Journal #23

Being self sufficient is actually the reasoning for why my family and I just moved. We were living in a really nice house in a neighborhood that we loved, but have recently moved in the past week in order to be self sufficient. Our new house is not in a neighborhood and sits on fifteen acres of land. With this new land, we plan on growing trees, starting  a huge garden, and maybe even raising chickens. All of this in order to be self sufficient. To me, being self sufficient is being independent and living and doing things on your own. It means not being dependent or reliable on others in order to survive. This is something that Emerson is really emphasizing in his essays that we have read so far. He talks about self reliance which is very similar if not identical to self sufficiency. I think to be self sufficient you must have a good work ethic. This is because you are doing this by yourself, so if you decide not to work, then nothing will get done. Responsibility also plays a big role in being self sufficient because if whatever you are doing fails, or does not get done, there is no one else to blame but yourself. Being self sufficient is a very good characteristic to have I think because it is something that you will need for your entire life and something I think you must possess to be a successful adult. Your mom and dad are not always going to be there to take care of you and pay for everything. Although it is great now, you will eventually have to learn how to provide for yourself. This is one of the reasons my parents are stressing me about getting a job. They want me to get experience and see what it is like to work and earn for myself. I definitely understand where they are coming from and am currently job hunting. Hopefully within the next few weeks, I do will be on my way to being a more self sufficient individual.