It Is All About Choices and Conveniences.

I read the below comment from a group page on facebook.

So many of us don't have land, and live in homes or apartments where the only way you can get your food (even if natural like from a farmer's market) is to buy it. We cannot build our homes but live in concrete boxes. We must take our kids to medical doctors or they cannot attend school. In fact, we must have this dumb computer or they will fail school. Unless we are fortunate to own land and live off of it, we're stuck in a consumer world. And even if we own land, laws require we be consumers.



I reflected on the comment for awhile.  After I awhile, I disagreed with the comment. 

Just because you do not have land does not mean you cannot get farm fresh produce.  You can still grow vegetables in pots.  If you're renting a home with land, use pots to grow vegetables in.  Ask your landlord if you can put in a garden.  If you're renting an apartment you can do the same.  You won't know, if you don't ask. 

Yes, owning land has it's freedoms to do what you can with the land you have.  But just because you don't have any...does not mean you can't.  You can lease land.  Try going on a private contract with the landowner.  I have seen and know people on this island who are ranching on private land on contract. 

If you want to send your children to school here on island, you have to follow the rules/regulations to do that.  Yes, it means they have to get their shots.  If you don't like that idea.  There is always homeschooling. 

As per concrete homes, we also have a choice to do that.  We can build beautiful wooden homes.  But it comes with a price.  Living in typhoon alley, majority of the people have chosen concrete homes so they don't have to rebuild as much after a major typhoon hits the island.  All insurance companies will not insure a wooden structure on island. 

Technology is a love hate relationship.  Either we use it to our benefit and move ahead, or we're left behind.  Yes, children do a lot of work on the computer in school nowadays.  However it is not true that they need it for school.  My daughter is a 4th Honors Student in her class.  She doesn't use a computer for school work even though she is more computer/technological advance than I am.  She knows my cellphone better than I do.

NO one forces us to be Consumers.  It is a matter of Choice and Convenience.  That's what it all boils down too. 

Being a rancher has it's awards and also it's setbacks.  I choose to be a rancher for several reasons.  I want fresh produce and meat for my family.  I enjoy being outdoors.  But we are at the mercy of the weather in our area.  I also just don't ranch here at my place, but at other ranches as well.  There are alliances that I've made with other ranchers.  We barter our goods or in kind services with each other.  It's also a lifestyle that I particularly enjoy. 

It is not convenient being a rancher.  Raising animals prevents you from going to gatherings with family or friends.  You have livestock to take care of daily...seven days a week...365 days a year.  Gardens have to be maintained daily.  Putting off a scheduled fertilizer a couple of days, maybe the stake in the heart, whether your harvested produce are organic or not. 

Many Chamorus/Guamanians own land but don't do anything with it because of their busy schedules.  They don't have time.  Some property homeowners prefer to grow grass and exotic plants around their homes, instead of growing gardens to feed them. 

Here is a site that disproves that you need large tracts of land to farm.  Check out Urban Homestead.  It's an amazing site that gives great ideas to farm the land that you have. 

A lot of our people choose convenience over our traditional ranching lifestyle.  In the end, no can dictate to you what to do, unless you allow them to.