WHY PREP? Help me understand why? I dont get it.

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NaughtyWombat

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Respectfully, I just don’t understand why so many people are obsessed with prepping. If something catastrophic were to actually happen, I’m not sure I would want to survive the aftermath. True survival is pure agony and a post-apocalyptic world would be ruthless and unrelenting. Hording water, food and weapons would not change this. Furthermore, I don’t see the point in spending the productive years of my life worrying about what could happen. I would rather enjoy my life and if something horrible happens, then so be it. I can’t predict the future and there is no sense in pretending like I can.
Like most things, preparation is good in moderation. I prepare for a meeting at work, or an impending snow storm, but there is no sense in preparing for incidents of low probability. It’s not logical and I see it as an extremely negative and depressing way to exist. Although our world is flawed, some people exaggerate the moral decline of society and choose to view America as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. We are fortunate enough to be witnesses to an age of information that has changed the way we perceive the world. There have always been murderers, rapist, genocide and terrorism. The only difference is that we are now more informed. The advent of new information mediums combined with politically motivated 24hr news networks, has resulted in paranoid and skewed perspective of reality.
The bottom line is If I lived every aspect of my life with the pessimism of a prepper , I would never try anything new and would avoid anything that involved any level of risk. I would wear a chain mail diving suit when swimming in ocean so I could be prepared for a shark attack, and I would construct a rubber room in my home so I would be protected from lighting strikes. It seems like an awful lot of preppers are playing out some sort or childhood fantasy. Just like with religious zealots, preppers seem to get off on the idea that they possess some sort of secret knowledge that the rest of the world is ignorant to. To me, it’s all a waste of time. Life is too short to imprison myself in my own mind and if the disasters do come, I can only hope the damage from the volcanic eruption, nuclear bomb or solar flare is great enough to kill me instantly.
 
I half resent being called a pessimistic prepper...i understand where you are coming from, but please do not try to generalize and say that all preppers are pessimistic. I love life, feel like I am on a path that I will achieve a lot in my time. But I feel that it is my responsibility to take care of myself, and since I am willing and able (both body and mind) that it would be poor judgment to just expect for others (ie government, friends, family, neighbors, ect) to take care of me.

For some people this is not an obsession...it a life style. Some of the people on this site grew up this way-its how they were raised...to be prepared for the future.

Honestly I dont spend my whole life worrying about the future. I see things that are wrong in the world and have taken precautions. My hubby seems to have very similar ideas to yours, but he still has a BOB in his car and at home in case something happens. He has told me many time that if SHTF and the world was in terrible shape he would put a bullet in his head because lifes not worth living in that condition. (he was in the Marines....he experience a horrible way of life and doesnt want to go back to that)
My question to you is that if say a natural disaster blocked you off from food water and supplies for 3-4 weeks....would you want to live? Is it worth dying for because you didnt want to grab a few extra protein bars/ maybe a few cases of water?

I am relatively new to prepping, but I feel more relieved now that I know ...if something did happen I would be ok for awhile....i am not a super prepper or anything. But is there anything wrong with wanting to stand on my own two feet?
 
I'll make this short and simple, and hopefully easy to understand. Some Jews felt/thought the same way in Germany, others were just caught off guard. Look what happened to them. Same thing in Russia, Italy, China. Mass amounts of people died because of some whacked out "POLITICIAN". The same is happening again here at home. It is totally your choice to give in to Gov't, and want them to help when in reality when SHTF you will be forced into a FEMA camp, AKA concentration camp, re-education camp. In short a prison where you never leave... ALIVE. Again, if that is how to want to go, that is totally your choice, and I really feel sorry for you. Us "preppers" choose to be self reliant. I refuse to give in to Tyrannical Gov't taking me somewhere I DO NOT WANT TO GO, telling me what to do, or how to do it. The name calling is so typical of Liberal's. By the way I am very "optimistic". Please DO NOT refer to ALL "preppers" as pessimistic atleast without facts to back it up. Have a great day.
 
I also want to add this... It is also your choice to DIE of starvation, or thirst, but ask yourself this... Do I really want to die that way, or someone even more starving than I eating me alive? Killing yourself is taking the easy way out. Best thing to do... Get right with God!!!!
 
I also want to add this... It is also your choice to DIE of starvation, or thirst, but ask yourself this... Do I really want to die that way, or someone even more starving than I eating me alive? Killing yourself is taking the easy way out. Best thing to do... Get right with God!!!!



