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During my panel session in Camden at the Self Reliance Festival, a question was asked that I was absolutely not expecting. A young woman, who was very emotional, asked, “But what if you can’t leave the city?” I listened to her intently, realizing very quickly that the reality was not that her family could not leave; rather, at this point in their lives, they simply didn’t want to.

The bigger issue was her emotion; clearly, this was painful for her. They were a young couple, into gardening, had kiddos, but they were working with lower-income people, trying to make the place they lived in just a bit better. She said something to the effect of, “But I hear people like Jack, John, and Nicole saying to ‘get out,’ and I just don’t know what to do.”

Now look, I do want people who want to get out of the city someday to do it sooner rather than later; it is only going to get harder in time. However, people should live where THEY want to, not where Jack Spirko says they should. Additionally, this family had resources.

At first, I figured they lived on a tiny lot typical of suburban Philadelphia. Turns out they have 2 acres to work with. Joel Salatin was sitting next to me, and I said quietly to him, “2 acres, she can produce 3X the food on 2 in PA that I can do on my 3 in Texas.” Joel chuckled and replied, “heck, likely 6X.” And you know what? Joel was right. USDA zone 6 in Pennsylvania is incredibly productive, and I remember adults calling 2 weeks without rain in summer “a drought.”

My advice to this woman started out with, “So first, let’s not use the word ‘can’t,’ because it will get in the way of finding your solution. Let’s say you don’t want to right now, and that is okay.” I then gave her the advice I could cram into the 1-2 minutes you can take on a panel. Today, I will expand that for the larger audience. I want to be sure you guys know that I am here to help everyone.

Yes, I personally don’t want anything to do with living in the city, but it isn’t like I live in the Bitterroots or something. I live just outside of Fort Worth in what I call “the urban rural fringe” (credit to Permaculture CoFounder David Holgremn on that one). I have listeners that live way out in the sticks, a bit further than I do, on very similar properties to mine, in suburbs and in urban environments. I am here to help everyone. I don’t want anyone to feel “pressured” or “guilty” like that young woman seemed to. So today, we focus on what to do to build community, self-reliance, and security if you want to live a more urban or suburban existence.

Join Me Today To Discuss….

• The story a young woman told in Camden about living in Philly
• What I mean when I say get out and what you should not assume I mean
• Finding your tribe where you live is always the most important thing
  • Set up events and activities that attract the link minded
  • Seek out others that are doing that already
  • Always lead with relationships vs. specific agendas
• There are some real advantages to city/suburb life
  • More people to draw from
  • Lots of resources
  • Access to services and products
  • More access to markets for your product/services
  • More job opportunities for those who want to be employed
  • Less need to commute
  • Access to technology infrastructure (this is less true across time)
  • Community resources like community centers, parks, libraries, etc.
  • Easier to find labor/employees/contractors
• Why I prefer the country life over the city life personally
  • Less restrictions
  • Fewer complainers (Karens)
  • It is quiet
• Why I really love the urban rural fringe
  • The freedom of the country and amenities of the city
  • Access to major markets without having to live in them
• Keep in mind urban rural fringe still has challenges
  • Property costs tend to the higher side especially now
  • Urban sprawl is always a threat
• In the end where you live is less important than how you live, who you surround yourself with and your mindset

Resources for today’s show…

• Find Me on Nostr
• Follow Me on Tik-Tok
• Article Explaining the GrowNostr Initiative
• Join the Members Brigade
• TspAz.com
• TSPC on Discord
• TSPC Group on Telegram (group chat)
• TSPC Telegram Channel (just messages from me)
• Jack on MeWe
• Join Me on Odysee
• All My Recommend Bitcoin Tools and Resources
• The Vegilantes – Blue Lotus’ Website
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Sponsors of the Day

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Video Version of Today’s Show

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