“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” Lao Tzu
In an earlier post, I explained that I originally became "fishyculture" largely in reference to aquaponics. My husband and I promoted AP for years. We had a meetup, we did trade shows and prepper fairs and such. We ran our system, we helped a school buy a system, we helped many people build a system, we gave away a couple systems as door prizes. We promoted aquaponics, hard, and we still believe it is the most complete answer to a personal, sustainable, long term food supply. Here is the thing I do not think I ever confessed publicly until now... I do not like fish. Eating them, I mean. I love a good aquarium or scuba dive. I WOULD eat them if I actually had to, but so long as those chickens lay eggs I do not have to eat fish. (And when they stop laying there will be one last chicken dinner before I have to eat fish, too...)
(The most popular video I have made to date.)
The "prepper" phase of waking up serves best if it is just a phase. People cannot really spend a lifetime waiting for "the catastrophe" to happen. It is a necessary phase, as our society has fallen under the delusion that we are somehow catastrophe proof. We can look out any window of any home and see the evidence of past disaster - volcanic rock all over my yard, for instance. Yet somehow we feel invulnerable to earthquakes, massive floods, ice ages, asteroid impacts and with a blindspot that borders on insanity, war. Until they are shooting each other in the driveway, we tend to believe "war" is something that happens somewhere else. (Unless you are among those who actually had the war in your home town.) Learning to accept the reality that a variety of disasters are completely in the realm of "possible" and some are even "likely" is a wonderful thing.
(Those gentle hills were formed by a glacier. And yes, that IS snow, dusting the foothills this morning! But no need to prep for an ice age, it could never happen here...)
My recommendation for everyone is "Do be a prepper - for a while." Learn to grow your own food, have a "bug out" plan, and even have a plan for long term "off grid" living. You do not have to run to the hills to do that, you can do it in an apartment in downtown Chicago. (You might want a bullet proof fish tank for your AP system...) Do not get stuck in fear though, just learn how to survive without all those things you thought you HAD to have. You really do not. You do not even have to give up all the things you want, just realize what they are and be prepared to walk away from them on a moment's notice. You do not even have to live like the disaster already happened, just have a plan so you can be ready to THRIVE, no matter what life throws at you.
NOW you have the proper mindset to go fishing...
(There is our AP system, dormant. It can be up and running in less than 24 hours, now that we have the knowledge. Using local crawdads instead of fish, we can be feeding large crowds in 3 weeks. We usually have about a ton of barley on hand that can be sprouted to get through those 3 weeks. We use it to feed the chickens and cows, but in a catastrophe, things would be re-allocated. We have a plan. We do not keep the AP running. I do not like fish...)
How To Fish
(1.) Differentiate between a "want" and a "need."
This could involve making a physical list if you have never seriously considered this before. Do not just blow this off. You will be amazed if you take some time and go through your expenses, item by item. The only things that make the "need" list are food, water, shelter and those activities that DIRECTLY keep those needs met.
For many people, "job" is a need and if that is how you wish to supply your shelter then you probably will have "car" on the list of needs... but is there an option? Ride-share? Bicycle? Move closer to work? That is the kind of scrutiny I am talking about. Things most people will just throw on the "need" list are not necessarily really "needs." They just need looked at with fresh eyes, not through the vision of those in the auto marketing industry.
(I still own this stuff, I even use it on rare occasions. It is NOT part of the "bug out bag.")
(2.) Learn to meet as many of your needs as possible. Think outside the box. Think inside the fish tank. Think 'minimalist."
There are many fad diets out there, but most HEALTHY people I know, including myself, my husband and our room-mate, are eating healthy fats and proteins, and LOTS of vegetables, fresh and raw. A diet like that can be entirely met with an aquaponics system, year round, in any climate. You do not have to buy a farm to grow the BULK of your own food. If you are in a small apartment, you can do a very small system that gives you the ability to ramp up food production on very short notice. A small , functioning system will host the necessary bacteria to get a big system "cycling" almost immediately. ("Cycling" is what they call it when the proper microbes for the required nutrient exchange get to functioning levels.)
Look into the "minimalist" movement. You do not have to adopt every idea they espouse, but it is another excellent way to review that "wants / needs" list. Knowing what you really NEED to survive may lead to some interesting purchases. We have a "Piteba press" among other oddities. We play with it now and then, but we do not use it often. However, if the gasoline supply line goes down, we can squish oil out of the cheat grass if we have to, and that old beat up diesel back there? It will run on anything... I doubt a true "minimalist" would buy an oil press, but a prepper who realizes that the ability to run a deisel engine through a volcanic winter could be the difference between life and death? We bought a press.
(I can make my own peanut butter with it, too!)
(3.) Network in the real world.
You may be part of a wonderful online community, or church, or quilting club... You need to know your physical NEIGHBORS. Mend fences if there is enmity, because when times are tough, THEY will be your first line of defense, the first to your aid... OR NOT. You do not have to go all "militia" on them. Show them your fish... maybe offer to help them set one up.
There you go! Three easy steps to be ready to eat for a lifetime... no hook required!
(My favorite philosophy video)