*I Used to Think...*
What I have come to know in the short time I have been a full member:
I used to think I knew a ton about survival and preparedness. I knew squat!!!
Preparedness is a state of mind in many ways, more so than just a task. I used to think it was something you did, like a goal, something to check off of your to do list... in other words once you have met your goals, you are done. Move on to the next thing. I was wrong!!! Preparedness is ever changing. You need to think about it everyday.
For me, it started with 72 hrs worth of food and water. Then I learned about the other things you need to take into consideration like heat, fuel, comms, and the potential for NBC. So as you move from a 72 hour kit to a 1 week kit, then a 1 month kit, you realize that 1 year’s worth of viable food and water would be really wise. What about an alternate place to go, like a retreat or meeting area? How will you get there? Do you have maps printed and at least 3 different escape scenarios? Then there is the vehicle. Does your vehicle have the capacity to arrive at your retreat location with enough fuel to get there? And once you are there, do you have enough fuel stored onsite to get you back? Spare parts? Tools? I used to think that I would just hit the interstate from my home here in Ca. and make my way up to my uncle’s place in Ore. No problem... I was wrong!!!!
What will you do if you arrive at your retreat and find that someone has helped themselves to your supplies, or worse yet, they are still there and have homesteaded your retreat? Did you think about weapons?
It is literally mind boggling. There are so many what if’s, and this and that’s. I used to think the government would be there for us. I used to think having a bunch of cash money to buy supplies when the time came was all I needed. I used to think a dollar would always be worth a dollar. I was wrong!!!! I used to feel secure in this, the strongest and proudest nation on the planet. Collapse? What the hell? What are those gun toting end of the worlders talking about? I used to think people who stocked up on food and supplies that maintained a high level of preparedness were paranoid. I used to think that money spent on home theatre and high end computer equipment was a much better decision than... stocking up. I was wrong!!!!!
What I have come to know in the short time I have been a full member:
It is a constant battle trying to get my wife on board with this new found mentality. Trying to spend as much time and money as possible preparing while still maintaining some semblance of normalcy in the family so that I don’t lose her in the process. Trying to be less intense. Trying to nudge her gently in the right direction. I used to think she would be right there with me. I mean, I get it, and she will too. She’ll get right with me on this... WRONG!!!! It is hard for some people to accept things when they have not had the “A-HA” moment. That place in time when you realize security and control is an illusion. When you look at history, the depression, wars, the Rodney King thing, Waco, The Freemans... you sort of get a sense that the signs are all there. You just chose not to read them and follow them to their point of interest. I used to think there was nothing wrong with the way the country was. The dumbing down of society, down breeding, letting other people raise our kids and teach them as they please. This happened in large part due to the fact that I never really thought about it that much, if at all.
I used to think that having a career meant being good at one thing. I now know I need to have a skill that does not depend on someone else’s company or products. I used to think that I’ll always be able to go to a doctor. I now know that I will learn as many skills as I can to be self sufficient.
What I have learned above all other things since becoming a member of this group, the AlphaRubicon, is that preparedness is a small portion of what I will gain as a member. The information, insightfulness of the articles, the chats on Rubi-Q, and the interactions have set in motion a new state of mind of preparedness. I find that I am looking for the “signs”. When I look at the news, I see it differently. When I look at people, I look at them differently. I ask myself if they will be a liability in an emergency situation. I have found that I place little value on material things that will not help me survive the worst case scenario.
I used to think American Idol was a good way to spend the evening.
I used to think my family and I were safe... I used to think... about everything... except what mattered the most.
Now I “thank” this group, the Alpha Rubicon for the commitment they have to showing those who will listen what is really going on. I thank them for helping me to be prepared and ultimately to surviving whatever may come. If anyone out there is reading this... if you are on probation waiting to become a full member, or if you are by chance reading this on the “free” side of the website, you need to forget about the way you used to think.
You need to make decisions based on “Facts, not Words”
Good luck.
Blackjade
www.alpharubicon.com
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