With the rapid evolution of technology and modern conveniences in our society, it’s easy to ask if the old ways are falling to the wayside. While it’s true that some things are bound to disappear, it’s also true that from the hustle of New York City to the calm of the Wyoming countryside, more-and-more people are discovering homesteading each and every day. It might not be a full-on homestead as you and I know it to be, but people are growing their own food and raising animals despite their location and climate restrictions. Even with the growth of society at large, today I discuss why I don’t see the old ways disappearing anytime soon.
• To begin this homesteading journey, head to http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/grow to access my full library of resources to guide you down the path.
With the rapid evolution of technology and modern conveniences in our society, it’s easy to ask if the old ways are falling to the wayside. While it’s true that some things are bound to disappear, it’s also true that from the hustle of New York City to the calm of the Wyoming countryside, more-and-more people are discovering homesteading each and every day. It might not be a full-on homestead as you and I know it to be, but people are growing their own food and raising animals despite their location and climate restrictions. Even with the growth of society at large, today I discuss why I don’t see the old ways disappearing anytime soon.
• To begin this homesteading journey, head to http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/grow to access my full library of resources to guide you down the path.
Welcome to the old fashioned on purpose podcast. So today we're answering this question or rather maybe discussing this question of are the old fashioned ways gone forever? And this whole idea was prompted by a post that showed up in my homestead recipe and heritage cooking Facebook group. In case you're not aware of that group over on Facebook, it's a super active community, we talk about all things old fashioned cooking and heirloom type ingredients and it's a really great place. But one of the members had this post a couple of weeks ago and she said some things along the lines of how disappointed and frustrated she was that she saw so many people, especially families or people with children who just didn't care about things like gardening or where their food came from and they didn't understand how to cut up different fruits and vegetables or that ham came from a pig. And um, you know, beef was from a cow. Like there was just this lack of understanding and it prompted a whole lot of responses, like over 200 responses. And most of the people who responded to her were agreeing with her. And also lamenting that they were just really upset that no one understood these old fashioned concepts or cared about them anymore. So I thought it was a really interesting thread and I've been pondering it for a while. And so in today's podcast episode I wanted to kind of dive into my thoughts on this topic and I think they might surprise you just a little bit. So I'm your host Jill winger and for the last 10 years I've been helping people just like you who feel disenchanted by modern life. I'll show you how to leave the rat race and create the life you really want by learning how to grow your own food and master old fashioned skills no matter where you live. So I really, I get really fired up about this topic. Obviously, you know, the name of my podcast is old fashioned on purpose and I have the Prairie homestead blog and this has kind of been my baby for the last 10 years. Evangelizing the idea of an old fashioned lifestyle and choosing this way, even when we have all this technological advances and everyone else is doing the cheap, easy, fast method for life. And so obviously I have a lot of passion around this topic and I get very fired up about it. But I think my answer to this question that was posed in this Facebook group about whether or not, the old ways are gone forever because I think the answer is yes and no. And let me explain why. So on the yes side of things, obviously humans, by nature, we like progress and we like things to be easy. And so naturally we're going to kind of follow that path of least resistance. And honestly, sometimes well, obviously I do that myself. We all do. There's certain things we're just not going to do, even if it is the more old fashioned way. Even if we are completely a convert into the idea of living a homesteading lifestyle, I would still bet that most of us still have places in our life where we're going to opt for the convenient route. For example, I would guess that most of you listening, even if you're off grid or even if you have solar power or you don't have water inside your house, you're that far into this lifestyle, you probably still have a car. You know, probably not horse and buggy, probably not walking to town like they would've done in the little house on the Prairie days. So most of us have areas of our life where we're going to opt for that convenience. And I do that. I think it makes sense. You know, obviously there are things that have come into our culture in the last 150 years that have been extremely amazing advances. So we assume as they're going to continue to go down that path and that only makes sense. And we do live in a time that just just keeps going faster and faster and technology is only getting more and more advanced. And so we absolutely, I don't think that's gonna slow down anytime soon barring some sort of catastrophe. Right. And so on that realm, I think we're going to see a lot of people more and more wrapped up into that, that lifestyle and not as interested in the analog ways of living. But I said my answer was yes and no because the pendulum always tends to swing back. And whenever there is some sort of motion in one area, there tends to be also a correction. And I believe the correction is coming and I'm sensing it more and more and I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg. People are opting out of certain areas of our life even though we have so many advances, so much technology, so much connection with our phones and our computers. Have you noticed how many people are starting to opt out of Facebook? And maybe you haven't, maybe that's just me. I live in this social media world sometimes with my businesses and the Prairie homestead stuff, but a lot of people, not everyone, but a good number of them are choosing out of Facebook. And a lot of people I've talked to recently are telling me that how much they love books, not Kindle books, not audio books. They love books with paper and they want to touch them and feel them and smell them. And obviously, we have the homesteading movement, which is only growing. And like I talked about in previous episodes, I went to the homesteaders of America conference last year and wow, it was so powerful to see so many people in real life, right, eyeball to eyeball that are living this lifestyle or preparing to live this