Positive Health Online

Republished from: pqliar.net

https://www.pqliar.net/in-life/social-structure/89-the-new-self-sufficiency

When people use the term ‘self-sufficiency’ we understand they are talking about being able to maintain oneself without any outside help. It makes us think about the basic needs of life and how to provide for them oneself. So we need to be able to produce our own food, our own shelter, our own power. In practical terms that means that we should own our own house and land and we should have the skills and knowhow of growing crops and caring for animals, be it chickens, goats, rabbits, and others. This makes it appear as if it is easier to be self-sufficient when you are a vegetarian but let’s not draw any preliminary conclusions.

Of course, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that it also includes being able to maintain and change plumbing, electricity and construction. A set of different skills that we also require to fuel our drive to self-sufficiency. Providing power to the property we think in terms of what is being regarded as ‘natural’ power sources such as wind power and solar power. I assume that there will not be a lot of people who are capable of constructing such power stations by themselves. Within the idea of being self-sufficient we take it for granted that we can buy in those skills and materials. This includes the large number of batteries we will require in order to store the electricity we are aiming to produce. Again, we need to buy these from the industry. Not only does this action supports the very industry we want to distance ourselves from but it also involves the use of batteries that form a big pollution problem in the world we live in, both in terms of manufacturing and end of life waste. We will be contributing to the problem that industry is causing humanity by becoming self-sufficient using their production and maintenance knowhow.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SDOH_model.gif

This model is a depiction of how to use each of the 5 social determinants
of health (SDOH) categories in order to create actionable policy and then in the
second part SDOH is depicted in the Dahlgreen-Whitehead Rainbow model.

What not many people consider is the fact that being self-sufficient also needs to include health. Being able to look after yourself in terms of health, diseases and trauma’s is essential in our effort to maintain oneself without any outside help. When you rely on laboratory tests and investigations, as well as on other technological interventions for imaging, in order to know what you should be doing to get yourself healthy again, you are most definitely calling in outside help. So you no longer can call yourself self-sufficient with regards to your health.

I realise that in a transition phase from dependency to self-sufficiency it will be impossible to take control of everything right from the start, but being aware of how much work still lies ahead of us and how deep ‘independence’ really goes stops us from being complacent. In other words, we can call a lot of things independent or self-sufficient but the reality of life will confront us, sooner or later, with our dependency on outside help. And that is the time when the definition shows us we are not totally self-sufficient. It would be much more accurate to state in which areas of life we are self-sufficient, rather than using the term in a broader, more general, sense.

Hence, unless you only eat what your own land produces as far as food is concerned you are not food self-sufficient. Even if it means you have to buy the seeds to grow your crops from, you remain ‘dependent’. In the same way you are only self-sufficient in terms of being able to keep yourself warm and to provide yourself with cooking facilities if you either have your own oil well on your land or you have enough trees, providing you with the wood you require all year around. Wood is the most traditional form of a sustainable heat source mankind has ever known. Unless you never have the need to ask the opinion of a doctor, nurse or any other ‘health practitioner’ to improve your health you are health dependent, not self-sufficient.

All of this can easily become very overbearing to most of us. To a human being looking after oneself for the basic requirements of life seems like almost an impossible task, and yet, in nature, animals and plants are able to do just that without any big problems. They find food, water, shelter, protection, mates, health, in short all they need. Why can’t we? What is so different?

One of the things that is strikingly different is the fact that in nature the land is not owned by any animal or plant. It is shared. And this theme of sharing is central to all natural life and essential to the idea of self-sufficiency. The food nature produces, be it plants, fruits or killed prey is all shared by a great number of organisms. Nature doesn’t subscribe to ownership or waste. These are two of the main differences between the natural world and human society. In nature, waste is food for other living creatures and everything gets re-used in that way. Human society calls it recycling but nature simply uses whatever is there. Nothing gets left. Everything is used at all times. Human society, however, is built on possession and ownership – even waste is owned by companies. Waste is produced that, by itself, has no further natural use. Hence, it starts to pile up. This accumulation of waste is what creates diseases, both in human lives and in nature. Nature, as an overriding power, ultimately will respond with massive force, thereby creating what humans call ‘a natural disaster’, in order to clean up the accumulated waste. It is, in fact, not a natural disaster, it is a natural rescue. It may result in human tragedy and disaster but it isn’t ‘a natural disaster’. There is no such thing as a natural disaster as everything that happens in nature is the result of interactions of several forces – in other words, there is a reason for it – and it has the specific aim of solving a growing problem – in other words, there is a purpose to it.

