In the latest edition of Foreign Affairs is an excellent article by Stephen Flynn entitled “America the Resilient,” which gives his expert recommendations on how America should mitigate natural disasters and “defy terrorism.”
It’s a fascinating read from a well-known and respected expert on preparedness, and it should get every reader motivated to implement a sensible preparedness plan immediately.
The best way that I have ever seen to do this is through Joseph’s Storehouse, the “world’s first full-service preparedness and food storage company.”
I had a Joseph’s Storehouse rep come to my home to perform a free Emergency Preparedness Audit, a service to assess a family’s level of preparedness in home safety, emergency and disaster preparedness, and food storage. I was amazed at the level of depth and comprehensiveness of the audit, and it opened my eyes to how ill prepared my family is.
I’m not an alarmist, yet it only makes sense to be prepared for natural disasters, or other things spoken of by experts such as flu pandemics, terrorist attacks, and more.
Do your family a favor: Call Joseph’s Storehouse today at (435) 215-4838 and set up your free Emergency Preparedness Audit.
While you’re debating whether or not you’ll make the call, consider the… Continue reading »
What stories will your great-grandchildren tell about you?
I once stood in the cemetery where several of my ancestors have been laid. In a deeply sentimental mood I thought to myself, “How many stories cry from the ground here? How many hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows do these cold headstones represent? Can we even begin to comprehend all that these people went through for us to enjoy our freedom today?”
I quietly listened to my father as he told fascinating stories of these mysterious people I had never met. I began to feel an intimate bond with these faceless Pioneers.
The realization sank deep into my soul that we stand on the shoulders of Those Who Have Gone Before. But have we become Those Who Have Forgotten? It is critical that we remember our heritage; the future of our nation depends on it.
Allow me to help us remember by…
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Are you taking an active part in creating that story, or is passivity leaving you subject to the winds of fortune?
Daniel Taylor wrote, “Freedom is useless if we don’t exercise it as characters making choices…We are free to change the stories by which we live. Because we are genuine characters, and not mere puppets, we can choose our defining stories. We can do so because we actively participate in the creation of our stories. We are co-authors as well as characters. Few things are so encouraging as the realization that things can be different and that we have a role in making them so.”
In the story of your life, be a creator and a writer, not a mere actor playing a scripted part.
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Have you ever heard the fable about the unhappy Arab farmer who, after inheriting the family farm, longed for riches and a more glamorous way of life? Feeling sorry for himself, he sold his land to a neighbor at a bargain price and headed for Europe. Years later, after wasting his funds and not finding the glamorous lifestyle of his dreams, he returned to his birthplace to find his former neighbor living like a sultan. Flabbergasted, he asked how such riches were possible. “Simple,” said his former neighbor, “I discovered ‘Acres of Diamonds’ on the land you sold me.” His unseen fortune was at his feet.
Every one of us has “diamonds” and “gold” just waiting to be discovered inside of us. We can spend our lives looking for fortune and security outside of ourselves, but this is not where it can be found. It is inside of us. It is our ability to think and to choose. It is our commitment to self-reliance.
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Booker T. Washington was an extraordinary hero from whom we can learn many valuable lessons. He was born a slave in Virginia, was freed after the Civil War, then set out to become educated. He arrived at the Hampton Institute determined to gain admittance.
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In his autobiography he wrote, “I presented myself before the head teacher…After some hours had passed, the [she] said to me: ‘The adjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.’ It occurred to me at once that here was my chance…I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth. Besides, every piece of furniture had been moved and every closet and corner in the room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head teacher…She went into the room and inspected…When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, ‘I guess you will do to enter this institution.’ I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.”
Suggested reading: Up From Slavery: The Autobiography of Booker T. Washington
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Alexander Tytler, a 17th Century historian, studied the rise and fall of nations and taught what we now know as Tytler’s Cycle. According to Tytler, all nations go from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to freedom, from freedom to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, and from dependence back to bondage. The critical thing, said Tytler, that leads a nation to switch from abundance to selfishness, is when they vote themselves benefits from the national treasury. Benjamin Franklin showed his understanding of this when he wrote, “When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
You can contribute to the health of our great republic by living a self-reliant life, as well as helping those in need so that the government can stay in its proper sphere of protecting inalienable rights only. The less our citizens depend on the government for their daily needs, the stronger our republic will be and the longer it will last.
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In his book Freakonomics, economist Steven Levitt compares two boys. One boy was white, from a Chicago suburb, and had “smart, solid, encouraging, loving parents who stressed education and family.” The second boy was black, from Daytona Beach, and was abandoned by his mother, beaten by his father, and had become a full-fledged gangster by his teens.
The second child, now 27 years old, is Roland G. Fryer, Jr., a Harvard economist. The white child also made it to Harvard. But soon after, things went badly for him. His name is Ted Kaczynski–the man we know as the Unabomber.
Although our circumstances definitely influence who we become, it is our choice that is the ultimate determinant. Everyone can find reasons to not live up to their divine destiny, if that’s what they want to focus on. But we only hold on to our pain because it gives us an excuse to not take responsibility; as long as I have someone or something to blame for my pain, I don’t have to look myself in the mirror. Take responsibility for choosing your responses to circumstances, however painful they may be.
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Are you able to remain calm despite what emergencies may occur in your life?
The story is told of a young man who went to work for a rancher. The first day of work the rancher asked the man, “Can you sleep when the wind blows?” The young man was confused and didn’t know what the rancher meant. That night a severe storm woke up the young man and he jumped frantically out of bed, afraid that the cows would be lost in the storm. He ran outside, only to find that the cows were safe and warm inside the secure barn. The rancher had taken care of them before retiring for the night.
As he went back inside, the man saw the rancher sleeping soundly, and he then knew the meaning of the question the rancher had asked.
One powerful way to eliminate fear from your life is to prepare. If you are prepared, there is never any need for fear. If you have done all in your power you can then stand still with the assurance that, no matter the outcome or result, everything will work to your ultimate benefit.
Can you sleep when the wind blows?
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What are the differences between self-reliance and self-sufficiency? Why is the distinction critical?
Self-reliance comes from a paradigm of abundance and it leads to peace and cooperation. It means taking responsibility for everything that happens in your life without seeking excuses or placing blame; it’s a recipe for heroism. Self-reliance also implies interdependence; a self-reliant person develops her Human Life Value and exchanges that value with others to find solutions to problems.
Self-sufficiency, on the other hand, is a product of the scarcity paradigm and leads to disunity and mistrust. It’s a selfish way to ignore and reject the Human Life Value of others by seeking to “go it on your own,” and ignores the principle that exchange creates wealth.
Take responsibility for your life and your thoughts without rejecting the value that others can offer you.
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