Forwarded from The Nopestead
First watermelon is officially harvested. Kiddo is beyond excited!!
π₯24
In my life I am the caretaker of many things. This requires me to be a leader and steward in my family, farm, and career.
A Steward is someone who cares for something, protects it, and watches over it. "We must pass the best things of our world to the next generations in a form as good or better than we found it." This is stewardship, a character of leadership that created some of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.
Throughout history, the leaders that were considered to be the greatest and most loved by their people were the ones who looked into the future and made decisions as guardians rather than possessors. They viewed their people and their lands as a trust that they were to secure an existence for into the future. First hand accounts of such leaders talk about how it was as if speaking to a nation through the person, that the individual needs of the person no longer existed. These leaders couldn't be bought or swayed outside any goal but to the preservation and advancement of the nation under their care.
This should be the standard by which we judge all our endeavors, professions, relationships, and our lives themselves.
A Steward is someone who cares for something, protects it, and watches over it. "We must pass the best things of our world to the next generations in a form as good or better than we found it." This is stewardship, a character of leadership that created some of the greatest empires the world has ever seen.
Throughout history, the leaders that were considered to be the greatest and most loved by their people were the ones who looked into the future and made decisions as guardians rather than possessors. They viewed their people and their lands as a trust that they were to secure an existence for into the future. First hand accounts of such leaders talk about how it was as if speaking to a nation through the person, that the individual needs of the person no longer existed. These leaders couldn't be bought or swayed outside any goal but to the preservation and advancement of the nation under their care.
This should be the standard by which we judge all our endeavors, professions, relationships, and our lives themselves.
β€21
Being a Father requires an investment into the future, building the kind of world around your homes and communities that you want to raise your children in. More times than not though, the present rules the day. The larger the family, the more involved in the moment we must be. All of the teaching and coaching moments, the "hey Dad watch me!", and especially the "Dad can you fix this?".
There are different stages of life a man goes through. In his youth he looks to the future, as a young Father he lives in the present, and in his age he remembers all the fond memories of the little voices and the stampede of feet rushing to greet him. Treasure the present now so you don't miss out on memories to smile at in the future.
Happy Father's day!
There are different stages of life a man goes through. In his youth he looks to the future, as a young Father he lives in the present, and in his age he remembers all the fond memories of the little voices and the stampede of feet rushing to greet him. Treasure the present now so you don't miss out on memories to smile at in the future.
Happy Father's day!
β€βπ₯23β€4
βWhat I am about to say does not concern the ordinary man of our day. On the contrary, I have in mind the man who finds himself involved in today's world, even at its problematic and paroxysmal points; yet he does not belong inwardly to such a world, nor will he give in to it. He feels himself, in essence, as belonging to a different race from that of the overwhelming majority of his contemporaries.
The natural place for such a man, the land in which he would not be a stranger, is the world of Tradition.β
β Julius Evola
It can be overwhelming at how bad things have gotten at times but it's important to remember that all of this was predicted and is playing out just like other events in history. I often go back to Evola's book "Ride the Tiger", a difficult read to be certain, but the message left for us can be applied to a way of survival moving forward. I believe that homesteading and becoming self sufficient is an important foundation to accomplish what Evola talks about. Evolaβs idea of Riding the Tiger can be explained as the person who can survive the ride through the modern world without falling off and being consumed by it. When the modern world has run its course, we will be there to deal the final blow and rebuild.
The world asks that we reject our past and our ancestors, our religion, our lands, and our blood. We should live on top of each other in cities, work for faceless corporations for just enough money to survive, worry only about ourselves and how we can be more comfortable, and happy ~ to worship ourselves as gods and to forsake everything needful for temporary pleasure. An artificial, soulless existence far removed from the natural world.
Starting a homestead is in my opinion the way to fight back against the world and everything it stands for. Growing your own meat and vegetables ensures your family is healthy far beyond what any store can provide. Homeschooling your children and grandchildren ensures your values and culture are promoted and carry on into the future. You become the "warrior in the garden" of old always preparing and ready to put down the beast of modernity when the time finally comes.
The natural place for such a man, the land in which he would not be a stranger, is the world of Tradition.β
β Julius Evola
It can be overwhelming at how bad things have gotten at times but it's important to remember that all of this was predicted and is playing out just like other events in history. I often go back to Evola's book "Ride the Tiger", a difficult read to be certain, but the message left for us can be applied to a way of survival moving forward. I believe that homesteading and becoming self sufficient is an important foundation to accomplish what Evola talks about. Evolaβs idea of Riding the Tiger can be explained as the person who can survive the ride through the modern world without falling off and being consumed by it. When the modern world has run its course, we will be there to deal the final blow and rebuild.
