Tragedy strikes, and we’re left helpless. What an awful feeling to experience!
Communities need to build a new model of self-reliance. And this will help to counteract these unfortunate circumstances.
I do want to stress one point before moving on to the list of ideas.
Participating in these community activities is voluntary. The United States is a land of free will. It is crucial to maintain liberty and independence. I want to keep true to my principles of individualism.
I will not use the word “collective” since it is closely associated with collectivism. It signals coercion.
Now, let’s discover the list of inspirational ideas.
1. Encourage Neighborhood Watch Programs
Like many tribal communities of the ancient past, warriors possessed an additional set of skills not discussed. They provided a watch over their flocks to maintain protection.
Additional sets of eyes to assess threats become invaluable human cameras.
Moreover, I see signs of neighborhood watches present in areas with high crime. The sunlight-faded signs make it seem they’re inactive.
Police departments paint “To Serve and Protect” on the side of cop cars. You’ll wait awhile for them in some more rural parts of the U.S.
In a 2017 study, researchers concluded the average police response time of 10 minutes.
Thus, safer communities increase property values and lower insurance rates. Businesses want stability when investing in local areas.
Developing a community effort of connected individuals to report suspicious activity is invaluable. It provides a more neighborly feel.
Let’s build our local neighborhood watch threat assessment groups up.
2. Start a Radio Communication Team
You need radio communication teams for emergency infrastructure.
Radios are fun. You’re able to talk with people across the world. The internet expanded access to information and communication.
But there is a certain magic in radio transmissions. It is nostalgic.
You’re able to set up an antenna and use old-fashioned technology. Self-reliance involves using this early 20th-century tool to transmit ideas across vast expanses.
Humans are social creatures, and we yearn for interaction among our kind.
Are there other methods of communication?
Yes, you can send a letter, a telegram, or an e-mail. The first two choices most consider outdated.
But you don’t want the wrecking ball of no preparation. A lack of adequate preparedness leads to chaos when an unfortunate emergency arrives.
This is a community effort to promote mass communication with others. It helps with organizing activities across different groups and interests.
3. Create a Series of Off Grid Energy Independence
You eat food for energy daily. And a community requires the same concept. Instead of energy for nourishment, you’ll need it to run the needs of your community.
The goal is to manage practicality and efficiency. Expecting to run all the communities’ same gadgets as on the main power grid isn’t the best use of resources. You want to maintain self-reliance for only the essentials.
After making that assumption, we must now answer 2 questions:
1. What are the essentials?
The fundamentals are what’ll keep your closest community team members surviving.
For instance, you’ll need energy for refrigeration to keep food fresh and heat your home in cooler climates.
2. How do we power your local community?
This causes you to think critically.
Solar panels always work great. The campervans I’ve used with them work good enough. Remember, that’s the point with self-reliance- survival and essentials.
Developing basic hydroelectric power is another example. Your community engineers could design a basic way to achieve this. Or you could make friends with the local beavers.
4. Compost Biodegradable Objects for Natural Fertilizer
This is a unique way to dispose of table scraps and other human elements for your community’s benefit.
It is a great alternative if commercial fertilizers aren’t available.
However, one drawback exists. The process of breaking down takes some time.
According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, composting takes from 2 weeks to 2 years. The numbers vary based on the size and rotation of the pile.
Start early and constantly add to your composting mound.
“…composting takes from 2 weeks to 2 years.”
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
5. Reroute Water to a Holding Bay
We all need water for survival. And about 60% of our bodies are water.
Medical News Today states the human body survives about 3 days without this valuable resource.
Some ways to redirect rainwater include:
- redirect water from gutters
- use old barrels to collect water
- dam a stream
By rerouting rainwater, you’ll ensure self-reliance for the people in your enclave.
6. Brew Beer As an Alternative to Water and Boost Morale
I already know what you’re thinking. J. Liberty, what kind of a suggestion is this?
If you’ve ever traveled to many places outside the U.S., you realize the water system in our country is exceptional.
You turn on the tap and bam you have fresh, drinkable water. This isn’t the case in other less-developed parts of the world.
What do people drink instead?
They drink beer.
Many peasants drank spirits or beer during the Middle Ages. 15th-century water purification lacked quality.
Also, your whole community will love you because you bring fun to the party.
People associate beer with good times. What a great way to boost morale! Moderation is the key, obviously.
7. Bless the Flowers with Joint Beehives
Regular honeybees bless the plants they touch. The pretty flowers you see outside your window are courtesy of the bees.
They’re essential pollinators.
According to the World Animal Foundation, here are some interesting bee statistics:
- Bees pollinate almost 90 different crops in North America
- North Dakota produces the most honey at more than 38 million pounds
- World bee populations are between 80 to 100 million
Next time you see a honeybee, “let it be”. Did you like that play on words?
Thus, you don’t have to swat it. Your self-reliant community and the honeybee will thank you.
“Bees pollinate almost 90 different crops.”
