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“Get a Job”
Contributor
Our commitment to living the survivalist lifestyle includes living so far off the beaten path as to make a daily commute to work impractical to say the least. And so, in monetary terms, we have been living on just a few hundred dollars a year. Someone, not understanding the essence of survivalism, suggested recently that we “get a job.” For their sake, as well as anyone else out there who thinks that living a survivalist life means transferring your suburban life to another location, here is my job description and “payment”:
Collect firewood – Much of this is done by dragging fallen and standing dead pinion, cedar and juniper trees, later to be cut into correct sizes for the wood cook stove and the wood heating stove.
That replaces our gas bill.
Keep the storage batteries full of water and check connections to the solar panels.
That replaces our electric bill.
Do the laundry by the “Armstrong” method. That is, wait until the rainwater barrels are full enough to wash and rinse the clothes by hand.
More replacement of the electric bill.
Tend the garden and greenhouse. This is a 9 month a year job, and includes collecting manure from the pastures, turning the soil, planting the seeds, watering, removing bugs by hand, pulling weeds, staking plants, pollinating as needed and harvesting.
This replaces our food bill.
Tend the animals. This includes feeding the chickens, feeding the goats, feeding the cats and dog, providing them all with water, collecting eggs, milking and butchering.
Also replaces our food bill.
Pumping water from the well to the storage tank – by hand.
This replaces our water bill.
We don’t have phone service available here, so one of my tasks is to not jump when the phone doesn’t ring.
This negates our phone bill.
Use herbal and natural remedies for staying healthy.
This replaces our medical bills.
Take time to enjoy the stunning scenery, the warmth of the sun, read a book, have conversations with loved ones, cook an exquisite dinner.
This replaces psychiatrist bills.
In my “spare time”, I write books, articles and podcasts, answer e-mailers’ questions about living the survivalist lifestyle – and all before dark.
I may be without money, but I’m not without value. And I certainly don’t need a “job”!
Dan & Sheila are the authors of Surviving Survivalism – How to Avoid Survivalism Culture Shock, and hosts of the podcast, Still Surviving with Dan & Sheila. For questions about space in their Intentional Survivalist Community or other survivalist issues, they can be reached at surviving@lavabit.com.
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Heaven!
Beautiful.
To simply NOT have a “Job” is a major way to avoid supporting the system that is destroying the planet and each of Us.
Find a way, as this person has, to live outside their bullshit and be proud of it.
Fantastic!
This sounds too reasonable, logical and practical a way to live. They probably own a gun too. I foresee men in black with guns arriving to end it all soon and force more dependency. Probably a militarized SWAT team with brand new fully automatic weapons, sets of full body armor and a tank that says “rescue” on it paid for by DHS. Delivered to the terrorists courtesy of an anonymous call by the see something say something slave that says they need to get a job.
And sadly many fools left in America would cheer that live broadcast just as much as they did the government sponsored mass murder in Waco almost 20 years ago. Still too ignorant to realize this is the fate that awaits all of them in the end.
Well said! The fact that you had to point these things out at all shows just how caught up in the system the vast majority of us are. I saw a documentary about “progress” in Laos recently. In one breath, the commentator told how poor Laotians are – according to the World Bank earning for below the poverty level. In the next breath, they said rural Laotians don’t need money because their fertile soil allows them to grow everything they need and they barter for other things. Young Laotians are moving to the cities to work in factories because they want trinkets like mobile phones. It made me feel sad and hopefully they’ll see that trading in their freedom for slavery wasn’t such a great idea.
What a great read, best I’ve read in years..No kidding….
Cheers with a glass I use everyday!
Most the people I know lost their job, our new job is our education to ourself.
Nature teaches us each new day, that we are blessed in more ways than we can all imagine. Out of the matrix and into sacred geometry called LIFE!
I love the idea of no phone, I hate a phone….Really, I do. they are so annoying.
Nice one. Need to get me some of that!
I’m not sure how much more of the western culture I can take before I go absolutely mental.
We were not put on this planet to work and consume. That much I know for sure.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it “Survivalism,” I’d call it FREEDOM! Wish I was that brave.
You are that brave. Just move toward what you want. We live the same as in the article. I first recommend using your “job” to pay off all debt. Removal of that burden alone paves way for the rest. Good luck!
This would make a great movie. At the end when you get old, and one of you has died the authorities remove you from your domicile into a hideous old folks home and you escape to die with your love you even though your leg is killing you and you won’t live much longer due to Fukushima lung cancer.
Good perspective Mster Zen:
The real unemployment and underemployment facts reveal about 20% of the work force is unemployed, unemployed, part time wanting full time work, people who have quit looking and others who have moved in with aunt Martha on the farm.
The manipulation of the statistics include that when workers run out of unemployment benefits they are no longer vaunted.
The stats are available monthly on the US Government Dep’t of Labor site.
Be aware and prepare!
Learn the facts at http://www.magnifiedview.com
Great outside the box article.
Now we need info on how to obtain the land,house and animals without without already having the money. Do I get a job in the system to get this money and how long would it take?
Don’t forget about the money I need to pay the taxes on the land or people with guns come to take it away if we do not pay these taxes.
Until the world collapses so that governments around the world cease to exist, I will do the best I can within suburban structure I am stuck in. My intention is to get out of this suburban area – When? ASAP or when that opportunity presents itself.
I just speak for myself and the majority of people that don’t have a place in the countryside or mountains to go to.
Our fore-parents moved to the cities for what? The glitz of the good life now produces a stench we need to run from. Now that we discovered that we’ve been had, how many still have good deeds to their rural properties and farmsteads? The Corporations and well-to-do are wasting no time. Heck, even China is buying up land.
I would love to be a homesteader. Just let me know when the people have won!
Sounds wonderful, but I’ll bet it’s not easy.
The expression “get a job” is a New World Order statement, intended to preserve self-imposed slavery.
very inspirational , well done,
Insiteful article. This made me think of something I read in an article.The Iceman found in l997 in the Swiss-Italian Alps of Europe was found to be wearing hemp clothing that had survived 7000 years of ice. Marked and tattooed the Iceman is now believed to have been a Holy man or Shaman because among the many things he carried with him was pharmaceutical quality marijuana in a pouch among the many herbs he carried. This was astounding in itself, but the clothing is the oldest ever found and was woven hemp.” http://rense.com/general39/refer.htm
Just imagine if we had Shaman and Healers roaming the Earth,to aid us in our physical/spiritual journeys.
Look up “Merry Mushrooms” for the shamanic roots of a traveling, visiting “Santa Claus”….very cool.