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What if The Schumer Doesn't Hit The Fan? - Reasons to Prepare Anyway, by MB
As long as I can remember, I have felt that someday the comforts of a modern
American lifestyle would vanish, at least temporarily. So I have made small
mental preparations for some time now; keeping my mind and body fit and strong,
staying informed, dropping hints to the wife, etc. Recently, and mostly after
reading Patriots, I have a renewed interest in preserving my life and protecting
those I love.
After educating myself on the subject of survival, I felt, as I’m sure
many others have, very vulnerable and even overwhelmed. I needed to take action,
immediately. Many thoughts spring into one’s mind during these moments. “What
will I feed my children; oh man, water is essential; what about all those crazy
people in the city, I need a gun, I need several guns; I need to move to North
Dakota!” Sloooow down! These are daunting items. Once you quiet your
mind and restore some sense of calm (it may take a couple days), you realize
that you must be realistic. It’s not feasible for most of us to pack
up an arsenal and move to a remote retreat in the hills or forests of the upper
Midwest. We have jobs and responsibilities, relatives and friends; lives that
at least for the time being, limit our options. And there is also the feeling
that hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent on preparations could be wasted
if The Schumer doesn’t ever Hit The Fan. (Doubtful, but it does cross
one’s
mind) A sense of urgency is implied; however, a caution against panic is warranted.
It’s easy in this post 9/11 age to let fear control your life. Don’t!
Simply take comfort in the fact that doing something to prepare for various
scenarios, however big or small, will most importantly increase your odds of
survival in the worst of emergencies, but also increase your comfort in the
less dire situations and even improve your life now.
You Don’t Have to
Move to Idaho--Survival Mindset for City Folk
I wanted to write an article for people like myself who are in the beginning
stages of survival preparation. People on limited budgets, who may not live
on farms, or maybe have never served in the military or had experience with
guns. Those people who live in or near a city, particularly congested east
coast cities. I write for those city dwellers and suburbanites in less than
ideal regions; students, urban professionals, everyday people. However, it
can apply to just about anyone who is not already well “squared away”.
I will attempt to provide ideas on where to begin, how to prioritize and how
to prepare mentally and with limited monetary resources for a multitude of
events. I will try to focus on things that can be useful now and for a lifetime.
My intent is not to instruct on what exactly is needed for every particular
individual; there are more capable advisors for that. I aim to get people thinking
and to provide a more general approach to surviving the times.
Get Your Mind
Right
First and foremost is your mindset. Think about your values, your morals. What
is most important in your life? Who is most important to you? How far are you
willing to go to protect them? In the most serious situation, we would do anything,
right? Why let it come to that? There’s good reason to get motivated.
Put yourself and your family in the best possible position for survival now,
so you don’t have to act out of desperation later. Also, think about
what you spend your money on and where you spend it. Do you really need that
big screen plasma television? What are you teaching your children about spirituality,
health, money? Just as important, what are others teaching your children? You
see where I’m going here. It’s not all about beans, bullets and
Band-Aids. It’s about your mentality. Only the strongest-willed individuals
will make it through tough times, be it TEOTWAWKI,
high school, or simply life as an adult in the 21st century.
Beginning Logistics
Now think about tangible items to have on hand. Make a list. Just jot down
ideas, then categorize (based on cost or type) and prioritize later. Your location
and climate will impact your list. Set up your inventory and storage on varying
degrees of threat and length of time of crisis. For instance a blackout that
lasts 30 days vs. a full scale economic collapse. Will you be staying put or
escaping to a safer location? What criteria will you base your decision on?
What would you miss most if something tragic happened? Put yourself in that
situation. The obvious answers are food and more importantly, water. If you
are human, you already eat and drink water, so this is nothing new. You just
need to think about having more of it on hand. In turn, storage is needed.
We find room for other items; we can find room for potentially life saving
sustenance. Package enough easily transportable food for 30 days. A durable
plastic tote should work well. Then store enough for much longer periods of
time. Buy a little extra food with each grocery shopping trip and date it.
Not extra chips or TV dinners, get extra items such as dried fruit or granola
that will last for an extended period of time, without electricity. Buy in
bulk and incorporate raw grains into your diet. Start a garden. Not only will
you know how to prepare these foods now, you will be more accustomed to eating
them later, not to mention the health benefits. Think about buying a food dehydrator.
They are reasonably priced. Keep a few five gallon containers of water in
your garage, basement or crawlspace. If you live in an apartment, do you have
a
spare room or a patio? For long term situations, any amount of water that can
be conveniently stored in most homes will be consumed surprisingly fast. Think
about other sources and get a good water filter. Again, this is prudent to
have anyway. A [compact] portable filter might come in handy also. With both
food and water, as much as possible, use your storage as supplement, not a
main source.
Little by little set aside money and acquire items you will need.
Keep
an extra
supply of first aid items on hand. Don’t forget some of the less apparent
items like toilet paper, sanitation, batteries, tools, candles, medications
and fuel. Keep some spare 5 gallon containers of stabilized gas in your shed.
It’s not wasteful as it can be used in your vehicles at any
time. And with the rising gas prices it may prove to be a worthwhile investment.
