Is "preparedness" a state of mind?

[Chris]

In folks view, if one is underprepped and push came to shove, whilst at home - how easy would it be to jury rig a water filter ? with say, a stack of 2-3 buckets of sand for water to dribble through like the water treatment plants? or any other sort of alternative.
In such a scenario there might also be some limitation on fuel/ability to boil after the filter - if necessary? any common household products viable to sterilise? ( I remember there was a thread on bleach usage in the US, but that sounds a bit scary).

I’d just go for puritabs like you get in ration packs, or you can buy for dirt cheap. 50 for a few quid, each tablet will sterilise a litre of water.

Making a home filter to remove detritus might work, but for actually making it drinkable I’d use puritabs as they last for ages and take up no space.

I think I recall you saying you have iodine in your first aid kit. You can also use iodine to sterilise water, a few drops per litre I think.

 

[Broch]

In folks view, if one is underprepped and push came to shove, whilst at home - how easy would it be to jury rig a water filter ? with say, a stack of 2-3 buckets of sand for water to dribble through like the water treatment plants? or any other sort of alternative.
In such a scenario there might also be some limitation on fuel/ability to boil after the filter - if necessary? any common household products viable to sterilise? ( I remember there was a thread on bleach usage in the US, but that sounds a bit scary).

You have to put a lot of water through before the sand (or whatever) is clean enough to deliver drinkable water; if water is on short supply that could be a problem. Remove any particles with simple filter then use chloride of some kind (tablet or liquid form).

Oops, cross post, sorry Chris

 

[Woody girl]

Whilst those people who maybe have prepped somewhat basically , but not in full joined-up-thinking its at least steps for them to take on becoming somewhat more durable and self reliant. They ( in my opinion ) shouldn't be mocked but gently educated - everyone starts a journey of learning somewhere and Prepping is no different - everyone learns from either better guidance or their own mistakes

There can be an air of ' my prepping is better than your prepping ' to people whom practice it. And its a little unsavoury.

No Gas masks? Amateur

No iodine pills?? Noob...

Etc

I'm not having at go at you WG - I get what you are saying and yes , its somewhat short sighted , but guesss what , people learning can make mistakes and not have it off too a 'T' from the get go.

Its a niche , activity that I suspect few would discuss in person or at work because its seen as a somewhat fringe activity with certain assumptions made.

Will Government produced steering and leaflets make the thinking aspect a little more automatic? maybe / maybe not.

I Just don't think its coming from a good place to criticise someone starting an activity and making mistakes.


Just my opinion.

Not having a go, just stating facts. Even when I have talked to these people about better prepping, they still don't want to know. Some phrases directed towards me.

It won't ever get that bad.

Oh I'm sure the water board will put a tanker in the car park for us, so I'm not worried.

I'll come to you if I need anything. Ha ha ha

I'll just get what I need online if it gets that bad.

Oh, that's a point, I'll go to the chemist and get some water purification tablets right now.
(A few mins later).. they havnt got any in stock. I'll get them later.
Two weeks or so later..have you got your puritabs yet?
Oh, I forgot all about it. I probably won't need them anyway.

I'm prepared, I've got a few extra tins and two bottles of water, some candles, a gas stove, and a torch, I don't think I need anything else. I'll cope just fine.

I wish them all good luck, as tho they are prepped for a short power cut, I don't think they'd last too long. Still, it's their choice. I've tried, but for a long while now, I no longer talk about it. It's pointless.
I have 2 or 3 local friends who I can talk about it with, but we just do for ourselves now.
I've only ever termed it as" the government say we should be doing this or that, what are you doing, where are you up to," sort of thing.
I know, even with my skills and things I've got put by, it will be tough if things go out for longer than a week or two. And I'm in a better position than most.

 

[Laurentius]

If you have a car you effectively have electricity, when I am camping I don't need anything else, it is enough to keep my phone and any other USB gadgets charged. In future when all cars are electric you will have a complete back up power supply there. I think the biggest problem in the long term would be disposal of human waste.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Of all the people I know in my local, who say they are prepping, not one has a water filter of any sort.
They all think a brita water filter will be sufficient if one is needed, or they will buy bottled from the store.
A picnic stove with a can of gas..no spare gas, will get them through a prolonged black out.
They have a few cans of extra food in the cupboard, no milk powder though. And they can get deliveries from tesco, so they will be OK.

