desert.
ReplyDeleteProducing is another way of saying practice, practice, practice. Stacks of books are fine, but the time to read one is not when you have a chicken struggling under one arm. Doing basic tasks now makes life easier after a collapse. For example, I am a mechanic by trade, but after building my cabin, the one person that has seen it has been getting me side work as a carpenter. I still vehemently deny I am a carpenter, but after doing a couple of jobs have come to the conclusion that many carpenters aren't either. Try new stuff.
As far as social networks, I hate churches, don't trust militias, and don't do bar scenes, but have done some volunteer work with some groups associated with the local American Legion, building handicap ramps and such things. I am not a member, but they don't seem to mind. It works for me and gives me solid contacts. I don't get into the whole prepping thing, but mention things like my solar power, which interests some. You can't put the frog in hot water right off the bat if you expect it to stay there. Tee hee.
Yeah, most of the handymen in this area are not very handy. They just price their services as if they were. Doesn't seem like the bar is set too high on too much anymore.
DeleteYou can do worse than the Legion. The Elks, Odd Fellows, Eagles, any of those groups are great for pal'ing around and networking.
Delete“But they were Americans, weren't they? Today I am surrounded by foreigners who were given my land ( and I don't mean OtherColors only, but also the native born who are NOT Americans, the White Communists.”
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate. I consider myself right leaning, but find that I have almost nothing in common with the modern, “watered down right”. Of course, that means that I have even that much less in common with the modern, pervert and deviant appeasing, anti-white, free shit for illegals, left. This leaves folks such as myself, friendless for the most part.
I’ve never planned on trying to farm in the conventional sense of the word, on my junk land. I figured that I would lay down a few raised boxes, and start with something that is highly nutritional, yet easy to grow. I had a turnip crop one year. I know nothing about gardening, but had decent luck just the same. That’s a high carb root crop, that’s just packed with nutrition. The best part about them, is that the greens are probably even more nutritious, and packed full of vitamins.
I’ve thought about raising a small patch of wheat before, but the thought of threshing that stuff gives me nightmares to this day :D And really, it’s easy enough to buy a bag cheaply (Albeit, radiated, and “pesticided”, unless you wanna pay $50 a bag from Amazon for organic) so why bother.
Like them French Fried 'Taters, ah ha. Given the choice between the two I'd probably root for potatoes ( I'm killing myself with puns lately-just easily amused ).
DeleteActually Jim, there’s not much of a difference in flavor, and you can pretty much substitute turnips for potatoes. What you want to do in this case, is peel the turnips. You want to do this in order to get rid of the radish taste that the skins have. If you like radishes, then you can eat the turnips while they are still young and tender, and it’s just like eating a big radish. Cooked turnips with butter, and a little salt and pepper, are heaven!
DeleteAre you shedding the nutrients by skinning, as you do with potatoes? Not trying to be difficult-just exploring options.
DeleteYou only peel the potatoes if you have hogs to feed. Loss gain ratio.
DeleteProbably. But if you don’t like the taste of radishes, it’s an option. I do, so it’s not an issue for me, and when you cook them, it mostly kills the radish flavor. I’ve never tried to grow potatoes, but I’d imagine that they’re easy to grow as well. I can only confirm that growing turnips is easier than seducing Rosie O’Dumbbell with a cream puff (Okay, perhaps I should have worded that differently :D )
DeleteBut you see, with the turnips, you get the nutritious greens as a bonus, so that alone probably makes them superior to potatoes, and I love potatoes as well.
W2-I love the skins on, even mashed. I guess my body craves the nutrients
Delete*
3:12-I think I tried them the last time this was mentioned- I had to throw the nasty whores away, it was so awful. Of course, different strokes-I can't stand rice and most folks love it.
Anon: Consider hardy crops that do OK on hostile land. I've lived on such, and good bets seemed to be "red ink" amaranth, coyote gourd, black walnut, etc. Also said land had a lot of doves, javalina, and grasshoppers.
DeleteAlso keep in mind that a garden can produce a LOT of venison. To hear people talk about their deer problems, I'd say just grow stuff that makes good garnish, and consider your .30-30 as valuable a gardening implement as your hoe.
But...Bambi!
DeleteThe pickle is transitioning from uber consumer empire citizen to permaculture autono-farmer in the short period that under the floorboards supplies holds you out until you earn your bones real like. I do not envision, even in a chemically stimulated fantasy, myself being a post apoc farmer-herder peasant puttering along. Nope. There will need to be agri business and guilds to do all that fun stuff the rest of us has no clue or inclination. I think really just hold out survival wise, and then if gifted and the stars align so one stays alive throughout, then make assessment then, where the hell thy dork self can fit in to the "new" program. That my Minionite chums is the quandry for most, no?
ReplyDeleteStay Frosty.
Well said. No one needs a writer PA, so I find myself adrift.
DeleteBoom* that right there is the nut. Just hang tough= shoot, move communicate, stay flexible. They key would be 'Merican ingenuity and flexibility and just ride the tiger to see what come may. Then when it cools down fall back on Lord Bison's guidance and everything will be hunky dory.
DeleteMy plan anyhow.
Stay Frosty.
May your grandchildrens children proclaim memories of my mane with reverence.
DeleteI've been reading your blog for several years and have all of your books, and IMO this is the finest post you've ever done. You hit the nail on the head, LB - we've used this once-in-a-lifetime energy surplus to sell our souls for a mess of pottage, just like Esau in the Bible. This post is perhaps the most succinct summary of our civilization's current situation. I for one would gladly trade the excess material wealth for a true home in a real tribe and a life of simple pleasures, true satisfaction from honest labor, and a place to belong once again.
ReplyDeleteShucks. Perhaps the feeling of impending doom focuses one :)
DeleteEnough water and fertilizer and power and you can grow stuff nearly anywhere, though in dry places you make the soil alkali as the water evaporates and leaves the minerals behind. But absent power and water and fertilizer? It's back to grand-dad's bottom land (periodic flooding, high water table) down in the holler.
ReplyDeleteThat land used to be top dollar, as productive as it was.
A 'must read' from an African... no comment required:
ReplyDeletewww.kimdutoit.com/2019/08/22/kiddies/