Out to the Woods
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about self-reliant living. More specifically my dream of moving to a plot of land with some forest and perhaps a meadow and a creek and starting from scratch. Or nearly so. If I were alone I wouldn’t even want a house. I would build a house out of the materials at hand. In these parts that would mean logs and field stone. Since I have a wife and children, I would require a house. We would keep small livestock and have an extensive garden. I would want to be “off the grid” and produce our own electricity or have none at all.
If this sounds anti-modern or survivalist it isn’t meant to. It is not the product of some Kazinsky-esque philosophy, rather it springs from my own desire to live closer to the source of our needs. The term “self-reliant living” even sounds blatantly individualistic and atheistic; however, I believe a life of this kind would require a greater realization that all we have comes from God. And this is not a lifestyle I would encourage for others. In a way I see it as being similar to monasticism. We are not all called to be monks and nuns. Similarly, I don’t believe everyone should give up their modern appliances and move to the woods. I just feel like it is a life I would choose if I could.