No filled spare petrol cans for when the pumps don't work.
The incident with the empty shelves in the co op for nearly two weeks didn't wake anyone up.View attachment 96635View attachment 96636

Oh water filters, my inspecting the function of two of our Sawyer Squeezes recently were not impressed to find despite the fact they were working before we put them into storage were no longer working to there learn all about ' mineralisation ', how to clear it out, sanitise and properly store the things.

We have selected Squeezes because we also have the the filter to bucket conversion kits

 

[Silverclaws2]

Oh water filters, if one has water filters stored it really doews pay to check they still work before you need them as my inspecting the function of two of our Sawyer Squeezes recently were not impressed to find despite the fact they were working before we put them into storage were no longer working to there learn all about ' mineralisation ', how to clear it out, sanitise and properly store the things.

We have selected Squeezes because of the filter to bucket conversion kits that have found use in some pretty third world parts of the globe.

 

[Woody girl]

Does anybody ever have premonitions?
Back at the beginning of June, I was talking with my friend S , and out of nowhere I suddenly said, I had a feeling that there was going to be a huge earthquake and there would be a tsunami that would affect the whole of the ring of fire in the Pacific in July. Possibly August.
A week ago, I awoke with a picture of a large wave comming towards me in my mind, that has stayed with me ever since.
Lo and behold, this morning I woke to news of exactly this.
I always listen to my inner promptings.
As I'm typing this, I've just got a text from S saying she's just read about it and how on earth did I know?
This was predicted for 5th July, (i later found out) by someone in japan, but I said it would be nearer to August. Here we are on 30th July.
I feel it's just a beginning. I am feeling Italy has a big problem with camp filigri in Rome, (sorry never get that volcano name right)
Being tuned into the earth , it will tell you things. Give you warnings. We all know getting out into nature can affect your mood, and plants can heal. To me it's normal, others take the mick, or trash it, but be with me long enough and you'll experience things like this with me that I can't explain.
I still find it spooky myself when I've said something will happen and it does, even though for me it's natural.
Note, I did not predict a date, just a small timeframe.
Does anyone else get this happening?
I'm not always right, but I'd say 95% of the time I am.

 

[Pattree]

I have a friend who has premonitions. I’m not sure how often she is right but I know that on occasion she has been.

I am concerned that any information about an effect that is available before its cause would indicate that we have no free will and I resent that. I do not wish to be a few frames in a strip of celluloid projection film.

Of course it may be that the path of my thumb across this screen was decided long ago and I am just a replay.

 

[Woody girl]

I have a friend who has premonitions. I’m not sure how often she is right but I know that on occasion she has been.

I am concerned that any information about an effect that is available before its cause would indicate that we have no free will and I resent that. I do not wish to be a few frames in a strip of celluloid projection film.

Of course it may be that the path of my thumb across this screen was decided long ago and I am just a replay.

My take on it is that of cause and effect a lot of the time. Its obvious that if you stick your hand in a fire it will get burned. We know this as it happens frequently, and it's not rocket science.
Do some people pick up on things unconsciously and then it seems like a prediction? I don't know
I also don't know how I predicted my friends motorcycle accident back in the 70's, or the one that I witnessed the night I moved with my friend to torquay, where, as we prepared to get on her bike to go back to the flat after a quick drink in a local pub to meet the local bikers, I had a sudden fear of getting on it, to the point I wanted to take a bus. I saw a dead woman as soon as I touched the bike. She persuaded me to get on and not be so silly, as we came along tqy seafront, I had a wave of dread, and made her pull over, a car came past within a hairs breath of us at speed, hit a lamppost in front of us, and the woman passenger was killed outright.
This was the fourth time I'd said something to her along these lines, and I'll always remember her saying to me, in future, I'm gonna listen to you!
Also happened with a friend when as we were driving, I suddenly said, accident here, be careful going home tomorrow .
Next day as he left, I reminded him. 20 mins later I got a phone call, "I decided to slow down at that point you indicated, and a massive crash happened in front of me." Luckily he'd heeded my warning, was aware, and slowed down, even though he thought I "was a bit cracked" (to use his words) and narrowly missed being involved.
No indicators there on either of those happenings. I just knew.

