I must ask, is it of value to have or not to have? There are so many different variables that can finish this sentence. A lot of preppers use the rule of three on decisions in prepping. If you do not know what the rule of three is, it is 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. These are the deadlines… hehe… dead lines.
The question gets a little more confusing when you take into account where you live. Maybe it is the dead of winter, freezing and windy. you may not make it 3 hours without shelter. Or maybe it is a cool summer night at around 68 degrees, and you have a coat in your broke down car in the middle of no where and you are comfortable (the car is a convertible with a broken top stuck down, because otherwise that would be shelter…) You could spend days without shelter.
These dead lines were put in place in the prepper community as a starting point, and is pretty convenient and easy to formulate your plan. This is where I have noticed many beginning preppers have failed. Plans are not in place. I don’t mean a basic plan like we will meet at grandma’s and stay there, but secondary and tertiary plans. Multiple routes to multiple places. Ways to ensure your people know it is you coming. Again, prepare for the worst so anything less and you will be prepared. If this seems odd, check out my post on the zombie apocalypse example.
I am not perpetuating the idea of a zombie apocalypse or alien take over, but what I will suggest is that by preparing for extremes will make times like a depression far easier. Setting up solar charge stations in advance at a location will be convenient if the power goes out. Having a couple water barrels stored with ways to purify the water can go a long way if something happens to the water flow. Ham radio, and knowing how to use it is great for communication should something happen to, well, everything.
A well laid out plan should be busy, with a lot of information. The reason I say this, in my opinion, is because, in my family, I am the prepper. I have the wife on board, and she is fine with it. She didn’t even yell after what I put in my last post. Fact of the matter is, though, if something does happen, and something happens to me, I do not want her to be completely lost in out preps. What is in these buckets? What is the blue bag for? How do I use this? How do I make ice? How do I call for help on this walkie-talkie(Cringe worthy here for a Ham. It is a handheld transceiver.)
The point is, without plans in place, and information available, what is the point of prepping for the family, or telling people where to meet? If you are the only one with all the skills, firstly, you will be a jack of all trades and a master at none, but secondly, you will be carrying everyone instead of working as a team. You will end up feeling self-righteous and entitled. You may disagree, but is it not what tyranny is?
When people fear government, you have tyranny. When the government fear the people, you have democracy. Sound familiar? The same works in smaller groups. If one person has all the power (preps and knowledge without sharing) then you have tyranny. Why? Because, if someone does not agree with you, then you shut them out of where the water or food is. When you die, the group is screwed as a whole. Yes, this example is a little dramatic, but the point is still made. Skills are very important, and I will not avoid the fact that people will want to keep their skill a trade secret as to keep themselves seen as useful.
I will use the movie Flight of the Phoenix as an example. Firstly, did anyone notice that the original and the remake look like the same guy played the model plane guy? Anyhow, the model plane guy acted like he was king, drinking excess water while the others were going without enough. When he got upset, he was going to just not let anyone survive because they did not agree with him. This idea is just dumb.
This has become a bit of a rambling, but the point is, you need a plan, a way to communicate that plan and a way to execute that plan. It must be thorough and easy enough to understand that a not survivalist prepper person can understand it. The problem, though, is the risk that someone may find this and have access to all your secrets. If only we knew of a way to prevent this? Check out my article on codes and languages.
Remember, you may want to be the savior to your family and friends in a bad time, but you are as strong as your weakest link. Plan around this, and you can have a successful plan implemented in a moments notice with everyone on board.
Cogito Aprendo Prepping and Views 