This recent turn of events seems to have a whole lot of people rethinking things. Like what would happen if suddenly there isn’t what you need at the store. Then what?

Well, then hopefully you already know how to provide some or all of that for yourself, or in the least can come up with some workarounds for what you can’t get.

Like let’s go right for the TMI — toilet paper. What would you do if you can’t find or get toilet paper? Easy! (And you can do this right now to conserve the paper you’ve got.)

Take one or two old towels and cut them up in squares the size of washcloths. It doesn’t need to be exact or perfect. Get a bucket and line it with a plastic grocery sack. If it’s yellow, use a towel to wipe and toss it in the bucket. If it’s brown, use the paper and flush it down. Every day or so, wash the towels on their own with detergent and a splash of bleach. If you are completely out of paper, you can just go full towel. Or you can use old magazines and the like, toss in the trash for the browns. (Don’t flush unless you want to learn how to diy plumbing, not recommended!)  Yep. Problem solved.

But back to the topic, of which the above is just one practical illustration and much better than going out and standing in line at store after store in the middle of a pandemic, possibly exposing yourself or others to a virus, when you could do the towel thing instead. It’s only for a few weeks, folks!

I think one reason for the underlying panic many are feeling (besides the irresponsible fanning of it on any major news station) is they are realizing they have no knowledge or ability to live without the system they have become dependent upon to provide for their needs.

Now would not be a bad time to order one of those self reliance, homestead type books that covers how to do everything from grow and preserve food, to generate power off the grid, to dealing with basic medical care on your own. Sure it is all on the Internet, but what if you did not have access to that for whatever reason? Books never go offline! Plus, it’s interesting stuff!

Even if you live in an apartment there is a lot you can do. I have seen people grow a crazy amount of food in pots. You can even grow sprouts in a jar for fresh eating! Basic knowledge of what plants can be foraged in your area are another source of nutrition if all else fails. Dandelion leaves, for example, are are an excellent source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin K, and vitamin C (in its raw form), and a good source of calcium and potassium.

Self-reliance also comes into play when it comes to protecting you and yours from infection. You don’t have to wait for the government to tell you what to do, all you have to do is understand viruses, how they spread, how to protect yourself, and what to do to boost your immune system in the case you do get sick. There is a LOT you can do, besides just give up and allow the virus to run its course. Like take vitamin C, salt water gargle, saline nasal rinse (neti-pot), zinc lozenges, elderberry gummies or syrup, garlic, raw honey, turmeric… look it up! There are LOTS of ways you can help your body fight back against a virus. Don’t believe, “there is nothing you can do.”

Hopefully in addition to encouraging a return to self-reliance (remember victory gardens?) this pandemic will also bring back into fashion the tried and true traditions of personal and social responsibility. If everybody practiced these, we would not need all this increasing government regulation and intervention.

If we need the government, military, and police to guide our every move and tell us what to do, then we are no longer free. It is from our own handing it over, abdicating personal and social responsibility and holding others responsible, too, that they have turned into the tyrant they have become.

So please, don’t beg the government to make things safe for you or demand they do what you really need to do for yourself. Because every time we do, we all become less and less free.

What do you think? Please share in the comments!