Many people’s woes come from putting themselves in a predicament where they feel helpless about their lives. But often, the solution is to take a step back and find ways to gain back control. It’s often easier said than done, especially if you’re entrenched in the trappings of convenience and familiarity.
Earlier this week, my wife, my three-year-old son, and I headed to Barwite in the north-eastern part of Victoria to spend a few days living in a farm cottage. It was a short stay, but we experienced quite a bit. The heavy rain on the first two days of our stay prevented us from checking out the property. However, as the rain cleared and the Sun came out, we walked around the fields and checked out the poultry shed, the greenhouse vegetable garden, and the small orchard that belonged to our host. They generously gave us some of their produce, including organic free-range eggs, ox-heart tomatoes, pears, apples, lemons, and cucumbers.
While the four days we stayed weren’t adequate for us to immerse into the life of a self-sufficient farmer, we observed how the couple who hosted us seemed quite detached from the worries and fears that many living in a big city face or worry over.
Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit in saying that they were completely aloof to the world, but my conversations with them led me to believe that their interest was closer to home, and they seemed to like it that way.
For those of us who live in the big city, we’re constantly trying to keep up with the pace of society and our peers — is our job secure, can we pay the rent or mortgage, what do people think about the house we live in or the car we drive, what’s the latest gadget or fashion to pursue, and when will we see that slimeball political party get voted out of power?
Out in a rural setting, the key concerns are the weather and what’s happening in the field — what crops to plant, are there any animals giving birth/sick/threatened/dying, when should we rotate our fields and crops, and what do we need to build/repair around the place? I’m sure they may share some interests with the city folk, but they’re likely to have more pressing issues to attend to. And those who run a farm are likely to have more direct control over their food supply and hence their livelihood.
So, why am I talking about this? Am I advocating that we all pack up our bags, put our belongings into boxes, buy a rural property, and be a farmer?
Not at all.
But I want to take the chance to talk about how you can regain independence, and thereby control of your lives.
Isolationist thinking and financial independence
Our desire for convenience could cause us to become dependent on society and the system.
Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, not everyone is born to be able to plant crops and raise animals to feed oneself, or to be able to make every tool or item necessary for our living. It’s through mutual cooperation that societies were formed, and humankind developed to become civilised, allowing subsequent generations to thrive.
However, we’ve reached a point where we’re seeing the accumulated flaws of humankind become an existential threat to us all.
Financially, the world’s facing an insurmountable debt problem. Thus far, those in charge have been continually deferring it by using band aid fixes to cover for market bubbles bursting and causing widespread business and household ruin. But delaying the pain simply means it’s worse when it finally hits.
Societally, the world’s divided by ethnicity, ideology, socioeconomic classes, and spirituality. Affirmative action, censoring, mind control, and propaganda is making it worse. Blanket solutions from poorly conceived strategies have simply led to further resentment that could spark violent confrontations, which are already breaking out in various parts of the world.
However, not everyone is able or willing or wanting to be confrontational.
In this case, it’s important to adopt an isolationist policy…at least in the financial sense.
How do you do that?
Firstly, minimise your debt liability. If you’re living beyond your means, cut down on your luxury spending. If you own many assets via mortgage debt, ask yourself whether you need to stretch so thin. Remember that you’re really making the banks richer and faster — rather than yourself — when you rely on what they lend you.
Secondly, ringfence some of your assets by taking some out of the rat race of the financial markets. What you own outright is yours — be it land, property, equipment, precious metals, etc. The prices can fluctuate but it doesn’t affect your day-to-day living.
Thirdly, reduce your reliance on the government. This may be from receiving direct handouts or leaning on regulations that are passed by these bodies. Government officials speak well about working for their constituents to solve problems. However, governments merely act as redistributors of resources and power, and there’s never a solution that pleases everyone. In addition, it’s almost always one side gains to the detriment of another.
Don’t get sucked into the rat race
In the unstable time that we live in now, our sanity rests on making the right decisions to take ourselves out of the rat race as much as we can. The reason why there’s so much resentment in society is that there aren’t enough resources to go around for everyone. And those who’re responsible for distribution are pathetically incompetent in delivering on their promises. That or they’re sociopaths purposefully seeking to sow anger and push for chaos by pitting people against each other.
By finding your own financial independence, you’ve made your first crucial step in not helping tip society over. A clear mind, coming from not having to engage in groupthink to stay afloat, will help you make better decisions to keep you out of trouble.
If you want to take on the globalists and the corrupt elements of society, you still can. But at least have a firm base financially so you can retreat to safer ground if need be. It could help you sleep more soundly at night.
So how do I attempt to isolate my family financially?
I like precious metals. Gold and silver can come in small, affordable denominations, so you don’t have to borrow to build your wealth. It also doesn’t have counterparty risk in that gold and silver can’t go broke and leave you with nothing (though they are prone to theft so store them safely).
You can do it your way — land, crypto, equipment, or your own business.
Make sure you’re ready because the clock is ticking for society to go through a pretty dramatic shift in life as we know it…
Get yourself in good order in the meanwhile! And all the best!
God bless,
Brian Chu,
Editor, The Daily Reckoning Australia
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