America wasn’t built by weak people and it most assuredly wouldn’t be the country that it is today if people had the mentality that many do today.
The bottom line is that we’ve become complacent and weak as a country. There’s nothing wrong with compassion as long as it isn’t at the expense of self but we’ve passed the point of being nice and now reside in the land of weakness.
The way that the country comes together in tragedy proves that American people still possess these traits; they’re just buried under deep layers of apathy and laziness.
Here are just a few lost survival traits that made this country what it is today: the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Thinking Independently
From the time of Native Americans, Americans have been independent thinkers.
The problem with today’s society is that a huge majority of the population wakes up in the morning and swallows the spoonfuls of crap-du-jour that news networks and social media are serving up. We’ve moved away from being the high-flying, far-seeing independent eagle and are now grounded sheep that ignorantly and trustingly bleat however our neighbors do.
Believe however you want, but be willing to back those beliefs up with facts and logic. Take the time to research the topics that affect your way of life. You can’t change the direction of the train if you don’t even know that it’s moving.
It’s your freedom that’s at stake – you’d think that would be worth at least as much of your time as you invest in finding a witty cartoon to post on Facebook.
Being Willing to Call “Bullshit”
Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Our forefathers were willing to stand up and fight against tyranny and oppression in order to preserve (or gain) independence from any and all challengers. That sense of patriotism seems to be a dispassionate ghost of its former self in most people today.
Our rights are being slowly stripped and we’re swallowing the “logic” that accompanies the laws.
In some cases, the laws are directly against our constitutional rights yet we still sit back and say nothing.
Fellow Americans, where are your spines? Evil is most certainly prevailing.
The second amendment wasn’t written so that you can hunt; it was written so that you can defend yourself and your country from tyranny.
Work Ethic
We’ve become a people who believe that the world owes us a living. Now I’m not applying this statement to everybody, but it does apply to a large percentage of our population. Our ancestors died to have the right to live here.
The American dream was once attainable by just about anybody who was willing to work hard enough to achieve it and it still is.
The problem is that very few people are willing to stick it out and invest the blood, sweat and tears necessary to prevail. The “I will do it” attitude has been replaced by the “poor pitiful me should get stuff for free” attitude. We are a land full of asses waiting to be kicked.
Responsibility
From top politicians right on down to the bottom of the totem pole, nobody is willing to stand up and lay claim to their mistakes or take responsibility for their actions. Everything is somebody else’s fault. Remember that when you point a finger, there are 3 more pointing back at you!
It’s not always the case, but for the most part we each make the bed that we lie in. When you take responsibility for your actions, you can finally see what’s going wrong and take steps to change your path, improve your life and make yourself a better person and a better citizen. Sometimes you have to apologize and sometimes you have to make retribution, and our ancestors were willing to do that in order to preserve the rights of every citizen.
As a matter of fact, our forefathers took the time to consider their actions BEFORE they took them in order to live in a manner that didn’t encroach on others. They appreciated their rights and knew that they came with limits.
There’s an old saying that goes something along the lines of, “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” If you take a few minutes to think about that statement, it covers everything that our ancestors held near and dear, and that we now take for granted.
Basic Problem Solving
We are a country built on innovation and “making do.” Native Americans lived and thrived for centuries solely off what the land had to offer. They knew how to use what they had on hand for whatever they needed and they knew how to read the environment for signs about food, water and weather.
Immigrants and settlers learned the same skills and also applied skills learned in their native countries to “advance” their new country.
We’ve now become so technologically advanced that we’ve lost the problem solving and the survival skills that made us a strong people in the very beginning. Without our handheld devices we can’t even tell if it’s raining, let alone figure out where to find a source of water. (Googling “nearest 7-11” doesn’t count!)
That’s going to equal a world of hurt for many people when SHTF.
As a country, we’ve gotten away from both the moral and physical survival skills that built this country and made it a force to be reckoned with. For years, other countries have known that to poke us was to risk waking the sleeping giant. However, recent events and the non-action of our citizenry in the face of tyranny and adversity over the last several decades have shown us to be weak.
If we continue on our current path of dependency and apathy, it won’t be long before all of the rights that our forefathers (and foremothers!) fought so hard for are lost.
Get your pride back, America: it’s in there, so dig deep and get back on track!
Make every day Independence Day!
This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.
there is a snake in the house ..it is the irs ..all money collected by the irs goes to another snake , the ngo non national fed… all money gvt spends is money created by the fed , a private bank , and loaned to gvt as a debt on our backs
fed prints bux ; gvt prints T bonds …they exchange ..you and i go into debt …
the fed gets bonds … gvt gets bux ….you get debt ..so far , 17 trillion …is this a good thing ???????
if gvt printed bux …………there would be no debt ….end the non gvt fed…
I’m in my eighth decade on this planet and I have seen first hand the transition that has taken place in this once great nation.
I’ll do alright till my end because I refuse to do otherwise.
My children are equipped to survive but the challenges they face grow at an exponential rate.
