Saturday, November 30, 2013

Drips and Dribbles - or How I learned to Love the Decline





It makes sense really that if we are suffering a long slow decline that any satisfaction from our accomplishments or recognition of our foresight will also come in drips and dribbles.

I guess it was sometime in the Mid-90's that I seriously realized something was very wrong with our world and my interest in survival-ism began to slowly morph into the realm of sustainable living.

About that time I went through a period where it just so happened my then wife and I happened to be unemployed at the exact same time because we had both worked for the same company that had closed up shop. That experience really opened my eyes to just how bad things were getting. We both had experience in the computer/technical world but I had years more of it, had been the installation manager, had many certifications and a degree along with prior military service. All she had was a GED and a couple of years in as my web site designer.

In many instances we applied for the exact same openings and without fail my Ex got called back for interviews over and over. I got zip.Nadda. Even for positions where the "Over qualified" card couldn't be played.

If you are dead set on NOT seeing a problem you can rationalize it with any number of unseen or made up excuses. The same is true from the other side of that coin but when something begins happening over and over and to others in the same situation my "Something is up" sensors start to go off.

The real problem then became that I was not on the same sheet of music the rest of my sphere of the world was on. I was the Black Sheep who wouldn't buy new cars, home schooled his kid, was messing around with things that didn't pay out like bees and gardens. You get the idea. Before this change my interests were limited to hunting and camping type activities. Re-enactment hobbies and the like. By the time the change was complete I was some kind of hermit gun freak who refused to follow the herd and constantly grab for that high paying job carrot.

I understood all to well that carrot was now a sham.

Of course it goes without saying that when you embrace an alternative way of thinking and living from the mainstream you lose an awful lot of credibility and importance.

But the worm is slowly turning these days isn't it?

Have you noticed....

Those same people who even four or five years ago were so happy to announce their up coming early retirement living on huge pensions at taxpayer expense now get a worried look on their faces when you remind them how fragile promises can be. They seek you out asking questions like "How much did your furnace cost and where can I get one?" For the first time in their lives they are dealing with vehicle breakdowns that happen just when the thing is paid off, why for the first time they are actually paying off a vehicle before buying a new one. 

Suddenly you are not quite such the loser they labeled you behind your back. You can see the fear in their eyes and the worry lines starting to form.

The Obama supporter who proclaimed loudly last year "This election was all about me" now laments with emotion about paying for some welfare queen's children with her new insurance premiums. The forty eight year old and still single Government employee now openly wishes she had found a husband in the middle of a conversation about Detroit.

Now where did that come from all of a sudden?

Suddenly the economics of raising your own livestock isn't met with glazed over eyes and indifferent comments. Instead of being an off shoot to a discussion the questions become pointed and focused.

You can see the wheels turning as they ask themselves "Is it too late?"

They better hope it isn't.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!











 

11 comments:

  1. You are oh-so-right! People used to roll their eyes when I talked with passion about my goats, chickens, and journey toward a more self-sufficient life. Now they are quite interested in the knowledge I've gained. The size of my garden makes their eyes sparkle with excitement---"you need to teach this to other people!" they say.....

    Trouble is, most people are too lazy to do it. They freak out when they hear that my day is 13 hours long; they don't like to get dirty or touch an animal or step in poop. I love it all....

    Keep prepping!

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    1. Anon - I am assuming that they will eventually get over the laziness. That or die would be my guess.

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  2. The alarm clocks are ringing and folks are waking up to reality. I guess there was an issue with a performance during the Macy's parade, men in drag. More alarms going off. Most of America just realized men dressing like women has become an issue. More gay's out of the closet.

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    1. Rob - I hadn't heard about that. I need to look into it. The Feminizing of men is a side effect that is going to hurt us all soon I fear.

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    2. Conservatives Outraged by Kinky Boots Performance in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

      Conservatives bashed Macy's via social media for the inclusion of a drag queen and a musical number from the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

      http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/11/29/conservatives-outraged-kinky-boots-performance-macys

      Delete
  3. Your story is somewhat similar to mine, years of computer experience but no job, one lady who used to work at a company told me that she was told not to hire anyone over 40. So I had a decade to make a bunch of mistakes learning how to live close to the dirt. I kind of have a handle on it now and don't wast a lot of time on stuff that don't produce something. There is a learning curve and people thrown into this lifestyle will need time to learn what not to do. The first thing to learn is that dirt isn't dirty, dirt is your friend, you take care of it and it will take care of you.

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    1. SF - Well my experience told me it wasn't age. Many of these places just were not going to hire a White Male period. Just about every place like that you go into these days proves the theory to me anyway.

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  4. It's certainly more difficult to get by than it used to be. I'm sure being older has something to do with it. I just try to avoid all the trouble by staying out of it, but then things come along like BlowJama and his wonderful deal on insurance, things I can't avoid and have to deal with .

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    1. Harry - Yep there is no Galt's Gulch I'm afraid. Too many of us withdrew and now they have to come after us.

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  5. Thankfully I was taught not to follow the herd and while I did have times I got caught up in the herd mentality I did wake up and went my own way. I kind of wonder who has changed in the last couple of years was it me or is it them?

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    1. MyAdv. My guess is it was them. The excessiveness and over the top attitudes just wouldn't stop.

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