The world asks that we reject our past and our ancestors, our religion, our lands, and our blood. We should live on top of each other in cities, work for faceless corporations for just enough money to survive, worry only about ourselves and how we can be more comfortable, and happy ~ to worship ourselves as gods and to forsake everything needful for temporary pleasure. An artificial, soulless existence far removed from the natural world.
Starting a homestead is in my opinion the way to fight back against the world and everything it stands for. Growing your own meat and vegetables ensures your family is healthy far beyond what any store can provide. Homeschooling your children and grandchildren ensures your values and culture are promoted and carry on into the future. You become the "warrior in the garden" of old always preparing and ready to put down the beast of modernity when the time finally comes.
π₯26π―1
A friends daughter is fighting for her life. Please pray for this family and donate if you can.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-violet-maes-medical-journey?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-violet-maes-medical-journey?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook
π78β€6π₯1
βGrow strong, my comrade β¦ that you may stand
Unshaken when I fall; that I may know
The shattered fragments of my song will come
At last to finer melody in you;
That I may tell my heart that you begin
Where passing I leave off, and fathom more.β
β Will Durant
Unshaken when I fall; that I may know
The shattered fragments of my song will come
At last to finer melody in you;
That I may tell my heart that you begin
Where passing I leave off, and fathom more.β
β Will Durant
β€19π2
The difficult things in life and how you live with them will always be the measure of the man you are. The world and all its arrows are always being let loose upon us, we can and should defend constantly against this foe.
It's not always easy to look past the battle in the moment to see the victory of the war. A leader must take a high position and examine the battlefield, removed from the moment to make a decisive strike. We should all manifest ourselves as leaders wherever we are.
At this moment in time we have been given the gift of hard times. These hard times have fueled a blazing spirit within and it burns with the intensity of the sun. Persevere through all and fuel the fire, victory is at hand.
A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.
-Marcus Aurelius-
It's not always easy to look past the battle in the moment to see the victory of the war. A leader must take a high position and examine the battlefield, removed from the moment to make a decisive strike. We should all manifest ourselves as leaders wherever we are.
At this moment in time we have been given the gift of hard times. These hard times have fueled a blazing spirit within and it burns with the intensity of the sun. Persevere through all and fuel the fire, victory is at hand.
A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.
-Marcus Aurelius-
β€21π₯10π1
In 1909 my Paternal male ancestor immigrated from Eastern Poland/Russia to St Louis Missouri. He worked in the steel mills until his son, my Great Grandfather started working at Packard Motors in Detroit. My Grandfather was an Architect, and my Father was a Tradesman in construction.
Every Tradesman in America that I encounter these days talks about how hard it is to find good, honest, and intelligent people to hire. Many companies are shutting their doors or selling out to investors because of it. Our infrastructure and production as a whole are in a freefall, and we have the last couple of generations to blame for it all. The trades are all but lost here and around the western world, but we can and must bring them back. If we don't we will slip into a terrible age of darkness devoid of all beauty and creation.
βIt seems to me that nothing essential has ever been lost, because its matrix is ever-present within us and from this it can be and will be reproduced if needed. But only those can recover it who have learned the art of averting their eyes from the blinding light of current opinions, and close their ears to the noise of ephemeral slogans.β
-Carl Jung-
Every Tradesman in America that I encounter these days talks about how hard it is to find good, honest, and intelligent people to hire. Many companies are shutting their doors or selling out to investors because of it. Our infrastructure and production as a whole are in a freefall, and we have the last couple of generations to blame for it all. The trades are all but lost here and around the western world, but we can and must bring them back. If we don't we will slip into a terrible age of darkness devoid of all beauty and creation.
βIt seems to me that nothing essential has ever been lost, because its matrix is ever-present within us and from this it can be and will be reproduced if needed. But only those can recover it who have learned the art of averting their eyes from the blinding light of current opinions, and close their ears to the noise of ephemeral slogans.β
-Carl Jung-
π₯36β€8π2
Forwarded from ππππππππ ππππ
A new year's resolution is a fleeting moment. You could have started your journey at any time, but maybe you'll get to it tomorrow. Nothing changes you at midnight. You are the product of all of your habits. Don't rely on some glimmer of motivation to to give you the life you want.
π20π―16π₯6β‘3
2024 was by far the most difficult and challenging year I've experienced. We had a miscarriage, my career went sideways, and money was always tight. Throughout all of it we continued working and adapting to get closer to the goal we've been climbing towards, Freedom.
Freedom means different things to people but as for myself, I don't want to rely on a grocery store, a power company, or any system set up to babysit the population. 2025 is going to be a year of reducing the amount of things I have to outsource, and food is at the top of the list.
Everyone will have different things they want to work at this year, but I believe freeing yourself and your family is the most important goal to strive towards.
"Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control."
