Natural bright red hair that brightens more through long exposure to sunlight and an abundance of freckles all display mine and my brother’s Irish ancestry. The height and heavy bone structure come from the German side. Growing up, little old ladies would stop my mother at the park or the store to compliment her children’s coloring and kids in school would debate what color my hair actually was (orange was the popular choice).
red hair close up. creative commons license
The hair being the first thing one notices about us, we grew up with lots of positive attention around our ginger locks. I don’t think my brother cared too much about it, but I’m a girl so I was proud and even a bit vain about my hair during the nightmare teenage years. I got through the awkwardness by picking one thing I liked about my appearance and focusing on that.
One day in middle school, we got to sit down and watch an anti-bullying video about harmful stereotypes. Don’t remember much of it now, but this was the first time I had heard anything about many stereotypes cited in the video as harmful. Things like; Asians are good at math and the black kid has to play basketball. What I vividly remember was the redheaded boy who complained that his classmates would tease him for having no soul or ask him if he had one because of his red hair.
One needs to understand this stereotype did not exist in my world before watching this video. I didn’t hear it in public, didn’t hear it in school, didn’t hear in around the catholic church my family went to. If someone had asked me the above before watching this video, my response all unknowing of the insult to my appearance would have been along the lines of “do you have a brain?” And it would have been the perfect way to handle such a stupid question. But it never happened.
Even as a kid, I had the sense this was typical of the well-intentioned, perpetuating harmful stereotypes in the name of stopping harmful stereotypes. That sense has only grown in the years since as every special interest group in the USA vies for public attention on their struggles, while perpetuating many of their own difficulties.
This is just a little personal story. But I feel it speaks to the need to occasionally let things be instead of amplifying negativity in the name of awareness. As a shy teen, hearing the jokes was embarrassing. As a confident adult I’ve circled back to, “Haters, eat your jealous hearts out.”
It’s 2022 and we’re coming out of nearly 3 years of a global pandemic with more questions than certainties. After two years of fear and lock downs, supply chains are disrupted, and inflation is on the rise while citizens of nearly every western country are taking to the streets protesting the lingering restrictions. The Russians are in a conflict with Ukraine, NATO and the US contributing in a less than helpful way which may result in World War III in our lifetimes. Countries are imposing sanctions on each other while fossil fuel prices rise, and all these green energy replacements seem to cost more environmentally and financially than they are capable of offsetting. Sounds like the opening of a nineties disaster movie.
Now that we’ve set the scene, everyone should understand the need to be prepared to get oneself and one’s family through trying times ahead. For this we can take a lot of lessons from our ancestors in trying times like the great depression and put-up supplies that will more than likely be needed in the future. Not too long ago, there was stigma around being a “prepper” those people everyone thought were crazy who would go out to dig a hidden shelter in the woods with years of food stockpiled. A bugout bag in the car an essential accessory at all times. These people are now looking smarter by the day.
We don’t really need to go to the extreme of bugout shelters and multi-year stockpiles but, having the means to survive without a grocery store for a few weeks to a few months would be wise. FEMA has found more people are aware of their risk factors and seeking information on how to become prepared. Conversely, the percentage of respondents to the survey who consider themselves “prepared” and are maintaining that status has remained flat since 2007. This could be a result of decision paralysis, three different sources say three different things, so what do you do? So the goal is to make a simplified starting point and logical progression based on my own research and experience making preparations.
FEMA recommends storing a two-week supply of water for your family, as much as you can if you don’t have the space for 14 gallons per person. Having some means of filtering and sterilizing water would be best for this. Also, having a supply of food which will last 2-3 months would be a great start for most. There are companies which specialize in MRE style emergency rations, which may be an ideal option depending on the individual’s financial and storage capabilities. If that’s not feasible or just to supplement that stock, we can rely on the wisdom of our ancestors who were able to get through hundreds of years of what we would consider “hard times.”
