Backpacking is the solution

Every society collapses, not from want, but instead from being spoiled.  When societies grow and prosper future generations take the hardships that their parents, grand-parents and great-grand-parents went through for granted.  To illustrate, look at the Occupy-Movement.  Many of these are young people "camping out" in the city with their iPads and iPhones, eating at restaurants and getting their coffee at Starbucks all the while cursing the very people who give them these "necessities of life" (Reminds me again of the plaque my Uncle Carl had on his farm that said "Don't curse the farmer with your mouth full!").     These people have never had it so good and yet they don't realize it.

This past weekend I was out camping and we took a hike up to hills to look for deer.   We brought our own bottles of water, but the hike took longer than expected and we were low.  Phil, knew of a place where we could get fresh water so we went there and just as expected the spring was still running (in the heat of summer) and we were able to refill our bottles to get us back to camp.  It was while we were filling our bottles that I realized how precious that water is and how we take it for granted back home.  We turn a little knob and gallons of water per minute flow out into our sinks and baths for our use and pleasure.  But it wasn't always that easy.   Men and women coming to California had to find their own water.  They had to dig wells deep into the earth to access these springs.  Later they had to move large amounts of dirty and concrete to build dams and reservoirs and canals to hold back and divert the water to where we live.  They had to later build complex filtering and pumping facilities to insure we had disease-free water no matter where you chose to live whether int he valley or up in the hills.  All this, we take for granted.

If I were made President, I would require all children 12 and older to go backpacking 3 days a year.  They could only bring what they could carry on their backs for food and water and shelter.  Most likely they could survive the first day on what they had brought, but the last 2 days they would have to live on what they could find.  No water faucets to turn on... only springs , lakes and streams to drink from (hopefully they packed a filtration system).    No McDonalds or Taco-Bell to "forage" from when they became hungry... only fruits, berries and roots to munch on (or a rabbit if they are able to capture it).    Like the SurvivorMan show on the Discovery Channel, they would have to live by their wits and would LONG for hot meals we got from our microwave ovens or our fast food restaurants.  They would gain a new appreciation for the safety of their homes when they don't have to make huts out of branches and tree limbs to sleep under.  They will hold in high value the hospitals that are there if we hurt ourselves (Trust me!  You have a different view of healthcare when you are hiking 30 miles to the nearest hospital).  They would appreciate the ability to turn a dial or press a button to turn up the heat in their homes when cold or turn on a light when they have to struggle for hours to get a small fire lit from rubbing two sticks together.  When they go to bed at night they will notice the soft pillow-top mattresses provided to them because they didn't have to go out and gather leaves or branches to lay on in order to sleep. 

To me, 3 days of hell should be enough to make all of our young people realize just how good they have it.