lifestyle. And t hey're so committed t o figuring out slower, more intentional, more meaningful ways to do things. And they're not going anywhere. And even in my generation, so I'm kind of in that limbo where I'm kind of a millennial, b ut kind of a Zinio. And I'll just be honest, I don't identify with most millennial tenants. But even with my generation, there's a lot of us who even, u h, are very techie, but they, you know, people are really wanting local options for food and for businesses. And there is a movement of people want, my generation really likes to purchase things if it has meaning. And there's this kind of a shift away from consumerism and people are really drawn to the slow ways. And I feel like this is really evidence when we break it down by how many people are interested in farmhouse style. Have you ever noticed that? Like people all over the United States and Canada and other places I'm sure as well want to decorate their homes like a farmhouse. Why is that? Well obviously Joanna Gaines has something to do with it, but why is that such a draw? Cause there's people who live in big fancy neighborhoods in the middle of New York city who are decorating their house like a farmhouse. And my theory is there's something about a farmhouse, the idea of a farmhouse that brings back memories or an awareness or an idea of slow, simple, peaceful, wholesome. And we're really, really hunting for that as a culture. And I think as the world continues to move faster with more technology and our phones do more and more things, we're only going to be hunting that out more as this overcorrection kind of comes back. Right? So that's why my answer is yes and no. I think in some aspects the old ways are gone or are leaving quickly because technology is not going anywhere anytime soon. But sometimes I think the product of technology is a whole lot of people craving something different, which gives me hope that this movement of living old-fashioned on purpose and homesteading, whether homesteading means you buy land somewhere or you just do your thing in your backyard and you become a producer instead of a consumer and you're growing and you're creating, I have a lot of hope for that movement. Now, all of that to say little word of warning here. When I was reading the comments on this thread on Facebook that I mentioned, one that kind of bugs me a little bit, there was this feeling of blaming that I just, it wasn't like, you know, overtly there, it just was this underlying sense of blaming other people, blaming food companies for this lack of knowledge and our generation or blaming the school system or blaming tech companies. And here's the deal guys, if we want to shift this, if we want more people and more children and more young adults understand the value of living old fashioned on purpose, of old fashioned ways, of knowing where your food comes from. It's no one else's responsibility but ours to make that happen. And we cannot expect the government or the food companies or the school systems to do that for us. And so we have to take responsibility in our own homes, in our own families, in our own communities, to be the evangelists for this lifestyle that we believe in. And that's what I saw in that thread that I really didn't love was there's a lot of finger pointing and there was a lot of, yeah, they don't do it and I'm, and I wanted to say, okay, cool. You identified a problem. Now how are you shifting that in your own life? I liked how Joel Salatin puts it. He has a quote, and I don't remember the whole quote, but the part of it I remember, he says, we ask for too much salvation by legislation when all we really have to do is just opt out and teach others. Right? And that is teaching our children and limiting screen time so they have a chance to experience the world. I think one of the most powerful things we can do, it's not to preach at our friends or be like, you're eating bad food and you're buying your food from Walmart and you need to do this different. That doesn't work for anybody. I doubt anyone has been converted to anything by that method. But what you can do is be an example and share your amazing homemade bread. Give them some of your farm fresh eggs. Bring them along when you're making soap for the first time. Make it a fun project or making the candles or knitting the socks, like teach them how, show them the value and live it and by living it, that is going to be the very best tool I believe for helping people to see the value of these old fashioned but very, very valuable skills and mindsets and mentalities that we all hold so dear and see so much value in. So, we have to keep in mind that not everyone's going to jump on board, right? There's different personalities, the different styles. There's definitely people out there who are just going to be really, really happy with their technology and their fast paced lifestyle. And it's not our job to get every single one of them, but there is definitely a lot we can do to help be an example and bring more people into the fold. So I feel a lot of hope, honestly, I don't feel depressed or down about this. I feel like there's a lot of work to be done, but it makes me very, very excited because it's so much fun to take someone who's only ever, you know, bought bread. Um, and show them how to make their own, or someone who didn't realize yogurt could be made at home. And you show them the process and you let them taste some and they're like, this is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth and I want to do it myself. Like that is the best thing ever. And there's a lot of opportunity for that. So that was my little rant for the day. I'm off my soapbox now, but the takeaway for you is, remember it starts one person at a time. And if you're ever feeling discouraged with the state of the world or the state of kids these days, right? We all hear people saying that. Or maybe we're saying, Oh, the kids these days, Oh man. Like if you're ever find yourself in that mindset, remember it starts with you. And it starts by taking radical responsibility for what you're doing and what your family is doing. And just shifting little things at a time. It's that idea of choosing production over consumption and getting out of our comfort zone and making it happen in our own circles, which will then create that ripple effect out into a beautiful thing. So if you need a little help getting inspired for your own old-fashioned on purpose life I have created a resource library, I think will really, really help you on your journey, you can access it for free over theprairiehomestead.com/grow G R O. w just put in your email address and we'll send it up to you right away. And that's it for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you found this episode valuable, if you could take a minute and leave a quick review over on your favorite podcast player, that would help us out so much, but I can't wait to catch up with you next time on the next episode of old fashioned on-purpose happy homesteading friends.