In my mind, especially after watching the absolute chaos of this week unfold, I feel like old fashioned principals and homesteading practices have never been more important to incorporate into one’s life. Then one might not be so apt to wipe out the shelves of Walmart hoarding toilet paper over a cold that Oregon Grape Root and Elderberry can get rid of. This is a homesteading blog, so instead of being quiet (as I have been this last week and am in every day life so I don’t offend my friends who I love), I will write.

I want you to note what has happened this week. We as a society have placed all of our trust into a money driven medical system and have disregarded the use of plant medicines. A new virus will actually be more easily fought with western herbs because it hasn’t had a chance to adapt to anything. One of the primary goals of homesteading is to be self reliant. By having a good grasp on herbal knowledge, you will be better prepared for anything. I have half a gallon of antibiotic, a gallon of cold medicine, and several pints of lung specific herbs at the ready. I am not worried in the least. Plus I believe this virus has been going around for months; we just haven’t recognized it because it has the exact same symptoms as a regular cold!

I also want you to note the immense power that media has. The media has the ability to cause mass panic, chaos, every-man-for-themself terror. If you had no knowledge of this virus, you would just think you had a cold (which you would) and you would treat it with your herbs and get better and that is that. See how easily everyone is being manipulated? It is disconcerting.

Homesteading principals also lead us to being prepared. Not only for a cold outbreak, but for a natural disaster, or if the power or water was interrupted. It is really easy to have food, water, toilet paper, batteries, a flash light, and blankets on hand. This should be a no-brainer. Homesteading takes it further by saving money by growing our own food, canning and preserving our own food, having plenty of herbal remedies, food, water, and firewood on hand. When we empty a glass jar, we fill it with water and put it in the crawl space. We put money into getting a wood stove and have another cord of wood to heat the house and cook by if needed. We have oil lamps and candles. There is no panic here. (There is nothing to panic over anyway, but we aren’t panicking all the same.)

I also want you to note that this is an election year. Did you know that a mega-virus hits every election year? Isn’t that interesting? Homesteading principals also rally for our freedom. Freedom to treat ourselves. To not be forced to go to the doctor, have poisonous vaccinations, and to pay for everyone else’s medical bills through our own hard earned work. To not be forced to send our kids to public school. To have the freedom to teach our own. To teach our kids what we value and what history really looked like. To teach them skills that are actually necessary in life. Our taxes are really high and they go to fund abortions (don’t say the money goes to screenings, there is no separate fund), slaughterhouses, big AG, big Pharma, big Oil. To raise our taxes even higher…don’t get me started. If you value your rights and freedom at all, vote Republican. Seriously. I stay quiet when all my democrat friends go on and on about a president who tells it like it is but hasn’t done anything that prior administrations haven’t done (just more quietly) and have helped more Americans lead better lives. Folks, the Constitution is important. My rights, your rights, the rights of my daughter who homeschools and treats her children with natural remedies is important. The rights of my friends who have guns for protection is important. The right to work hard and actually keep what you made by working hard is important! Why would you want to take away rights?

So new mindset, let us teach and inspire everyone to grow their own food. What a difference a garden in everyone’s yard would make. Teach and inspire everyone to grow their own medicines. Teach people to have toilet paper on hand before panic hits. Teach people to utilize the library system and educate themselves always. My blog is intended to put the power of self reliance in the reader’s hands. I hope you see how a virus with a very low fatality rate can caused so much disorder around us. How we have let media cause us to panic and fear. Now let’s get our shit together and start leading with love, kindness, and generosity instead of fear, hoarding, and anxiety.

That is why we homestead. Preparation. Confidence in our own abilities. The option to laugh at the media. The ability to help others as needed. Let’s get our wits back and do a raid on library books and craft supplies instead. We are all going to be okay.