I appreciate the response but this doesn’t help me understand the logic behind the “life style” you choose. I’m simply trying to understand why you are so certain that something catastrophic will happen. In my opinion, all the panic and pepping may result in some degree of self-fulfilling prophecy, but for the most part, it is highly improbable that the world is coming to an end. Why so much anger and distrust? Why the animosity toward people that see government and morality in a different light? It almost sounds like you want this all to come true so your cause can be validated. There is nothing healthy about this.
 
I appreciate the response but this doesn’t help me understand the logic behind the “life style” you choose. I’m simply trying to understand why you are so certain that something catastrophic will happen. In my opinion, all the panic and pepping may result in some degree of self-fulfilling prophecy, but for the most part, it is highly improbable that the world is coming to an end. Why so much anger and distrust? Why the animosity toward people that see government and morality in a different light? It almost sounds like you want this all to come true so your cause can be validated. There is nothing healthy about this.
Remember what happened in the north east with Sandy, New Orleans with Katrina, Northridge Earthquake? How many people then wished they had purchased a generator, or stocked up on food/water, something to protect themselves with, or extra clothes? I live in earthquake country and I am thrilled that I have what I need, not just for me but more importantly for the kids. I never know when a quake will strike. After a quake there is no guarantee the roads will be drivable, and no guarantee our illustrious government will be able to get in to the epicenter in a timely manner.
 
Remember what happened in the north east with Sandy, New Orleans with Katrina, Northridge Earthquake? How many people then wished they had purchased a generator, or stocked up on food/water, something to protect themselves with, or extra clothes? I live in earthquake country and I am thrilled that I have what I need, not just for me but more importantly for the kids. I never know when a quake will strike. After a quake there is no guarantee the roads will be drivable, and no guarantee our illustrious government will be able to get in to the epicenter in a timely manner.


Ok, so I can understand purchasing a generator and a few extra supplies. To me this is not prepping. Maybe I don’t have a good understanding of what it means to be a prepper but I assume that most of you do more than purchase a generator and a handful of MREs.
 
Ok, so I can understand purchasing a generator and a few extra supplies. To me this is not prepping. Maybe I don’t have a good understanding of what it means to be a prepper but I assume that most of you do more than purchase a generator and a handful of MREs.

This is a great thread. Thanks for starting it.
So why prepping you start to ask, later you came to a very important thing, what IS prepping? The definition.
Do people prep when putting on the seat belt? And if they do that each and every time is that to be obsesssed?
Of course not.
What I feel prepping is all about is to take care of the life you have, the life you have been given. Someone does it in everything they do and think. Others just think and re-think things they do.
Can a person use 1000 dollars to have some few advantages if some bad things should happen so why not do it. For me that is a positive thing. That is to show I love life and I will fight to survive even the worst case sceniario.
I can not understand you call prepping a depressing way of life. It is to turn it upside down. You write you are not sure you will not want to live your life if SHTF. Have you discussed that with your family and friends? Maybe they want you to live and want you to survive and go on living and enjoy what you have then.
Prepping is to enjoy life and want to continue to live on even really bad things should happen.
This is positive and I will continue to work hard to be able to survive, for myself, for my wife and for my kids.
 
This is a great thread. Thanks for starting it.
So why prepping you start to ask, later you came to a very important thing, what IS prepping? The definition.
Do people prep when putting on the seat belt? And if they do that each and every time is that to be obsesssed?
Of course not.
What I feel prepping is all about is to take care of the life you have, the life you have been given. Someone does it in everything they do and think. Others just think and re-think things they do.
Can a person use 1000 dollars to have some few advantages if some bad things should happen so why not do it. For me that is a positive thing. That is to show I love life and I will fight to survive even the worst case sceniario.
I can not understand you call prepping a depressing way of life. It is to turn it upside down. You write you are not sure you will not want to live your life if SHTF. Have you discussed that with your family and friends? Maybe they want you to live and want you to survive and go on living and enjoy what you have then.
Prepping is to enjoy life and want to continue to live on even really bad things should happen.
This is positive and I will continue to work hard to be able to survive, for myself, for my wife and for my kids.


If I understand correctly, it sounds like the difference between a prepper an non-prepper is how you determine an acceptable level of risk. To me, putting a seat belt on is justified preparation because the risk level is relatively high. Similarly, storing excessive amounts of weapons, ammunition, food and water is not justified because the probability that any scenario requiring these items would play out is slim.

Maybe I should simply say “happy prepping” and leave it be, but this whole movement bothers me for a reason. Prepping is based on fear and fear spreads like wildfire. Ultimately, my concern is that preppers will create a self-fulfilling prophecy because of the fear and hostility they create by participating in these activities. Excessive preparation is synonymous with paranoia, and paranoid people act irrationally.
 