Don’t forget to rotate [your stocks]. Consider buying a generator. In
a full scale crisis, drawing attention to yourself and home with a loud, light-producing
device is not going to be very smart, but when power goes out and the masses
aren’t yet rioting in the streets, a generator will be nice to have.
Get a portable model. Study maps and plan different routes to and from your
home. Keep an emergency kit in your car. This is by no means a complete list,
it’s designed to get you started. Yes, the preparations are abundant.
Don’t get overwhelmed into thinking you have to get it all at once. The
key is minimization. Minimize the chances that you will be taken by surprise,
wondering why you didn’t do something earlier. Start small and with things
you can use in everyday life. The wealth of available information on specifics
is immense. This web page is a great resource. It’s up to you to educate
yourself and determine exactly what and how much you will need.
Help Others
Help You
Working together will be to your advantage during crunch time. Find strength
in numbers. Seek out others who share your values and have skills you lack.
How can you help each other? Build relationships and share ideas. Educate others,
but be careful as you can imagine the funny looks you might get if you start
prophesying doomsday. And guess who’s doorstep they’ll be standing
on come crunch time. I am a firm believer that the more people around you that
are prepared, the better off all of us are. If your neighbors can take care
of themselves, then it’s more likely your preparations will be preserved
in the event of crisis. In short, at least fewer of your neighbors will be
knocking on your door the same day of an event.
Securing Your Castle
I’d like to take a moment to discuss security, specifically firearms.
If you have studied survival even a little, then you are aware that arming
yourself ranks high on the list of recommendations. Perhaps some of you share
my reluctance to build an armory in my home. I have children, and being married
to someone who is strictly against guns makes security a particularly difficult
element in my survival preparations. While I recognize security as an absolute
must, I have reservations about keeping a device designed to kill in my home.
Ironically the reasons not to own a gun are the very reasons why I feel I should
own gun. The reasons are aged 2-11, not including the Mrs. In a volatile scenario
that could spiral out of control; I would feel helpless without weapons to
protect my family. All the stockpiling of food and water will be futile if
some thug can easily take it from you (and maybe your lives with it). If you
do decide to own a firearm (or firearms), don’t flaunt it and please
educate yourself and practice. Keep a chamber or trigger lock in place and
store the
ammunition
in a different location if necessary. In addition, don’t rule out other
ways of defending yourself. Albeit, less formidable, they are less expensive.
These include pepper spray, knives, batons, stun guns and martial arts. I don’t
think I need to remind people that these are mostly ineffective against attackers
with guns, or even large groups of unarmed evil doers. However, they may prove
useful in that they are very portable and can be used in less dire emergencies.
Deterrence in the form of dogs, fencing, motion detection, alarm systems and
location should also be considered. Protection from those who intend to harm
is imperative and yet another item that is useful even today.
Back to Basics
Take an assessment of your skill sets. What knowledge do you posses that would
be of value in a crisis situation? Don’t worry, if needed, your survival
instincts will take hold, but some basic skills can make you an asset and will
help you survive. Develop and hone these skills now. Start simply; make your
own bread, catch your own fish, grow your own vegetables, prepare healthier,
less processed meals. I enjoy beer, I brew my own. It’s rewarding and
I’ve learned much from it. Learn basic plumbing, carpentry and electrical
skills. You don’t have to be a master mechanic, but any vehicle owner
should know the basics; how to change the oil, filters and spark plugs. Having
a skill can be just as valuable as having an inventory; you never leave home
without it and could earn you a spot in a group if needed. Maybe you are a
dog trainer or electronics engineer. Don’t forget your kids. Teach your
children to swim, hunt, split wood or sow a garden. It seems that all too often,
in our frenzied lifestyles, we focus all our energy on skills that will get
us fat paychecks and forget the simpler but more important things. Get back
to basics. Slow down. Simplify. If something isn’t adding positive value
to your life, eliminate it. Many preparedness items can be fun and done as
a family. Go camping, take hikes, etc. If you have kids, consider home schooling
them. Most importantly get to know your children; spend time with them.
It’s
Up to You
You can make self sufficiency a way of life without going “off the deep
end,” so to speak. Taking action will not only give you peace of mind,
a sort of insurance policy, but also can improve your life in the meantime.
Many corollary benefits will emerge. Here are some that come to mind: Less
reliance on outside institutions, money saved, healthier eating habits, time
spent with your family. Regardless of the future, you’ll be teaching
your children to be prepared, to think logically and independently and not
to have a lazy, consumerist attitude of entitlement that dominates our culture
today.
This writing isn’t packed full of technical how-to information, but I
sincerely hope it helps to serve those of you that may feel overwhelmed and
don’t know where to begin and to breathe hope into those who are obliged
to retain their current lives without major upheaval. There are many who see
the challenges involved with getting ready and are scared into doing nothing.
For one reason or another they go back to sleep, their head comfortably lodged
in the sand. Don’t be one of those people. Enjoy the time and blessings
you have, but be ready. An old proverb says “Trust in God, but tie up
your camel.” Just the same, pray for peace, but prepare for war.