 

[Glow_worm]

I think the biggest problem in the long term would be disposal of human waste.

Agreed, but only in densely populated areas, anybody with a garden is sorted. Towns and cities would require organised communal setups.

I haven't used a water closet at home in the best part of a decade. Compost toilet, which can be as simple as a bucket with a lid, to which sawdust etc is added each time. When full, add to middle of an active hot compost heap, eventual result is rich growing medium. Space needed- about two cubic metres for a family.

 

[Glow_worm]

@Woody girl All I will say is that there is a huge amount which goes on which we don't and may never understand. I used to get a recurring dream as a child when feverish, which involved a small derelict building in a wood. In my twenties I moved across to the other side of England and was involved in that particular small building in a wood.

On similar but different lines to your experiences, I was heading somewhere on a dual carriageway once, and turned off onto a sliproad by mistake, on autopilot. Frustrated (I was in a hurry) I continued over the roundabout and down the sliproad to rejoin, but had to stop behind the awful pile-up I would have been in the middle of if I had carried on correctly.

As regards encourage others to be more resilient- age old issue, you're up against human nature. Some will be open to ideas and take advice, others simply are not bothered and won't be, and will plod on hoping and assuming tomorrow will be roughly the same as today. For example I know how toxic most mainstream food is the human body, the horrors of mainstream modern livestock production, and the damage to the environment caused by chemical farming. Can I convince more than a few other people to make changes to what they eat? Nope. Will I alienate the majority of the population by trying too hard? Yes. Whatever the agenda, however logical, noble or well meaning, most people are quite happy plodding along as they are, and don't have the headspace or processing ability consider making even small changes.

 

[Falstaff]

Agreed, but only in densely populated areas, anybody with a garden is sorted. Towns and cities would require organised communal setups.

I haven't used a water closet at home in the best part of a decade. Compost toilet, which can be as simple as a bucket with a lid, to which sawdust etc is added each time. When full, add to middle of an active hot compost heap, eventual result is rich growing medium. Space needed- about two cubic metres for a family.

That's the solution for toilet waste but even without packaging we produce a lot of other waste. That's why archeologists love to dig into old midden heaps.
Bulkier items, even large bones, can be a challenge. The old domestic solution used to be to dig a hole and bury it at the bottom of the garden. In my old home I used to often dig up "disposed of" rubbish, including broken glass, metal, a variety of large bones, bicycle bits, you name it. In my current 1960's house its largely builders rubble, 1/2 bricks, concrete, half burnt wood, and broken paving slabs.

 

[Glow_worm]

Very true @Falstaff- it's an odd mindset really, just burying things and considering them dealt with, but humans tend to think on a very short term! Bones are an interesting one- I unearth them occasionally at my place, which is very rural. In the past they were specifically collected in towns and cities for production of bonemeal fertiliser...

 

[Laurentius]

Agreed, but only in densely populated areas, anybody with a garden is sorted. Towns and cities would require organised communal setups.

I am a flat dweller though, I would have to go all the way over to my allotment for a pony and trap.

 

[Pattree]

I doubt that I am the only one who has seen the waste output of a populous city just dumped in huge cliffs on the outskirts. They were covered in scavenging by birds by day and animals by night. Not humans - they didn’t throw away anything that other humans would want. Black stinking rivulets flooded out at the base. The cliffs were highly unstable and the effluent poured straight into the river.

This island isn’t big enough to feed itself or to manage its waste without power, cooperation and a LOT of organisation.

 

[Glow_worm]

Nah, 25L container, sawdust covering material. One treck every week to the community hot compost heap/bucket washing station.

Even if society doesn't break down however, the organisation which makes compost or composting toilets mainstream is going to make very, very serious money. Not only will they solve all the issues with water wastage and pollution caused by water closets and sewers, they will have a huge amount of valuable saleable soil improver for agriculture, and they will be able to charge people for the privilage on top.

I wonder if I will see it in my lifetime? Shame I've got too much else on to try and start the revolution!

