As The SHTF, Be A Role Model
The quality of a man or a woman can readily be judged when times get tough and the Stuff Hits The Fan. Does he or she turn into a complete jerk, or show grace under pressure?
The other day I had a co-worker (who’s husband is an in-the-closet prepper) ask me “so how many people have told you “you were right!” about all the prepping stuff.
My answer? Being able to say “I was right” isn’t the answer. Being in a position to survive and thrive, THAT is what matters.
A PG rating for language
We generally try to keep 3BY G-rated, but this article (because I am quoting some stuff that was not written with a G-rated publication in mind is going to have a bit of naughty language. Nothing blasphemous, that we will not do… but a bit of “salt”. If that isn’t your thing, then this is the time to flip back to the main page of the site (CLICKY) and check out another article.
Jim Cobb shared the following on social media
Jim shared the following with his friends on social media, and made it public and available to share so I thought I would drop it here because he makes some great sense.
Truth… We ARE better than that!
Not only are we better than that, but we are also presented with an opportunity to step up and help members of our community because we are in a position of strength.
Assuming we have been prepping for a while, this is the type of emergency that nearly everybody should be ready for… a bug-in situation where we lean on our preps and our knowledge. We plant our gardens, we isolate ourselves and we wait it out.
How we can be role models without “outing” ourselves
For those people who are still struggling to prepare, or just starting, we can offer guidance and help by steering them towards the most important things to have. Example, we can help them to stop fighting over bottled water and instead buy a Berkey or Sawyer water filter.
We can show them that instead of mounds of toilet paper, they can install a bidet. We can direct them to stores that actually have the goods that the people can still buy (like in my restaurant supply article posted yesterday).
There’s all kinds of things we can do while still saying safe and while not blowing OPSEC.
Neighbor helping neighbors
Here in my home town, we are putting together a coalition of neighbors willing to make runs to the grocery store (or other places of need) to bring groceries to our neighbors who have been quarantined or simply need to stay isolated.
It works like this. The neighbor calls the grocery store and places an order. The store puts it together for them and we (our volunteers) goes and picks it up and delivers it. The person pays over the phone with a credit card or a check.
We drop the groceries off on their front porch, and they come out for them after we step away. If we get to a much deeper SHTF situation where supplies become limited, this will obviously not work, but for now it’s something that we not only can do, but SHOULD do.
Spice and I believe we were put on this Earth to do good, and helping those who need help is doing good.
Show courage in all ways – Grace under pressure
Although when he made the following statement Edward R. Murrow was talking about different circumstances, I’d like to think he would agree with me using the following quotation made of his words:
“We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men…”
If you, like us, are long time preppers, we’ve got this. There’s no reason to panic. There’s no reason to sit around and complain about “who’s to blame.”
Covid-19 is to blame, and it doesn’t care about your politics, it just does what viruses do.
What will be remembered, by ourselves and by our community is is how we reacted when the chips were down. Did we stand around and bitch about everything in sight? Did we spend all of our time blaming? Or did we — within our limitations, and our need to protect ourselves and be safe — did we step up and become a part of the solution to problems around us?
Grace under pressure. We’ve thought about this. Gamed it. Planned it. Prepared for it. Now it’s time to stand and deliver… and do it in a way where we add to the answers and not the problem.
very good article
IMHO the current situation does NOT yet fit the category of SHTF. Look out your door and around your own neighborhood. There is gas in the pumps, grocery stores are hectic, but still open and able to replenish (if y’all will let them), we still have freedom of movement, we still have gas and electric, running H2O, internet and cell phone service…still have police/fire/EMS…USPS delivery…can still call for a plumber or electrician if need be. Really, the only things in my neighborhood that have gone down are the library, voting at the polls, bars/restaurants and large events. I guess my point is that a real SHTF is magnitudes worse…where everything is shut down and we are WROL…or else subject to martial law. So far, we are not there and not even close. If you think about it the SHTF all the time on a localized level both here in the US and abroad – Katrina in 2005, LA with the Rodney King Riots, The 2008 Ice Storm in New England, Chile had martial law briefly in 2019, Australia’s bushfires recently probably also fit the definition. Around the globe, at any given time there are probably half dozen SHTF’s going on somewhere. IMHO I can’t say that we are at that point yet.
I think it is for some people. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, and I’ve already heard of layoffs as a result of the shutdowns. Not to mention elderly people living outside of nursing homes. My 80 something grandmother can’t safely buy groceries anymore because of what’s going on, and needs regular help at home even during ‘normal’ daily life.
I guess it’s not at the level of something like Katrina (which my husband lived through) for the general population, but it is definetely increasing hardship for a significant segment of the population. I think calling it a SHTF situation is warranted, especially since it’s a nation/world wide disaster.
First, thank you for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
I actually did stop and consider “does this current situation really qualify as a SHTF event”, and I decided after thinking about it for a bit that it does, at least for a lot of people.
Here’s why I think it does.
1) Is their massive economic disruption? Yes.
2) Are we seeing a huge upswing in unemployment and other forms of income loss? Yes, we are.
3) Is free movement curtailed? In many places yes.
4) Is the ability to assemble curtailed? Yes.
5) Are medical services restricted? Yes, local hospitals here are now taking emergencies. Dentists have completely shut down except for emergencies.
6) Schools? Closed for weeks to months.
7) Restaurants? Closed.
8) Food store hoarding / panics? Check.
On a personae level for many people, especially those with limited income, big bills and debts to pay, it’s definitely a SHTF situation. IMHO.
Well said!
Just my opinion, but if you are digging into your preps out of necessity (in other words not for training or rotation of goods), it is SHTF. In the past I have resorted to my preps during times of low or no employment and winter storms. For me, that was SHTF. Mini ones to be sure, but still SHTF to me.
Prepping is different for everyone. We are all individuals after all. Prepping is basically insurance against situations big and small.
Regardless of ones definition of SHTF, getting bogged down in semantics is not really helpful.
YMMV.