Being self-sufficient is the best form of insurance

I think the best insurance is probably insurance. If everything you own burns down, blows away, is eaten by locusts, etc. there’s no amount of self-sufficiency which will make you whole again.

Absolutely not. Self sufficiency is great until something out of your control - like climate change wrecking your crops or a wildfire destroying everything - ends it. Then, unless you have some kind of back up, you are screwed. The best form of insurance is undoubtedly being stinking rich. There's a reason society exists. It's just too bad it only functions optimally for you if you're loaded.