Prepping is not all "doom and gloom",but your original post reminds me of a comment I made on another thread,that many in this country are so spoiled into thinking that we (America) are somehow different than everywhere else and nothing bad could ever happen here,it always happens somewhere else.Right now,in other countries,there are millions of displaced and starving people.Many of us choose not to be put in that situation in the first place.

Some of us prep by lifestyle,we grow much of our own foods and raise animals for the dinner table,people's done this for thousands of years.They call it farming,only mine is not to supply the grocery stores,it's small scale,enough to supply my family with most all thats needed.I don't do this out of fear,I do it because I enjoy it and am much less dependent on the big corporations (utilities,major grocery chains,etc.) by not needing them to always be there to get by.And that's not to mention how much money I save by doing so.

Isn't most husbands and fathers sort of obligated to protect their wife and kids at all cost and provide for them at all times,including the not so great times???This all can be done and yet still have an enjoyable life,in fact,that's my reason for it.To try and preserve the way of life that my family and I love.
 
I think you will find that if you look into other treads on this site....we are a pretty helpful happy set of people.
There are very few(dare i say none) in this forum that are 'vicious/ruthless selfish preppers' that you may have experienced on other sites.

There are a great group of knowledgeable people here-just trying to share knowledge and information.
We enjoy people asking questions about what we are doing....but try to leave what your definition of what a prepper is behind...and try to form a new definition.
Personally I dont consider my self a proficient prepper....but I am working to the point of being self-sufficient. That is my ultimate goal....not because I believe the world will end in some huge catastrophic event, but because that is how I was raised. I felt the need since I was very little to be able to care for myself/keep all my ducks in a row.
I do believe that eventually there may be an issue with....idk whatever
For all of us this is not necessarily a choice...but how we were raised to behave/believe
 
Truly, my lifelong fantasy to live off the grid and maintain a self-sustaining lifestyle. So I can relate to some of your posts in this respect. However, I don’t consider this prepping. The very definition of prepping is to “prepare oneself for an event”. Choosing to live an environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle is not prepping in my view. There is no underlying fear that motivates me to prepare to live this way. It is simply how I choose to live because of the freedom, health and environmental benefits. On all of your profiles there is a section indicating what you are prepping for. This implies that a prepper’s actions are motivated by fear of an impending event. I don’t think this is an inaccurate description. Disagree?
 
im far enough along in life where i want to be able to retire in peace if i can..and to me that means seeing to it that i have my own home on my own property in stead of liveing in a rent house..have gardens with crops for food.roof over my head.clean clothes to wear.i want to be able to shower..turn on a light..sit on my porch or patio while i drink my morning coffee..how can i do any of these things after tshtf if i dont prepare for it?i love and enjoy life..yes im prepareing for the worse,what ever it might be..but im also takeing the time to enjoy life as i see it..no im not pessimistic..im just being honest with my self about how things are going with the GOV' the laws and other things in life in a relistc way..so if it means saveing up on foods,water clotehing and other things just so i can live out my life without starveing or what ever.then so be it.im gonna prepare for it in a relistic manner.
 
Please step into a 3rd world country, or goto Jamaica and don't stay at a resort and see what kind of lifestyle that is. I'm sure you're thinking, well this is America that would never happen here. You say fear breeds fear and while that is true, so does complacency and ignoring the past create a cesspool of people that HAVE to depend on the government for everything. Most of the people here were also born on farms and rural areas where putting food away for a rainy day (or 10) is second nature. I always like the reaction I get when people know how much ammo I have. Hunting is part of my life and a big part. That also includes range practice and and shooting clays. Is it wrong for me to buy 500 rounds of .22 rounds when they go on sale? Don't people do the same thing with food or other "necessities" that they deem they need a stock of that's not even considering the fact that ammo is getting harder and harder to find while also being more expensive.

I'm guessing you saw an episode of doomsday preppers and that's where you got your view from, which is ok, but it's stereotyping a people off of a tv show.
 
Based on many discussions in lots of forums I hope you are not a troll.
The topic you started is great while the language you are using is not.
First question, what movement??? Yes there are people prepping. Is that a movement?
Question two, what fear? Please help me understand what this is coming from? Give us Your background on this? Thanks.
 
Truly, my lifelong fantasy to live off the grid and maintain a self-sustaining lifestyle. So I can relate to some of your posts in this respect. However, I don’t consider this prepping. The very definition of prepping is to “prepare oneself for an event”. Choosing to live an environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle is not prepping in my view. There is no underlying fear that motivates me to prepare to live this way. It is simply how I choose to live because of the freedom, health and environmental benefits. On all of your profiles there is a section indicating what you are prepping for. This implies that a prepper’s actions are motivated by fear of an impending event. I don’t think this is an inaccurate description. Disagree?
Im probably one of the more mild preppers here as I have just started out, but I don't have a deep mistrust of the government (I don't ever trust the govt, and neither should anyone) but I don't think they're trying to kill me or are monitoring me.
 