If a revolution at the ballet box doesn’t produce the desired result then eventually down the long road of time a violent revolution will occur.
There’s just going to have to be a lot of pain suffered before that occurs, but it will.
History always repeats itself and even though the population in general are aware of this they are either too dumb or too numb to do anything about it.
Hi, Theresa! Great post! Short and to the point is good. In fact, I’d say that the “Responsibility” subsection was simply exceptional. I’d say “They appreciated their rights and knew that they came with limits” is something that people of all political persuasions have forgotten…if they were ever taught it. Our Forefathers knew that true freedom comes from our conscious decision to work toward our unique societal goals. Very well told indeed!
Thank you Michael!
It’s sad Theresa. Even among the ranks of the self-reliant, there is a growing trend of over-valuing convenience. As Bill has noticed, just ten years ago the skills Theresa speaks of were were almost universally common sense … at least among survivalists.
Now it seem that most of the nation has lost touch. Perhaps that’s not so surprising or difficult to comprehend. But what is unexpected (at least to me) is to read comments from survivalists who lack these basic values that were once universally accepted by the prepared. Where did these people come from who seem to be incapable of thinking for themselves, achieving goals, adapting ideas and applying them to their specific circumstances to overcome adversity?
I appreciate all readers and their comments on articles and in groups, but lately I’ve seen more and more posts for people obviously interested in survival, but who can’t seem to apply very basic concepts to their own situations. Where most of us see solutions, they see roadblocks, difficulty or inconvenience. This just seems so contrary to what being self-reliant is all about.
Hopefully this is a just a growing pain associated with so many recent converts to survivalism as opposed to a symptom of weakening conviction spreading through our ranks.
Let’s fervently hope so! I’ve noticed the same trend and have received questions that have simple, common sense solutions that would have been apparent had the person taken just a few minutes to reason it out. As you stated, the defeatist thought process defies the definition of self-reliance. Hopefully it’s just a trend; survivalist lifestyles have gotten so much reality TV publicity lately that there are sure to be some Looky-Lous. Maybe we can open a few eyes. 🙂
This is a great article, Theresa. The image of the eagle still stays fresh in my mind, as opposed to the sheep. We need to remain independent and far thinking, not being trapped by the illusion of security but always willing to learn more about ourselves and our environment. Thank you for the words of wisdom.
Thank you, Ann. I’m glad that you enjoyed it. 🙂
“Fellow Americans, where are your spines? Evil is most certainly prevailing.” There are a lot of armchair patriots who talk a lot and write scathing articles, but I don’t recall ever meeting any of them serving on the border with us during any of the Minute Man operations or anywhere else where the “Tree of Liberty” might possibly “get watered by the blood of patriots”. So, kindly add anything real that you can to your bio about what you have done besides ride your bike and hang out in the mountains. About half of my family has never served in any way, and when they start postulating about what they would do if so and so happened then we veterans go off by ourselves where we don’t have to listen to those who talk rather than do something. So, before you ask such a rhetorical question of us all again then either tell us what you have done, or just stick to writing about survival skills.
Thanks.
Dr. Alford,
While it’s true that I have never served in the military, I defend my country and work to preserve the rights that you physically fought for in many other ways, one of which is by exercising my first amendment right in a manner that sometimes shakes things up and makes people think.
I’ve never missed an election, nor do I cast my vote frivolously. I do my research and vote in the manner that I think would best serve this country. I raised my son to do the same. I taught him history so that he can help assure that his generation doesn’t repeat it and I raised him to be a good man who responsibly exercises the rights that so many died for. I also taught him to respect them and to never take them for granted BECAUSE the price of them was so high.
I come from a military family and understand the hardships that soldiers endure, at least as much as one who has never experience them CAN understand. While it’s true that I’ve never experienced those hardships myself, I don’t think that I’m a lesser citizen because of it. You fought for my freedom and I respect you for doing so by exercising it responsibly and actively.
As an aside, many of the times that I’m “out riding my bike” involve veterans charity rides for your brothers and sisters who are in need. I work with many different veterans groups to help wherever I can, with the poor treatment handed out by the VA being at the top of my list of personal battles. That, however, is a personal issue that really has no place in my bio on this site. It’s not something that I want publicity for; it’s a cause that I work diligently for because I believe that change is necessary.
Though you scoff at me because I’ve never taken up arms and faced the enemy, I believe that I serve my country by being an active citizen and by responsibly exercising the rights that you and many of my friends and family fought so valiantly for. I’m unaccustomed to being chastised by a vet for being an active citizen, so I apologize for whatever it was in this piece that offended you. I meant no disrespect; if anything, I meant to honor vets by trying to use my gift of writing to open a few eyes to the fact that we’re losing the rights that so many bled and died for. There are many ways to serve one’s country.
Should the day ever come when I’m looking down the barrel of the enemy’s rifle, I can’t say for sure what I’ll do, but I thank you for the service that has made that decision thus far unnecessary.
Respectfully,
Theresa
theresa you are not a lone farmer
Thank you Mike!