4 Steps to True Freedom and Independence

December 20, 2015February 12, 2016 Scott M Terry 2 Comments

To most Americans, freedom is merely an illusion. Unfortunately, even those who are active participants in the “freedom movement” often live under the illusion of being independent people. They might preach liberty, fly a Gadsden flag, be able to recite the preamble to the constitution and have a copy of the declaration of independence hanging above the mantel. But in reality they are only slaves who think they’re free. True freedom and independence does not come from political documents or lofty ideas. True freedom comes from being able to meet one’s own needs and not be dependent or beholden to other interests for the basic necessities of life. As Wendell Berry so eloquently states…

A person dependent on somebody else for everything from potatoes to opinions may declare that he is a free man, and his government may issue a certificate granting him his freedom, but he will not be free. He is that variety of specialist known as a consumer, which means that he is the abject dependent of producers. How can he be free if he can do nothing for himself? What is the First Amendment to him whose mouth is stuck to the tit of the “affluent society”? Men are free precisely to the extent that they are equal to their own needs. The most able are the most free.

How free are you, really? Can you voice your political views without the fear of losing your job? Can you feed and clothe yourself without paying someone else to do it for you? If you lost your source of cash income tomorrow, could you provide the basic necessities of life for you and your family?

Those interested in being truly independent should think about working on these crucial steps before they spend too much time at protests or sharing freedom themed memes on the internet. Freedom isn’t cheap and it isn’t gained without expending a good deal of blood, sweat, and tears. Following these 4 steps will start you down the road to true freedom and independence…

Learn Food Production Skills

Being able to grow and store your own food is probably the most important thing anyone can learn to do. Without food, you die…or you lick the boots of someone who has food. Throwing a few buckets of dehydrated food in the closet is not good enough. Someday it will run out. Growing and processing your own food is hard work, requires dedication, and an investment in tools and equipment. If you are new to gardening, check out these resources for some good down to earth information on growing and storing your own food. It might well prove to be the best money you ever spent.

The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
Stocking Up III: The All-New Edition of America’s Classic Preserving Guide
The Organic Canner

Learn Traditional Skills

Our ancestors, who enjoyed true independence, knew how to produce articles of necessity from scratch. The real tools of a successful resistance will be spindles, spinning wheels, knitting needles, sewing kits, carving knives, leather working tools, and wood working tools. The ability to make a pair of socks from scratch, build your own furniture, saw your own lumber, or mend a shirt are the skills of the free man or woman. Here are a few books that you might find helpful…

Start Spinning
Basic Leathercrafting: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started
The Encyclopedia of Country Living

Start Your Own Business

True freedom loving people will never feel entirely satisfied with life as a wage slave. Find something you love and make a business out of it. Even a part time business offers some level of security against putting all your eggs in one basket. We live in time where it is actually less risky to start a business than it is to rely on keeping a “good job”. The books listed below are good primer…

Micro and Cottage Businesses: What You Need to Know and How to Get Started
The Daily Entrepreneur: 33 Success Habits for Small Business Owners, Freelancers and Aspiring 9-to-5 Escape Artists

Get Out Of Debt

The borrower is a slave to the lender. This is an inescapable truth. Pay off all debt as soon as possible. Ditch the credit cards and only buy that which you can afford. Do what they did in the old days, save until you can afford to buy! You cannot be a free man or build a free society based on debt. RJ Rushdoony makes an interesting observation on how debt slavery effects the future…

The social consequences of debt include a covetous and inflationary society. When men spend prospective and still future earnings in the present, then, as the present passes, they are chained to their past spending by debt. Debt becomes a form of karma, a past which governs the present and the future and produces a society with a closed future. The slavery of debt binds man to the worst in their past; their debt-living cripples their present and helps determine and limit their future.

As someone who once found himself snared by debt, I can assure you that it is possible to free yourself and it is the most liberating act you can experience. Who are we to be critical of central banks or deficit spending, when we are practicing the same trickery ourselves? Nothing scares the establishment more than freeholders who are not shackled by debt. Here are some good resources for getting out of, and staying out of debt…

The Total Money Makeover
The Complete Tightwad Gazette

If you thirst for freedom and independence, try to implement these 4 steps in your life. These 4 steps will propel you down the road less traveled, the road to true freedom.

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Scott M Terry

Scott Terry is farmer, survivalist, and writer who lives in the backwoods of the northeastern United States.You can sign up for the Backwoods Resistance Newsletter HERE and find him on Facebook HERE

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