Consider how to prioritize preparations. If you’re preparing for a disaster that might require moving, easily portable supplies will be needed. Those of us preparing for high inflation and economic recession like we saw in the great depression will have a bit more flexibility. We can consider that we’re unlikely to fully lose the means of food production, even if it becomes difficult to move food and supplies between places quickly. Things that are local and in-season will be easiest to obtain. Avocados for example, might be off the menu for most of the US in the relatively near future with many other food products from Mexico to follow. Going to local farmers markets would help to build a community network to get supplies in the event of scarcity. There are other considerations besides food and water as well.
Stock your pantry. Learn to preserve food and get the equipment necessary to do so, this could be canning, fermenting, freeze-drying, curing, or dehydrating. Freeze-drying and dehydrating require large machines, so they are a higher investment of money and storage space than other methods. Fermenting foods is going to require the least space and initial investment of money with just the jars and a fermentation starter. Any food item which can be preserved instead of wasted will put everyone in a better position during periods of deprivation.
Storing canned and dry goods is an essential part of stocking the pantry. Canned goods can last 2-5 years for best quality. Commercial cans and jars will have a use-by date stamp for optimum quality but can be eaten long after. In an emergency, calories can often be more important than nutrition so shelf-life, not peak quality, is priority. All purpose flour can be stored for 6-8 months while wheat berries can be stored for multiple years. Dry beans will store for a year and lentils are the same. Dry goods like grains have been the staples of traditional diets for thousands of years for a reason, they store for long periods, absorb water to increase volume when cooked, and can be processed into many different food items. We can group fats into the dry goods, given they store for very long periods as long as they are kept relatively cool and most breads are a grain flour, a fat, and yeast, with enough liquid added to get doughy consistency and a bit of salt. A good pantry would include grains; wheat, rye, barley, rice, oats, and corn meal. Fats; olive oil, lard, and ghee. As well as common canned goods like tomatoes, corn, beats, carrots, tuna, chicken, and canned salmon. All of these goods require no refrigeration and will stay shelf-stable for a long time.
Note that it’s not enough just to put things in storage for a rainy day, maintenance of the stock requires rotation, and we also need to know how to prepare these items. How long do beans need to soak, what needs to happen so half the rice isn’t left burnt on the bottom of the pot, is a certain food item going to cause a stomachache or digestive problems? These questions we don’t need to be answering for the first time while relying on the stored food for survival. Someone who gets fast food every day is going to have an adjustment period switching to home-prepared food and it will be easier going through this while it can be done gently. This also brings up the point of mood altering or addictive substances. This would include tabaco, alcohol, sugar, and other things considered “vices.” We need to take these things into account because someone who is reliant on addictive substances, such as a pack-a-day-smoker, needs to consider how much of a stock of said substance they will need to avoid or ease withdrawal symptoms in the event they can’t get more for a while or ever. When one is in a survival situation, the jumpiness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating of even mild withdrawal symptoms would be detrimental to one’s chances.
How do we start preparing? The very least everyone can do is pick up an additional can of food or bag of beans on each shopping trip. Panic buying needs to be avoided as it puts unnecessary strain on supply lines and hurts the community. It also leaves the panic buyer with a large stock of something that may expire all at the same time. Building stock gradually allows for saving money and a diversified supply.
Next up, grow something. If you have 10 acres and have been working on your permaculture homestead farm for the past 5 years, awesome, you’re ahead. Most people aren’t in that position but could still help themselves by growing what edibles they can. An apartment dweller with one window could grow some herbs and lettuce in the windowsill, with a balcony is even better, get a couple tomato plants in containers. I would argue that no one is growing all of the food they could simply because people are always coming up with different techniques to maximize yield, but there are also way too many people not growing anything and there’s really no excuse for that considering the number of resources available. Every bit of food we can grow is an inch of independence that will add up over time. It’s a food item we don’t have to wait for the store to bring in and open to go get.
Even in abundant times there are dangers for people to be aware of, when things get hard and you have something someone else wants, it can get very dangerous. Being able to defend oneself should be a core aspect of anyone’s journey to preparedness. This mean physical fitness, having the tools at hand to defend oneself, and the training and mental preparedness to use those tools to defend oneself. Whether we go for lethal or less-than lethal options, there’s a set of knowledge that needs to be acquired to use said options properly. This could mean research, practice, and taking instruction courses until comfortable with the chosen method and competent enough not to pose an unintended danger to friends and family.