World Animal Foundation
8. Start a Community Sourdough Starter
Sourdough bread dates back to biblical times. It is an ancient baking art form requiring delicate care.
If you’ve baked a sourdough loaf, you know the difficulty of making one that looks like your local bakery. It requires a sourdough starter that’ll produce as long as you maintain it.
There are urban legends of successful pizzerias having a sourdough starter dating back generations. I’d assume it helps with the quality control of their pizza dough.
Think of the sustenance you’d provide for your community. Bread is a great staple in economic downturns.
Remember, the term “bread lines” is often associated with starving societies. You don’t want those.
But those lines are non-existent with the community sourdough starter.
9. Join Civic Organizations
Civic organizations promote values crucial to self-reliance. Sometimes you look back at society and wonder what happened.
Some of our dear community members lost their character along this life journey. They’re lost souls searching for their place. But there is hope for them.
Here are a few examples of the organizations I speak of:
- Churches
- Boy Scouts
- Girl Scouts
- Future Farmers of America
- 4-H Club
Supporting these organizations makes a person stronger. Skillsets and confidence improve.
For instance, churches teach you moral character, which is lost in modern society. The Boy Scouts show outdoorsy skills such as building fires and survival essentials.
Next time you see cars gathered at your community center, stop by and see what’s going on.
10. Host Skills Workshops
In addition to civic organizations, individuals need to fill in the skill gaps with personalized access.
It is in the community’s self-interest to ensure all team members have some sort of skillset. When tough times come, you need efficiency and speed. These workshops increase the probability of successful outcomes for self-reliance.
For instance, what happens if a fast-approaching forest fire appears?
Your self-reliant hero would make a quick firebreak to escape the peril of the oncoming orange glow. And by the way, they could’ve learned this skill in one of the workshops.
You can host workshops on:
- home repair
- first aid
- woodworking
- firefighting skills
Workshops teach specialized expertise not learned in common school programs.
Self-Reliant Tip Articles:
• Improving communities is always a great start. But how do you improve your individual self-reliance? LEARN MORE and explore my article on tips to chart your self-reliance.
• Searching for what self-reliance personality traits are? Look no further and LEARN MORE about what makes you a strong, independent person. I advise you to dig deeper.
11. Host a Block Party to Meet your Neighbors
You can’t help the people around you if you don’t know them. That’s the purpose of a block party- a meet and greet.
I’m talking about a quaint gathering and not a “rager” with mosh pits. Your party could be a barbeque while enjoying the music of a local cultural band.
Being self-reliant has its advantages. Because you’re able to host it cheaper than mainstream consumer society.
While you’re at this event, it is important to network. Exchange information and start assessing the skill levels of different people.
Encourage the strengths in your increasing contacts. You support them while promoting the self-interest and self-reliance of the whole community.
12. Have a Community Garden
This is one of the most common suggestions you’ll see from other lists.
As a community, you must have a source of sustainable food. Having a stationary garden provides you with many advantages to prior hunter/gather societies.
Here are a few:
- able to stay in one location
Packing and moving all the time is cumbersome. It is exhausting. Who wants to do that?
- know the contents of the soil
Crop rotation is important. Ask the farmers of the Great Depression. Epic dust clouds robbed precious topsoil from once fertile areas.
- irrigation already set up
If you’ve already experienced a successful garden, I dare say you’ve figured out a water supply. Ancient civilizations used to carve out entire sides of mountains with terracing.
That’s a significant investment in time you don’t want to walk away from.
- commitment to the success of the garden
Farming isn’t an easy activity. It takes skill to keep your crops and plants alive. You’re committed to seeing your “plant babies” through to the end.
13. Old Mentor the Young for Efficient Task Completion
An often-forgotten part of a community is the elderly. Many of them have useful information you won’t find in a book or on the Internet.
Their knowledge is raw, unfiltered life advice learned from trial and error.
Many times, I’ve asked my grandparents for guidance. And their wisdom cut down on my time to complete a task.
For instance, many of my grandparents developed shortcuts to cut down on time in the kitchen or doing daily chores. Today, you’d call them “lifehacks” you learn on a social media website.
What hint do you like the best?
J. Liberty
Related Articles:
• Self-reliance and individualism are connected. Are you curious to their mantra? LEARN MORE by reading my article principles of individualism.
• Wondering around blind not understanding philosophical roots is not what a good self-reliant person does. LEARN MORE about the self-reliance leader- Ralph Waldo Emerson- with the importance of individualism and his “Self-Reliance” Essay .
References:
Bryant, M. (2023, February 3). Bee Statistics To Prove Why They’re Crucial for Our Environment! Retrieved from World Animal Foundation.
Johnson, J. (2019, May 14). How Long You can Live Without Water. Retrieved from Medical News Today.
School, W. S. (2019, May 19). The Water in You: Water and the Human Body . Retrieved from U.S. Dept of the Interior.
Staff. (2020, February 13). Turn Your Spoils into Soil…COMPOST ! Retrieved from Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Staff. (2023). Cutting Your Team’s Response Time in Half. Retrieved from criticalarc.
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