BY SHARON MARTIN
My garden isn’t pretty, but it’s productive. What I don’t get from my backyard, I get from farmers’ markets, a CSA, and the Oklahoma Food Coop. Local food is not only an economic and political issue, it’s the hub of the wheel of civilization. To survive, communities and nations must be able to feed themselves.
Mama and Grandma canned, froze, and cured. What I didn’t learn from them, I get from books and experience. And I often tune in to what like-minded people have to say. That’s how I became part of a local prep group.
Where does your water come from when the water table drops and your well goes dry? Where does your food come from when the supply chain is broken?
Alas, preppers are more concerned that immigrants are bringing in superbugs. They are practicing how to head for the hills when Obama comes for our guns and declares martial law. They are ready to live off grid when solar flares take out the power supply.
Actually, they aren’t just ready, they are waiting for it. Adventure. Purpose. Idiocy. They don’t have a clue what anarchy looks like. Neither do I, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be the adventure they have in mind.
If we are concerned about the fall of civilization, what we need to do is become activists. It’s way more than just local food, although that’s a good place to start.
Instead of prepping for the end of the world, let’s stand on the picket lines to save our country and our democracy. Let’s vote, both in the voting booth and with our dollars. Open up lines of communication with legislators and leaders. Sign petitions.
America has never been perfect. The natives were mistreated, and slaves were bought and sold. Women couldn’t own property or vote. Orphans and widows fended for themselves on the streets. We often fail. But we have a constitution that has grown with our conscience and our country. We are a work in progress.
It is up to us to maintain this country, keep what is good, amend when necessary, and create what is possible. I’m not ready to run for the hills just yet. But I am willing to march and speak up and hold our elected officials accountable.
Instead of dystopia, let’s keep striving for utopia, even knowing that it will always be just out of reach.
– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer
