Hello and welcome back to the Gubba podcast! I’m Gubba, a first time homesteader following in the footsteps of my homesteading forbears. In this podcast I discuss prepping, homesteading, and everything in between.
Today I am going to be discussing how to disconnect from the system and reconnect with your community. I think community should be the center of our focus as we return to our homesteading roots.
Self-sufficiency is great, don’t get me wrong, but communities are where real power lies. I want to chat with you about how you can do this. We are so caught up in big box stores, Big Food grocery stores, and Big Pharma medical that we have lost sight of what is right in front of us—our communities.
What is self-sufficiency?
I love to encourage people to be self-sufficient through food storage, water collection systems, gardening, hunting, and any other skills that allow someone to gain independence from the system. I believe the system has pilfered our freedoms overtime.
Truly, the rug has been pulled right out from under us over the last century and now, this generation is like what the heck is going on? Everyone is sick, our countries are collapsing, riots are happening in the streets, we are experiencing lockdowns, everyone wore a diaper on their face for a few years, inflation is through the roof, and the grocery stores were empty for a period of time.
Because the self-sustaining skills our great-grandparents had dwindled through the generations, we are left clasping to morsels when we were promised a feast. But you need to understand, that feast we were promised of a perfect system never existed. It only existed to swipe our freedoms away and leave us dependent on the system.
How can you become self-sufficient?
Now, no one knows how to grow a garden, preserve food, or connect with their communities. We have been further disconnected through the use of technology.
Children are glued to tablets and split off from society. Communities have been dismantled through Big Food takeover. Families have been destroyed and deteriorated through the feminist movement. And we are just moving day to day through a toxic sludge we can barely make it through. It doesn’t have to be like this though, it really doesn’t.
With all of this considered, self-sufficiency is great, but what is it worth if you don’t have a community to connect with and build off of?
Take a moment with me to go back in time a century ago when our great-grandparents were homesteading. Tablets and screens weren’t the centerpieces of homes or child entertainment, people relied on face-to-face interactions and the support of their neighbors.
In our great-grandparents era, communities were more than just a collection of individuals living in proximity; they were tight-knit networks woven together by shared values, traditions, and struggles that were unique to the area. Now, we live in a time where cookie-cutter houses are boxed together, cars rattle on the street 24/7, and we don’t even know our neighbors.
Though our houses are separated by just a few feet, we don’t even know who lives next to us. I experienced this when I lived in various cities. I lived right next to people I didn’t even know. I remember being in an apartment complex and going to my neighbor to borrow an egg because I was baking something and I was out and they were completely baffled I asked. That was a wake up moment for me in the city that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, and I didn’t like it. I knew eventually I had to get out.
What is community?
Think about that—a century ago our great-grandparents relied on their neighbors to survive. I know mine did. How could you survive it rough and tumble without the support next door? You were facing similar trials, so in order to endure, you had to see it through together.
Their communities would gather at the local general store, church, or town hall, not just to shop or pray, but to connect, share stories, and offer help when needed. I know it wasn’t all roses and lollipops, but there was a sense of community that isn’t present anymore. I believe media is partially to blame for that. The media is a weapon used to divide and conquer.
They instill seeds of hate to divide us and tear our communities apart. Right now, they are winning, but we can turn it around. Back then, whether it was lending a hand on a neighboring homestead, supporting each other through hard times, or celebrating victories together, these communities provided a sense of belonging and security that was priceless.
Moreover, communities were networks of knowledge and wisdom. I have a tidbit of knowledge passed down from my great-grandpa who homesteaded and had the largest sheep ranch in his area and I ache to think about the floods of knowledge that dissipated through the generations.
As convenience came in, my grandparents and parents didn’t have to hold onto the knowledge he had. The knowledge he had was what had sustained his parents and all previous generations. If you didn’t have basic survival, self-sufficiency, and community-adorning skills, you were toast.
So thousands of years of knowledge in my family line and it disappeared with the introduction of this new world order type system. Do you see that?
Our ancestors would pass down traditions and teachings to the next generation, ensuring that these valuable skills that had sustained us for all of this time and our cultural legacy was preserved and cherished. Now, we have a Mcdonalds on every corner and that is a facet of America’s culture. Sigh.
Our sense of community has bene lost. Our great-grandparents with their intertwined communities who faced adversaries together for a common purpose, moved forward. They fostered collaboration and sufficiency as a whole. People could accomplish more than they ever could alone and now we are left disconnected and handing our children tablets instead of handing down skills and family stories.
Communities back then also supplied a sense of identity and purpose. Your community was a part of who you were and how your family functioned. When I think of the United States or even the world, different areas offered different ways of life and work environments.
I’m grateful to have some homesteading roots I can hold onto and try to return to, but really this sense of identity has been smeared so it is undistinguishable and people no longer have a community to identify with.
A people without an identity are easy to control. We are no longer individuals with a common purpose facing similar problems, we are a conglomerate genderless mass that is easily manipulated. Do you see how they have done this?
The system through the media and algorithms will confuse you on who you are and your inherent identity. That identity that used to be ingrained through community. Ingrained based on where you were born and what your community was striving for.
That community gave a sense of place in the world, and a shared goal and destination with those around you. Now, community is found through the news network when they tell you right or left, black or white, etc. That is division, not community.
As we reflect on our great-grandparent’s era, it's clear that the strength of communities played an integral role in who our families once were. Strong communities are a threat to the system. If we start to depend on our neighbor and trade resources.
Say you trade milk from your cow for vegetables from your neighbor’s garden, the system starts to fail. You aren’t going to the grocery store as much and you likely don’t have to go to through the medical system as frequently because you are eating healthy and sharing that with your community.