Speaking of friends and family, building connections to those emotionally and physically close to us is something we’ve been losing in the digital age. Many people will say they don’t know their own neighbors if asked. My own extended family talks less to each other since we all joined Facebook than ever before. Going outside and interacting with people, visiting the coffee shops, parks, and libraries is how we meet people and build connection over common interests where the liking of the same social media page is a shallow connection with people we’re likely to never meet. Social media can be a powerful tool if used properly, but if used as a substitute for real world interaction, it’s damaging. I would like to see a monthly no-cell-phones day where everyone left their devices at home and got out of the house for multiple hours, I like to dream big. At the very least, everyone should be able to point to someone in their area they could rely on if they need a ride when their car breaks down and be someone that person can rely on in turn. Those are the types of connections which get people through disasters, mental health episodes, and other times of hardship not a list of followers.
To have reliable friends it helps to be a reliable friend, in the same way it helps to have useful skills to trade for the products of other people’s useful skills. No one has ever been able to raise and make everything they need to survive; we rely on other people for what we can’t do ourselves. A person with the ability to utilize tools to build a structure is of more use to the community than a person who knows how to design video games. Not that there’s anything wrong about knowing how to design video games, but we’re able to keep up a demand for a supply of video games because we are living in luxurious times right now. A truly prepared person will have a practical skill set, farming, plumbing, building, making clothes, cooking, and first aid are all tradable, practical skills. These and may others will help a community survive over the long term and some can be developed to an acceptable level as hobbies. We’ve already discussed learning to grow food, a skill which will always be in demand along with the food itself. Diversifying one’s skill set can only lead to better outcomes overall no matter what the future holds.
Wrapping up, our ancestors made it through famines, wars, droughts, plagues, and upheaval or we wouldn’t all be standing here today. Whatever the future holds, learning from the past practical skills, food preservation, building communities, and understanding the principles of self-defense will get us through whatever lies ahead. Hopefully someone finds some use in this little rant to become more prepared for where our societies and governments are taking us.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin.
“Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and
three times good.”
Triquetra
One of the most contested parts of wiccan beliefs is the
rule of three. Years ago, When I began
my journey on the pagan path, many of the authors I read were quick to explain
that not all wiccans believe in the rule of three. To give a brief explanation, it is the rule
which states any magic cast in the world would return onto the caster three
fold. Thus a curse or hex would blow
back on the caster while a blessing or healing would benefit the same. This is often likened to Karma or the Christian
definition of sin and virtue. I am one
of those who do find the rule useful and while I am not wiccan, I do incorporate
the wiccan rede (where the rule of three comes from) into my core belief system. I’d like to explain my thoughts on why this
rule is helpful to me and why I don’t compare it to either Karma or Christian
sin and virtue.
The concept is a simple one for me. Think back to high school science class (or middle school, whichever covered circuits and generating electricity) and consider what we learn about generating energy. Essentially, the energy is built up in a generator, kept in a storage device like a battery, then transported along some sort of conduit, and ends up at a destination to fulfill a particular purpose. One of the things we learn about this process, there’s a lot of loss of electricity between the generator and the destination. The conduit’s resistance and the resistance of the surrounding materials as well as the storage device’s ability to hold the energy, all affect how much electricity makes it to the destination. Since none of that can be perfect, more electricity that is ultimately needed always needs to be generated at the beginning.
The structure we learn in science class is very similar to
what happens with spell work. The witch gathers
energy which is generated by their environment, into themselves (the storage
space), sends it through distance to act out their intended result. Obviously, we’re not typically using a bunch
of copper wires to deliver the magical energies to their destination and energy
is constantly flowing into and out of people so it’s not the efficient,
insulated system that we use for delivering electricity. Other factors of the environment and the destination
will effect the potency of the energies sent out as well. Counteractive spells, energies, natural magical
resistance of the target, and sheer distance, to name a few. The witch needs to take these things into
consideration and gather enough energy into themselves to actually accomplish
the set task against all of these factors.
The main area where spell work and electricity differ is in
intent. Once electricity is generated,
it’s neutral and has no intended purpose until it reaches the destination. Magical energy, by nature, is given an
intention while it is still held by the witch.
