Introduction to colorfield.space:70/1/~tfurrows
   Tfurrows self-sufficiency gopher hole
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This gopher hole is dedicated to concepts of self- 
sufficiency. Since I was a teen, I've been interested in 
ideas relating to living off the land and survival. As an 
adult, I've made various attempts to structure my life 
in a self-sufficient way. This hole explores that journey.

I've decided to organize this gopher hole down into four 
main folders, each representing a major aspect of self-
sufficiency as I see it. The folder contents will be related 
to each topic, but may vary in layout.

Phlog-style posts will go in the home folder, and will be 
date-stamped. Content in the sub-folders will not be date-
stamped, but the contents will be dated. Files will change 
from time-to-time (which I'll hopefully remember to record 
in the changelog.)

A breakdown of each folder follows.

# Frugality

Conservation is critical any time you're dealing with 
finite resources. Viewed in terms of survival, all life-
giving resources should be viewed as finite, no matter
how easy they may be to procure at any given point in 
time. A virtual guarantee of longevity is no guarantee at 
all; every resource is subject to loss.

Frugality is the "careful management of anything valuable,
which expends nothing unnecessarily, and applies what is
used to a profitable purpose."

# Production

Self-sufficiency demands that the individual learn to 
produce or procure, both with and without external aid, all 
the necessities of life. 

The ability to produce is intimately connected with 
frugality and society. Production efficiency is secondary, 
but still an important element.

# Society

Life has taught me that I cannot really exist without other 
humans. Some people may be capable of this, but I am not, 
no matter how strongly I wish to run off and live in the 
woods.

Society is an absolute reality for most humans. Self-
sufficiency does not imply a reliance on self to the 
exclusion of all external collaboration. There is great 
power in group effort, and society strongly supports 
concepts of frugality and production efficiency.

Society may also be a threat to self-sufficiency, and the 
power that society has over the individual must be 
mitigated.

# Philosophy

Preppers, survivalist, and off-gridders are necessarily 
philosophers. Individuals like myself, who don't warrant any 
of these titles, may also be philosophers. Philosophy is a 
cornerstone of self-sufficiency; it's what gives the raw 
concepts enough power to alter lifestyles.

If philosophy is "Literally, the love of, inducing the 
search after, wisdom," then the person who seeks self-
sufficiency does so because they understand the wisdom in 
frugality, production, and society.

You cannot seperate philosophy from self-sufficiency.


Document updated 04 APR 2019
You may contact me via tfurrows@sdf.org.