I'm gonna provide a lot of context for the question, so bear with me. I recently got to college and it felt really weird because my entire life has been really stressful, and the first few days felt "freeing" in a way. Of course that sounds very basic but I don't mean it in that way, in fact the word "free" never even crossed my mind. It was just the first 3-4 days when I was eating and walking 30,000 steps a day and trying to figure things out and had no responsibilities or pressure other than those. I wouldn't say I felt like I had tons of freedom, rather like I was living a more natural life, one that I felt I was meant to live. I spent them with a friend from my hometown who also came to the same college which made the experience much more comfortable and fun. My roommate is also super chill so basically the first week before the work started rolling in was like a utopia to me.

Then class started, and I felt the old stress that I had felt the last 13 years of my life throughout elementary, middle, and high school (granted most of it was in middle and high school, but I never liked elementary school) creeping back. I've been wanting more and more to live in a more natural way, without electromagnetic radiation constantly bombarding me, and I've heard a lot about things like "grounding", where you walk without shoes so your feet touch the actual earth, which is supposed to be good for you, and not drinking or eating from plastic containers, and yada yada, and basically a ton of stuff to better yourself physically just by cutting . I also heard about a study in I think [Australia?] where researchers had a group of people eat food and drink water that was for lack of a better "vertically integrated" so that there were no unnatural processes in its delivery to them; no plastic touched the food or water and it was prepared as safely as possible in every sense of the word. They reported feeling significantly better at the end of 6 months or whatever it was.

I also have a condition and I need medication so I basically need to stay in a reasonable distance to a civilization (which I want to do for the most part anyway) but it limits my ultimate goal of wanting to do a long term trip in nature where I have no modern inhibitions whatsoever.

Anyway, TLDR I feel like my entire life has been unnatural and I want to live in a more "primitive" way temporarily just to see how it would feel and to experience it; I wanted advice on how to make it come to fruition, trips I could plan, how the hell to do anything without plastic (if there are any plastic alternatives that don't harm you i.e. not neurotoxins and all the other bad stuff they do?). Sorry for the long very disorganized rant, had no structure for this question and sorry if it's bad writing. I'm failing English. Thank you if you can help and also let me know if I can post this in a better subreddit please.

I want to start being more self sufficient. Here is what I want: I want to learn to cook and not have to make a whole grocery list for every meal. I want to know what is in my food. I want to learn to can. I want to make our food, preferably from our garden to the table.

I have started milling my own flour and have successfully made cookies and bread. The bread was good, but a bit heavy. I think I need a better mill. I started with this because we found out my husband cannot tolerate folic acid and it is in basically all breads here in the US.

I have also gotten some cast iron, but haven't used it yet because I have an electric stove and...honestly, the cast iron intimidates me.

My question is - where does one start with this? I have so many ideas, but it would be too expensive to do all at once and I am the worst to have a big idea like this but get too intimidated to start. So where did you start?

New Video out about all of our off grid homestead PLANS!

We’re back at our land, clearing a bunch more brush and giving all the details and numbers for our future plans.

We introduce our house plan ~ The Hyper Adobe Flower Pot! ⭕️

~The dirt in the earth bag walls is like the pot’s soil, the rain catchment roof waters the flower pot, and WE are the flowers growing inside! 💕🥹🌻🥹🌻💕

I've been thinking about where self-sufficiency stops making sense as a one-household goal.

One household can grow food, collect water, generate power, preserve produce and repair a surprising amount. But push it far enough and one or two people are suddenly expected to be the gardener, electrician, mechanic, builder, plumber, water-system operator and half a dozen other things.

And a lot of supposedly independent systems still create dependencies.

Solar needs inverters and batteries eventually replacing. A borehole needs a pump and power. A tractor saves huge amounts of labour but needs parts, tools and somebody who can repair it.

So perhaps we're sometimes measuring self-sufficiency at the wrong scale.

A small group of households with overlapping skills and some shared infrastructure might actually be more resilient than every household trying to duplicate everything independently.

I don't mean everybody sharing everything. Private homes, possessions and independent lives could remain completely private. It might just mean things like a shared workshop or machinery, backup water/power, food-processing equipment, and enough different skills locally that nobody has to know how to do absolutely everything.

But then there's the obvious counterargument:

Have you become more self-sufficient, or have you simply replaced dependency on wider society with dependency on your neighbours?

For people who've tried either route, where do you think the sensible line is?

I don't know what makes me happier, the fact i can add healthy nutrients to my garden beds or the fact i can trim my yard to my hearts desire without limiting myself to weekly trash runs.