When land and resources are owned by certain people it means that other people are denied access to these. You can’t have what grows on my land because I claim ownership of the soil and of everything that comes out of it. If you do not possess any land you do not own a piece of nature that produces food. As a direct result of that you have no access to food anymore, and you become dependent upon making deals with land owners like myself. You are dependent as far as food is concerned. If you do not own your own source of water, you are dependent. If you don’t own your own wood to stoke your fire, you are dependent. Without ownership of whatever it is you may require in life, you are dependent. You are trapped in a blackmail system of our society. If you do not give the owner what he wants, you are not getting what you need. And you are not in a position to negotiate as the owner has his own needs for survival covered while you, for your survival, are dependent upon what he is willing to give you. Comply or die. But be grateful, because you do have a choice.

It should alarm every living human being that no country on the entire globe is self-sufficient in any of the essential requirements for life. No country is able to provide food and water to its entire population. Power supplies, health care facilities and shelter and safety requirements are not in the hands of the governments people vote for. Governments – we, the people - no longer ‘own’ their own countries. So who does? It is large financial conglomerates that own all essential survival needs. Individuals as well as all groups of individuals, such as countries, are completely dependent for their survival on global financial institutions. It is the owner that controls the lives of everybody dependent upon what is owned.

And here is the big problem in our drive to become self-sufficient. What if the owner of the food you require, the owner of the water, the owner of the oil, gas and wood, the owner of the battery factory and the solar panel factory, the owner of the bank that lends you the money to become owner of your own land, are one and the same? This has huge consequences for you as an individual. You may work very hard to become free in one aspect of your life, but you remain dependent, in this case on the same owner. It is the same owner who demands from you whatever he wants in order for you to be given what you have requested. If you do not satisfy his want, you will be cast aside, and because there is only own owner you cannot wriggle your way through the maze. You cannot negotiate one type of deal here and another one elsewhere. The deals will be the same everywhere. The contract that binds you to the owner of everything contains the same small print no matter where on earth you enter into the contract and no matter which language is being used to tie you up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Justified_True_Belief_model_of_knowledge.svg

Credit: Dominic Mayers courtesy of Wikipedias

This is a view of knowledge suggested but ultimately rejected
by Plato that raises interesting questions.

Ownership of nature is the fundamental source of trouble within human society. It leads to conflicts, to poverty and scarcity, and to academic and scientific deserts. As a direct result of ownership of all natural resources people become dependent upon the rules and the power of some individuals. This dependency to obtain essential requirements for his survival by the individual enslaves him into a system he cannot escape from. Without the essentials in life he is sure to die. Hence, he cannot survive outside of the system of total ownership. He is like a toddler totally dependent for his survival on what his parents bring him. The only difference, and it is a huge one, is the fact that the parents want to enrich the life of their offspring – let’s assume this! -  while the ownership system only wants to enrich itself. It is indeed not a parenting system. It is your pimp. It owns your life and uses that power to its own advantage and enrichment.

Once in, there is no way out. There is no real self-sufficiency, no real independence. And we are born into the system, just as it is in the slave world. Without realising it, your parents have ‘given’ you to the system. They registered you within the system. You belong to the system, not to your parents. And the system maps out your life. 

Well that’s that then. Bow your head and allow the tears to run down your face. Your fate has been sealed, you better accept it. How has it come to this? It has been constructed over many centuries, from small power groups into larger ones into global ones. But if it has been constructed, can it then not be de-constructed? But for this to happen, a willingness to take down what you have built must be present. This willingness needs to be present amongst the people who have built this structure as they control everything. Are you willing to wait for this to happen? 

There is another part to the definition of self-sufficiency, which not many people know about. It says: “to have extreme confidence in one’s own ability and worth”. This does not have a relation to the practical side of life. It does not state what you need to acquire in order to survive. It simply states you need to have confidence in your own ability. Ability in what?

Have you noticed how very few people these days really believe in themselves. They live in hope that the world will provide them with opportunities they will be able to take, but to acknowledge and to develop their own innate skills and talents seems to be a dying breed. Few people have an inner belief that they will ‘make it’ whatever the circumstances. Most want to believe that it won’t get that bad and that the government will rescue them. This also is part of the dependency: begging your master to make your life better. No longer trusting in your own ability is a direct result from many years of being told you will be taken care off. You not only do not need to do anything in order to survive, you don’t even have the required skills and power to do so. That is what we have come to believe as a result of many years of messages from our owner, weakening the strength of our belief in our own ability. 

