I recently got a comment on one of my other articles that I felt I needed to take a little more time to respond to. The reader asked:
How are you guys going to feel if you reach the end of your lives and the fan’s still clean and you’ve spent all your time worrying about when it’s all going to blow up?
First, I don’t think any of us really spend all that much time worrying about when things are going to go bad. I know I don’t! We’re not all paranoid freaks who sit here praying for the end of the world. In fact, I think that these days it’s the people who are not prepping who are the ones with a problem.
To some extent we are all living through a SHTF moment right now. I don’t think anyone can argue that our country is heading in the right direction; if things continue down this path then you may one day be eating your words. But even if things get better, does that mean you shouldn’t be prepared to help yourself and your family in a time of need? Doesn’t be prepared for whatever the future holds make sense?
Do you think the guy who lost his job 9 months ago, and can barely afford to feed his family, is not living through his own SHTF moment?
But what if that guy was a prepper?
Would he not be better off than most?
We prep because it’s the right thing to do; it’s what our great grandparents did, and it’s what most of the civilized world did before there was a Walmart on every corner.
Prepping isn’t just about preparing for a cataclysmic end of the world event. It’s about being prepared for those small events in life that can feel cataclysmic if we are not prepared.
the reality of all this is : it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it…
HISTORY PROVES THAT THE SHIT EVENTUALLY HITS THE FAN!
I am just getting ready for an extended camping out @ my house.
the ant wonders why the grasshopper is so foolish.
the SHTF , really I hope it never happens. I want my grand kids to grow up in a free world, safely. But reality tells me its not a safe world and its getting more dangerous every day. perhaps someday we humans will get our heads out of our asses and learn to live in harmony with each other and our planet. but I will still prepare and plan to protect myself and my own till I die. I will leave the rest to the coming generations
Without going into too much detail, preparedness is as much a character trait as is honesty or virtue. For Christians, it should be as common as living rightly. Numerous Scriptures come to mind that deal with the subject directly as well as examples presented through some of the lives chronicled there. My wife and I have always had “extras” on hand but have taken up a serious effort in prepping for potential disaster which we’re nowhere in Scripture guaranteed protection from. Life effects Christians and non-Christians alike – the difference lies in whether or not one is prepared for it.
And perhaps some of us just “enjoy” the prep process! Everybody has a “stamp-collection’ of some sort.
I can sadly attest to how crucial and how great the need is to be prepared for anything not just the “end of the world” moment. Early one morning around 4:00 am in 1995 we found ourselves awokened by a ton of comotions outside at our townhouse. The commotion was the result of a few days of rain deluge that had been going on non stop which caused the San Jacinto River near Houston to flood crest and flood over it’s banks. The river was already about 4 feet from my front door and in a short half hour later it was in our home up to my waist along with fire ants, fish and other nasty stuff. We had managed in 30 minutes to grap some stuff and my babies bottles but ultimately we had to be rescued by boat. We lost everything we owned in that flood that day with the exception of some bedroom furniture upstairs. We were caught unprepared and to some degree clueless at that time that we should have a had a plan of some sort for our family for a few days. We made it through it but let me tell you it was not easy especially with a brand new baby and a first grader.
In short my husband and I learned our lesson and we have been prepared for anything ever since that early morning day back in 1995. When we moved from Texas to California we planned and prepared for an earthquake and we did experience several small ones but it was a relief to know that we had a plan and knew what to do if the SHTF again in our little world. We now live in Florida and yes we are prepared for Hurrincanes and Tropical storms. My boys are older now and even they know what they are supposed to do in the event of an emergency or disaster or SHTF moment.
So in short next time someone wants to refer to me or my family as being the ‘crazy’ ones for being prepared well all I can say is you haven’t walked in our shoes or obviously you wouldn’t be saying that!
if you always are prepared for the worst either one of two things will happen….exactly what you expect,shtf moment or its never needed.
While true the proverbial S may never HTF, I take comfort knowing when we have an earthquake, power outage due to (transformer, car accident, high winds or black out) or any other emergency.
I know that I have the ability to keep the fridge/freezer running, various means of light, cooking food, medical supplies for myself or neighbor that gets hurt and like the fire extinguisher/smoke detector or car insurance I hope I never need it.
Two rules of thumb:
It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Prior Proper Planing Prevents Piss Poor Performance!
My son is on life support and as a back up we bought a gas generator. But it required that someone go out and start the generator by hand. You were always wondering was there enough gas,did I buy enough. Was the gas fresh enough It’s been cold outside, an I could not always get it started. We could not go anywhere without wondering if the power would go off and could our oldest son or our nurse or a neighbor get that hand cranked generator started. So we invested in a propane powered generator that starts by itself when the power goes out. What a blessing and know we do not have to worry,but we bit the bullet and made sure we were prepared. Just was thinking as I read your stories about being prepare. Again thanks for letting me has my say. Southern patriot
Who knows when or where a little something might happen. I have been ready for the last 6 years with gear and supplies. Three things I MUST do is increase the amount of paper money on hand aswell more food and water,6 Months will not do. In the last year New England has been hit with Blizzards, tornadoes, Hurricanes along with record flood waters, heat, and a very very small earth quake. This was the first ever earth Quake I have been though. Now none of these incidents affected me or my family but some of my friends and friends of friends lost homes and the like. When you watch your house floating down the river yes your SHTF has happened. Stay safe my friends. Prepare for the worst and hope for the BEST !!!
I grew up along the Texas coast and being prepared was no big deal,my grandparents grew their own food,we canned vegies,hunted and fished.the deep freeze was always full.when hurricanes came we bought gas for the cars and the generators,oil for the lamps and plywood for the windows.we had everything else.when the hurricane hit houston I had 50 gals of gas and all the food i needed,I got up the next morning and started the generator and watched tv and played on the net,no big deal .I had neighbors who were devastated and had no clue what to do.had events turned really bad I was fully prepared to take care of mysef ,my family ,and several neighbors for weeks.prepare for yourself and family and also for others who need help.its just the right thing to do.
what if you stockpiled food at 2012 prices and things shot up 30% ? you basically prepped against inflation
I don’t think that the SHTF needs to happen for a person to actually need to use their supplies.
For example, I became a victim of ID theft and had my bank account wiped out and it will take (7-10) to get my money back. Which just so happened on the day I do my weekly shopping so I couldn’t buy food. Then the next day (no joke) the main water supply on my street busted and I didn’t have any running water.
Needless to say I was having a bad week. But because I because I do have stored water, food, & other supplies it wasn’t so bad. And as an added bonus my husband doesn’t poke fun at me anymore =)