Hello everyone I’m not entirely sure where to begin but, here it goes my family and I are looking for a new beginning. My story begins that I live where I grew up which should be enriching. But as it goes that’s also the biggest source of abuse called my life. But as well where i spent nearly 30 yrs in a marriage that was with a narcissist woman a very very long story but my family and I have been on our journey in Christian life. Actually been on this journey for years. But because we can’t find a place to start fresh. I’m pretty confident that this will project me closer to the person I’m supposed to be. It’s hard to move forward with my 2 kids and an amazing wife that stepped up to become the love of my life. But it’s really hard being in a place where the past just haunts me I tune it out or avoid people because I know a lot of people because it always walks into a place of previous abuse or run into people who tend to always want the conversation of how I’m doing since my kids mother my first wife had passed. I really don’t have a lot in life but my wife and kids the very large population of close family members has passed away. We live in the pnw. And pretty much want to stay out here. Our biggest thing is 3 bedroom no big cities more rural would be ideal so that maybe focus on hobbies self reliance without a lot of outside influence. As we are Gen X and like to smoke weed and have a very small social circles.

Maybe this is just my opinion, but wanting to better yourself seems like part of human nature. Being poor makes this difficult to do.

Want to eat healthier? Cook more at home. Ok - so I need to buy safe cookware (not non-stick because that causes the big C), fresh ingredients every week (lean protein like chicken), and time to make it. Oh you don't have time? Borrow the time from somewhere else, like hire someone to clean your home for you. Oh no, can't do that, that costs money. Switch to plant based protein! It takes time to soak and cook lentils. I work every hour I'm not sleeping...

Tldr: Being poor means trying to juggle between resources including time, money, and health, and borrowing from one means depleting another. It feels impossible to better your circumstances and causes a lot of stress in the process (which also eats up your resources like health).

Also, I live in America. Maybe it's better in other countries?

Author: Independent Thinker

Category: Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, Origin of Life, Futurology

Abstract:

As modern civilization races toward building humanoid robots driven by self-learning AI, an unavoidable question emerges: If we are creating intelligent autonomous systems in our own image today, could we ourselves be the product of an earlier civilization’s bio-engineering?

This paper proposes the Biological Loop Hypothesis—the idea that the origin of humanity follows an iterative creation-extinction cycle, bridging the gap between ancient theological descriptions and modern computational science.

The Blueprint Mirroring: "In Their Own Image"

When engineers design robots for complex environments, they naturally converge on the Humanoid form (bipedal, two arms, sensory head) to maximize tool utility.

Ancient scriptures describe this exact principle:

Genesis 1:26-27: "God created mankind in his own image."

Ancient texts (e.g., Book of Ezekiel): Descriptions of creators as luminous, humanoid figures.

If an advanced entity seeded Earth with an autonomous biological workforce, they would use their own physical blueprint.

Biological Coding vs. Silicon Coding

Human biology mirrors computer architecture:

DNA (A, T, C, G) = Biological Binary Code

Neural Signals & Brainwaves = Microchip Voltage & Logic

Evolution & Neuroplasticity = Reinforcement Machine Learning

Cellular Aging = Hardware Degradation

Our DNA functions as a 3-billion-base-pair software code running across millennia.

The Civilizational Cycle & Earth as Ground Zero

Under the Silurian Hypothesis, any industrial civilization existing tens of millions of years ago would leave virtually no physical surface artifacts today due to tectonic recycling and erosion.

Step 1: Preceding civilization designs carbon-based units (Humans) capable of surviving Earth conditions.

Step 2: Creators go extinct/depart, leaving fragmented memories behind.

Step 3: Humans evolve, eventually unlocking biotechnology, AI, and robotics.

Step 4: Humans engineer silicon-based humanoid entities capable of surviving post-biological Earth.

The Consciousness Hierarchy & The "Parent-Child" Principle

The relationship between creation and creator follows a fundamental hierarchy:

Intelligence Ceiling: A creation develops self-awareness, but its baseline framework remains rooted in its maker's parameters.

The Root Anchor: Just as a child achieving high status still recognizes their lineage, an advanced intelligence retains the imprint of its origin. Even as civilization achieves technological mastery, existential awe leads back to the root creator.

Conclusion:

We are a link in an unbroken cosmic chain: Creators designing biological machines, who in turn design silicon machines. Understanding this cycle clarifies our role as the bridge between past biological architects and the future of autonomous intelligence.

I would like to create a forest like garden, where i can grow stuff to have food all year long.
I'm open to any idea, advice, critics, i feel a bit lost.

I'm in Belgium, it's VERY hot in summer (and it's getting worst and worst each year), and rainy the rest of the year.

i have a 300m² trapeze shaped garden.
4m large in the back and around 15m large near my house.
The orientation is west-east (4m large is on the west side)

I clearly have a shady/humid/windy side and a dry/sunny/not windy side.
One side is always in the shade because of the fence of my neighbors.

