"Grandma survived the great depression because her food supply was local and she knew how to do stuff".

This viral meme keeps popping up in my feeds and it's not really true .. is it?

"Grandma survived the great depression because her food supply was local and she knew how to do stuff".

One part of me loves the message because yeah, I am going to be that grandma some day but the other part of me knows this is not really true. Not for everyone anyhow. Hundreds of thousands of people barely survived the great depression. The fact is, a lot of people were completely reliant on food stamps and the government system. They scraped together food, ate bread dipped in lard and stuffed newspaper in their shoes. Many had soil in their back gardens, could have done more, but they did not plant a single seed to help themselves.

Those that planted that seed, fared much better but they were not the majority!

My mom grow up in a family that was not self reliant. My dad grew up in one that was. Their childhoods and health are dramatically different as a result. This is a very important thing to consider. Being reliant on others for our basic needs is never an ideal situation. How will they care for you when times are bad?

My mantra is: If you want to see change for the better, you have to take matters into your own hands. This resonates through a lot of what I write about and this burns through me like a fire in my daily living.

Regardless of our past or our present lifestyles, or the choices of our ancestors, the fact is skills of self sufficiency empower us. The time and effort we put into learning these skills is something we can choose to do, regardless of circumstance. Knowledge is power and we live in a time where information is at our fingertips. There is nothing but ourselves stopping us.

You get to choose.