Bringing Balance to Prepping Plans
Kevin Felts 06.08.18
When someone not in the prepping community hears the word prepper, or survivalist, they may think of someone in a bunker armed to the teeth with militant leanings. I know this because I have been asked to my face, “Your a survivalist, so you blow up buildings like Timothy McVeigh.” The person was not asking a question, they were making a statement.
The mentality that preppers/survivalist are militant is affirmed by so many “preppers” on YouTube making nothing but gun videos. It would seem prepping revolves around nothing but firearms.
Then there is the old saying, “Beans, bullets and band-aids,” which sums up a lot of peoples prepping plans.
Another saying is, “Buy cheap and stack deep.” Which implies prepping is nothing more than stockpiling.
Where are the sayings (and examples) for gardening, fishing, family time, and studying history?
Avoiding Extremes
If we were to take two YouTube videos on prepping – one on firearms, and another on growing beans – which would get the most views? Chances are the video on firearms would get substantially more views than the one on beans. This goes to further reinforce the ideology that preppers and survivalist have militant leanings.
We simply can not call ourselves preppers and focus solely on firearms. Or even mostly on firearms and somewhat on other aspects of prepping. This is where balance comes in. For someone to have a well rounded prepping plan, there must be balance. Balance between firearms, fishing, gardening, teaching our children, reading, and studying.
It is one thing to say, “I am prepping for X.”
It is another thing to say, “I am prepping for X, and historically this and that has happened. So I based me plans on those historical references.”
Some people become so obsessed with stockpiling, they do not have a single fruit tree, or do have never planted a backyard garden.
Then there are the people who spend countless hours at the gun range, but have no idea how to tie a fishing hook. Yet they claim to be preppers.
Some preppers have beans and rice stockpiled by the hundreds of pounds, yet do not have a single garden seed.
Finding Balance
How can someone bring balance to their prepping plans? For one, get out of their comfort zone. Maybe it is something left over from school and the embarrassment of making a failing grade, but a lot of people avoid situations where they may not succeed. The idea of failing is so uncomfortable a lot of people do not want to try new things.
Rather than trying something new, they stay with the tried and true. Want to avoid a garden not doing anything? Just stockpile canned goods.
Through trying new things, experimentation, and learning new skills, we can bring balance to our prepping plans.
