We’ve been reading the book The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder out loud to the family. Last night we came to a sentence that brought up some thought and discussion.
We all enjoyed thinking about how different our times are today in 2008 compared to the time Laura was writing about when she was growing up 130 years ago. (We figure the book is actually taking place in 1881 because Laura is 14 years old.)
If you know the story, you’ll remember that the Ingalls family was in an emergency situation when they were faced with blizzard after blizzard and 40 below temperatures. The snowdrifts were as high as their store and the trains could not get through with any more food or supplies. They were running out of everything needed for survival.
“If only I had some grease I could fix some kind of a light,” Ma considered. “We didn’t lack for light when I was a girl, before this newfangled kerosene was ever heard of.”
“That’s so,” said Pa. “These times are too progressive. Everything has changed too fast. Railroads and telegraph and kerosene and coal stoves : they’re good things to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on ‘em.”
We think things are changing fast today with the world wide web, cell phones, credit cards, direct deposit and the like. They thought things were changing too fast 130 years ago. They were right and so are we!
We don’t even think about our electric lights, except when they don’t work, and we enjoy our propane heaters that light with a push of a button, as long as the tank is filled up. Ma had probably taken her "newfangled" Kerosene lantern for granted, too, until they ran out of lamp oil, and her coal stove was wonderful, as long as they had coal. They had modern railroads that brought in goods from afar and telegraphs that brought news and communication from a distance, much like people today rely on the web to buy whatever they want from anywhere they want and cell phones and satellites to keep connected to the world.
I think Pa hit the nail on the head, “they’re good things to have but the trouble is, folks get to depend on ‘em.”
How much can we do on our own if all our modern conveniences were suddenly disrupted? Could we survive if we had to, with just our own resources?
I think the answers are very discouraging for most Americans today. We have become too soft as a society, and too dependent upon our high standard of living.
Here at Pure Water Hollow, we would be fine for a short while, but we would be greatly suffering if we had to endure prolonged hardships. We have so much more to do in our quest for greater self sufficiency. Some day, I would like to believe, that we would be able to survive anything that may come our way, even if life as we knew it was severely disrupted.
I think one of the first considerations is to be careful how much we allow ourselves to be completely dependent on the “new fangled” technologies and methods that are so prevalent today. I think we should make use of things that make life easier, but not become entrapped by such luxury to the point that we would be lost without them.
We will likely finish the book tonight or tomorrow. I think the Ingalls’ trials and constant fight for survival is a good reminder for us soft Americans of how life used to be in this great country. I want the resourcefulness modeled by those pioneer families like the Ingalls to be examples for us to live by, even in this age of ease.
With the Lord’s help, we will rely on the God-given resourcefulness that He blesses us with, and recognize that He is the strong tower that we must always turn to!
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2 comments
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faithfarm on February 26, 2008 at 7:01 am
Wonderful Post! Thank you for sharing it. Blessings>faithfarm
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Morning Sunshine on February 26, 2008 at 7:13 am
wow, great point. I would like to think we could do it. but I am probably fooling myself
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