Resilience: Personal Preparation
July 6, 2010
My “standard of living” is a fraction of what it formerly was, but my quality of life has never been higher. We live in a house less than half the size of our former house, my beloved boat is gone, and we have a garden and chickens in the backyard.
Peering in from the outside someone might conclude that our family had fallen off the back of the American dream truck with a thud. But from the inside they would observe a tight, comfortable, confident, and grounded family. We owe much of our current state of unity to the fact that we embarked on a journey of becoming more self-sufficient and discovered the importance of resilience and community along the way.
Anyone can do the same. But first, we must lay some groundwork and address the question, “Why prepare?”
This is a chapter from The Post Carbon Reader: Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises (2010).