The Snares of the World

What things of the world or society hold you? Ensnare you? Tempt you? What draws you away from your duties as a husband, wife, mother, father, daughter or son?

Something happened to Frank and I many years ago that I still ponder. We chose to go our own way instead of being lead by the world. I have a difficult time explaining it and a more difficult time really seeing how important it has been in our development - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, our character and our morals. But I will try.

Sometime back in the 80's we began limiting the amount of television we watched. We realized that the vast majority of the programming on TV came from Madison Avenue, or commercial enterprises, and were aimed at creating competition among people. This competition entailed purchasing particular items or adopting certain behaviors that would endow us with the dubious honor of being 'cool' or somehow accepted into society as normal or special or exceptional. We came to understand that television and movies, and those that control their content, had found a very effective medium for shaping society to accomplish their goals of control and manipulation, that's why it's called programming. And it has been very successful at programming generations of people since it's inception.

Now, fast forward to today. In this day and age, we are truly oddballs. We do not fit into the mold of society at all. Here is a partial list of why.

• We have not watched TV for over 20 years and do not own a television.
• We have never played a video game, not one. 
• We have only watched selected movies for a number of years, and for the past five years, we haven't watched any.
• We get all of our news and information from the internet, in a manner of our choosing.
• We do not have smart phones.
• We do not, and never will, sign up for and participate in any social media. It is somewhat of a miracle that we are blogging, but we have felt lead to share what we know in an effort to encourage or compel others to prepare.
• We buy as little food from the store as possible. The foods we do buy are basic. There are many, many prepared foods that we have never heard of. We don't know and don't care, because we wouldn't eat them anyway.
• We don't use any chemicals in our garden. We just make do the best we can and try to plant enough for the bugs, varmits and ourselves.
• We try to learn all we can about producing our own food - goats for milk, meat, cheese and butter; chickens for meat and eggs; gardening means learning what grows here that will sustain us in the most efficient, effective way possible; and an herb garden for spices and medicinal purposes.
• We don't follow the fads and popular trends in clothing. We wear what we like and don't need much. Frank has told me for years he only needs a few pairs of jeans, a few shirts and two pairs of shoes and he is good. We dress in a modest, conservative manner.
• We don't have a McMansion or grow things just for looks, simple and functional is our motto. 
• We live in such a way as to not draw attention to ourselves. We would rather not be noticeable. Rather forgettable, actually, is our preference.
• We are honest, generous, compassionate, patriotic, courageous, determined people. Many folks find us to be intimidating by the way we live, think and feel. We're just too different for comfort in most cases.

We have been told by more than one person,"Why do you do all that work? It's easier to go to the store and buy it!" That's true. They are exactly right. But that is the whole point. We could counter with, "Why take the easy route and buy everything at the store when you can produce much healthier food for yourself with a little work?"

We try, but are not always successful, at keeping our mouths shut in most situations away from home, because we make people uncomfortable just being who we are. If there is a conversation about something on television or some new food item, we can only give a blank look, because we know nothing about it. That's odd in today's world. If there is a conversation about phones and what they can do, we give the same blank look.  We are fairly computer literate and can research and find almost any information we want, which is a true blessing, but we limit our involvement with today's technology by choice and design.

We find that most people don't know any news or happenings in the world except what the talking heads on television tell them. That we actually know something of the news beyond what the talking heads say, perplexes most people. They don't realize how precarious our economy is, or how many executive orders have been signed in the last six years that are infringing upon their freedoms, or how much more precarious life-as-we-know-it gets everyday. They only know what Madison Avenue, Wall Street and the PTB (powers that be) tell them and want them to know. Most of the news is a distraction from what is really happening across the globe and what is soon coming to us all. We wish more people could understand that instead of being engrossed in the latest scores, gadgets, or chemicalized platter full of stuff that some call food.

I guess that's why we blog. This is our effort to share what we have been blessed to see and do for many years now. We understand how easy it is to be ensnared by the world with it's glitz and glamour. It is a whole lot more work to try to make it by the sweat of your brow and the ache in your back. It's also more difficult to be shunned and thought ridiculous for living so far out of the norm. But for us, it is the best place in the world, for God has taken us to this point, and as long as He continues to lead us down this path, we will walk on. Listen. He is calling you.

Until next time - Fern