
WHY PREPARE?
Miles,
I would like to thank you for the valuable information on your web site
and encourage any new visitors to your site to heed your
recommendations.
Foolish Logic Or A Logical Fool?
What is a survivalist? Many have the view that they are uneducated,
government hating, gun loving, poor, hicks from the sticks capable of
subsisting on worms and bark in the wilderness. That certainly doesn’t
describe me. Nor does it describe the thousands of middle class working
people in this country who have come to understand that there could come
a time when they, and they alone, would be responsible for their safety
and security.
If you prepare for bad times there are only two possible outcomes.
Either you will end up needing the preparations you have made, or you
will not. Lets look at each one.
What are the odds that your preparations would mean the difference
between life or death? Is that the only criterion? Would it be worth the
effort if it were just the difference between alive but terrified as you
became a refuge with the masses instead of being in control of your
destiny in the location you have chosen?
I don’t know what the odds are and nobody does. However the odds of a
home fire are 1 in 1200, which is a .00083 percent chance. Yet, most of
us have home fire insurance. The odds of needing auto insurance are 1 in
250, a .004% chance and most of us have car insurance.
If the odds of a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack on this country was
only 1%, you would be a fool not to at least take rudimentary steps to
protect against it. One rogue nuclear bomb exploded in mid air to create
and EMP “black out” scenario and your
preparations certainly would mean the difference between life and death.
I believe that a scenario such as that is much more likely than a home
fire and much more life threatening. Not having insurance for such a
thing seems pretty foolish to me. If you think the government will take
care of you, you are a fool.
Is a 1% chance a valid number? What if I told you that there is a guy
that went from a poor college student to one of the world’s richest men
by being and expert at predicting what the future held in the financial
world. This man said “We're going to have something in the way of a
major nuclear event in this country," He said. "It will happen. Whether
it will happen in 10 years or 10 minutes, . . . it's virtually a
certainty."
For those a little rusty on your math, “a virtually certainty” means
pretty much a 100 percent chance of occurring. Famed investment guru
Warren Buffet said that on May 7, 2002. Buffet is arguably one of the
most logical and non-emotional intellects of our time.
What if he, and Miles and the Department of Homeland Security and
everyone else telling you to prepare are wrong? Say you go to the effort
and expense and never need it? I would tell you that it’s still worth
doing.
Knowing that come what may you and your family will be okay gives a
person comfort and confidence. That confidence is translated into the
way you carry yourself in public. That benefits you in whatever you are
trying to do to get ahead in this world. Does it not give you comfort
that you have fire insurance even though you have never needed it?
An all out disaster is not the only threat we have in today’s world. In
my estimation parking lots, particularly at night can be dangerous
places, especially for women. I don’t want my wife or children running
to the grocery store several times a week for a few items. Not only
dangerous but a poor use of time, gas and so on. Our stored items have
allowed us to keep grocery store trips to one per week during daylight
hours.
Lastly, what if you think making preparations is a good idea but your
spouse thinks its foolish. Pre 9/11 there was more of an excuse to
consider such things extreme. And yet after that “wake up call” your
spouse is still sleeping. That’s a tough one. Now, everyone is telling
you to do it. DHS, the Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire department all
have devoted significant resources on their web sites telling the masses
to be ready. Never allow a family member to make you feel that such
thoughts are crazy and consider using some of these mainstream sources
to educate them.
Short of that either prepare without their cooperation or find a new
spouse. I am not big on divorce but the Bible does speak of being
“equally yoked”. The thing not to do is nothing because that would be
foolish.
Brian H