Ok I will break this down as to why I believe things are about to get really bad, and no.. There is no "End of the World". The end of time or age as we know it will end, just like all those before our time did. Just not the way we will be facing things.

1. Sept 11th 2001
2. Iraq/Afghan war
3. Libya civil war that our high ranking military aswell as Gov't helped, along with the UN
4. Syria civil war - same as 3
5. Egypt civil war - that we give 1.6 billion dollars a year to their military, Our Gov't supported the now ousted President which is a part of the Muslim brotherhood
6. Now we are about to see Yemen face a civil war
7. Our currency is the world currency meaning e.g Iran cannot buy oil from India or vice versa with their currency, they have to buy US dollars called petro dollars. Many Countries are now bypassing the Federal Reserve, and trading gold for oil. This is called trading wars causing our dollar to devalue even more which is why we see food and other goods prices so high.
8. The housing market crash in 2008/2009, and stock market crash. We almost went into the greatest depression since the great depression. Yes we have been in a recession since 2001. Remember when we "bailed" out all those banks? Who paid for that? YOU the taxpayer. Meanwhile the banks got rich, and now getting richer off YOU, and I. Many of our manufacturing companies have fled the country to escape all the new regulations, and taxes.
9. The real unemployment rate is somewhere around 20-23%. Not what the Gov't/Media tells us which is 7.6 right now. That is anyone who is collecting unemployment checks.
10. Statistic show that more Americans are now on food stamps than ever before.

That is just to name a few reasons why most of us "prep". I think what most of us can actually see happening is a global economic collapse, World War 3, One World Gov't, and currency which is called New World Order. I am sure you are old enough to remember George H.W Bush at the State of the Union on "Sept 11th 1990" 11 years before Sept 11th 2001. Talking about the New World Order, and saying "THEY" will succeed. I to consider "prepping" a life style also. No I do not like any of the above mentioned. I do wish we all lived in a perfect world, but that is simply not the case. I am not a mean angry person because I am a prepper. I love everybody... Good or bad, no matter the skin color. I am sorry if I came off that way, but I am just defending "us preppers". There is a wealth of information on these forums, aswell as the internet. NOT on TV!!!
 
Ok I will break this down as to why I believe things are about to get really bad, and no.. There is no "End of the World". The end of time or age as we know it will end, just like all those before our time did. Just not the way we will be facing things.

1. Sept 11th 2001
2. Iraq/Afghan war
3. Libya civil war that our high ranking military aswell as Gov't helped, along with the UN
4. Syria civil war - same as 3
5. Egypt civil war - that we give 1.6 billion dollars a year to their military, Our Gov't supported the now ousted President which is a part of the Muslim brotherhood
6. Now we are about to see Yemen face a civil war
7. Our currency is the world currency meaning e.g Iran cannot buy oil from India or vice versa with their currency, they have to buy US dollars called petro dollars. Many Countries are now bypassing the Federal Reserve, and trading gold for oil. This is called trading wars causing our dollar to devalue even more which is why we see food and other goods prices so high.
8. The housing market crash in 2008/2009, and stock market crash. We almost went into the greatest depression since the great depression. Yes we have been in a recession since 2001. Remember when we "bailed" out all those banks? Who paid for that? YOU the taxpayer. Meanwhile the banks got rich, and now getting richer off YOU, and I. Many of our manufacturing companies have fled the country to escape all the new regulations, and taxes.
9. The real unemployment rate is somewhere around 20-23%. Not what the Gov't/Media tells us which is 7.6 right now. That is anyone who is collecting unemployment checks.
10. Statistic show that more Americans are now on food stamps than ever before.

That is just to name a few reasons why most of us "prep". I think what most of us can actually see happening is a global economic collapse, World War 3, One World Gov't, and currency which is called New World Order. I am sure you are old enough to remember George H.W Bush at the State of the Union on "Sept 11th 1990" 11 years before Sept 11th 2001. Talking about the New World Order, and saying "THEY" will succeed. I to consider "prepping" a life style also. No I do not like any of the above mentioned. I do wish we all lived in a perfect world, but that is simply not the case. I am not a mean angry person because I am a prepper. I love everybody... Good or bad, no matter the skin color. I am sorry if I came off that way, but I am just defending "us preppers". There is a wealth of information on these forums, aswell as the internet. NOT on TV!!!
 

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