by Hillbilly » Tue 27 May 2008, 11:45:14
I said that I didn't intend to post another message here, but since it's raining today and I can't work outside, I decided to tell you a story.
To say that I came from humble beginnings would be a gross understatement. I was born into an environment of self-sufficiency. We grew our vegetables, raised our beef, pork and chickens, and it was a family affair. It was all a matter of survival, but it was also the happiest time of my life. The reason for saying this is to inform you that I may be a newbie to your website but I'm anything but a newbie to life and survivorship. I believe that most, if not all of you, cannot even begin to comprehend that kind of lifestyle. That's the reason I mentioned the Amish in the previous post, because I thought some of you might be able to relate to that lifestyle, although I doubt that 1% of you could hang with them. But to continue: My family didn't own a car until I was 8 years old and then things began changing. Dad started working full time as a carpenter and while we remained fairly self-sufficient, we began living the "American Dream", i.e. new house, modern appliances, Kroger, department stores, etc.
Fast forward to four years in the Air Force (We still didn't own a t.v. when I went in the service), became a partner in Dad's construction company, married, built a new house ( one of four that I built by myself, in my spare time after work). I still maintained the self-sufficient lifestyle with the garden and livestock, and settled in to observe the evolution (demise) of America.
Now let me be the first to say that without walking in my shoes, there is no way you can understand the total difference between that time period and the present. People at that time were honorable, honest, trustworthy and took a great deal of pride in hard physical labor. Compare those values to those of today. In today's society the trick is to see how many people you can take advantage of by lying, cheating and stealing, total disrespect for others, the world owes me a living and physical work is a sin.
As I witnessed Woodstock come and go ( I am not a product of Woodstock, but rather a victim of the product, which is most of you), the demise of the American family, total lack of discipline of the children, and abortion, just to name a few. Ever since we became an independent nation, America has dealt with the hard times but has been unable to deal with prosperity. Greed (the love of money is the root of all evil) has driven most of the industry out of this nation. Just exactly how many educated eggheads can the service industry employ?
The defining statement may very well come with this presidential election. Personally I think a politian is the lowest life form on this earth and if the three remaining candidates are the best America has to offer, we are in deep, deep trouble. I personally feel like a lemming, or a dog being tossed a few crumbs. There is not one in the group capable of leading this country and not one of them cares what you or I think and yet, it amazes me to watch their supporters hoot and holler and believe every word they are saying. Lemmings!
But, to get back on track, I have seen the demise of America coming since 1970, and I really thought it would happen before now. This belief is what led me to PO, but so far, I am terribly unhappy with the results. Some of the responses to my first post were insulting and belittleing and obviously came from foul mouthed rednecks, with whom I have no desire to communicate and whose comments are of absolutely no value. I am not a geek or a nerd and I did not find what I was looking for on the website. My bad, but I've been running from that bear for over 64 years and he hasn't caught me yet.
As for you survivalists, the first part of this message was for you. I have probably forgotten more about survival than you will ever know. In addition to that I can assure you that I have eaten more venison, bear, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, grouse and home grown vegetables than you will see in your lifetime.
To end this on a happy note, I retired in 2001 at the age of 57, as a very successful building contractor, with a lifetime income.
As a P.S. I would add that my Christianity is not a crutch. As far as I am concerned the bible lays out exactly what is coming, and it's not pretty for unbelievers. It states that 2/3 of the earth's population ( currently about 4 billion) will be destroyed. Personally, I expect to be with the Lord when that happens and I sympathize with you who are left behind. Those days of tribulation will be as none have ever been or ever shall be again. Are you reading the right book? Are you ready?