(A letter to those who show up—on December 31, 2025.)
“The best thing for being sad… is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails… Learn why the stars shine. Learn how to make bread. Learn to set a bone. Learn to be ready. That’ll keep the sadness at bay… and the world at your command.”
Let’s be honest about the year.
The headlines were loud.
The algorithms were louder.
The world felt—at times—like it was coming unspooled.
And yet…
— You saved drippings.
— You fermented cabbage.
— You paused for 3 seconds before the first bite.
— You carried a pen that worked, cash that spent, hands that helped.
You did not wait for permission.
You did not outsource your dignity.
You built—quietly, stubbornly, daily—the unbroken line.
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What Is the Unbroken Line?
It’s not a movement.
It’s not a trend.
It’s the chain of competence that stretches back to the first human who:
→ Roasted meat instead of eating it raw
→ Stored grain for winter
→ Taught their child to tie a knot
→ Said “I’ll do it myself” when the system failed
This line was never broken.
It was only ignored—by empires, algorithms, and the cult of convenience.
But it never vanished.
You saw it in:
- The nurse who used her EDC pen to log vitals by candlelight during the blackout
- The student who brewed lentil paste in a dorm microwave
- The retiree who taught his grandson to sharpen a knife
- The mother who said “We’re not helpless”—and made breakfast from the pantry buck
That’s the line. And you’re on it.
Why 2026 Will Be the Year of Men and Women who don’t negotiate their Freedom
Not because the world will get easier.
But because you are no longer fooled.
You’ve learned:
✅ Freedom isn’t granted. It’s practiced.
→ One savory oat mash at a time.
→ One 10-second reset at a time.
→ One handwritten note at a time.
✅ Resilience isn’t dramatic. It’s domestic.
→ It’s the jar of schmaltz in the fridge.
→ The bandana in your back pocket.
→ The $20 bill, folded once, waiting.
✅ Hope isn’t passive. It’s active.
→ You don’t hope the grid stays on.
→ You prepare to thrive when it doesn’t.
The 21st century will not be won by the loudest voices.
It will be held—together—by the quiet hands that show up.
The Three Tasks for 2026 (No Resolutions. Just Commitments.)
1. Carry the Line Forward
→ Teach one skill this year to a friend —not online. In person.
→ Show a neighbor how to ferment cabbage.
→ Hand a teen your pocketknife and say: “This is how you open a box. Now you try.”
→ The line only survives if it’s passed hand to hand.
2. Build One Real Thing
→ Not a “side hustle.” A thing that lasts:
- A pantry that feeds your family for a month
- A strength baseline you can rely on
- A conversation habit that de-escalates instead of detonates
→ Freedom is built in the doing—not the dreaming.
3. Refuse to Be Spectatorized
→ The world will try to turn you into an audience:
- For outrage
- For consumption
- For despair
→ Every time it happens, ask:“What can I do—right now—with what I have?”
→ Then do it.
A Letter to December 31, 2026
Dear You,
I hope this finds you well—not because the world was kind, but because you were ready.
I hope your pantry held.
I hope your hands stayed strong.
I hope your pen never skipped.
I hope you taught someone to pause—before eating, before speaking, before panicking.
I hope you carried cash that spent, tools that worked, and a spirit that refused to break.
The world didn’t get simpler.
But you got clearer.
And in a time of noise, that clarity is the rarest form of courage.
Keep the line unbroken.
— Food&Arms
December 31, 2025
Final Orders
- Tonight, write one sentence in your notebook:
“In 2025, I built ______.”
(Fill in the blank: “a pantry,” “a habit,” “a moment of calm,” “a meal that mattered.”) - Tear out the page. Burn it—or bury it.
→ Not as loss. As seed. - Tomorrow, January 1, 2026—start again.
Not with a resolution.
With a recommitment:I show up. I build. I pass it on.
Because the world needs fewer prophets of doom.
And more citizens who carry light—in their pockets, their kitchens, and their hands.
Now go meet the new year—
not with hope for it,
but with competence in it.