Dear Humans,

Yesterday we learned the word self-sufficiency. Those New Englanders tried to be self-sufficient–to provide all they needed for themselves. But as their towns grew, they found they had to rely on others to provide the things they needed.

And we read “Ox Cart Man” by Donald Hall. Though that New England farmer made much of what he needed, he also sold extra items to buy the things he couldn’t make. Such as knives that may have come from factories in England or sugar from the West Indies.

Economics connects us across the globe. We are interdependent, relying on people we will never meet, just as they rely on us. That’s always been the case, but it’s more true now than ever before.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt