Self-Reliance - Part Two.

One of the great problems we face today is living in a 'throw-away' society based upon the insanity of a mass-production and consumption structure which produces little more than piles of rubbish awaiting their turn to move to the local tip. But it is not just the produce-and-consume society that has the most negative affects upon us all, for it is the structure itself that causes problems at the level of the human mind. 

Take for example a simple knife which is used most every day, and which goes blunt with use. How many people today see this as thus being useless and in need of replacement immediately - throw it away, in other words? This is merely one such example of thousands, and without the 'old school' idea of being thrifty ('look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves') money is 'thrown down the drain' every day of the week. This is where the use of bushcraft-survival comes into play, because in order to function this needs a very different mind-set, one in which the knife would be sharpened over and over again. We learn to 'make do' rather than go straight out and buy something new; this has two positive sides, for it means that we learn new skills in making new what would be 'rubbish', and we learn how to use money far more wisely. Our forefathers did just this, and they were certainly better off for it.

I'll give two more simple examples. Our forefathers would not throw away a pair of shoes simply because the sole or heel was worn, they would stick on a new sole or new heel. They darned socks with holes in them, and stitched up clothes that were torn, and there are untold examples of how they were far more self-reliant than most people are today. My maternal grandfather was a coach-builder who built the old wooden horse-boxes, and as a 'chippy' he could make all his own furniture, an example of which I have kept in my living room, a chair and small table that were both well over 60 years old now. 

I must admit to having bought a great deal of stuff over the years, stuff which I then found I did not need; however, in time this proved different because what I have collected I am now making use of, and thus not needing to buy these things now. The children have grown up and do not use the old stuff I bought them, so I now put these to use in my training and work. These things are now becoming useful in so many different ways. Rarely do I buy survival gear now, except if is something that is really useful and helpful - so much has been hoarded over the decades. But that is not a bad thing, and I'm glad that the stuff was not thrown away long ago.

In my own opinion there is a need for caution in all that we do in regard to bushcraft-survival, since this has already become a part of the 'produce-and-consume' society with the YouTune reviews of what we 'must have' etc. This is not actually a bad thing since with mass-production the prices lower somewhat, but there is still need for us to buy the best equipment in regard to a knife, saw and an axe, as well as a good camping equipment. Steer clear of the 'gimmicks' which are out there because you can certainly do without much of this stuff. All we need is the basics to survive on if something did happen.