From the Introduction to Survival Prepping by Jason Ryder Adams
Why Survival Prepping?
No one knows WHAT it will be.
It could be a natural disaster or a medical pandemic. Financial system collapse or bioterrorism. Governmental shutdown or societal breakdown. The media is full of possible threats, and they seem to be coming at us from all sides these days.
No one knows WHEN it will be.
It might be today or tomorrow. Next week or next month. Next year ... or maybe never.
But do you want to take a chance on "maybe never"?
It pays to be prepared. "Prepare for the worst, pray for the best," as the saying goes. And if there ever was a time to prepare for the worst, NOW is that time.
"Survival prepping" is about preparing for the worst. It's about making sure you and your family are safe, no matter what the world throws at you.
It used to be that "preppers" were looked at as paranoid (by those who were being polite) or as whackos or nut cases (by those who weren't).
But just look at the events of recent years. Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, and Hurricane Harvey. Man-made disasters such as Japan's nuclear meltdown. Economic crises like those in Europe. Unemployment, work shortages, and financial crises in the U.S.
Even rioting in the U.S. has become a regular occurrence. We've had multiple incidents of riots and civil unrest over the last few years - in Brooklyn NY, Baltimore MD, Los Angeles CA, Charlotte NC, Charlottesville VA, Oakland CA, and close to home for me, Portland, OR. That's just to name but a few.
And it's not just in big cities. Even America's heartland has been touched by riots, such as those in Michigan (2012), Missouri (2014), and Wisconsin (twice, in 2011 and 2016). Thanks to social media, we must now be prepared for coordinated protests and unrest, such as the anti-government protests of 2016 that occurred simultaneously in twenty-five cities.
All of these events have helped bring survival prepping out of the fringe and into the mainstream. After all, if you care about your family, you want to make sure they are safe, secure, and well-taken care of, no matter what situation comes your way.
Missing Teeth and Questionable Hygiene
When most people picture a "survivalist," they think of a big, hairy man living alone in a cabin in the woods, wearing camouflage. With missing teeth and questionable hygiene, our stereotypical survivalist clutches his rifle, ready to shoot any "revenooers" and government agents who head his way, all while muttering under his breath that the sooner civilization collapses, the better.
Well, let me assure you - the stereotype couldn't be farther from the truth.
Most of us "survivalist preppers" are normal people. We're your neighbors, your co-workers, and your friends. You see us at our kid's soccer games, or at the neighborhood movie theater, or at your local restaurant. You see us at work and at church. You see us out walking in the neighborhood or exercising down at the gym.
We are regular folks living regular lives. I myself live in a regular house, not a cabin in the woods. I don't hunt and forage all day. Instead, I have a white-collar job in an office, and I shop at the local grocery store. I don't own a single piece of camouflage clothing. And I have all my teeth.
Prepping today isn't for weird nutcases. It's for everyone.
Because the bottom line is, neither you nor I know what will happen. It might be a natural disaster. It just might be a terrorist act. It might be martial law and civil unrest. Whatever happens, as preppers, we want to be sure that our family is safe and secure.
Survival Insurance
The sane way to look at prepping is to think of it like auto insurance.
You don't buy auto insurance hoping to get into an accident. Actually, you pray you don't get into an accident. But the insurance is there because, well, accidents happen, don't they? And you want to be protected in case an accident does happen.
It's the same with survival prepping. You don't prep hoping a disaster happens. You prep hoping it doesn't. But you prep because you'll sleep better at night, knowing you and your family have that insurance against the unforeseen.
By the way, I know that every once in a while, you'll see a media story that portrays EVERY survivalist as if they were hoping for a disaster to happen, or even working to cause them!
I doubt that was ever true. But even if it was, the media is out of step with what's happening today. Prepping is now mainstream. Most preppers today are ordinary people like your neighbors, your co-workers, and your friends.
As today's preppers, we are merely those who are concerned enough about our families to want to make sure they are safe. And we do something about it.