We can’t direct the energy after releasing it after all. This means that the first thing to be affected
by the intent laden energy is the caster, and to a greater degree than the
intended target (we’re holding more energy than will act out the result after
all). The greater degree may or may not
be three times the effect on the target, but it’s a handy saying. With this structure, it’s easy to see; if
the witch’s intent is negative then negative energy will be acting on the witch
while a positive intent will have positive energy acting on the witch.
In this way, I find the rule of three to be logical, useful,
and accurate in my experience. This
feeds into the other rule for wiccans: “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye
Will”
The
world has been transformed by the use of the internet. In a relatively short time, infrastructure
went from experimental to global and the sharing of information from one side
of the planet has had far reaching effects on the social, economic, and
political landscape. Social media
especially has transformed the way we interact with the world. Sharing every
aspect of daily life with potentially millions of people creates fads and
trends faster and faster each day. Online
marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have changed the economy drastically by
bringing low overhead costs to consumers and users. Many internet applications exist to connect
users with businesses, platforms, and other users through the information super
highway.
One of the most used
applications in the world today is the video sharing platform, YouTube. This web app was started to create a
centralized sharing platform for videos accessible to all users of the
internet. The social media platforms
that were in existence at the time of its creation were able to add videos but
did not have and easily indexed and centralized location. Many disparate
websites could hold video content for download, but they were difficult to find
and not guaranteed to have relevant content.
When YouTube first opened, all content was free to post and stream, with
users able to share multiple types and genres of amateur content. Businesses
were also on board from the beginning with the first video to break a million
views being a Nike ad.
After the site was bought
by Google, it became a platform where independent content creators could earn revenue
via the Google hosted ads. The ads were placed on posted videos through the
process of monetization. This has led to
YouTube becoming the largest video-hosting platform in history and allowed
billions of users in multiple languages to gain access to information they
would otherwise have difficulty locating.
A large portion of YouTube videos could be classified as tutorials,
“how-tos” ranging from how to get perfectly blended eye shadow to how to change
a tractor tred and beyond. All of these
have made an impact on the ability of users to learn how to complete tasks on
their own. A story made its way onto the internet a few years ago of a woman
building a house from the foundation up by watching YouTube tutorials (capatides, 2019). Other categories include critical reviews of
products and entertainment media, often leveraged for advertising to the
followers of influencers. A lot of these
resources have opened up avenues of self-sufficiency never before seen in our
society.
YouTube has also been a
major player in politics in America, the UK and several other countries. It has
been referred to as the new town square and allowed independent commentators
with multiple viewpoints to share and comment on current events, laws in
congress, government policy, and the views and conduct of politicians. These sources, being independent of
traditional media sources, offer different viewpoints and details on topics
which would usually be filtered through the pundits of cable news or the pen of
a newspaper or magazine reporter. Thus,
YouTube has been the center of multiple controversies involving free speech
versus “hate speech” and the limits of both.
Content creators with unpopular or controversial messages are subject to
review and a great deal of debate has occurred over whether content that is
controversial but not unlawful should be allowed to be posted to the platform,
not to mention the debate around monetizing these topics. This debate is especially prevalent in
America where free speech laws contend with the desire to shelter vulnerable
demographics such as children, and is unlikely to be settled any time soon.
In reality, YouTube is a
prime example of the information age, where all users are able to post original
content at any time and any user can access that content just as easily. The freedom of this information has changed
our society up to and including how laws are made and how the news is reported
to the average consumer and it’s not going away.
When
the worldwide web was created, the first applications made available were for
sharing information. This original
purpose has been expanded to an exponential degree with applications available
to connect to and share information with friends, businesses, consumers, and
the general public often in multiple countries.
These connections are able to reach an audience so wide, it could never
be done by the means of traditional infrastructure such as brick and mortar
shops and written correspondence. Just
about every internet application has been built for easier sharing of information
to fulfill desired parameters. In the
case of the multiple means to facilitate online learning, teachers and experts
are able to reach many more students than ever before and, depending on the
platform, still be able to market their knowledge in compensatory way. Overall society is transforming as we accept
these new information sources. It’s been widely reported that American-established
media blames the results of the 2016 presidential election on social media and
the spread of independent information through the internet. It’s not clear if everyone understands the
implications of this assessment as it would mean that the sprawl of the
internet has overtaken media institutions for control of both the dissemination
of information and the stamp of authority in said information.