-Epictetus-
Freedom means different things to people but as for myself, I don't want to rely on a grocery store, a power company, or any system set up to babysit the population. 2025 is going to be a year of reducing the amount of things I have to outsource, and food is at the top of the list.
Everyone will have different things they want to work at this year, but I believe freeing yourself and your family is the most important goal to strive towards.
"Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control."
-Epictetus-
β€βπ₯35π₯6π―3π1
It's easy to get distracted and veer off course when things aren't going right. Having children that are always watching and learning from you, -even when you don't think they're paying attention-, should always bring you back to what's important.
About 3 children ago I started reading the stoics. I'm convinced that to be a good Father, Husband, and leader, applying that way of thinking is required. We should be virtuous, indifferent to external forces, live according to nature, rational, exercise self control, contribute to the good of our family, neighbors, and friends, and be strong mentally and physically.
At the end of the day we're not just raising children, we're raising philosophers and conquerors that will one day blaze a path across the world.
βThis is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseusβhow to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I might keep sailing on course to those honorable ends.β
β Seneca the Younger-
About 3 children ago I started reading the stoics. I'm convinced that to be a good Father, Husband, and leader, applying that way of thinking is required. We should be virtuous, indifferent to external forces, live according to nature, rational, exercise self control, contribute to the good of our family, neighbors, and friends, and be strong mentally and physically.
At the end of the day we're not just raising children, we're raising philosophers and conquerors that will one day blaze a path across the world.
βThis is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseusβhow to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I might keep sailing on course to those honorable ends.β
β Seneca the Younger-
π₯32β€9β‘8π―1
Progressive Overload isn't just for the gym, the idea translates into everyday life.
The jobs that were exhausting physically and mentally to me a few years ago are just another day at work today. My team quickly adapts, and I continue to push us all to be better at what we do everyday. My company has two departments and they are lightyears apart in efficiency and productivity. My counterpart has twice the people and less overall work. His guys are largely out of shape and brain rot on their phones most of the day. My team amazes me all the time when we're doing what used to take us 16 hours in 10.
By progressively challenging myself, my sons, and my colleagues to be better everyday, I've created a culture of excellence that pours over into everything we take on.
"If you always do what youβve always done, youβll always get what youβve always got."
- Henry Ford-
The jobs that were exhausting physically and mentally to me a few years ago are just another day at work today. My team quickly adapts, and I continue to push us all to be better at what we do everyday. My company has two departments and they are lightyears apart in efficiency and productivity. My counterpart has twice the people and less overall work. His guys are largely out of shape and brain rot on their phones most of the day. My team amazes me all the time when we're doing what used to take us 16 hours in 10.
By progressively challenging myself, my sons, and my colleagues to be better everyday, I've created a culture of excellence that pours over into everything we take on.
"If you always do what youβve always done, youβll always get what youβve always got."
- Henry Ford-
π₯34π5π2β‘1
In modern times it's very easy to
go to the grocery store and have access to any food item year round. Most people would say this is a great thing and marvel at how far we've come. I however see this as a huge societal weakness.
In my industry I see the food transported by ships and trucks up close and it's gets pretty unclean. Produce also gets harvested early and sprayed with chemicals to survive the trip and quickly loses vitamin content. By the time it arrives in your pantry it can be weeks old and a fraction of it's fresher self.
Eating seasonal from local farms is the most effective way to get the best nutrient dense food and often at better prices. It connects you more to your food because you know where it came from, and helps support local family farms. I started our farm after learning that the eggs in the store are often already months old (in America). The more I learn, the more I want to be self sufficient and protect my family from the food industry that doesn't have our best interest in mind.
"Do not seek to have everything at once, but rather to be content with what you have."
- Epictetus-
go to the grocery store and have access to any food item year round. Most people would say this is a great thing and marvel at how far we've come. I however see this as a huge societal weakness.
In my industry I see the food transported by ships and trucks up close and it's gets pretty unclean. Produce also gets harvested early and sprayed with chemicals to survive the trip and quickly loses vitamin content. By the time it arrives in your pantry it can be weeks old and a fraction of it's fresher self.
Eating seasonal from local farms is the most effective way to get the best nutrient dense food and often at better prices. It connects you more to your food because you know where it came from, and helps support local family farms. I started our farm after learning that the eggs in the store are often already months old (in America). The more I learn, the more I want to be self sufficient and protect my family from the food industry that doesn't have our best interest in mind.
"Do not seek to have everything at once, but rather to be content with what you have."
- Epictetus-
π―36π₯2
Weβre constantly bombarded with messages to buy more, upgrade more, and to be in competition to have the newest thing to be cool. It sounds like a pretty stressful way to live, and those people are never satisfied.
We didn't have many material luxuries when I was growing up. We took care of and valued what we had. I was happier with a stick playing in the woods than my peers with a new video game. I've raised my own sons to do the same, and they've developed some awesome hobbies outside the brain rot.
