Is "preparedness" a state of mind?

[GreyCat]

Looking at recent threads on preparedness and also on the usual video channels, I see a lot of stuff about (a) kit and (b) some specific huge event.

But I wonder.... is "preparedness" really all about a state of mind....? (And if so, what state of mind is optimum?)

What I mean is, how many people consider "what might go wrong" when they go out somewhere, or in general life?
- if your train ticket is on a phone, why not have a power bank and make sure it's charged?
- on a long/multi-day road trip, do you have a second car key with you and a bottle of water in the vehicle (even before you get to more sophisticated stuff!)?
- how many people check the weather forecast for their route/destination before heading out ? (On Wednesday, it was 13C and low cloud when I left home, but was 29C and sunny/hot by the time I arrived at my destination in the Midlands).

This is not "prepping" for a specific event, more like having a basic level of consideration of the "what ifs" of general life and mostly being able to deal with it at a level of comfort.

I suspect that many/most people on here do this as part of normal life, but in my working life, I've seen/see a lot of folks who don't.

I wonder why this is.....and if it's a societal thing? Was just debating this in an industry group the other day, we were reflecting on how after the Harrow and Wealdstone train crash, much of the rescue was by volunteers yet these days we tend to/be told to "wait for the professionals" to deal with stuff. (We talked about the possible reasons too).

I am interested on what others think about this, and also what proportion of society would be capable of rendering assistance to themselves or their community in the event of a difficult situation vs the number of folks who would wait for the "authorities" to come and rescue them.

(I'm curious, that's all!)

GC

 

[Damascus]

If my wife and I go away, we always carry two car keys, one each, just in case and have done so for years and always have bottled water in the car and can get warm this weather though.

 

[Chris]

Looking at recent threads on preparedness and also on the usual video channels, I see a lot of stuff about (a) kit and (b) some specific huge event.

But I wonder.... is "preparedness" really all about a state of mind....? (And if so, what state of mind is optimum?)

What I mean is, how many people consider "what might go wrong" when they go out somewhere, or in general life?
- if your train ticket is on a phone, why not have a power bank and make sure it's charged?
- on a long/multi-day road trip, do you have a second car key with you and a bottle of water in the vehicle (even before you get to more sophisticated stuff!)?
- how many people check the weather forecast for their route/destination before heading out ? (On Wednesday, it was 13C and low cloud when I left home, but was 29C and sunny/hot by the time I arrived at my destination in the Midlands).

This is not "prepping" for a specific event, more like having a basic level of consideration of the "what ifs" of general life and mostly being able to deal with it at a level of comfort.

I suspect that many/most people on here do this as part of normal life, but in my working life, I've seen/see a lot of folks who don't.

I wonder why this is.....and if it's a societal thing? Was just debating this in an industry group the other day, we were reflecting on how after the Harrow and Wealdstone train crash, much of the rescue was by volunteers yet these days we tend to/be told to "wait for the professionals" to deal with stuff. (We talked about the possible reasons too).

I am interested on what others think about this, and also what proportion of society would be capable of rendering assistance to themselves or their community in the event of a difficult situation vs the number of folks who would wait for the "authorities" to come and rescue them.

(I'm curious, that's all!)

GC

I don’t subscribe to the more paranoid/doomsday event style of prepping, but I do follow the basic rule of “Two is one, one is none” when it comes to important things. Anything important or critical having a fallback option of some kind.

I wouldn’t call myself a prepper by any means, having contingencies is essential for everyone really.

 

[TeeDee]

I've wondered at times in different ways if its a mild ( or not so minor ) form of mental illness if I'm honest.
I think its very much a spectrum thing - I think what I do is justifiable and hence 'right' whilst may look with less tolerant eyes or make judgments upon others.

Overall - I think a little bit of Paranoia is a good thing - I still check on junctions Left and Right even if no traffic ' should ' be coming from the left at all. I've that much faith in human nature.