What is that own ability and how do I get to know it? We have forgotten about nature. We have been guided away from nature, bit by bit, for a very long time now. This has resulted in us no longer being consciously connected to our own nature, to our true self. Hence, we have no idea what the ability of that true self really is. And so, if we want to find a way out of dependency and we need to have confidence in our own ability, and at the same time we do not know what that ability actually is, we only have one option left. If one does not know something, one has the option of believing in it. That is also how science works: a few things science knows for sure, and all the rest they believe to be true. And scientists are prepared to let go of any specific belief when nature shows them something else. And that is how it can work for you too.

Begin with an unshakable trust in nature, as a whole but more importantly in your own personal nature. Trusting your own nature means, in the first place, no longer being afraid of life. And yes, it is limited and you will die someday. But is it really necessary to be afraid of the end of your life and to pretend you can avoid or delay it? Trust nature to guide you through your life and to end it when it is required to finish. Trust your own inner nature to keep you alive in the best possible way, given the circumstances you find yourself in. Trust your instincts, once you are able to have contact with them again. Remember that you have been far removed from that inner voice, from your natural instincts. These are not your feelings. Feelings are the precursor to thoughts, and both of these are part of the learned reaction patterns the world has imposed upon us, children. An instinct is a sense, not a feeling. A feeling can be related to thoughts and reasons for what you feel. So, even behind feelings one can find reasons. One can make ‘sense’ of feelings. We also use the expression, ‘I understand what you feel’. A sense doesn’t make sense. You can’t explain it, no matter how long and hard you think about it. The reason for this is that a sense is not logical. It comes from a different world. We need to learn to make that distinction again between feelings and sensations. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Learn by observing the effects of you following feelings and senses. Following a sense, following your instinct, leads to incredible manifestations in your life. Things fall into place, even when you thought it wasn’t possible. The problem is trusting these instincts when you have learned never to do that. You have learned ‘to be logical’ about life. Nature isn’t logical. Your natural life isn’t logical either. It is born out of a symbiotic relationship with the rest of nature. You are, in your natural life, a part of the entire natural system, in which you do have a place and a role to play. You do not need to own your part. You need to share it. You need to fulfil your needs and trust that these needs will be provided for, provided you look for it and play your part in the natural world. Give and you will receive. Show nature that you are an integral part of it and it will give you what your inner natural self really needs to reach its potential. If you do not know that this is a true statement then start by believing it. Trust it. Steer yourself away from reasoning life out. Stop yourself from chasing what seems logical in life. Observe what life puts in front of you and learn to deal with that.

Your abilities lie buried deep beneath your surface. By not following the road signs put up by society (logic, statistics, risk assessments) you will gradually sink deeper into your own self. You will have to rely on your own capabilities, whether you like it or you don’t. You will find out what you are capable off. To take your first steps on this road you will have to trust. You will have to have confidence that it is possible for you to create an independent life, a ‘free’ life. In fact, what you will be doing is exchanging the dependency on human society for a dependency on nature. You cannot escape nature as you are an integral part of nature and you have a symbiotic role to play within it. You can escape the dependency created by a few human beings through ownership of your natural essentials.

Step into the world of believing in nature and in yourself. Believe you can do it, even if you know you can’t. There is no outside roadmap. There is no outside magic wand. There is no visible safety net. You need to trust it exists and that it is looking out for you.

 Stop seeing your life as the ultimate treasure that needs to be protected and to be kept safely locked up. See your life as a movement, as a journey, as an experience. It is at its best when there is movement, when life is on the move. There is decay when it is being ‘preserved’. When it is over, it surely will have reached its goal. There cannot be a ‘life-expectancy’ because we, humans, do not understand life. So everything we ‘expect’ from it is nonsensical, is wishful thinking. 

Your inner self knows what it is supposed to be here for. It was created for a purpose and it has a goal to achieve. Trust it to do just that. Believe in your own abilities to achieve just that. It is by believing and by having full confidence in your own abilities that you will be self-sufficient, whatever that may mean in practical terms.

Self-sufficiency is the freedom from the idea of having to preserve your own life.

Self-sufficiency is the belief in your own abilities to reach the goal of your personal life.

Self-sufficiency is a personal sense of independence.

Acknowledgement Citation

Republished from: pqliar.net

https://www.pqliar.net/in-life/social-structure/89-the-new-self-sufficiency