Posts Tagged ‘prepper’

Are Preppers Crazy?

In all walks of life, there is an element of ‘crazy’, although perhaps not the crazy as defined by the 1st definition in the dictionary, ” Affected with madness; insane”. However a few of the informal definitions may apply, ” Departing from proportion or moderation, especially: Possessed by enthusiasm or excitement, Intensely involved or preoccupied”. It may be a bit over the top, but what’s wrong with that?

Unfortunately the main-stream has stereotyped Preppers as a group of crazy people (crazy as in the 1st dictionary definition). Many of the TV shows and other publicized preppers are those on the extremes, or far enough from the middle-of-the-road such that people look at their behavior as being way beyond what they may consider to be ordinary preparedness. Not saying here that the actions of preppers out on the extreme edges are unjustified or wrong in any way, I’m saying that most non-preppers view preppers as these people. I believe that most preppers are not those people, but are somewhere in between.

Having said that, there’s no doubt that many preppers (especially in the beginning) are possessed by enthusiasm or excitement and can become intensely involved with their prepping actions. I guess they are crazy in that this meets some of the alternative definitions… I know that I’ve been quite enthusiastic from time to time about certain preparedness projects, so yes I suppose I’m crazy too

Well all joking aside, there is no doubt in my mind that lots of regular folks who are simply living their lives within the system (so busy that they have no time to think about or realize the risks that are facing them), prepping seems crazy when they do happen to see a TV show portraying prepping activities.

People like to live within comfortable thoughts and comfort zones, often not even allowing their mind to wander, ponder, and consider things outside their cocoon of life. When they are faced with it (thinking outside the box), it’s scary and their defenses kick up. A normal reaction is to discredit it so that they do not have to deal with it or be associated with something outside the pack mentality (“their normal”).

Let’s face it, it’s not easy to take action. The easiest thing is to NOT take action. It is easy to find excuses why NOT to do something. Seriously. We’ve all done it (and probably do it regularly)! It is hard to look beyond the excuses.

Labeling and stereotyping “prepping” or “preppers” in a negative way keeps most people ‘in line’ when it comes to staying within the parameters of the system we live within today. We are herded and funneled into the lives we live each day. Those who are the shepherds of the system do not want their sheep to question what they are doing or where they are going. We all know what happens when a sheep sets off in a different direction from the herd… others follow it! Oh my! We can’t have that…

Be aware that it is NORMAL to think about one’s risks that are facing them, and to plan or take action to secure one’s survival! Do I need to repeat that? It is normal for you to do what you feel you need to do to assure your own protection or survival. It is NOT normal to ignore the risks that you face. Somehow during the past 50 years or so, these things have been turned upside down. Speaking out has become frowned upon or even criminal! ‘Political correctness’ has been brainwashed into our children and now middle-aged adults. They believe that it is ‘bad’ to say certain things or speak of certain subjects. Somehow it has become ‘bad’ to protest against some of our politicians or government (well, I suppose they never liked that…). People who ‘act out’ are labeled and portrayed as crazy.

Think about it. If (or when) you start prepping a bit, like buying and storing up some extra food (a very simple start), how will you feel about that? Will you feel a tinge of guilt? Enough so that you likely will not want to tell anyone? The answer is yes, you probably will feel that way. Isn’t that wrong?? Yes it is certainly wrong that anyone should feel a little guilty or secretive about the fact that they’ve stored up some extra food! Why is that? Because we’ve been brainwashed to believe that this is so out of the ordinary that we must be crazy. It implies that we do not trust ‘the system’. Get it? “They” (the shepherds of the system) do not want any questions asked about their system.

The thing is, you are foolish (sorry) if you believe that things will always stay the same. That is to believe that just because we’ve had it good for these decades, therefore they will always be good. More and more ordinary people are waking up and realizing the significant dangers that we are facing as a modern society today. It is NORMAL to prepare. Don’t listen to them calling you crazy. Who cares! It’s about you protecting yourself and your family. Do what is right. Start today.

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What Are You Preparing For?

Preppers / Survivalists have their own reasons for why they prepare, and / or what they are preparing for. For some it is very specific while for others maybe more general or for multiple reasons.

