I went to a big party to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday over the Memorial day weekend.
It was lots of fun and a chance to do a little work. How so? For me, parties are a great chance to gather serendipity (lucky encounters with insightful people) and to test out the new ideas I’m working on.
Here’s an idea that I tried out on at least a dozen people — from farmers to lawyers to government execs to business owners to engineers. It’s simply that getting your home “into shape” is one of the best things you can do to improve your chance of future success.
Everyone (mostly) agreed with it. I took that as a positive sign that things are changing for the better.
What does getting a home “into shape” mean?
A fit home, like a fit body, allows you to respond to changing conditions better and lasts longer than one that isn’t fit.
A home gets into shape by becoming a productive asset. An asset that produces most of the food, energy, water, and things you need to get through the day.
A fit home provides you with more options than a home that is merely ornamental. It does this by providing you with the ability to substitute local production for imported production when it is advantageous to do so. It allows you to control and improve the quality of what you consume. It can also, in a pinch, allow you to generate an income from what you produce.
A fit home reduces your vulnerability to supply disruptions. A person that is vulnerable to short or long-term disruptions in food, energy, and water is at the mercy of whoever can supply them.
What does this vulnerability look like? Standing in an endless line for a meager government ration. Paying an outrageous price to criminals and profiteers for a droplet of supply. Suffering. Simply put: in a world that is increasingly predatory and dysfunctional, it’s better not to be the hindmost (if you are vulnerable, you won’t be in any position to protect or help the hindmost either).
Finally, production makes you an asset to your community rather than a burden. It allows you to become an integral part of a growing local economy. It allows you to become an example for others to follow and ruthlessly copy. A fit home increases your community’s chance of future success, which in turn increases yours.
Your hoping that a fit home is in your future analyst,
JOHN ROBB
