What Is Self-Reliance?

By Tim Gamble

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Self-reliance is absolutely fundamental to what we are doing as preppers and survivalists. Without developing self reliance, all our other preparations will simply be useless. Sadly, the average person today doesn't have much self-reliance, and doesn't even understand what it is. So, what is self-reliance? 

The Free Dictionary website defines self-reliance as "Reliance on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence." John McCann, in his book Practical Self-Reliance (Amazon link), defines self-reliance as: "self-reliance is being able to do as much as we can without outside assistance." 

Both are decent definitions, but they fall short of explaining exactly what self-reliance is.

There are lots of facets to the concept of self-reliance. Much has been written on the subject, from Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous essay Self-Reliance, to John D. McCann's aforementioned book. Here is my attempt to boil down the thoughts of those men, others, and myself, into seven foundational points:

1- Assume responsibility for your own life. Don't wait around for  others to take care of you. Take care of yourself without waiting for the government or anyone else to take care of you. Also, don't sit around whining that life is unfair, or that other's have it so much better than you. Instead, get off your a** and do something about it. You are in charge of your life, so act like it. 

2- Take the blame for your own life. Don't scapegoat others. Don't "pass the buck." If you are blaming someone else, you are not being self-reliant. Even when things happen that seem beyond your control - such as being robbed, being laid-off, or even your house burning down - you are still in control of how you react to those things. Don't ever take on the popular mantle of "victim." 

3- Be informed. It is your responsibility to find out the facts and information you need to make informed decisions. Keep up with current events, especially on the local level. Keep up with the trends in your industry. Know what is expected of you. Know where to get information. Ask questions. Be a lifelong learner. Remember the acronym ASK -  Always Seek Knowledge.

4- Know where your going. Know what you want, both out of life and in any specific situation. What is your purpose? What are your goals? What do you hope to accomplish? Don't just drift through life. Think. Know yourself. Plan ahead.

5- Make your own decisions. Don't let others run your life for you - and that especially includes the government. Don't worry about what others think of you. Don't worry about being politically correct or socially acceptable. Don't give in to peer pressure. Don't just "go along to get along." Be independent. Decide for yourself. 

6- Learn skills. The more skills you have, the more self-reliant you can be. And by skills, I don't just mean various homesteading, bushcraft, and country skills so popular with most preppers, but other skills as well, including mechanical skills, computer skills, negotiating skills, business skills, financial skills, budgeting skills, leadership skills, people skills, networking skills...

7- Gain experience. Experience gives you wisdom. Knowledge learned from books, classrooms, and videos, is often theoretical. Theoretical knowledge may turn out to be wrong, incomplete, or impractical. Skills can be learned under perfect conditions. But real life tends to be messy, not perfect. Your skills may be challenged by stress, difficult conditions or a lack of resources. Nothing beats actual real world experience. Find ways to gain that experience.

One last word: Self-reliance isn't about not needing other people. That is self-sufficiency, and is probably impossible to truly achieve. No matter how self-reliant we are, there will be times that we need others.  Having said that, let's move on to what self-reliance really is...

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Ad:  Practical Self-Reliance - Reducing Your Dependency On Others (Amazon link) by John McCann. Whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, you can practice self-reliant methods of living. This book is an in depth look at practical ways you can reduce your dependency on others, and work towards a life of self-reliance. For anyone who wants to work towards being self-reliant, this book, with over 250 photos and diagrams, offers many helpful suggestions and ideas.