It may be helpful for those reading this who consider themselves to be preppers, to add a comment to this post indicating your own reason or reasons why.

Here are some of my reasons for being preparedness minded and considering myself a prepper…

The older that I have become, the more I have recognized the fragility of today’s modern world and the parts that make it work. I recognize how so many millions upon millions of people depend entirely on the many integrated systems to function in order to literally stay alive, even though they do not recognize it themselves. This fact alone is enough to scare me into prepping.

During the later years of my previous career I began witnessing the accelerated movement towards excessive greed, profits, and ‘cheap’. The keyword here is ‘excessive’. I’m all for capitalism, but in my opinion when greed becomes excessive to the point of hurting others while losing site of the bigger picture of business fitting in and sustaining a community or nation, it’s too much. I’ve witnessed first hand the Wall Street mentality and how it changes the corporation. I see the downward spiral that it is creating today.

I see the younger generations who are being brought up without any of the practical skill sets that most people my age or older learned (I’m in my early 50′s). This adds to the dependance on modern systems to keep these people alive.

My interest in natural disasters and such phenomenon has revealed many of the vulnerabilities that face us which our entirely out of our control. Although many of these are low in probability during our life time, they ‘could’ happen – some more likely than others. The ‘what if’ scenarios, like a 1859 Carrington event which generated a natural EMP, would literally send us back to the 1800′s without electricity, for example. Their are many more.

I see and understand the magnitude of the great world debt bubble that has been created, and I understand how the ‘compounding curve’ works. We’re entering a critical stage of this compound curve, a stage we cannot escape without great change. I know it is coming, I have no doubt. It’s physics…

I’ve also simply always had an inner self-reliant ‘gut’, mostly with a somewhat Libertarian viewpoint on things coupled with fiscal conservatism and a splash of liberalism here and there. I guess I’m a political ‘mutt’.

I feel it is mostly our responsibility as individuals to the best we can to ensure our own individual survival. I believe that if the majority of a society felt this way and were prepared in some way, that the likelihood of horrible consequences of disaster would be minimized greatly.

Well that’s the short explanation… What about you?

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Hoarding versus Prepping

Are you hoarding or prepping? I’ve noticed that some people confuse the definition of the two and consider anyone who has extra ‘stuff’ to be a hoarder. Even while looking at online definitions, there is confusion. The fact is, there is a difference…

Definition of hoarding:
Hoarding is the excessive and often compulsive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter.

Definition of prepping:
Prepping is the acquisition of supplies stored for rotation of present and future use, and is an insurance policy of sorts for maintaining a standard of living during a disruptive or disastrous period of time.

A hoarder is hoarding because they are compulsive and cannot stop or discipline themselves to stop. They often will hoard one type of thing or another without any real thought of practicality or the benefit of having that stuff.

A prepper is building supplies with a practical purpose. I suppose that a non-prepper may consider a prepper to be a hoarder if they walk into their house and see extra stuff in plain sight. Because it seems out of the ordinary, they may presume the prepper to be a hoarder. In reality though, if you look at a prepper’s stuff, it will usually make sense – extra food stores and somewhat normal supplies. A hoarders stuff will often appear cluttered and irrelevant to everyday use or preparedness.

If you are a prepper and do not wish to be labeled a hoarder, a good solution is to neatly organize your supplies in various places around the home. Even better is out-of-sight. If your friend or neighbor happens to open a well stocked closet or pantry, it won’t look so out of place if things are organized. Organization will help you ‘know’ what you have anyway… it’s a good idea.

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Preparedness is Peace of Mind

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I have a feeling that many folks outside the survival-preparedness minded way-of-thinking may themselves think that ‘preppers’ are a bunch of paranoid wackos, spouting doom and gloom all the time.

Sure, there are extremes in any walk of life, but chances are that the majority of preppers are in the middle, that is – they are folks that know in their gut that ‘things’ aren’t quite right in the world they live in today.


I’ll bet that a good portion of that instinctive feeling is coming from the horrible economic mess that surrounds many of us – unfathomable government debt (fed, state, and local), unthinkable levels of greed (corporate, business, and personal), the constant drum beat of terror threats, and the rapid decay of our liberties – just to name a few…

Heck, it’s gotten so bad that now in the U.S., the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) is trying to get us to spy on each other (tele-screen warnings in Walmart stores, PSA advertisements), and injecting paranoia into the society.


