From kowens@teleport.comFri Apr 7 15:37:06 1995 Date: Fri, 07 Apr 1995 11:00:53 -0400 From: Jeff Owens Reply to: homestead@world.std.com To: homestead@world.std.com Subject: classical homesteading Classical Homesteading Well, the rain has driven me indoors and halted spring planting, so here is another inflammatory statement about homesteading . What is classical homesteading? The classical concept of homesteading seems to be one of living in the boonies and utilizing the resources at hand. To do this one would quit their job, buy a remote piece of land, and start homesteading. This concept was popularized in the 60's and was attempted by large numbers of people. Typically, the heat source was wood. Food was a combination of animal products and a large garden. Methods and tools were mostly borrowed from a previous era. The motivation was a simpler life, away from city problems. Is classical homesteading practical? Classical homesteading does not work very well for lots of reasons. The major one is money. The new homesteaders found that the homestead had a difficult time producing the income they wanted, so they had to have a second job. The second problem was work. After a few years of hard work, the fun was gone and everyone wanted to quit. The third problem is that most new homesteaders do not have the skills and mental state needed to be happy at homesteading. Very soon the idealistic expectations give way to harsh reality and the new homestead becomes a trap. The concept of a simpler life turns out to be somewhat false, and the city problems were replaced with different ones. What is alternative homesteading? A few people do succeed at homesteading, so it is possible. But, are they just normal people? What attributes do they share? Is there a better way to homestead? The people I have known who succeeded at homesteading were resourceful and not scared of hard work. Not all of them had to work hard, but they understood hard work and were motivated to find ways of avoiding it. Most of them had an active mind or background which helped solve problems. This concept of homesteading being somewhat mental surprises some people, but I believe it is true. One way to think about it is that the homestead provides no discipline, direction, or methods. At the same time it has endless options, and possible activities. The only way to cope with this is by mental conditioning from ones youth, or creative planning. So, how would an alternative homesteader start out? First, recognize that the problems of money, hard work, and mental preparedness need to be addressed. Second, take the best of old homestead ideas, and the latest technology, methods, and tools. What results is quite different from classical homesteading. The log cabin is gone, the tools are different, most of the animals are gone, and the land is probably smaller, the hunting is not as good, society is not helpful, the children are less supportive, etc. Thus, the definition of alternative homesteading is: Sustainable, cautious and somewhat self-reliant livestyle which borrows heavly from currently technlogy and the enviornmental movement. One way to deal with todays homesteading problems, is to make the work easier, minimize problems, and emphasize the enjoyable parts. Does alternative homesteading work? If we look at an alternative homesteader starting out, what happens? The idea of quitting work, selling the house, and jumping into homesteading would be rejected quickly. This does not solve the money, hard work, or mental conditioning problems. Better yet would be to keep the job, and start homesteading on a small scale. Drop out of society. Make a plan to solve the eventual money problems and test parts of the plan. Try to develop food preparation skills and stop buying at the grocery store. Buy food in bulk through food clubs, coop's, or directly from the farmers. Study solar housing. Study alternative energy systems. Study new ideas in agriculture. Study permaculture. Study, study, study. Would this method of homesteading work? Would it be as enjoyable? It worked for us, but most people would choose the city life which is easier. Once it becomes clear what is involved in homesteading, some of the appeal is lost. Why do people choose homesteading? It is generally understood that city life is easier and our society is now oriented towards city life. Homestead products are not worth much in the market, and wages in the city are high. The easy choice is to live in the city. Entertainment is readily available and all the services our taxes provide are close at hand. Medical facilities are close and everything is provided for a few dollars. The advantage of homesteading is a little more difficult to see. When the homestead money, work, and conditioning problems are solved, we are left with lots of freedom and time. We are usually living in a healthier environment and doing healthier activities. Some of us have a clearer conscious about our impact on the earth. Our struggle is to work with nature to provide food and shelter. The competition involved with jobs and city living is mostly gone. This annual task of providing food can be very rewarding and the cycles of nature can be joy. It can also be boring and drudgery. It all depends on how one defines happiness. There is another reason which makes homesteading appealing, and this is security. Civilization is constantly in a state of change and sometime this change can be a problem. What happens if one of the following disasters occur: 1. The oil runs out. 2. A major war starts. 3. A financial crisis occurs. 4. Food becomes scarce 5. Society starts to fail. 6. Water becomes polluted and scarce. 7. The cost of living increases dramatically. Not very probable you say. Well.. the news over the last few years and the history of civilization tells a different story. Jeff (vote with your lifestyle)