You find your independence while building bonds with those around you. We can return to this. I believe we can, it may be a bit difficult but if you strive for it, wherever you live, you can find pockets of people who are seeking similar ideals as you are.
How do you build community?
I am frequently asked how can I live like this? How do I find farms near me? What do I need to do? Well, let’s lay it out here and I will share bits of what I did to get me to where I am at today.
How do you find local farms?
Right now, look up farms in your area. This is a simple search on whatever browser engine you use. See if they have websites. Browse and see what they offer. If they have a phone number, call them and ask if they sell produce, meat, or raw milk or whatever you are looking for. See if they do farm tours. Ask where you can pick up or where you can purchase from. This is a great start. You may be a little jolted at first because of the prices.
Yes, organic non-GMO, locally-grown food is more expensive for the most part. What you need to understand though is the prices at the grocery store have been held artificially low by incentives and various subsidies.
These prices are not real. Because the system is now beginning to break down in front of our eyes, prices are starting to explode so we are getting a taste of reality. The best taste of reality is to wake up from the Matrix and start sourcing local and invest in yourself and your health. You will see the difference, taste the difference, and feel the difference.
When 2020 happened and I was faced with empty grocery stores. Literally, every grocery store around me was empty. I was finally able to open my eyes and search for real alternatives.
I found a farm store actually half a mile down the road from me, and I went to visit it because I was intrigued at the idea of farm to market food. To my surprise, this farm store was filled with meats, jellies, produce, and farm fresh eggs. This store was literally full while the main grocery stores were empty. Speaking about this now makes my heart a little heavy just because I know the truth of our food system and how symbolic this event was. This is why I will never shut up about our food situation.
This event symbolized how disconnected from our food we are and how easily manipulated society is. We were tossed to and fro via the news which led to empty shelves at these mass super chain grocery stores that profited off of our panic while this ma and pop farm store where the people grew their own food, butchered their own animals, and brought together the farmers in the area to sell their goods at this little farm store, was stocked full.
The shelves were beaming with food. My community had everything we needed, but we failed to see it because of how misled we have been. I still remember standing there in shock at the full freezers, fridges, and shelves. Imagine if we were selling out these farm stores, changing local families lives by doing so, and putting money back into our communities.
Imagine how THIS would change the world. Handing your money over to Walmart does nothing besides fund some slave shop and mystery slaughterhouse in China, seriously.
I recently saw a TikTok of a woman, I can assume in Asia somewhere, working in one of these sweat shops and all of the people were sleeping on the floor at their jam-packed sewing stations. It looked like they were sewing inserts for shoes. Probably shoes you get at Walmart, wear for a month, and throw away. This is the kind of thing you support when you buy big box.
When it comes to buying from big box grocery stores like, again, Walmart, you are supporting the spraying of mystery chemicals on your food, inhumane treatment of animals, and lab-made processed garbage. Just stop it! Go local. Find farms in your area. Find local farm stores.
Here is another idea: Call your nearest grocery store that most likely will be a health-type grocery store like Whole Foods or maybe even just your general grocery store.
The idea is to see if they source any of their items from farms or producers around the area. Some grocery stores will stock local items, so call and see if your grocery stores do. I say it will most likely be a health-type grocery store that does this because they will be more conscious of what they put on their shelves. If you are in a smaller community with limited options, the big box grocery stores may still stock local.
Call and see. I did this when I was sourcing out raw milk and called around to see what grocery stores had it.
From these things, though they are small, you will be able to start fostering community. You will go to the farm, meet the farmer, and maybe spark a relationship. If not, you may meet someone in the farm store that you get to chatting with and learn they are a neat person with skills that you would like to learn or maybe they just become a friend. If you don’t want to make any friends, that okay. Know that you are still changing lives by supporting your community and still fostering that community by putting your money back into it.
How do you find community?
Another way to start building community is by getting involved. This could be by going to the farmer’s market and getting to know the people in your area who are selling food, seedlings, or sharing types of art.
You can get involved by looking up Facebook groups in your area and seeing what kinds of pages you can join. For example, if you lived in Portland, you could look up “Portland homesteading group” and see what pops up and if there are any groups to join. If you are interested in beekeeping, do the same. Look up “Portland beekeeping” and see what pops up.
You don’t necessarily need facebook to join these things, but I know there are a lot of different communities that facebook facilitates but I assume there are other clubs independent of social media. Read your local newspaper to see what events are upcoming and what your community needs. Attend those events. This is a great way to see what your community is about and if you vibe with it.
What is Azure Standard?
Another easy way to find community could be through using Azure Standard. This is an online grocery store that you order from and they drop off your order once a month at a pick-up spot in your area.
Think like an online non-GMO, organic Costco that you can get quality goods from but without having to pay for a membership. I say this is a way to foster and grow community because this was one way of how I did it when I first started pursuing this lifestyle. I got on and purchased foods I wanted to preserve and rotate into my pantry or food storage.
Then, at the drops each month, I was able to meet other people. I found that often, these other people shared similar interests like food storage, quality chicken feed, and gardening. I met someone a while back and we still sporadically message each other about chicken feed and what we have found lately that has been good quality for a good price. You may be surprised on who you could meet. Show up early to the drops too.
The driver will drop off the boxes and then leave and you pickup throughout the day. I found that arriving early, I got to mingle with people.
I know that we can rebuild our communities. You will feel much happier when you start digging in your roots and connecting with those around you. Every time you support local, you are able to change someone’s life.
Every time you support big box, you are only putting money into a corporation’s wallet. I hope these ideas help you think of some ways you can get involved at your community level and start building community like how our great-grandparents did. I think that is going to be integral to our futures and to the future of the world. Community truly is everything.
I want to say thank you for listening to this podcast, and I hope you have a Great day!
