Don Hodge for 4thTriage
with contributions by Will Stewart
We pretty much think of self-sufficiency in the terms of a single-family situation. Most “preparedness”, “self-sufficiency”, and “survivalist” material is geared for the family unit – the basic building block of human civilization.
One reason we like this approach is the freedom to make our own decisions. We like to be able to choose to plant swiss chard and tomatoes as opposed to zucchini and collards – or vice versa. Even if someone else thinks our decisions are foolish or will produce less. Hey, maybe we like swiss chard and hate zucchini. Maybe we prefer container gardening to planting raised beds; or raising goats as opposed to catfish; or solar vs. wind vs. not there yet. Freedom to choose.
There is another reason that many of us don’t proceed past the single-family approach. This reason is often hidden and unstated. We simply don’t like the hassle of persuading others to do something. What seems obvious and good to us, often isn’t seen by others as such a smart idea. They may not see the ROI – Return On Investment – as being worth the materials used, time spent, or rewards. In fact, sometimes others can be downright rude in expressing their thoughts about our ideas. So there is a lot less hassle with a single-family approach. No question about that. The family unit is where it is easiest to come to a decision to actually do something. The farther away you get from the family – to neighbors, to community government towards county, state, and finally national government/agencies – the harder it is to get people to agree anything needs to be done, let alone get anything done.
I would like to strongly suggest that a community group approach is necessary. It is a better way to achieve long-term self-sufficiency for your family. There are limits to what family units can accomplish alone – or find convenient to do without others.
First, some people have more advanced skills than our own. It makes more sense to concentrate on things we like to do (and are good at) and trade with those who do other things. It’s usually more efficient and saves you on having to spend the time learning and perfecting that skill and/or having to buy the tools needed for that. For example when is the last time you set the broken bones in your own leg, put new soles on your shoes, built a rocking chair, or grew your own coffee?
A second reason for groups is that some tasks are labor intensive – moving heavy equipment like a large refrigerator, building a barn, repairing fences, getting in the harvest, drilling a well, digging a methane digester, putting up a tower for a wind generator, or chasing down those pesky animals that got out of the pasture. Also in a disaster (winter storm, tornado, flooding, man-made, etc.) the police, medical, and firefighters may be busy or even unable to respond. You and any neighbors may have to handle it and provided your own public services.
A third reason for groups is that you may have to provide your own security. That of course includes the public services listed above. However, there are more and more criminals in our society who seem to be getting bolder. These criminals and thieves act in seconds. The police respond in minutes AFTER they are notified that there is a problem - in the best of times. The police, by and large, do a great job but their response time gets worse – bad weather hinders things even more - if you live outside of the city. They try but distance is a great hurdle when seconds and minutes count. Okay, forewarned is forearmed. You can prepare for the occasional thief and violent criminal. Preferably with a neighborhood response plan.
Question: how do you respond to a group of bikers or gangbangers that show up in your isolated stretch of country? It really doesn’t matter whether it’s a drug deal or whatever, the potential for a large problem is staring you in the face. Well, you say “It will never happen in my area”. Really? You can guarantee that? Well, you might be right. I hope you are right. But what if something does happen? History tells us that “Stuff” really does happen in our backyards. The real question is what is the cost to your family if something happens and you have not prepared for it?
Remember, it will take long minutes for the police to arrive after they are notified.
If you are dealing with groups of looters (think Katrina) or criminals, you better have firearms and a secure place to go - at a minimum. Organized groups are better at defending against the bad guys than single-family units. A couple of points here. 1) It does not matter to you if the people who hurt/kill you are just scared or thugs. The result is the same. 2) Organized does not mean I have a gun, I am invincible. Organized means preparation ahead of time. It lays out who does what and when they do it. It might be as simple as everyone ducking for cover and calling the cops. Or a number of people poking guns out windows – as happened in a small West Virginia town to a group bikers looking for fun. The bikers then felt they needed the State Police to get the townspeople to let the bikers go. Whatever, you all need to be on the same page or people will get hurt. You will need to practice, practice, practice.
Please note we ARE talking about a Neighborhood Watch plugged into the local police and coordinated with them, NOT A MILITIA. If there is some regional or national disaster and relief hasn’t arrived for several weeks THEN your Neighborhood Watch COULD evolve into a Militia.
One last point on the need for the security a group can provide. A single-family unit – particularly if isolated – is vulnerable to a lone sniper who fades in and out picking off family members one at a time. Afterwards he would take what he wanted and disappear. While this is much more likely after some disruption or catastrophe, it could happen quite easily today. You would need a group of people devoting a lot of time (time that a single-family unit can’t afford) to eliminate that sniper.
A fourth advantage is the efficiencies you can have with a group in your neighborhood (or close by). You can combine a lot of your activities to everyone’s benefit. You can combine your sales efforts in your roadside stands, farm markets, and deliveries to local stores and restaurants. You can rotate the labor involved in those tasks and other things. Also if you form a Grange or Co-op, you can pool together on the costs of some community equipment.
In summary the advantages of the single-family approach are:
- Freedom of choice
- No hassle from trying to persuade others
The advantages of the community group approach are:
- Freedom of choice
- Ability to concentrate on what you do best and avoid the extra cost of some tools
- Provide the man-power for labor intensive tasks
- Provide better security
- Provide marketing and labor efficiencies
THINK ABOUT IT.