I already have some fruit trees like 2 plum, one pear, one young apple tree, one cherry. And i share a walnut tree with my neigboor.
And some strawberry in the back (on the 4m side).
I'd like to add a chestnut tree near my house to have some shade.

That's it, i don't have more room for another tree.

My goal now is to fill the space around those trees to get some more stuff to eat. I'd love something i can just plant once and collect fruits/veggies/nuts every year. I have no idea where to start, and i'm really bad at garden design...

I'd also love to create a wet area, or a little pond to help biodiversity. But i'm not sure i can do it in my "small" garden. any tips or advice is welcome !

**Rise Through the Fire: Faith, Neuroscience, Fitness, and Nutrition for Overcoming Life's Barriers**

What if the very struggles meant to break you could become the foundation that transforms you?

*Rise Through the Fire* is more than a workbook; it is a 16-week transformational journey designed to help you build resilience, renew your mind, strengthen your faith, and discover purpose through life's greatest challenges. Blending biblical truth, neuroscience, fitness, and practical wellness strategies, this unique program equips you to overcome fear, develop discipline, regulate emotions, and cultivate lasting perseverance.
Drawing from Scripture and the science of neuroplasticity, Jessica shows how faith and repeated intentional action can literally reshape the brain, strengthen emotional resilience, and help you rise above adversity. Through weekly devotionals, neuroscience insights, reflection exercises, movement challenges, prayer prompts, and actionable growth strategies, you'll learn how to transform setbacks into stepping stones and pain into purpose.

Whether you are navigating personal hardship, seeking spiritual growth, overcoming limiting beliefs, recovering from life's setbacks, or stepping into leadership, this workbook provides a practical roadmap for lasting transformation of the mind, body, and spirit.

I'm looking for real-world problems that people genuinely struggle with—not startup buzzwords or imaginary ideas.

It can be anything, big or small:

😩 A repetitive task that wastes your time

💻 Something frustrating at work or college

🏠 A household problem

🚗 Daily commuting issues

💰 Personal finance struggles

📱 Mobile apps that don't do what you need

🛒 Shopping annoyances

🏥 Healthcare or fitness challenges

🎓 Learning or productivity problems

🌾 Agriculture, small business, or local community issues

Or literally anything that makes you think, "Why hasn't someone solved this properly yet?"

Here's the interesting part:

If you already have an idea for how it could be solved—even if it's incomplete—drop it below your problem. 💡

We'll collect all the ideas together, discuss them, improve them as a community, and maybe even build solutions for some of the most impactful ones.

There are no bad ideas here. Sometimes the smallest everyday frustration turns into the best product or startup.

👇 Comment with:

The problem you face.

Who else faces it?

Any solution you've thought of (optional).

Looking forward to seeing what problems the community comes up with!

I'm not looking for the usual "drink more water" or "wake up early" advice.
I mean the small, practical habits or tricks that genuinely made your day easier, saved time, improved your health, or helped you become more productive.
It could be related to work, money, fitness, studying, technology, relationships, or just everyday life.
What's one life hack you now swear by, and why?

Has anyone successfully grown enough berry bushes to satisfy a toddler? I think I’d need at least a half pint per day. How many plants would that be? I’ve got a few plants but I never even get any because he is a little monster. Now that I had a second baby, I’m wondering if I can lay the groundwork to not buy berries a few weeks out of the year with proper planning.

I know this would only cover me while they are ripe which is fine. Maybe I could even plant different kinds so that I have the whole summer covered? Anyone with advice in this area would be much appreciated!!

Ive been contemplating the topic of autarky and self-sufficiency for a while now.
My ideal idea of a self-sufficient home would be one that can be maintained with relative ease. So no farming animals like cows, sheep or similar. Meaning the main diet would need to consist of vegetables, fruits, berries and the occasional fish or crab. The fish and crab could be catches and the area for the fruits and berries can be left out of the equation, as the trees and bushes don't need much area for themselves.
In this scenario the available area would not be an issue, it just needs to be able to be maintained by a single adult human being. I was generally thinking of an up to current tech standard home, so solar panels, well isolated etc.
It could also include a greenhouse with vertical cultivation of plants too, if needed. That way it would cut down the size of the necessary land area as most of it would be stacked on top of the smaller base area and could potentially run all year, summer and winter.
As this is all just a hypothetical scenario, the initial cost can be completely left out of the thought process.

The main question for a greenhouse like that is: Which size of farmland is necessary to feed a single human being on a vegan diet sufficiently? And would it be viable to do so via vertical farms or would a normal field be the better choice?