Simple Skills for Survival and Independence

I am an independent person. I enjoy being able to take care of myself. I admire people who have the skills required to make things happen on their own. The way I see it, independence is a survival skill.

In the not so distant past, our society valued life skills that were essential for survival and independence. Over the years these skills have been disfavoured and largely lost, while industrialization, urbanization, and reliance on big government and corporate consumerism took hold.

Now the people are skilled at shopping and finding deals, but not so good at the traditional life skills that may be needed, possibly sooner rather than later, to get through potential rough economic and political troubles.  

Here are some of the premier life skills that will become essential again as we extricate ourselves from an unhealthy reliance on the self-serving pseudo-support mechanisms offered by the government/corporate nexus:

Essential Skills for Survival and Independence

• Gardening and farming: Growing one's own food is a crucial skill, allowing people to be self-sufficient and provide for their families.

• Cooking from scratch: With processed food finally being exposed for the unhealthy crap that it is, people will need to learn how to prepare meals from whole, raw ingredients. 

• Sewing and mending: When both fast and slow fashion stop altogether, we will need to be able to make our own clothes, repair them, and be prepared to pass them down to younger generations.

• Woodworking and carpentry: Building and repairing homes, furniture, and tools requires skilled hands. Learning a trade is going to be the new university degree.

• Hunting and foraging: In many communities, hunting and gathering were essential skills for providing food and other essential resources, and in many others, they are still essential. When the food trucks aren’t running because of net-zero zealousness, we may need to learn to engage in hunting and gathering again.

• First aid and herbalism: With the discredited and broken sickness care industry self-imploding, we may need to rely more on natural remedies and basic first aid skills to treat illnesses and injuries, not to mention a healthy dose of prevention in the first place.

• Navigation and cartography: Before GPS, people used maps, compasses, and astronomical observations to navigate. These lost arts may make a return.

• Animal husbandry: Raising and caring for animals, such as livestock and poultry, was a vital skill for food and other resources. When the tractors are no longer running, animals will once again provide the horsepower required. Plus, animal poop will soon be the fertilizer of choice for the fields and gardens of the people.

• Blacksmithing and metalworking: Crafting tools, repairing equipment, and making hardware require skilled metalworkers. 

• Storytelling and oral history: Passing down stories, legends, and historical events through oral tradition was a valuable skill for preserving cultural heritage. When all our fancy digital storage degrades to the point of uselessness, storytelling will again become a thing around the fire.

• Music and dance: Music and dance are essential parts of community gatherings, celebrations, and cultural expression.

• Basic mechanics and repair: People will need to know how to fix and maintain their own equipment, such as bicycles, tools, and machinery in order to keep things running without breaking the bank.

• Preserving food: Techniques like smoking, curing, and pickling allowed people to enjoy seasonal foods throughout the year.

• Natural building: Constructing homes and buildings using natural materials like wood, earth, and stone required specialized skills. When synthetics are no longer available, or if one wants a healthier home environment, we will need to know how to build with local natural material.

• Community building and cooperation: People relied on their neighbors and community members for support, trade, and mutual aid. Then not so much. But if we are to survive, we will have to overcome our differences, and rely on mutual aid once again.

There is about to be a massive pullback in discretionary economic spending of all kinds, as focus upon the essentials becomes the clear path to survival.

The ability to live simply and take care of one’s self will be the way to go.

If you possess competence in any of the skills highlighted above, you are fortunate and ahead of the game. 

You will be better prepared for the more simple future that lies ahead.

Watch for all these basic life skills to make a big comeback as modernity continues to fail to live up to its promise of a better life through the myths of high technology, infinite growth, and the power of progress.