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AND THEN THE SOLUTION

The best possible situation a person could find him—or herself in, of course, would be one in which he or she could provide—from a wholly owned piece of land—his or her family with adequate food and shelter even if no resources were ever available from the outside again. Now, looking at the matter realistically, it becomes fairly obvious that a great number of us are never going to be able to achieve total family self-sufficiency . . . and fewer still would be able to do so overnight. However, that doesn't mean that an individual can't take steps to increase his or her level of self-reliance.

First, remember that in all but rock-bottom worst-case scenarios, the potential future breakdowns of our food and energy distribution systems would likely not be longlived. If you can get to the point where you could take care of your family's needs for even two weeks without depending upon outside supplies, you'll be well on the way to security.

Then, in addition to building up as large a supply of dehydrated or canned food as you can afford and store, you mightrather than hold onto money that, in most cases, can't draw enough interest to keep pace with inflation-want to put some of that cash into quality tools . . . or into any other items that have value in and of themselves. Such goods will serve the same need and get the same jobs done regardless of whether their monetary "worth" is ten dollars or ten thousand!

And, perhaps most important, begin now to invest some of your time and energy in acquiring skills that decrease your dependence upon the services that may someday not be available. You'll become more nearly self-sufficient . . . save money today by being able to build that addition or raise that food yourself ... and—regardless of what the future brings—become a more confident, fulfilled, and just plain happy human being!

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