If you’re reading this first post, it probably means one of two things. This blog isn’t that old and you’ve exhausted the available content—glad you’re so interested. Or you’re like me and get some geeky thrill out of digging for the first posts of longstanding blogs, thereby sampling some important moment in the life of someone or some thing.

Either way or neither way, here’s the vision for LivingSkilled.com as of this, its first post. I realize the focus could very likely shift, expand or transform completely, but I’d like to think that whenever you’re reading this, it’s still largely a site built on a few core ideas.

1. Self-Reliance
LivingSkilled.com has grown out of a long-held passion I have for being able to do things myself. For many people, there’s a deep satisfaction in fixing their own cars or setting up a website or growing their own food.

With regard to this last item (food), a historical illustration to give some context for my creating this site. In recent weeks both technology sites and mainstream media have covered the story of a decision by Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and head of Facebook, to kill and dress (butcher) any meat that he will eat for one full year. Many people probably think it the eccentricity of a twenty-something billionaire. Hard-core hunters, like some of my friends and family, would probably say, “So what.” And animal rights activists are likely indignant at his indiscretion. Whatever your take on it, this is what intrigued me. Is it about eating healthier, range-fed, and non-cross-contaminated meats? Not really. Zuckerberg could have uber-healthy meat shipped in from anywhere in the world, in golden crates. He can afford it. As CEO of Facebook, does he have a lot of time to be butchering his own brisket? Probably not. So why would he do this?

I believe the answer is connected to why I love to fix my car myself or can’t shake the idea of growing crops in my back yard. I think that the more technology speeds us up and connects our lives to everything, the more something hard-wired inside the human spirit longs to hang on to or reconnect with the “old ways” of living. Something primal in us longs to touch, even in some small manner, the ways that generations before us have lived for millennia. My hope is that this blog and whatever else comes of it, will be a celebration of self-sufficiency.

2. Modern Living, Remixed

Let’s face it, as wonderfully nostalgic and adventurous as the idea of living “off grid” on a homestead in the boonies may sound, it’s just not going to be a reality for most of us. And it doesn’t need to be. Modern living affords us a lot of wonderful things like the instant gratification of on-demand streaming video or not worrying about a small pox outbreak.

The homesteaders have something going for them … for THEM, bless ‘em. It’s not for everyone. And yet, many folks in cities are growing community gardens where “food deserts” have long existed. Recent economic troubles have placed thrift on a pedestal once again—we even have TV shows about hard-core couponing. And the technology boom we are living is producing not only cool consumer gadgets but also new ways of helping others less fortunate lift themselves out of difficult circumstances (For example, solar-powered everything and websites like Kiva that enable every-day, affluent do-gooders to give micro-loans to entrepreneurs in second- and third-world countries so they can make a better life for their families).

This site is a place for those of us who may find inspiration in tales of log-cabin living, but instead of selling out and shipping off, would rather just grow our own $5-per-few-ounces rosemary in a terra cotta pot, build (not finance) our own shed or be better prepared for natural disasters when the power’s off and the internet won’t save us.

3. Community
My hope is that this site will flourish into a community, where we all share skills and knowledge with each other. The truth is that a lot of self-sufficiency is wrapped up in community living. We work with our own hands beside one another, share knowledge, and lift each other up. And collective wisdom is passed around for all to grow stronger.

I’d like to see this community one day spread its energy beyond itself, to those for whom every day is a struggle for subsistence. What could a community focussed on self-reliance do to lift others up onto their own feet?

4. Preparedness
Though I certainly don’t want to be a downer, I’ve thought a lot lately of the sad shape my family would be in should disaster strike. Would we have the food, water and tools we need to stay alive, safe, healthy and connected when modern conveniences fail? The question further troubles me when I consider how my own country and much of the developed world fare as well. Will our modern lives leave us wanting? Are people ready for tough times? Are they even paying attention?

I want this site to be a resource for being ready. So that when hard times come in whatever form, you all and I are as capable as we can be to thrive. In my mind, that’s called good sense. In my faith, it’s called wisdom.

Conclusion
It’s hard to wrap up a post like this. Wondering what should have been written that wasn’t. Wondering what it will be like to read this post years later. Will I cringe at my words, find them humorous, find them nostalgic or find a typo?

No matter where things go from here, I hope you, reader, will join me for the journey, contribute to the discussion, and find information and resources for living skilled in modern life.

Regards,

Jason

Updated: 2011/07/28