@Clarenceonyeks is thinking aloud about this thing called self-sufficiency and how it can work at a national level. He confesses not to be an economist but he sure has a unique perspective on the subject so we thought to share.

Do see below:

I am no economist but let me break down my little view on "self-sufficiency" and why I worry about it in my village way.

An Analogy.

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

Yesterday, I ate rice and stew with goat meat. What I noticed is that I didn't grow the rice I didn't raise or kill the goat etc

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

Apparently, because I don't grow the rice I eat, rear the goat I flexed and the banana I had afterwards, I am not self sufficient

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

The solution to this loss would be for all my family members to come together to grow the food we eat.

Does any of this sound smart?

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

No it doesn't. This is because my family can eat what it want as long as we are making the money to buy it from whatever source

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

If I am a doctor and I have lawyers and Architects in my family, all we have to do is be productive at our jobs and we can buy food

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

If one of us is a farmer, great he can sell his goods to get us the food we need or feed us with part of his food he doesn't sell.

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

But if we all focus on eating what we produce, we quickly fall to a standard of living called subsistence.

Is that our aim as a nation?

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

On a national level, the stakes are similar though more complex.

We have limited resources. do we insist on eating only what we create or

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

do we spend our resources increasing productivity esp in areas we can get paid dollars for & then use those dollars to buy whatever we want

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

do we spend our resources increasing productivity esp in areas we can get paid dollars for & then use those dollars to buy whatever we want

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

Anyway, I am not as knowledgeable as folks like @gidimeister, @afalli, @Laraba811 and @chubaezeks but shouldn't trade work like this?

— The Chariots and The Horsemen (@Clarenceonyeks) October 10, 2016

Plausible?