 

[Pattree]

how many people check the weather forecast for their route/destination

Given the number of folk arriving at Ringway in their hot climate gear and stepping out into a Manchester frost, there’s are some that don’t!

 

[Wildgoose]

I think there are different types of prepper.

My parents (both born 1950) always have a larder of tinned goods, a decent first aid kit and candles. The house is always stocked with bedding and towels with spares in the cupboard, more than enough for guests.
They are not preppers though, just keep a bit by.

Then there’s the more practical type, small power reserve, water butts, a moderate food store, camp stove etc. that’s probably a lot of people on here.

Then there’s the next level. Weeks of food and water, off grid electricity set up, optional body armour, crossbow, full CBRN rig. This is the level popular with the media and probably the reason preppers seem a bit odd to the populous.

I personally see it a bit like religion, please yourself but don’t feel the need to preach to everyone else.

 

[MartinK9]

Health Insurance, House insurance, Car insurance, Holiday insurance........... Food Insurance

 

[slowworm]

I think there are different types of prepper.

My parents (both born 1950) always have a larder of tinned goods, a decent first aid kit and candles. The house is always stocked with bedding and towels with spares in the cupboard, more than enough for guests.
They are not preppers though, just keep a bit by.

That's not prepping it's just living normally. I think most people would have at least had a cupboard or two full of food but these days more people expect to pick up a meal or nip to the shops. We have a well stocked larder because we don't like to spend half our lives keep going to the shops. (There's also a decent cost saving in buying in bulk or when things are on offer)

I would argue having a camping stove isn't prepping unless that's the main reason you have it.

 

[Pattree]

I would argue having a camping stove isn't prepping unless that's the main reason you have it.

Que?

 

[TeeDee]

I would argue having a camping stove isn't prepping unless that's the main reason you have it.

So how would you define it?

Do the possessions indicate the mindset or are material things actually more secondary?

 

[slowworm]

I would define it as camping if you buy the stove for camping, is that wrong?

Or to put it another way how many campers with a camping stove would consider themselves preppers?

I tend to find people use the name prepper as a bit of an insult or a dismissive term, a bit like when we first started growing our fruit and very people would call us Tom & Barbara or mention the Good Life.

 

[Pattree]

I think maybe this is partly what @GreyCat was getting at.

Maybe you don’t need a load of stuff to be prepared, you need an attitude that looks for all the ways that you can use what you have.

 

[Chris]

Oxford Dictionary definition aligns with what I feel:

a person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies.

I think for me it’s the line between taking sensible steps for things just in case pretty ‘standard’ things happen like power cuts, supply chain issues, lack of money, storms or being stuck at home due to illness, compared with actively preparing for a genuinely catastrophic event you think is actually going to happen and you probably have some specific ideas in mind (nuclear apocalypse, illuminati taking over etc).

 

[demented dale]

Having a spare tyre and wearing a seatbelt is prepping. It is common sense. most people have enough food for a week at least. We had storms here that took the power grid down for two weeks and also the whole lockdown thing showed us the fragility of the supply chain and our reliance on it. I think failing to prepare is preparing to fail. For me I dont think it is a bout being some Rambo survivalist. I think it is just confidence and reassurance in our own self reliance. As for the question is preparedness a mindset? yes it is and a very useful one. I like to keep my preparedness between my ears and live by the old saying knowledge weighs nothing. x

 

[Herman30]

But I wonder.... is "preparedness" really all about a state of mind....?

Yes, it all starts in the mind. Only after that can you start getting the physical stuff to help you get through the "whatever".
Going on a train journey I pack some food and drink, if going on a ship I check what wave height is expected; do I need to take sea sick pills or is it enough with alcohol. Etc.

 

[TeeDee]

just some random thoughts - so aimed at no one person , so please don't take offence.

Wearing a seat belt isn't preparing - its a legal compliance.
Carrying a spare wheel 'maybe' the most basic prepping action - but only if the car came supplied with no spare wheel ( as many new ones seem to do now ) and you've gone and sourced and purchased one - I guess that is a very basic prep. So basic - most of the general public would think nothing of it if you mentioned it to them down the Pub. Why - because its a HIGH Probable risk event..

