*Being a Prepper in a Non-Prepping World*
By: Bigstick
28 June 2011
As the world changes around us, sometimes it seems like things are just going from bad to worse. Floods, war, famine, gas prices... more and more items seem to fill the evening news and the Net with dire predictions of what is to come. And yet, in the face of all that, I continue to see articles in the media and online that poke fun at people who are trying to prepare in case of disaster. People who grow their own food, or keep more than the average 1-2 days of canned food in their pantry. City dwellers who are planting gardens of food instead of flowers, and people getting back into canning. People who choose to "Prep" as a form of "Lifestyle Insurance" in case of sudden unemployment, natural disaster or other unforeseen situations that would otherwise have a dramatic negative impact on their families. Since when did preparing for likely personal and natural disasters qualify us as "Kooks" or "Survivalists"?
In the face of all that, when it gets on my nerves or it seems like I am swimming upstream as I pay the premium on our lifestyle insurance, I try to remind myself of the things I can and cannot do. I share that list with you in hopes that it might give you some solace that, if you are taking steps to care for your family... you are not alone.
What I can do:
- I can do what my heart and my head tell me are the right things to do.
- I can listen to my inner voice, because that is the one I need to listen to, and not be susceptible to the NIOPs (Negative Influence of Other People).
- I can choose a path and continue down that path no matter what; no matter if I have to travel that path ALONE; as long as it is legal, ethical, and moral.
- I can let go of that nagging voice in my head that society has trained my subconscious to listen to in EVERY situation: that voice that compares my INSIDES to everyone else's OUTSIDES... and always finds me lacking.
- I can take care of myself first, my household second and THEN anyone I choose to care for; but only after the first two are cared for.
What I cannot do:
- I cannot change another person's thoughts, beliefs or actions, no matter how right I am or think I am.
- I cannot make the horse drink, I can only lead him to the water.
- I cannot get someone to see the need for proactive preparations if they have never experienced REAL want: real cold, real hunger, real poverty, real pain. The farther from one or more of these experiences someone in my life is, the harder they will fight to stay a grasshopper.
- I cannot prep for my family expecting ANYTHING in return: not thanks, not understanding, not appreciation, not respect. The fact that it is the right thing to do must be reward enough - anything above and beyond that is a bonus.
- I cannot afford to set parameters and then not support them with action. When I say, "This I will do and no more," and then I do more when confronted with a sheeple I care for, I am letting myself down more than I am helping them.
- I cannot, cannot, CANNOT want something more for someone else than they want it for themselves; no matter how much I love them. That way madness lies.
These are my thoughts, and how I get through.
Bigstick
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