Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 3:24PM “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1Thessalonians 4: 11-12
We have drifted far from the biblical principles meant to safeguard us from financial terror. People are fear stricken from the recent media driven practice of panicology meant to drown our nation in premeditated economic crisis, followed by right stripping mandates comparable to post 9/11. How many hours of sleep will be lost because of the invisible econ-terrorist who comes to strip you of your material wealth? We have given the State power over us through municipal monopolies like the Public Utility Districts, the Water Districts, and the Sewer Districts. They offer effortless electricity and water. They will even filter our excrement and supply it back to us in the form of drinking water for $(X) amount per month. The reason people don’t have the ability to conspire against a tyrannical government is the same reason why a dog won’t bite the hand that feeds it. Through dependence we have unknowingly given up control. Water is the most valuable resource known to man and most have little control over its supply. It is time we free ourselves from the system to gain economic freedom and control.
Today, it is easier than ever to embrace a life of independence with all the comforts and amenities of modern day living. Yes, that is right; you can keep your refrigerator and even the satellite television. The life I am about to portray is so obtainable, so heavenly, so practical you’ll ask yourself why you’ve never thought of it before. It is called sustainable living. Historically, great technological advances have been motivated by war and energy. Well, nothing has changed…but the good news is now we have the ability to independently harness the sun and wind’s peaceful energy. Technological advances in this area have been slowed by economic interests from oil rich elitists but are now affordable, efficient and available to the everyday consumer. If your home is connected to the power grid, municipal water source, or sewer then I would strongly suggest moving or creating a safe haven. I say this because as long as you are coupled to any of those things then you are not prepared for catastrophic events or living a life committed to independence.
My current home/safe haven is still in progress but I love every minute of it. I have a two bedroom one bath cabin on twenty tree-covered acres. The acreage is located just six miles from town but three miles from the nearest paved road. It borders national forest, meaning nobody can build between our home and the pristine view. I get water from my well which is powered by a 12-volt pump. When the water reaches the house it flows into a 250 gallon cistern which is then boosted into a pressure tank using another 12-volt pump. I have a dependable 12-volt battery bank charged by two solar panels which receive maximum sun exposure being positioned atop the mountain. The DC power runs through a 2,000 watt inverter, allowing for the standard 120 volt AC system used in everyday homes. I hope to someday have a wind generator but for now I run a reliable propane generator for winter days with little sun light. The cabin is fitted with two propane heaters, a propane stove and refrigerator, and a propane tank-less instant hot water heater. I use the one hundred year old wood stove in the winter to cook and heat the cabin, cutting down on propane use. The cabin also contains two other wood stoves, one in the living room and the other in the shop. With this set-up our basic needs are more than met.
My wife and I hope to build yurt, straw bale, or log cabin style homes for extended family and friends to live year-round, or for use as a sanctuary. We aspire to grow 90% of our food, but until then we have purchased enough of the essentials to make it through a catastrophe, friends and family included. We eventually would like a green house for year-round gardening. We hope to get chickens for eggs and goats for milk, butter, cheese and sour cream. We love baked potatoes, so we experimented growing them last year. Realizing how abundantly they grew and what little effort they took, we often joke that we could live off of potatoes alone. We have quite the job to do before our grander dream becomes reality but already this place is taking shape, not to mention the benefit it offers the soul.
However, the cabin isn’t all work and no play. So far we have built an awesome 18 hole Frisbee golf course and an official size horseshoe pit. In the front yard there is a 50 ft. climbing tree that even my wife has scaled, and yes I’ve climbed it naked. Hikes 
commence the instant you step off the deck. They typically involve a backpack full of water, snacks and a few beers (oh, and the dog comes, too). We hike around scouting out suitable places for snowboard runs, rope swings and zip lines. Each year we snowshoe around until we find the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree which works well in our small cabin.
We have chosen this way of life for the enjoyment we receive from it…it just happens to double as a refuge in case of economic collapse, natural disaster, famine and war/martial law. I hope to inspire those teetering on the fence about living a life on the edge, to go ahead and make the change for a healthier life. Why not live where the water is reliable and pure, the air so clean, the garden so organic, and the view so remarkable. If the life you desire resembles the one I’ve described then take the leap of faith. Start by searching out properties for sale and visit the few you find attractive. My wife and I found that it was cheaper to buy a beautiful cabin on twenty acres than it was to buy a house comparable in size on less than a third of an acre in what some consider the slum part of town. Sustainable living is the healthiest thing you can do for yourself and the greenest thing you can do for your planet. In my opinion, sustainable living is the ultimate lifestyle and solution in times of crisis albeit economic or otherwise. So find your plot of heaven and, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1Thessalonians 4: 11-12