At the start of 2020, nothing highlighted our need for self-reliance and self-sufficiency more than the coronavirus pandemic. Things most of us rely on heavily–like full grocery stores, steady work, and the ability to move about freely and safely–seemingly vanished overnight. As a result, Americans are awakening to a new reality. What makes us feel secure today may not be there tomorrow.
Because COVID-19 affects urban areas the hardest, people in densely packed cities are rethinking their living situations. New York City quickly became the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Many are forced to quarantine in small apartments without access to green space. Add recent social unrest to the equation, and it’s little wonder that some are making huge moves to get out of the city.
How We Moved Away From Self-Reliance
When deciding where to live, most people consider a laundry list of factors to help them choose a place to settle. While schools, community, entertainment, and job opportunities are usually huge concerns, coronavirus considerations are starting to change our thinking patterns. After all, what’s the point of paying huge sums of money in rent when amenities are shut down or restricted and nothing feels safe?
The New York Times analyzed cell phone data to understand residents’ movement during the pandemic. It reported that 420,000 people fled New York City for a period of time between March 1st and May 1st. In addition to panic moving, high rent costs and low wages have been fueling an urban exodus for years. The coronavirus has simply brought the issue to the forefront, forcing many to realize that self-reliance is vital in the unpredictable world we live in. (1)
Of course, self-reliance is not a new way of life. For most of human history, knowing how to live and take care of yourself and your family without help from others was simply living. However, the ease of buying a burger at a drive-thru became much more appealing than caring for and butchering livestock. Shopping at the grocery store replaced tilling in the fields. The benefits of being part of a “grid” have long outweighed the fears of these resources becoming unavailable.
A Return To Self-Sufficient, Off-Grid Living
Since the conveniences of modern living don’t require us to fend for ourselves, we could be woefully ill-prepared if resources become scarce. Should the coronavirus resurge, a densely populated city could mean another mad scramble for toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Even worse, the likelihood of infection is much higher. In response to these concerns, people are relearning how to be self-sufficient.
In Washington, for example, many are beginning to experiment with gardening and farming. Author and gardener Jessi Bloom told the Seattle Times that “the cool thing is our gardens can provide most of our basic needs.” Before electricity, grocery stores, and restaurants, people simply lived off the land. “We survived off of the earth for thousands of years,” Bloom adds. “We just got really far away from that.” (2)
While time will tell how the pandemic changes society as a whole, the advantages of self-reliance are timeless. Knowing how to care for your basic needs without being a part of the “grid” is always a valuable tool to have. Whether it’s the emergence of another coronavirus outbreak or a natural disaster, suburban or rural areas might be able to better weather such storms with the knowledge to care for themselves.
