"When Everything Falls Apart, I Know Where To Go"
You have probably heard this from a friend or acquaint- ance that has learned of your preps. The big question is: what was your response?
The US public carries a mentality of entitlement that concerns and worries preppers. This attitude of being owed a living has mainly been instilled by the politicians. In just the last two generations, the safety net is being used by many as a sleepy hammock.
But in the words of Alexis De Tocquiville "It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights -- the "right" to education, the "right" to health care, the "right" to food and housing. That's not freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of slavery -- hay and a barn for human cattle."
With the advent of the "just in time" delivery, the societal helplessness got much worse. Easy Credit and the Instant Gratification mantras have bred a generation of bawling, self-indulgent brats. The whims and desires of the masses are catered to by a very intricate structure that is very fragile at best.
People have pointed out this Achilles Heel many, many, times. The few who heed the warnings are ridiculed, marginalized or demonized. Our overextended and under maintained national infrastructure ages and deteriorates. Failures occur. Locallly, then regional, and some day national. The more intricate, complex and interconnected the system becomes, the more prone it is to failure or sabotage. A storm can wipe out power, food, and fuel for weeks at a time.
The US public has the idea that the government will take care of them. It is a seductive lie and it is a mortal trap. Our government is more concerned with its own survival, not mine. I do not trust that it will come to my rescue during a major disaster or act of war. If they do come, they will be heavy handed, and will force me to do what I do not want to do. Like leave my refuge, get on the truck, and go to a concentration camp.
Hurricane Katrina was an example of the total breakdown of that support system. More than a year since the storm, many parts areas are still a disaster, still without drinkable water, without functioning waste treatment and without electricity. The people have placed their total faith in a belief that the local and Federal governments would step in and save them, in many cases this was a fatal mistake.
With a disaster of that magnitude there was no way the governments would have the power to fix every thing, even though they wanted to. Besides, the State has no obligation to protect people in the first place.
So where does this leave those that have wisely chosen to prepare for themselves? The answer is in a very tight spot. The mentality of entitlement says that they are entitled to any thing that you have simply because they are needy, and you "unfairly" have stuff. The question is what do you do?
The answers are just as difficult as the question. Turning away people in need is offensive to our cultural traditions, but in time of crisis it can become a necessary evil.
One friend remembers having neighbors coming to their door during a particularly bad snow storm demanding food because they, the neighbors knew that the family was Mormon and abided by the one year of food storage edict.
Timothy 5:8 of the Christian New Testament states "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." However, far too many "Sunday Christians" ignore this passage and glom onto the parts about "feeding the sheep". They profess to be "helpless" and "needy" when in truth they are lazy and irresponsible, preferring to let others take responsibility.
So how do you respond when you hear the phrase "I know where I'll be coming..."?
I can say that my standard response to that statement is pretty much to the effect of "Not if you have nothing to contribute, and family comes first.". By "contribute" I really mean "bring your own food and other goods".
Full Stop.
We are not in a position to feed, clothe and otherwise tend to their needs. Sound harsh? It may, but so does dying due to their unwillingness to prepare.
Notice I did not say their inability to prepare. Those same people who choose not to be prepared all have a bewildering array of insurance plans. The all have spare tires in their cars. Most of them have IRA's or Roth plans, or 401-K's. They will prepare for the future in those ways; paying others to take ultimate responsibility for them. What they refuse to do is take direct personal responsibility.
The unspoken motto of the U.S. Marine Corps is: God, Corps, Country. That's what the Fidelis in "Semper Fidelis" refers to. Ever notice how Corps comes before country? Ever give it any thought? My personal motto is : God, Family, Community. Notice the resemblance?
Naturally most people when they consider such a chain of loyalty think of it from the self centered point of view; first I'll take care of my own. There is another equally important side to the coin.
Consider triage. In a life and death crisis who do the doctors and nurses try to save first? Other doctors and nurses, firemen, policemen, soldiers. Why? Because those people posses the skills and training and proven commitment to saving others. Saving them means that many more can be saved. The country is more likely to be saved if the Corps is first saved so that it can render service. The community is best saved if the family is intact and strong and able to be a resource to others.
There are always those who simply are not able to organize their lives in such a way as to be able to help themselves. Some of us feel we have a duty to help the helpless in a time of need. The majority could help themselves, but won't. The excuses are endless. There will never be enough resources tosave those who refuse to help them- selves.
And so I keep the preps on the quiet side. The less that those around us know the better. This is an unfortunate but necessary result of the entitlement mentality that the general public carries, because the scary part is that if the unprepared don't feel cared for (by some standard that escapes my understanding) they will try to take it by any means necessary.
A 72hr kit can be made from household items, or can be purchased, premade. Even people earning minimum wages can afford one, and have no excuse for not having one.
But, a 72 hr kit, it is only a stopgap. And yet how many people have one? The Mormon Church estimates that fewer than 10% of their members practice the food storage program that their church preaches as a religious duty. The simple fact is that most people have voted with their dollars and their actions to be cattle; to let others carry the responsibility for them.
Others have a 72hr kit as their complete preps. These are told that they are not welcome. What they are telling me, is that although they recognize and admit that they have a responsibility and a duty, they are not willing to make more than the most minimal effort on their own behalf. They are saying that they are not willing to be part of the solution, they are not willing to roll up their sleeves and help others, much less themselves.
Some people have dismissed the whole idea of personal preparedness with comments like "I pay my taxes!" As if having paid taxes purchased an insurance plan that owed them - a provider that was then obligated to come to their rescue. And that is their attitude when a crisis happens, they become angry, resentful and demanding of the resources that they "paid for".
In the end it is a question of triage. If my family or I are helpless and needy, how will I be able to help others? My first moral duty is to not be a burden on others. My first loyalty is to my family. Then, assist those others who prepared. I will make great efforts to help those who were prepared, but lost their equipment due to storm, fire, etc. Once I have accomplished that I can then begin to consider helping the genuinely helpless.
Those who could have helped themselves and chose not to do so will have take what's left. If there is any.
And those who say "If Everything Falls Apart, I Know Where to Go..." can jolly well go to . . . well, some warm place where others like them congregate.