When you compare the state of our country to when it was founded, you can point out some big differences. They had slaves, women couldn’t vote, and many native animals were being slaughtered to near or complete extinction. But they got a lot of things right, too. The Constitution ensured limited government, the Bill of Rights ensured maximum individual freedom, and there was no IRS or income tax. Men had to be strong, skilled, and hard working, or they often died young, and alone. If these examples are pros and cons, some might consider that last sentence to be a con, but I disagree.
There are a lot of benefits to having men around that are strong, skilled, and hard working, and the more, the better. These are the types of men that can be counted on to take action. They knew how to provide for their families, and they did it, or they died. Today, how many of us can provide for our families, other than just earning a decent paycheck? Some of us at least are working on eliminating debt, being financially prepared for the hard times that seem to be repetitive, and inevitable. But what if there were nothing to buy with that paycheck? No groceries at the store, no water from your faucets, no electricity from your outlets. Even if you can hunt and fish, how many living in the city would have access to game during a fuel shortage? All of these issues are the elephant in the room to me.
I won’t sit here, typing away, claiming to be an expert on these subjects, who has it all figured out with all the plans in place. I’m here to learn, just like you. And I’m here to share what I research and experience firsthand.
Where to start
Getting started is definitely going to be the hardest part for most people. No matter what you’re learning or accomplishing, it’s hard not to get distracted by what still needs done. Let’s start by listing what needs done.
- Get your finances in order. Debt is our enemy, and banks and government work hard to keep us all in debt, so we can all keep working, and paying more interest, taxes, etc. Do what you can to increase your income to speed things up. Get rid of things you don’t need or can’t afford. Downsize your house. The list goes on, and theres infinite resources on how to accomplish this. My favorite is Dave Ramsey.
- Build a surplus of food and water. There’s no need to to acquire a year’s worth of supplies just yet, but a week or two is a great start. There’s several great books on prepping to help you out with this. I like to think of the surplus as buying myself a little more time to get things figured out if/when SHTF. What needs figured out? Permanent sources of food and water. Raising meat. Growing a garden. Harvesting rainwater. Drilling your well. Think you can’t raise your own meat? Research aquaponics, and meat rabbits. All the meat you’ll ever need, and very little space needed to implement. Start working on that garden.
- Get your butt in shape. The healthier you are, the less money and time you’ll have to waste dealing with chronic, self-inflicted diseases such as type 2 diabetes. And it’s not just about avoiding the doctor and endless pills the rest of your life. Men need to do work. Find a workout plan that works for you that builds strength and endurance. The best bang for your buck are compound exercises, whether free weights or calisthenics, and should also include endurance training. My favorite for endurance? Rucking. Check out www.goruck.com. While you’re at it, cut WAY back on on the processed foods and sugar, some of the top contributors to diabetes. We should also add self-defense here. Every man should be familiar with most common firearms, and working to be an expert with whatever he choses to defend himself and his family with. There’s also several great choices for martial arts training that are very applicable to self-defense in the real world. Jiu jitsu will get your ass in shape.
- Most of us feel we could never survive without electricity. If that includes you, start your backup plan. A properly sized generator and a surplus of fuel is likely the cheapest route, but fuel can always run out and it doesn’t store forever, so it’s not a permanent solution. Start looking into solar and wind power with battery backup as more permanent solutions. Your environment will dictate what option or combo works best for you.
- I mentioned earlier in this rant how previous American generations had nearly annihilated many native species. Some were killed because of their value, like bison, and some were killed out of fear, like wolves. I don’t believe in killing any animals, unless its for meat, or self-defense. When it comes to meat, we have to remember that wild animals are a perishable resource, and they need to be hunted responsibly. And I absolutely cannot understand how anyone can justify killing a wolf or a bear because it lives near you or your ranch, or whatever. It doesn’t matter how many generations we go back, the native animals were there first, and they deserve to stay, whether you see them as a resource, or just enjoy their company. The same logic should be applied to everything living, including other predators, herbivores, trees, and other plants. You cant’t remove any of them without screwing up something else. Every resource utilized (plants, animals, water) should be done so with responsibility. And while we’re at it, stop buying junk. All this cheap plastic crap we buy, toys or whatever, has to be shipped from overseas (unnecessarily adding to pollution), doesn’t last, and ends up in trash piles (more pollution). It’s a waste of money (we’re trying to get out of debt, right?), takes ridiculous amounts of energy to recycle (more pollution, again), and takes thousands of years to decompose. No matter how anyone feels about climate change (I’m not exactly sold), we can agree that we should leave the earth cleaner, with more resources, for the next generation.
In conclusion
These are not necessarily in proper order, but getting rid of debt is my top recommendation. Everything else can be built up over time, but the sooner the better, and it’s a lot easier when you’re debt free. Soon I’ll start adding resources with books, articles, podcasts and whatever else works for me to stay motivated, and build skills, strength, confidence, leadership, and hopefully one day, complete FREEDOM.
Thank you.
To Be Free Men 