I dragged my butt out of bed this morning to the sounds of vibrating children. I have to admit it was a little tricky assembling my morning coffee while talking to two kids that were certain a 6 foot bunny had broken in to the house loaded with loot. They ransacked everything. Gotta love the kids. My youngest actually "shakes" when she discovers candy. In moments like these I feel so normal and happy it is easy to get lost in a dream land of possibilities. Never a day goes by without my thoughts wondering about all the things my children will learn and experience.
I am a lucky man. My family is the real treasure.
When I think about what the future holds for my kids I find myself projecting my thoughts way into the future. I am sure most parents think about the decisions they make and the advise they give to their kids with one eye on the horizon. For me that one eye on the horizon is my compass. Its like a navigation tool that all thoughts, actions, and decisions we make for our kids pass through. Always thinking in terms of the longer now we can not rule out where we think the world is headed or how to best prepare our kids for that future.
When it comes down to the heart of the matter, this is truly what The Next Leap is all about. The decisions we make and the things we do regarding our children make REAL what our truest beliefs are. We ALWAYS act on what we think. In the deepest places of our minds. So I ask my self every day now what I think the world is going to look like when the kids get older. Does anyone really know? Nope they do not. However, history is always a good teacher, even if that history has to go back far into the past.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT GEOPOLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ECONOMIC CHANGES ARE OCCURRING AT A RAPID PACE.
It is not my imagination. I go through moments of self scrutiny all the time where a part of my brain tells me to stop with all of this crazy thinking. But then I just re-open my eyes and realise that when that part of my brain is talking it is really just fear. To stay focused on a rosy picture ONLY and not keep a balanced perspective is foolhardy. We are in the last dance right now. For the way things have been for a long time. How do I do both? How do I keep a functioning part of myself focused on the future where I teach my kids about possibility and dreams. Where I teach them how to really use their imaginations? And, how do I teach them not to be complacent? To OWN their lives, be a source, and create enough to be able to give to others. To not believe "authority" at face value and develop critical thinking? The fine dance of keeping "both" sets of realities alive and functioning in a useful way is the "primary goal" of a Suburban Prepper. It is the keystone.
Despite the over whelming amount of chaos already underway in all parts of the globe I find it interesting that the top Internet searches are always about fluff. Movie stars. Singers and bands. Athletes. Some strange story of little real value but pumped wildly by the media. When ever I hear the daily news on the radio you would think we live in a happy go luck bubble of bliss. Amazing. What does this say about society? The Suburban Prepper is NOT in that group.
The truly effective individual or family in today's future will have a constant eye on TWO HORIZONS. One where the future is so bright you can barely contain your self and the other where you know beyond all doubt that the foundation is cracking in all corners. Both at the same time. In all moments. We simply cannot scare our kids by telling them the full truth of the realities in our world today, however we cannot ignore that truth. We become expert dancers skipping back and forth between the two day in and day out. An intense mental exercise of epic proportions. Daily training of the mind. It seems to me from my personal experience that we as human beings can get a little lazy when confronted by facts that show our actions do not warrant the situation. Getting prepared for the coming changes is a life style shift encompassed within a very safe and similar life routine that we have always lived. Running around to soccer practice and later getting a few more things to store away. With our busy lives some days will seem to be short on moments to breathe it all in. The situation is what it is so we have to shift gears in response and stay in that gear. Personally I get exhausted. But I just tell myself to "suck it up" Imagine explaining 4 block long soup lines to your kids while you stand in one. Think I'm joking? Check out a little history. Or ask Grandma.
One of the biggest obstacles we face is complacency. Our culture reeks of it. Where did we ever get the notion that this was a good idea? The very elements of society that have allowed us to become complacent are the very things we need to protect our families from. Is it really such a bad idea becoming a self sufficient family? To teach kids how to fish? What dirt smells like. Where rain comes from. Why we have 4 seasons. Kids can learn to grow things. They can learn why things grow. They can learn to take responsibility for their bodies and what is required to make a healthy life. Taking the approach of owner ship goes way beyond running down to the local super mart that might not be there one day in the future. I intend on teaching my children how to keep an eye on two horizons. If they can learn to do this I will have done them a huge service.
I do not know what things will look like in the future. All I do know for certain is the leaders of this world are being bombarded daily with impossible scenarios. Despite being very public and very powerful they do not have any magic wands to make everything better. For us to assume they do is ridiculous. Our only choice is to tread lightly, keep a dual focus, and watch your horizons very carefully.
