DEVELOPMENT AND SURVIVAL

I'm thinking about development and survival. They sort of go hand in hand, you know. Sometime after high school a young man starts to develop the skill and trade he will need to make a living. The sure route to success in this area has been going to college. There were statistics to show that college grads made a helluva lot more money in the lifetime than a high school grad. Skilled trades were the area of choice for those who didn't want to go to college. But a lot of skilled trade positions have gone overseas and are no longer available. So what is a young man supposed to do? Develop a knack for flipping burgers? Develop a knack for running a fast cash register at a 7-11? Jobs are getting mighty scarce these days. What is a young man to do? He has dreams of a wife and a family and desires the ability to afford such a thing.

Listening to Gerald Celente earlier in the week I heard him say that his company is not hiring any Masters Degree people or Doctorate people. They will accept people with Bachelors Degrees. What they are interested in, according to Celente, is people who are ready to go to work. People who are ready to jump in and get busy and produce good results. And I say this attitude will prevail all across the spectrum of employment in our country. A young man will make his reputation where he lives. He will have done everything he could for whomever would hire him and his willingness and results will be his main resume~. And it is the ones who get in there and tough it out on the job who will get picked for full scale employment, something that will feed a family. The guys who say late at the tavern and come to work a little cloudy in the morning will stay near the bottom. The guy who shows up a little early will get noticed and respected. He who shows up early and works hard will get called back the next time there is work.

I spoke at a meeting last night and told my view of what is going on in the world. I said the world is being prepared. It is being prepared for a new day, a new society, and whole new outlook on life. This preparation is much like a farmer plowing and disking his fields to make a good seed bed for his crop to take root. It is being made ready for the new crop. The tools used are not too popular but will be very effective. I will remind you of the two main teachers of humanity: Pleasure and Pain. Pleasure teaches us to procreate and eat too much and get fat. Most other lessons we learn involve Pain. Going hungry because you didn't go to work is an example of Pain being a teacher. Going into heavy debt and not having any extra money is another painful lesson. I am sure you can come up with almost and infinite amount of painful experiences you face along the road of life. But if you are smart you only have to face them once.

My feelings are that a lot what we do as preppers will constitute what we will do to stay alive in the future. A homesteading blogger says the best investment of 2009 is FOOD. Growing, raising, and storing food via some method of preservation will be of good report. If it is not to be sold then it can be bartered for things you don't have and need, thus creating local interaction. Going back to a Bible principle we will discover and old scripture that says "Owe no man anything but love." So we will stay out of debt. Building good strong dwellings will be a prize accomplishment and the name of having good shelter will garner respect. Keeping good medical practices in vogue will make you healthy and prosperous. Having the ability to defend yourself and your family and friends goes without saying. If someone is against the defense of your clan then let them go down the road and live with someone who is of like mind. Develop tradesmen in your clan and let them function freely. They will pay you big dividends. Hunters and fishermen and trappers can play a big role in your clan. It all depends on the terrain you are in and what is going on. If nothing else they will feed you until you get some crops and herds built up and producing. That lady at Indiana Preppers, who calls herself Ernie, is a Veterinary Technician and most likely worth her weight in gold. These occupations will come to the forefront in the coming years. My son's chosen field, Paramedic, will be in great demand. He is not a doctor but he will get you to the bright lights and stainless steel where the doctors hang out!

So in dealing with your children in this day and age, try to get them headed down a path that will lead them to some sort of security and has a place in the society that means something. Your decisions will be based on where you live and what is needed. Just handle it prayerfully and don't make quick judgements. After all, you are dealing with someone's future And stay alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net