It is very easy to
sound paranoid when talking about survival and preparedness. These days, most
people do not feel the need to be prepared, especially if there is no immediate
threat. That is evident in the amount of unprepared people who must rely on the
government/aid organizations when their
coastal city is hit by a hurricane.
I consider prepping
insurance for when insurance falls short. Many people buy into health, life,
full coverage auto, and home owners insurance. But they don't think past that.
In a serious natural disaster or economic crisis, even the most expensive insurance
won't be worth the 1's and 0's they are written on. Your paper copies may be
good for starting up a fire though.
I also understand
that most people do not believe things can go that wrong. Those people probably
do not believe they will get cancer either, but have health insurance. Even if nothing in our lifetime goes so
terribly wrong that you must rely on your emergency equipment and preparations,
many of those things can be passed on to your children. Certainly the mindset
you develop, and the values you instill on your kids will.
Don’t think that
emergency preparations are only good for wide scale disaster, the end of the
world as we know it type events. Ill go over some more of the smaller scale
disasters and my personal threat assessment later, but even something like a
relatively minor ice storm or power outage can be made much more bearable with
some minor preps. Or, should you find yourself without a job due to injury or
illness, your preps can be a buffer, providing for you when you cannot
completely provide for yourself. In the end, it is you taking care of yourself
down the road, like a retirement fund that at any time can keep you fed, warm,
and relatively safe.
