A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
It’s not just the stuff you acquire, it is the variety of the skills you master as well. It’s amazing how much there is to know about so many things that we take for granted in our lives right now. People have far more assets than our pioneer ancestors could have ever wished for, but we need the basic skills that enable us to use those assets effectively.
For us, the latest step we have taken in our personal preparations is to construct, stock and operate an urban chicken coop. Our small henhouse will provide us with about 4 eggs a day, and that is a powerful asset in a barter economy or in a post-disaster scenario of any kind. It’s easier than I ever imagined and you can build all kinds of good will with fresh hen fruit...