(LifeSiteNews) — Although the battle we find ourselves engaged in is primarily a spiritual battle, there are temporal things that we can do to survive and keep the faith. Becoming more self-sufficient and less reliant on the government is one that comes to mind. Gardening, raising animals for food, and not carrying a lot of debt are a few of the skills we can all learn that will move us in the right direction.
Not everyone is going to want to go to the extremes that my family has, and I’m not suggesting they should, but I would like to share a little about how we live in an effort to introduce others to a simpler way of life.
As a family, we have decided to embrace unconventional ways of doing things, so instead of getting a large loan from the bank, we cashflow building projects as much as possible. Instead of buying electricity from the utility company we have built a home power station. Instead of calling a butcher to butcher our deer or livestock, we have learned to butcher, cut, and wrap meat ourselves. A laborious way of life is popular among some because it satisfies the need to feel a sense of accomplishment, teaches how to embrace life’s challenges, and improves resiliency.
Mike Rowe was once explaining why people who do “dirty jobs” are often more satisfied in their work than professionals. He explained how someone who sits at a desk all day needs another person to slap him on the back and congratulate him on a job well done. This is not true for a man building a fence. After a long day of digging and stretching fence wires, the fence builder looks at that fence and feels a sense of accomplishment. He doesn’t need anyone to tell him he’s done a good job, he can see it for himself.
I felt a huge sense of accomplishment when my husband and I put together our off-the-grid solar system. We had a handbook and telephone support from the company who designed it for us, but when it came to setting it all up, we were on our own. I knew very little about electricity so I had to learn a whole new vocabulary. It was like taking a class. I am by no means an expert now and unfortunately I didn’t retain all the information, but we now make our own power and that gives me a strong sense of accomplishment. We also set up a wood-fired hot water system. I hope we get a propane hot water tank someday, but I am really proud of our hot water system. Problem solving and trying new things is good for mental and emotional well-being. If there is no access to propane, I’ll have wood-fired hot water. If there is no firewood, I’ll have propane. If there is no wood or propane, I have electricity that I harness from the sun.
Many take hot water and light switches for granted, but this was not so 150 years ago. I think it is really wonderful to learn how things are made, and making do with what we’ve got teaches us how to embrace life’s challenges. We bought 10 acres of raw land and put a yurt on it. We chose a place to live that has very few regulations. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into turning raw land into a nice place for a family to live. We were lucky with the sale of a home during the lockdowns and made a good amount of money on that property. We wanted to pay cash for our new land and the yurt then cashflow as much of the rest of the building as possible, and with the help of our extended family and some small loans, we have been able to do this. We have hired out for some of the work, but we have built our place mostly by the sweat of our brow. It has been stressful at times, but the rewards have far outweighed the inconvenience. Because of our experience, we’ve learned how to embrace life’s challenges and not sweat the small stuff.
We started out with Coleman lanterns, hauling water from a neighbor’s house and digging an outhouse. When we put light switches in our young children were thrilled. It was like magic to them. Of course Grandma has light switches but ours seemed much more magical. Our older children, the ones that were 100 percent onboard with the entire undertaking, were proud that we all made our own power and brought it to the yurt. The children have also learned a lot about how things work. Running water and a septic tank are important to us, so we made sure that we have those things. When we put in the septic, the guy from the health department asked if that was an outhouse indicating in its general direction. My husband simply nodded as we hadn’t had it inspected and the health inspector advised, “Never get rid of it. You’ll regret it if you do.” I’m glad we have an outhouse. It comes in handy and all our houseguests think it’s fun. It is a beautiful outhouse. Making do and doing without has made every new convenience feel like a luxury.
Resiliency is not only good for our emotional and mental well-being, but it’s also good for our spiritual life. When we talk about resiliency in this way, perhaps a better name for it is the virtue of mortification of self. I believe we are living through a chastisement and that things will get worse. I also believe that there will be no escape from this great chastisement. It won’t matter if we live off the grid out in the sticks or not. The only real way we can prepare is by observing our treasured devotions, especially the Rosary, but the thing that will truly prepare us to suffer in peace and joy is practicing the virtue of mortification of self now. We must foster the courage to suffer well. Enduring uncomfortable conditions, working hard and solving problems with others, especially with our own family, gives us unavoidable opportunities to practice this virtue. As a special perk, maybe we will survive with the skills we’ve acquired. This is why I personally have chosen this more disciplined way of life.
Having your own home power system, not relying on banks for funding, growing some of your own food, and using alternative building techniques are all challenging ways to live a purposeful life. You don’t have to go to any extremes to gain less dependence. Gardening, beekeeping, and caring for animals are all fun hobbies to cultivate. We’ll not only keep the faith but maybe we’ll live through the chastisement, if we become less reliant on Big Tech and the state and work hard to learn the skills our ancestors needed just to survive.