Home insurance I guess could be seen as a prep - future preparation for a known unpredictable event - but how many of us actually know a friend or family member who has has had their house burn down? The reason we obtain the insurance is the literal cost of not doing so vs the costs of the premium is a no brainer vs the cost implication of not having the insurance in place for the improbable event.

So I think 'prepping' must be seen as somewhere on that spectrum of possible , but unlikely events that may occur - and the level or extent of how one preps for that ( could just be a mental ticklist , thought process and action plan vs actual physical preps etc ) vs what the majority of people are doing.

I say that because society does seem to consider what is 'normal' to be set by the majority and what is abnormal set by the minority - a month before Covid struck , if you had been in the minority and stockpiling masks , bleach , food goods and toilet paper the general public would have been sceptical of your minority actions.

3 months into Covid and EVERYONE seemed to be on board the prepping train of sorts - and all actions were seen as justified and sane.


So the analogy that sticks with me is marching ( as a group ) to the beat of a drum - it doesn't matter if you are marching in time with the drum and everyone else is out of step - you will be seen as the anomaly. Until the majority marches in time and you join them prepping will always be on the outlier fringe perspective of society acceptance because those that practice it are seemed as odd because they are questioning if society ( supply lines , utilities , infrastructure , law and order ) is stable or actually susceptible to unforseen catastrophes.

And that makes people nervous.



# addition - I also think the prepping mindset can be a cultural inheritance from what ever country and history one has experienced ( even if one has moved to a new country ) - Grandparents from the War year - Polish people - etc #



All that being said - I think if there was ever a time where a prepping type mindset is more likely to be fostered amongst more people - it is probably now. If we look at events over just the last 5 years the public I would imagine are somewhat primed for a more self - resilience based world view.

 

[TeeDee]

Looking at recent threads on preparedness and also on the usual video channels, I see a lot of stuff about (a) kit and (b) some specific huge event.

But I wonder.... is "preparedness" really all about a state of mind....? (And if so, what state of mind is optimum?)

What I mean is, how many people consider "what might go wrong" when they go out somewhere, or in general life?


GC

We have now fostered a society of instant self entitlement and an automatic expectation one can walk out their door and no encounter problems that can't be fixed with a tippy-tap-tap of a debit card.

I really think their is some basic validity in fourth turning theory in some ways.

 

[Broch]

I think, as diverse a group as we are, we are in danger of assuming the mass public see things in a similar way to us; I think, by definition, this group looks wider and searches for solutions with a broader toolset.

I am constantly amazed at how little planning most people carry out though. I am probably guilty of over-planning (according to the missus anyway); I always produce a list of kit I need even just to go down and work in the wood, and I will usually list the tasks I intend to carry out and, maybe, the order in which I will do them. Maybe this is a kind of compulsive attitude but I also think I am more than capable of solving problems as they occur.

I'm far from a 'prepper' in the current popular context, but the way we live (no mains water, frequent power cuts, no waste drainage, miles from any shop, easily cut off by weather) means that we have to plan for potential scenarios, and that does fall into 'being prepared'. Of course, the most important 'preparation' is having the skill set and the mind set to deal with problems.

So, in answer to GC's question, yes, I think being prepared is mainly a state of mind that being a 'prepper' has probably taken to an extreme (maybe, even, an unhealthy extreme in some cases - life's about living, not constantly prepping for the unlikely).

 

[Pattree]

Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.

(And many similar trot outs)

Just looking at a current news broadcast tells you that, while a rucksack and a key ring may be useful for incidents during a weekend trip, you cannot prepare for catastrophe.

 

[TeeDee]

Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.

Detailed plans.

With checklists.

And contingency plans if the first plan goes awry..


and maybe some nice use of Highlighters and rehearsed action drill indexes.