‘Thinking people’ know, that the present state of the economic system(s) is so bad, that it’s a bit like being on the Titanic as it is sinking – while watching the band play as though nothing is wrong. It is absurd. There are several possible outcomes, but none of them are going to be good (inflation / deflation / or worse, a complete currency collapse).

As time goes on, more people are beginning to see what is happening around them, and they are realizing that they should begin to prepare in some way. Not knowing how bad things ‘could’ get, and not knowing how long the puppet masters of the world can keep the system afloat, makes it difficult to decide what to do.


Typically, a first instinctive move is to simply store up some extra food – probably due to our genetics and survival instincts. Our survival instinct starts at the very roots and basics – shelter, fire, water, food.

It is fairly easy to manage the fire, water, and food preparedness, but an often overlooked item is ‘shelter’. What I mean is, there is an assumption that we will always have it, a roof over our head. The thing is, chances are you either pay rent, or pay a mortgage. Think about that one.


Once someone starts accumulating a supply of food, they will instantly discover a new ‘feeling’, one of ‘peace-of-mind‘. It is an interesting thing. The more actions that one takes toward being more self-sufficient, the more peace-of-mind will be received. It is very empowering. In fact, one of the most empowering moves you can make for yourself, is to get out of personal debt. You will be stunned by the euphoric feeling afterward, especially if you’ve been burdened with debt for so long.

The very fact that you become so empowered, is the very reason that ‘the system’ tries to keep you under the yoke of debt. When you really think about it, your life in debt could be looked at as a form of slavery – in that you ‘must’ work for the system to keep making those payments. It has become so normal, that hardly anyone even realizes they are a slave to it. Amazing.


The bottom line is, becoming prepared (use your own definition), brings peace of mind.

Most preppers are not all about doom and gloom. Instead, many or most preppers can see the doom and gloom for what it is – the threats and risks to living a better life, the very things that a prepper is trying to avoid, or at least to insulate from.

So go ahead, I dare you, go get some peace-of-mind. You deserve it.


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Todays Modern Survivalist

The modern day prepper / survivalist is at the core, a reflection of the fragility of the complicated and intertwined systems that we depend upon today that enable modern comfort, lifestyle, and the ability of millions to live in close proximity with each other.

Many non-preppers look at this movement as a bunch of doom and gloomers who are actually hoping for the end of the world so that they can finally put their survival plan into action. Granted, there are those who are at the extremes of any group and no doubt there
are some who actually hope for TEOTWAWKI. But it is my opinion that the majority of preppers today are middle class working people who recognize the current risks within today’s modern day systems, and are quietly preparing for what may or may not come to be.

I do not believe that the majority of preppers have a negative doom-and-gloom outlook, but instead are more than likely to be self motivated optimistic people with good sense and awareness, and living ordinary lives like most everyone else. Having a positive outlook on life is itself one reason why some develop preparedness plans. Desiring freedom, happiness, and life, for yourself and family are all positive attributes that are shared by all preppers.

The prepper may appear to be seeking out doom and gloom, but in actuality is staying current with the risks that are facing the world, knowing that being one step ahead of the crowd could very well save them from unnecessary hardship, or life itself.

Today’s modern day survivalist is not the one who is all ready to go live by themselves in the woods, although I’m not criticizing those that are, but instead they are the ones who have stored up some extra food (maybe a month, maybe 6 months), have been eliminating their debt, and have been thinking about and acquiring other supplies that attribute towards living a more self sufficient life, one that is not so dependent upon the systems that enable today’s modern day society.

Modern survivalism really is a way of life, not necessarily one that is drastically removed from the creature comforts that we enjoy today, but a state of mind where one instinctively questions the news around them and has the ability to recognize when something isn’t quite right, prepares oneself to adapt to circumstances around them, and where choices are made from common sensibility.

The modern survivalist does not take for granted the things that make life so easy right now. The times we live in since the industrial revolution are a mere blip on the time-line of humankind. We recognize that things can disappear just as fast as they came, and keep a wary eye looking for signs of that day, all the while continuing our daily lives in ‘the system’ with everyone else.



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