In
conclusion, internet applications and the free sharing of information through
the web have caused a major change in how each of us live our daily lives.
Social media celebrating the sharing of everyday life and unusual experiences,
online marketplaces revolutionizing business and commerce, and globally
accessible databases for collaboration and creativity. Every day the effects of the internet are
farther reaching and more profound. The
structure of YouTube allows a video sharing platform to be a major player at
the forefront of this change.
A story from Sweden has hit independent
news and it’s alarming. Lead by Justice Minister Morgan Johansson,
the Swedish government is investigating the possibility of placing a
ban on Norse symbols including runes and the Hammer of Thor. (1)
Their reasoning has been reported as the symbols have been used in
the past by the Nazi party of Germany and contemporary “Far-Right”
groups to instigate hatred. Runes, multiple Norse symbols and
traditional jewelry may all be included in the ban. I can hear the
questions now, why should Americans care?
The runic alphabet and other Norse
symbolism such as the Hammer of Thor are used as religious symbols by
many in Sweden and the world over, including here in America. The
religions are classified as Heathen and include Asatru, Odinism and
Germanic Pagan Reconstructionism. These religons have been officially
recognized by many European countries and America as an official
religion.(2) For these groups and other pagans, the banning of Norse
symbols would compare to banning the christian cross or the jewish
star of David. The reason given, that groups who are ‘undesirable’
have used these symbols in the past is the same as saying people
can’t display the cross because the KKK used it as one of their
symbols. Freedom of religion is one of the core founding principles
of the United States, and our country would not exhist as it is today
without that belief. The banning of religious symbolism places a hard
limit on the practice of the religion who’s symbols are proscribed.
This does not speak to freedom for anyone.
Sweden, like all of Europe, has a rich
cultural history. Along with other European nations (Denmark and
Norway), Sweden was the birthplace of the Vikings.(5) Norse
Symbology is prominent in historical sites all across Sweden and the
rest of Northern Europe and a ban on these symbols would mean the
destruction of these sites and artifacts. Regardless of the Vikings’
violent history, their contributions to European art and culture
cannot be denied. History is not always pretty, never all bad and
always has lessons to teach modern peoples.
Onward to the rationalization that
these symbols are being misused by “Far-right” groups. Leaving
aside the appaling lack of meaning in the phrase “Far-Right” when
used by anyone on the political left. The groups cited have
organized for the stated purpose of defending the destruction of
their nations, histories, and cultures by globalist elites and
honestly, the discustion of banning the historical/religious symbols
they use to represent their dedication to the above is making their
point for them. What else can it be but an attack on all Swedish and
Norse history and Culture? I predict these groups will find more
support from the international community than ever before, acheving
the exact opposite of the Swedish government’s aim.
If this isn’t enough, consider that
the Heathen religions were recognized by the Department of Defence
in 2017.(3) Even before that, Thor’s Hammer was recognized and
approved for VA provided headstones in 2013.(4) Meaning we have
Thor’s Hammer displayed on military headstones at Arlington National
Cemetary. If we follow the previous trends of many European ideas
being adopted by American Leftists, such as Globalism, and a ban like
this were to take place in the US, who would allow the defacing of
our fallen heroes’ graves?
I don’t tend to get involved in
politics or social commentary. As an American, I despise people from
other countries commenting on US elections. Non-residents of the US
don’t have a stake in our electoral processes and generally, should
butt out. However, this is Sweden considering a law that would be
what I consider an attack on a religion, one that is very close to my
own. Hearing that this has even been opened for discussion among the
suposedly enlightened countries of Europe is personally enraging and
absolutely unconsionable to me. My opinion may not mean a great deal
and many people more widely known and articulate will probably be
more influential. However, at times there are causes which need to
be spoken for, this is mine. To all of America, whatever your
religion, ancestry or political stance, we should all care very much
about the result of this discussion.
Speaker's Circle 