While we were rushing towards the future and became completely reliant on technology, most of us never imagined that we would witness such challenging times as we do right now.
Yet, the entire world is in crisis, and many believe that the only way to survive these hardships is to go back to the roots. The older generations did not have the conveniences we do now, but they were taught to work hard and be self-reliant.
Knowing their survival skills nowadays would be invaluable.
If you were forced to leave the urban setting and move to the countryside, you would certainly face numerous difficulties adapting to the new environment. This is because we are highly dependent on technology, supermarkets, and our cars, to name a few.
While all the gadgets we nowadays use make our life easier, this has a disastrous effect of making us unable to survive without them. And if you believe that we would never be deprived of this chain of systems, don’t be so sure, as it has happened several times throughout history.
Yet, note that it is absolutely possible to regain this forgotten knowledge and take control of your survival.
Make sure you teach your children basic survival skills just in case, like growing and appreciating real food, creating and mending clothing, lighting a fire, navigational skills, foraging, fishing and hunting, and a few more.
Here are 10 basic skills of our great-grandparents that are forgotten these days:
1. Gardening for food
Nowadays, when someone mentions “garden”, we think of flowers. Yet, during World War II, many people planted “Victory Gardens” to avoid the effects of food shortages. The benefits of a garden with fresh produce are innumerable.
2. Cooking from scratch
These days, nearly half of the ingredients we use are already prepared. Think about dried pasta, canned beans, breadcrumbs, frozen fruits and veggies..Let’s not mention instant meals! Therefore, most of us do not even know how to prepare a meal from scratch.
3. Preserving food
Years ago, when people needed to save food for winter, they used to can food, smoke meat, and make homemade sausages.
4. Not wasting food
Due to the abundance of food, we trash almost half of everything we buy, believe it or not. In the past, our ancestors never wasted food, as it was scarce and took a lot of effort to find and cook.
5. Herbal medicine
Even nowadays, many people rely on natural, herbal cures. Our grandmothers treated almost every ailment with a herb, and many of these remedies have been confirmed to be effective.
6. Navigating
Before GPS, people used old-fashioned maps, asked for directions, or used signs in nature to find their location or the place they needed.
7. Basic carpentry
People can save a lot of money if they have some basic home repairs and maintenance skills.
8. Basic mechanical repair
Apart from being impressive, mechanical savviness is extremely useful, and can also help you repair other equipment, like washing machines, power tools, and lawnmowers.
9. Bartering
As prices are fixed, the skill of bartering no longer exists in the West. However, many farmers and people during the Great Depression survived on their bartering skills.
10. Self-entertaining
Take a second to think about the time you spent watching TV, browsing the Net, and posting on social media today. Well, our ancestors didn’t have those gadgets back then, but they were fully capable of entertaining themselves.
And they were much happier, healthier, and less stressed, I can assure you.
