Self-Sufficient

 

I think of myself as self-sufficient.

 

I’m really not.

 

I don’t grow my food or weave my clothing or dig my water or heat with cut lumber.

I think of when people had to be self-sufficient and wonder when will this happen… again?

 

I didn’t build my shelter. I’ve had a few repairs made but paid someone else to do them.

I don’t grow my food. I travel a few miles away where there is a market that allows me to pick and choose what people all over the world grow and produce. I can have a taste for pickles or pasta with a vast array of selections. All I have to do is swipe a plastic card and take it all home.

If I get thirsty, I turn the tap and water comes out. Someone long ago planted pipes in the ground and connected me with a steady flow of treated water for input and output. A flush makes smelly things go away; I don’t have to deal with.

I’ve got a closet full of shirts, pants and sweaters. I did not make any of them. They are sewn and assembled on the other side of the world. I make a selection and add to the cart and two days later they are on my porch.

If I get hot, I turn on a fan. There are these plugs in all the walls that bring in power to make my fans, refrigerator, washing machine (yes, no hand washing) and microwave work with a push of a button. I didn’t lay the cables but did have it upgraded from the war years, but by a professional with the right tools and insurance.

So with all that said, seems I’m not so self-sufficient.

 

Still I’m the only one who pours the hot water into the cup to make instant coffee. I’m the only one who decides when the towels need to be washed. I’m the only one who knows when it is time to wake. I’m the only one who knows when it is time to sleep.

 

Is self-sufficient anti-social?

 

Being alone is different than being with a ‘partner’ (spouse, wife, …) Other than being at work in different places, you have to deal with each other all the time.

The same is for neighbors. If they wish to be friendly or not can form social activity or just be ignored.

 

The difference comes when there is a disaster.

 

When the power goes out or the water stops flowing; who else decides what to do?

There is no one to turn to for advice or suggestions. There is no one else to help out.

You are on your own until someone else brings help or solves the problem.

If you were aware enough to understand a disaster was coming you could stock up on supplies. If you knew the disaster was coming, where would you evacuate?

 

Where would you evacuate? How would you get there, if there were a place to go?

 

If you found out you were sick, what would you do?

 

When you think you are self-sufficient, these are things you ponder about.