When Did You First Become Interested In Survivalism & Preparedness?


(image: survivalism & preparedness is a long and winding road…)

When did you first become interested in survivalism? What kindled your interest at first? Was it a friend, an external event, or just survival instinct?

First, I would say that I’ve always had a sort of independent spirit. I suppose that has to do with a number of influential factors throughout my early life. I can’t pinpoint anything specifically back then. There’s no doubt though that for each of us, our upbringing has some factoring as to how we get on with life – and the principles and ideals that we may develop, especially early on…

Looking back, I would say that the Y2K problem, the switchover to 1/1/2000 got me thinking about “what if” scenarios in a very serious way. There were many ‘end of the world’ concerns and predictions during that time. Most alarming was the possibility that our critical systems of infrastructure might fail. Of course they didn’t, but it woke me up to the possibility, and the horrible consequences for some of those scenarios.

The next big motivator for me was 9/11 (2001). No doubt that everyone in the United States was slapped awake on that day. For me it revealed our vulnerability, that we were not in a safe cocoon here (although I already instinctively knew that). Bad things can and do happen. Sometimes very bad. I’ve never had the opinion or reliance on the notion that “government will save us” however it was shown on that day how billions can be spent on .gov agency budgets and it still won’t absolutely protect us.

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 further emphasized the fragility of our modern economic systems and way-of-life. Some say we should have let it all crash and not saved the banks back then. I don’t know the answer. However I do know that most all supply chains of critical goods and services would have ground to a halt when credit seized up. Who knows how bad it would’ve gotten. Unfortunately we have not learned our lesson and the next inevitable crisis will be much worse. And I mean very much worse…

Today, the social political events that we are witnessing are great cause for concern in my estimation. The precarious situation is a very reinforcing motivation for me to continue my efforts with survivalism and preparedness. The United States is presently split, and split badly. There are two extremely opposing points of view and ideals. One side is aligned with anti-traditional American ideals, pro socialism, marxism, communism, government control, globalism – while the other side is more aligned with borders, national identity, individual freedom and opportunity, less government. There are VERY powerful forces that have been dividing this nation and we are close to tangible and material conflict in my estimation.

Every so often something else ‘breaks’ and at least for me it is yet another reminder that we need to be conscious of this. We need to remain vigilant in that the more we depend on these systems, the less independent that we become.

The older I would get, the more I would realize some of the potential dangers, the systemic risks, the dependencies. But for me, instead of simply accepting them (ignoring them?) I felt the need to mitigate to the extent that I could. I discovered that I just feel better when I have contingency plans. Maybe I am simply more ‘risk aware’ than what’s ‘normal’ for the mainstream.

So to get back to the question, my becoming interested in survivalism (preparedness) has been a gradual process dotted with reinforcing events that has kept me vigilant.

Perhaps it is simply my drive to be independent (to the extent that I can). Self preservation. Why do I have that drive? And why is being independent or self-reliant a factor for me? That’s something that I can’t put my finger on. It’s just instinct.

 
Okay, that’s my answer.
Now what about you? What is your short answer?

More: Trust Your Instinct, Your Internal Voice
More: Preparedness is Peace of Mind