Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Teach Your Children.

As adults, I feel it is very important that we teach our children the historic significance of what we have seen unfold this year thus far.

In on Christmas day 2004, a huge earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami, killing over 250,000 people in the nations that form the coastline of the northern Indian Ocean, and as far away as Africa. That was a historic event, and it was followed several months later by an active hurricane season in the Atlantic, including Hurricane Katrina, and several other damaging hurricanes. In 2005, as Katrina pounded the gulf, and devastated the city of New Orleans, I remembered thinking that if ever a storm with the same footprint of Katrina were to strike the greater New York metroplex, the damage would be measured in the billions.

The year 2011 has been a historic year, if taken in context, it may well be a year like none other in our lifetimes. The March 11th 9.0 earthquake and tsunamis in northern Japan, while the death toll was less than the 2004 quake/tsunami, was very devastating to the economy of Japan, led to the worst industrial nuclear disaster in that region's history, devastated entire coastal cities and towns, and crippled Japan's economy.

Just weeks later, the worst recorded tornado outbreak in U.S. history began. Hundreds of tornadoes claimed thousands of lives, swallowed up small towns, and did not shy away from city limit signs, striking the most crippling blow to Joplin, Missouri. In addition to the tornado outbreak, we have seen record heat in the south, with cities like Dallas, Houston and Tulsa shattering records. Drought has set in other areas of the world. There has been wars and rumors of wars all around the world. The "arab spring" saw major shifts in power in places like Egypt, and we have seen the global economy weakening, and economic indicators in the U.S. point to worse trouble than even the Great Depression.

The nation has seen deep divisions between opposite political ideologies. The vitriol is alarming, and crippling to our economy, as businesses are uneasy and unsure about future tax policies, and they are thus hedging their bets, biding their time until they know with certainty which side will ultimately be in power after next year's presidential election.

Our nation's debt has skyrocketed, and our dollar is nose-diving against other currencies, and the proce of gold and other tangible commodities is going up in price, as the buying-power of the average American household has fallen by 35% in the past 3 years.

It is important that we instruct our children about the historic significance of the events and the news of the world, because not only does it affect them now, it will fall on their shoulders to construct a plan for long-term solutions to the problems we face, and we must teach our next generation how to be productive in a world where very soon the rules of commerce and survival will likely change so dramatically that people will need to be self-sufficient for the sake of their own survival and safety.

I've decided to put my money(what little I have) where my mouth is. I've committed myself to launching a new business which focuses on empowering individuals to becoming more self-sufficient, independent of the traditional economic model for living and surviving in the 21st century.

This business will focus on plentiful renewable energy, family gardening, preserving foods and building a pantry of food which could easily sustain a family for a very long time if it were to become necessary. Another facet of this enterprise will focus on teaching our younger generations how to hunt, fish, and how to feed entire communities through cooperative means, free of the burden of carrying cash, or seeing the fruits of their labor taxed mercilessly by an out-of-control, irresponsible government.

This is not to subvert the government. To the contrary, what is not being reported to the people today is the fact that the government is going to go bankrupt. When that happens, public assistance programs administered and controlled and funded by the government will simply come to a sudden stop. The arithmetic is very easy to do, but our nation's political powers and media have been living in denial, acting as though there could never come such a day. They are the same people who predicted that America's AAA credit rating could never be downgraded by Standard and Poor's.

So as a responsible adult, I see no other choice for me but to begin preparing for the inevitable day when the fundamental rules of our economy and our society change.

2011 has been eye-popping for me, because not ever before in my lifetime have the signs of impending disaster been clearer to read. The signs of these times do not pertain only to economy and energy pr politics. The signs of these times signal me as a Christian, to know that the season grows late. Nobody can know how late. The important thing we must now do is share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to live like true believers.

There can be no more hesitating for me. I am old enough to know that I must act and I must act NOW. I am young enough that I am still capable of doing the hard work which must be done to ensure safety and survival for my family and neighbors. In truth, I wish I had done this many years ago, but the days gone by are gone, and so I can only treasure each day and make the most of every day as a key link in the chain that will ultimately deliver me to my final destination.

Clean drinking water. Reliable and plentiful energy. Wholesome, nutritious food. Safe and comfortable shelter. Clothing and footwear. Reliable and affordable transportation. These are the fundamentals for survival of the body.

Bible study. Prayer. Fellowship and worship. These are the basics for sustaining your spirit.

Communication, sharing ideas and expanding through study and practice the skills you will need to survive and thrive in America after the collapse of the dollar, this is the key to maintaining the well-being of your family, and the more we exercise our minds and our bodies, the better shape we will be in for doing the Lord's work, in every way we can.

Scoff if you feel so inclined, but I contend that our generation has an enormous responsibility to pick up the pieces and rebuild this nation after the great plunder of the politicians inevitable collapses into a worthless heap of green slips of paper whose only value will be measured in BTU's.

What we need to remember is this: Computer skills, graphic arts and shiny wrappers will be useless. We need to teach young people the skills to build, to hunt, to farm and to doctor their families and neighbors.

Study the things that matter. Work to prepare. Plan to increase the tangibles you will need before the need becomes immediate.

Wisdom does not reside in Universities and Institutes. It can be gathered at some of them, but the true wisdom belongs to the men and women who understand the importance of gathering the vital knowledge they need, and the sense to use that knowledge to make themselves ready for whatever may come. Preparation for disaster is not exceedingly eccentric, it is merely wisdom which remains concealed and undetected to the under-informed, until the day arrives when it is revealed for all to see.

Teach your children the ways of the Lord. Teach them how to work with their hands. Teach them how to care for and feed animals, grow crops, and how to raise their young.

God bless you all.