 

[HillBill]

In answer to the OP. No. Preparedness is not a state of mind. If it was, you'ld starve if you were mentally prepared, but had no food. Being prepared is having the bases covered... even if it means wasting money, because you dont need to use supplies. Better to be prepared, than not!

 

[TeeDee]

In answer to the OP. No. Preparedness is not a state of mind. If it was, you'ld starve if you were mentally prepared, but had no food. Being prepared is having the bases covered... even if it means wasting money, because you dont need to use supplies. Better to be prepared, than not!

Then is Preparedness a culture of sorts? Because if agree to that then I would say its a state of mind ( whatever that actually means ? ) but if its cultural , either practiced , learned or acted upon it must start from the mind.

I still find the more interesting or fundamental question is ultimately what causes it in the first place? What is the catalyst and when does it start?

After reading this thread and many others the common gist seems to be many ( more than I thought ) of us don't want to be self identifying as 'preppers' but alot of us talk and put the subject of Preps , act upon it to some extent and would certainly seem to tick alot of the boxes regardless of how we identify or justify it.

 

[Glow_worm]

Then is Preparedness a culture of sorts? Because if agree to that then I would say its a state of mind ( whatever that actually means ? ) but if its cultural , either practiced , learned or acted upon it must start from the mind.

I still find the more interesting or fundamental question is ultimately what causes it in the first place? What is the catalyst and when does it start?

My thoughts on your thoughts....!

We've had the word 'mindset', you're suggesting 'culture'- trying to simplify things, how about 'approach'? Or 'approach to life'?

This approach in my case is formed by listening to my basic primal human instincts for survival (the absolute need for water, food, shelter) and being aware that I am reliant on a very flawed system for some aspects of them, and take steps to remove any reliance.

This extends- If I leave my place of shelter/food/water supply, I want to be as self reliant on the journey, wherever I am going and on my return.

I also feel other human instincts- the desire to get food plants on the ground in spring, to preserve food for the winter in late summer, to store dry firewood, howl at the moon and dance naked on the hills etc etc. Therefore I get on with it, and this approach to life covers my basic human needs and makes me very contented. Peasant? Commoner? Cottage economy? Self sufficieny? Permaculture? Prepping? Whatevs, innit.

 

[TeeDee]

My thoughts on your thoughts....!

We've had the word 'mindset', you're suggesting 'culture'- trying to simplify things, how about 'approach'? Or 'approach to life'?

This approach in my case is formed by listening to my basic primal human instincts for survival (the absolute need for water, food, shelter) and being aware that I am reliant on a very flawed system for some aspects of them, and take steps to remove any reliance.

This extends- If I leave my place of shelter/food/water supply, I want to be as self reliant on the journey, wherever I am going and on my return.

I also feel other human instincts- the desire to get food plants on the ground in spring, to preserve food for the winter in late summer, to store dry firewood, howl at the moon and dance naked on the hills etc etc. Therefore I get on with it, and this approach to life covers my basic human needs and makes me very contented. Peasant? Commoner? Cottage economy? Self sufficieny? Permaculture? Prepping? Whatevs, innit.

I guess we are dancing around various synonms that fit for each of us in our vocab and we find acceptable - mindset - culture - approach to life etc

I guess my thoughts upon your thoughts upon my thoughts ( and breathe! ) are...

You are describing Maslow heirarchy of needs - the pyramid of basic human needs at the bottom then ascending to the more mental/emotional/spiritual at the top of the pyramid. And I think thats a fair model to think of the needs - we don't think about our happiness or emotional fulfilment unless we have the prime needs met. Its said depression is mostly a 1st world issue and we can see why..

I guess the distinction I see and make is this Hierarchy of needs is consistent and universal amongst people ( Humans ) - so the subtle nuanced difference I see if why does not everyone in the West developed world see the possible restriction or removal of pre-established supply of these things as a possible event/threat to their existence?

What make a ( small? ) section of Western society think these low tier basic requirements need to be consider and proactively managed outside of the normal anticipated supply chains the rest of the society take as granted?

Mindset-Culture-Approach are all terms just to describe an idea - but what is , and why is the idea incepted in the 1st place? If its a singular event we have all experienced , I could understand , but it seems to be a very varied learned behaviour.