I imagine each thing we complicate our lives with as a heavy chain we drag around as we go. With so many worries and vices that we keep dragging around, it gets hard to see the small things that make us happy.
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
βEpictetus-
We didn't have many material luxuries when I was growing up. We took care of and valued what we had. I was happier with a stick playing in the woods than my peers with a new video game. I've raised my own sons to do the same, and they've developed some awesome hobbies outside the brain rot.
I imagine each thing we complicate our lives with as a heavy chain we drag around as we go. With so many worries and vices that we keep dragging around, it gets hard to see the small things that make us happy.
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
βEpictetus-
β€35π―9β‘2π₯2
This is my oldest sons most recent project. He built a scale wood model of the Russian PPSH to give to his best friend for Christmas.
After chores and homeschool he disappears into my shop for hours building different toys and models out of scrap wood I've saved. Almost all of his projects are gifts for his friends.
After chores and homeschool he disappears into my shop for hours building different toys and models out of scrap wood I've saved. Almost all of his projects are gifts for his friends.
β‘60β€36π10π2
We all come from a long, chain of ancestors who by modern standards survived conditions we can't imagine today.
Itβs their genes and their blood that make up our bodies right now. We our designed for resilience. No matter what situations we face, we can overcome them if we tap into our natural abilities to excel and destroy all obstacles that come up during our lifetimes.
"Our ancestors have left this to us in trust, to preserve and to hand on to our descendants."
- Marcus Aurelius-
( Pictured, my Great Great Grandparents holding my Grandfather.)
Itβs their genes and their blood that make up our bodies right now. We our designed for resilience. No matter what situations we face, we can overcome them if we tap into our natural abilities to excel and destroy all obstacles that come up during our lifetimes.
"Our ancestors have left this to us in trust, to preserve and to hand on to our descendants."
- Marcus Aurelius-
( Pictured, my Great Great Grandparents holding my Grandfather.)
π₯43β‘7β€4
A lot of times when I'm running a big work project it's absolute chaos. In my industry things never really go according to plan A, and people start to panic as they lose their perceived control of the situation. The ones who panic waste a lot of time frantically reacting to a problem, instead of calmly building a solution.
In these situations people will conform to calm leadership. No one really wants to be around people having panic attacks at the slightest issue. It's a calm confidence that puts others at ease; you become a safe harbor for those around you.
"The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength."
- Marcus Aurelius-
In these situations people will conform to calm leadership. No one really wants to be around people having panic attacks at the slightest issue. It's a calm confidence that puts others at ease; you become a safe harbor for those around you.
"The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength."
- Marcus Aurelius-
π₯25π―13π3
The mental health of young people in America and around the world has been on a steep decline. Suicide rates and gender dysphoria among some of the most disturbing, with more children on antidepressants than ever. A lot of blame gets passed around for this but as usual, if we simplify things in our life, things get easier.
Homeschool aside, if we just let the kids be kids again and protect their childhood, the majority of these problems would disappear. You can use my sons as proof. If you let them play, explore, build, and conquer their own little worlds in childhood, they'll grow up into stable and self sufficient adults.
"What society does to its children, so will its children do to society."
β Marcus Tullius Cicero -
Homeschool aside, if we just let the kids be kids again and protect their childhood, the majority of these problems would disappear. You can use my sons as proof. If you let them play, explore, build, and conquer their own little worlds in childhood, they'll grow up into stable and self sufficient adults.
"What society does to its children, so will its children do to society."
β Marcus Tullius Cicero -
β€44π₯6π―5
It always blows me away how much my sons grow while I'm away working. Coming home last night after a week and seeing them all this morning; I swear they all shot up an inch or more.
Young fathers, treasure all of it. It will slip through your fingers every time you blink.
Young fathers, treasure all of it. It will slip through your fingers every time you blink.
π36β‘11π―4π₯3
I look forward to bad weather. Our area shuts down a few times a year for hurricanes or winter storms. It's always an opportunity for me to stay home for a few days with my family, and focus on simple things like keeping the fireplace going and protecting our animals. These events test the model of the family I have forged and provide unique team building moments.
Modern degenerate culture has taught people reliance on someone else to solve their problems. This reliance turns into slavery in the end. Real freedom is doing things our own way and being the driving force in our own life.
"Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves. It is to preserve the distance which separates us from other men. To grow more indifferent to hardship, to severity, to privation, and even to life itself."
-Friedrich Nietzsche-
Modern degenerate culture has taught people reliance on someone else to solve their problems. This reliance turns into slavery in the end. Real freedom is doing things our own way and being the driving force in our own life.
"Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves. It is to preserve the distance which separates us from other men. To grow more indifferent to hardship, to severity, to privation, and even to life itself."
-Friedrich Nietzsche-
π₯27β€6β‘4